StephanieF, your testimony is so valuable to folks with younger children. Where we're located, kindergarten runs from 4 to 5. I'd like to try home schooling for a year to see how the fit is for my son, because I can see elements of his personality (sensory needs, constant talking, need for asking probing questions, a 2-hour attention span, need to do deep dives on topics of special interest, early reading, and desire for adult partnership) going unsupported even at high quality local private schools. Our family, too, is fortunate to be able to self-sustain on one salary, with sacrifices.
I relish the gift of being available to meet my son's needs now as a preschooler. My son currently takes music classes with an academy known for its pedagogical child-friendliness, and even at this conservatory, there is already an attitude of conformity over comprehension permeating the teaching. As my son grows older, I can only imagine the gap between his needs and the program offering diverging. Where another child might be content to shake a tambourine, my son wants to understand how the instrument is made, how changing different aspects of the instrument affects its pitch, etc.
On the rare occasions where his curiosity isn't encouraged in class (we usually step aside from the group so I can at least acknowledge his questions), I see my son retreat and withdraw. He would be a hider in school, as I was, and I never want him to learn shame for the inquisitiveness and exuberance that makes him such a delightful child. With homeschooling, I like that I can encourage his use of his talents and help him to continue to build a resilient self-concept for later years when he may be educated by a third party. I'm not confident that an outside educator will be able to nurture risk taking and striving for challenges the way I will.
