public, private, home, charter

I learned something during my almost-two-years at home. It's something that probably would not surprise homeschooling parents...

I'm darn good at teaching my kids.

And I love their daycare, I do. And I think that they have been able to teach my kids things that I couldn't, or wouldn't even know to teach. The teachers there work with me like a team. And the social aspects are something I really really like, seeing as I am rather anti-social.

But in some respects, I think their return to school (in marmallow's case, her maiden voyage into daycare) has undone some of the work I did. Particularly with lil' b.

When he was home with me, I ran our play time as an education always happening. He had structured learning, of course, but every moment was a chance to learn, to look up, and to look around. To participate in the world instead of just being told about it. Under my tutelage, he learned his letters, how to write his name, how to count and recognize numbers... and then he went to daycare and relearned those things, making these last few months a waste as far as book-smarts go.

My parents are very interested in having me homeschool my children. I worry about prejudices towards them, though, and honestly that's my biggest concern. I know there are ways to get involved in social activities and sports. And so I continue to think about private or charter schools as an option, which seem to lift a child out of the homeschool stereotype without dragging him down to the lowest common denominator. That balance comes with a hefty price tag, though.

For those whose children are in formal schooling, how do you keep the education growing outside the school walls? How do you combat the issues that crop up outside the sanctuary of home? For those that homeschool, how do you deal with judgmental parents and peers? What other issues do you worry about?