Handwriting Without Tears

[egoldber]

The whole idea of pushing in the early years is why I am so intrigued by homeschooling. Honestly, I am not sure I have the patience for it, since I REALLY enjoy the me time that I get when DD is in preschool. But one of the things I adore about my preschool is their insistence that young children not be pushed and that they be allowed to play and learn through play.

[lisams]

Coming from teaching in an elementary school, I will say that kindergarten has become very academic with very little, if any, unstructered play. Recess is becoming extinct and parents want to get rid of nap/down time because the children "could be learning during that time". I feel so bad for these little ones who already feel like failures when they get to first grade because they can't read (even if someone hasn't told them, they know - they feel the pressure daily, it's heartbreaking). That's part of why I will not go back to teaching. It seems to get worse every year. I know that we will be doing most of DD's academic teaching here at home. Like you, I don't think I could give up so much personal free time to homeschool, but it is so tempting. I'm already looking into different schools for DD since most of the ones I like have a waiting list.

Ugh!
Lisa

[AngelaS]

We're using The Well Trained Mind book as our base for homeschooling. I was just reading what I need to get for first grade and there is a lot they recommend (like LATIN!). I like that they focus on the core areas and don't spend time on 'fluff' like 'what the mailman does'....