The Power of Flexibility: Real School

Hands down, flexibility is my favorite aspect of homeschooling our children.  We do what we want when we want to do it.  And, Ms.6 always wanted to do “real school”.  From the time she was a baby toddler, she talked about riding the big yellow school bus, spending her days away from from the family and paving her own way via a brick and mortar school.

As a toddler, it was easy to nod and smile at her insistence to attend school.  As she grew, her insistence grew until we could deny it no further:  our unschool girl needed to experience school for herself.  On the cusp of her 6th birthday, the decision was made to enroll Ms.6 in our local public elementary school for Kindergarten.  I attended “Meet the Teacher” night and dutifully labeled the endless supplies.  We had many conversations about her school lunches, the necessity to follow the school rules but also to stay true to her instincts, school bus safety and the all important question….what would she wear on her first day?

Long story short, our little girl lasted exactly 4 days in the school system.  She frequently reminisces about her brief experience as a Kindergarten student and still talks about how much she liked her teacher.  It was a great experience for everybody.  Ms.6 is fully appreciative of her life as a homeschooler.  She no longer idealizes school as the best way to spend her days.  I honed my admiration for parents who get their kids to school by 8:30am day after day.  And, Mr.8 feels like he was right all along.  Home is where he needs to be.  No need to even try it out for him to come to that conclusion.

But, most of all, our public school experience reminded me to appreciate the flexibility of homeschooling.  Not only do we dictate our days, but we dictate our years too.  Just because something works this year doesn’t mean we are committed to next year.  What works for one kid, might not work for the next.  Just because I had a firmly held belief in the past, doesn’t mean I can’t change my mind and form new opinions based on new experiences.  A flexible life is a life that can meet everybody’s individual needs, even when those needs vary wildly from day to day.

All I know for certain, is that everyone was satisfied with today.  Let’s hope the next 500 tomorrows go so well.  But, if not, we maintain the right to change our path and find a new course to follow.