homeschooling preschool

oh my, has it really been over a YEAR since i last updated my blog?! unbelievable.

so much has happened, there is simply no way for me to recap it all, but it has been a wonderful year. i believe that i have found my stride, and so has my husband. it's awesome. life is really, really good--- rich, fun, busy, fulfilling, exciting.

max is just an amazing human being with whom i love spending my time.

what sparked the interest in picking up the blog again is this: max is two and a half. on march fifth, an innocent parenting newsgroup to which i belong became flooded with posts: it was preschool acceptance day, and so many were wait-listed, or talking about where their kids got in, etc. one wrote about her concern that her kid (who was not attending) would be left in the dust as a result of having no other kids to play with! (they would all be in preschool!) and yes....that freaked me out but good.

thing is, in looking around for a preschool, the desirable schools are nearly all full-time situations, or at least full days for a few days a week, and they are all unaffordable (they would require almost half of my annual salary). i am still considering preschool for age four, but our situation is unique, and we certainly are not in need of a full-time childcare situation. additionally, if this was something we wanted to do, i should have begun the process of applying while he was still in the womb, apparently (i wish i were joking- required viewing: nursery university).

the beautiful part is that a full-time or even part-time but full day childcare situation is not what i desire. with much thought and consultation with parents whom i respect and love, i have figured out what it is that i desire:

-a close bond with my child
-a parent-oriented child
-a child who is exposed to many different types of people of many different ages
-a child-led curriculum which focuses on his intense interest in reading and music
-when he cannot be with me or bdub, a devoted caregiver who is a kind, intelligent, and gentle model (ladies and gentlemen, meet jeffrey).

and this is what we have. essentially, amid the preschool competition (which is much more intense in our area than acceptance into most major universities), the $20,000 annual tuitions, the fundraising committees and the application fees and the essays about the perfect little snowflake that we are supposed to pretend is our child, this is our plan:

we are homeschooling preschool. i feel like i've got my teaching mojo back! (i have a degree in k-8 music education, was a substitute teacher of all subjects and grades for three years after college, and have taught private flute lessons as well as general music, orchestra, band, and choir to grades 6-12). i am very excited about this. i would like for it to be child-led for the most part, but max is also a really voracious learner who likes being exposed to new things.

additionally, we:
-attend a church nursery on sundays from appx 9-12.
-attend a playgroup monday and fridays from 11:30-1
-may attend an unschooling playgroup in the teacher's home tues and thur from 4-6 (more to come on that-- see
-will likely attend dalcroze eurythics class at the special music school

sounds like a plenty full schedule for a 2-3 year old. most importantly, i am honored and happy to spend this time with him. childhood really is so short.

more to come.