Friday Evan had his little graduation ceremony that went on and on for several hours, but I still found myself holding on to the moment. I invited both sets of grandparents to come watch the presentation and see him in his moment. To say that the boy did well is the understatement of the day. He is in the top 3 of his school, maybe even the second most gifted kid in the school. I was proud of him, it went deeper than that though. I was relieved that a conflicting choice we had to make 2 years ago turned out so well.
The bitter always comes with the sweet and the bitter pill to swallow was that this could be the end of a great academic career for him. Homeschooling will not cut it for him, he will adapt and get used to it, but it will never provide what he received from his advanced studies at school. I know that is counter to what the story is for most kids in school, but it is the truth for him. The competition (he is not even aware that is part of what motivates him), the rules and structure, and bouncing ideas around in a group have really spurred him on.
I love, love homeschooling. I don't love doing it, but the concept and the principals behind it are wonderful. I think it is better for children, I think it is better for the family and everything else that goes along with it. I support it whole heartily, but Evan may be one of the exceptions to the rule, that kid feeds and thrives in the classroom. He is not even happy that summer break is here, he wants to be in school all year with breaks here and there.
I know that for some the decision not to send him to middle school would be a no brain er, but it is not that easy for his father and I. I know that the peer impact can have long reaching negative consequences. I also know that it is not possible for him to go school without some compromise, and I know that some parents would never even consider sacrificing one for the other. I am not that parent! I am torn! I am conflicted! I am a reluctant homeschooler once again. The back and forth in my own mind has started again. I will adapt, I will get used to it, but it will never be with 100% confidence. Somewhere along the way, long before I ever sent them to school I lost confidence in my parenting ability. One of the reasons I became so unsure of myself graduated top of his class Friday morning.
1 comment:
Testing to see if I can comment. Started reading the free first chapter of 1000 gifts. Good stuff, but again only in the first few pages.
I think I like her writing. Had a hard time finding info on her theology (sorry, that makes a difference for me before I start reading an author so I know their "bent"). This seems like a great book for me to give to some of my docent friends to open up conversation about life and Christ.
Thanks for sharing :)
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