Preparing for next year

Little guy is still attending his preschool class this year. I figure 3 hours 4 days a week isn't too much for him. He seems to be doing better this year even though he still doesn't like going. Next year he will be required to attend kindergarten a full day. This is just too much for my little guy and the decision has been made that he will be homeschooled. Its kind of nice to have made this decision and to have so much time to plan out next year. I have picked several curriculums which will be our basis next year. Explode the Code, Handwriting without Tears, and Math U See. The rest we will fill in on his interests. We will explore some science with hands on experiments. It should be a fun year and no sitting in chairs for long hours.

Decisions

As a mother of four older children I have often found myself in a disagreement with the Public School System. I don't believe they are able to individualize curriculum as needed for children. I think many of teachers are tired and underpaid. They lack passion for a career they strive so hard to achieve. I don't think its the children that takes it from them but, a poorly ran system that undervalues their services. I believe children cannot explore their interests and are stuck to a strict schedule so they pass the mandatory assessments. Now, with the recent shootings more schools are implementing drills to teach children to run and hide from the possible intruder. It doesn't seem like our current school system is heading in a direction that will foster a love for learning. More likely is a fear of being harmed at school. There are many positives to public school education. Children are able to learn and interact with their peers. They are exposed to other environments out of the parents control that teaches them how to adapt. They learn new skills and concepts that a parent might overlook. The collaboration between educators allows for material and curriculum to be well thought out, a single educating parent might overlook. My four older children are over 18. I decided to have another child and he is now 3 years old. He attends a ECSE classroom at our local school. I love his teacher and she works well with him. However, there are certain things that she is required to do that I disagree with. One being the "Intruder drill." I don't believe this has a real purpose. It was put in place to comfort parents that the school is doing something. Its effectiveness is probably minimal at best. My son has some learning issues complicated by Epilepsy. Some days he is very active and coherent. Other days it is like pulling teeth to get a yes or no out of him. On those days it is hard to send him school knowing he is going to have many issues completely out of his control. Some days he cries as we pull up to the school. He tells me as we leave the house "no school day!" He screams. I have tried to figure out why school is so hard for him. This is my only thought. His seizures impact his ability to be aware of his surroundings. They are so frequent at times that he may not realize what is going on for much of the day. He is just being dragged along in hopes that he get little tidbits of information. This has to be frightening to him. He wants to be home with Mommy because he feels safe and secure. The debate is do a foster his need for safety and security or do I continue to force him outside of his comfort zone at such a young age?