I am a nervous wreck!

[oceanbaby]

We have homeschooled from the beginning, and now my older son is asking to go to school - he would be going into the 4th grade. We applied to our local, small private Montessori school, and he is spending the day there today as part of his application/evaluation process.

I am so nervous for him. I'm not nervous about him getting in (we could go either way as to whether he actually goes there or not), but I am so nervous about him being behind academically. His writing and spelling are so far behind - probably 2nd grade level - and it seems like most of the Montessori work is writing based. I talked with the teacher about it briefly, and he was really nice about it, but I am just so anxious. I really don't want ds to feel ashamed or embarassed.

He was so brave, just walking on in and waving goodbye. The only sign that he was nervous was that this morning he didn't want his regular lunchbag which has penguins on it, because he said it was too babyish. So we had to take all his food out of tupperware and put it into baggies so we could cram it into the smaller, black and grey little lunch tote we have. My little guy is getting so big.

[MissRubyandKen]

Hugs! What a big change for both of you. I'm sure he'll do just fine. If its something he wants he'll make it work, yk? I wouldn't worry about him being 'behind'. Lots of students in public school are as well. Public school is geared towards the average student and things are reviewed year after year. If the teacher is good he will be willing to let you know what needs catching up on and you can help ds at home with those things.

[mattemma04]

I answered in your other post,but just wanted to add something here too.My dd is also behind in some areas.She did fine.The M method is supposed to stress a child working at his/her own level.Once they master something they move on to the next,and the next, sometimes moving very fast.Sometimes they struggle through things slowly like my dd with math.She used to be a bad speller,but that has improved so I am sure her math will too.

As long as the school is patient your son should do fine.They just need to be aware of when the child needs help and actually step in and help!

[kathymuggle]

How did it go?

If the only reason he is behind is lack of practice he will catch up quickly.

You may need to remind yourself, your son and the school to keep a relaxed approach and that his weak areas are temporary - as sometime people hyper focus on weak areas and it can cause stress.

"Yes, we spent so much time at libraries, mueums and the beach that we did not do a lot of writing. I am sure he will catch up with pracitse. If he has not caught up by Xmas, we can talk and re-assess."

[oceanbaby]

It went fine. Ds1 had fun, and the teacher is very nice, but they do seem to have kind of a hangup about a "non Montessori" child entering the school. I talked with the teacher a bit afterwards, and he didn't seem too concerned about ds academically - yes, he is behind in some areas, but nothing irreversible.

It definitely seemed like his greater concern was with ds's non-Montessori-ness. He expressed concern about ds's ability to be self directed. I don't actually see this as a concern for ds, and I think that's something that is hard to judge on a visit day when he is feeling really shy and uncertain about how things work. I could see that ds was hesitant to just jump in and start doing things in the classroom, but that's because he was nervous and unfamiliar with what was going on.

I'm not entirely sold on the school. I like it, but I don't love it. I feel like the teacher was a bit condescending about homeschooling. I may not have done my best to present it confidently, so maybe he had the wrong impression because of that, but he was talking to me about the importance of socialization, etc., like I'm a newbie. Plus, ds1 is really outgoing socially, and was playing with all the kids no problem, so it was more of a general comment he was making about homeschooling rather than anything he noticed as a problem with ds.

[kathymuggle]

Originally Posted by oceanbaby

I feel like the teacher was a bit condescending about homeschooling. I may not have done my best to present it confidently, so maybe he had the wrong impression because of that, but he was talking to me about the importance of socialization, etc., like I'm a newbie. Plus, ds1 is really outgoing socially, and was playing with all the kids no problem, so it was more of a general comment he was making about homeschooling rather than anything he noticed as a problem with ds.

I hope you find a solution or school that everyone loves!