i'm a big fan of formal education, both public and private. i attended public schools from kindergarten through high school and then got my bachelors degree in psychology from santa clara university (private jesuit). i liked high school but really only for academic reasons...the social aspects irritated me to no end. college was a dream come true. (fyi: students who attend universities that cost $30,000 a year typically are there to learn, not party, though there was that too i suspect. (and before you wonder just how spoiled i am... i graduated high school with a 4.2GPA and had hearty helpings of academic scholarships and some federal loans like everyone else. that said, i turned down a full ride to berkeley because i didn't think it would be a good fit for me.)) anyway, i'm a huge nerd deep down.
when parker was little, bk and i talked about home schooling. at that time i wanted a whole brood of kids and home schooling seemed romantic and adventurous to me. and then i remembered who i really am. not terrifically patient or good at little kid stuff. i tolerate the mess that playdoh creates but have basically banned toys/games with little tiny parts or sand or other things that require sweeping/mopping of the floors. i love structure and a schedule (and am always on time, if not ten minutes early) but am not great about creating or sticking to them with the kids. i'm just a *tad* anal retentive. in other words, i think i'd make a terrible teacher of young children, particularly my own. and since i love learning and i want to instill that love in parker and lorenzo, i have chosen to send them to public school and augment at home. parker is getting to an age that i'm really excited about; it's less make believe and more literal and logical. i love working in the kitchen with her and watching her figure things out. she's starting to talk about science and math and reading and i think that absolutely rocks. thankfully (and not surprisingly) she's completely blossoming in school. she loves it and is good at it. her teacher is the perfect balance of firm and kind. mrs. s is obviously better suited to the job than i am. *whew*
bonus question: what type of schooling did you get? your kids?