Worst Homeschool EVer

Neil wants to go to "real school" (Jesus, I WISH they wouldn't call it that!!!!) He DID say "it's not that I you're not doing a good job, Mom".... (whatEVER... give up the best years of my life... yada, yada, yada....) He wants friends. (WhatEVER.)

Now on the other hand... I WOULD get a whole lot of time to do whatEVER I wanted to do each day... AND I'd get about 30% of my house back to normal use... and I'd get rid of a load of paper.... hmmmm Still, they ARE ungrateful little bastards all the same.

I'm not sure he will go through with it, but I told him he has time to make up his mind. He'd like to be able to go spend a day at school... which might be possible... however I did warn him, that if he did that it would probably be at the fourth grade level but that he'd go in to school next September at the fifth grade level to a different teacher. I don't see much point in sending him to spend a day with the fifth grade at the END of fifth grade because I'm sure he'd go into panic mode with the jump in academics. I may approach the school and see if he could go for an hour before the end of the year.  We've had our share of great teachers, imaginative teachers, dedicated teachers... I am still friends with most of them...  Gene's third grade teacher had a huge impact on me and my assumption that a good student was automatically college bound... and therefore a good parent would consider no option other than a four year college.  Gene may not be cut out for that.  Cathy opened my eyes to that possibility (and she wasn't referring to Gene specifically, but to the assumption that that was the only goal for a caring parent.)

Gus continues to do well... extremely well. His teacher is amazing. Gus LIKES her. (That in itself is amazing... he's not one for a whole lot of willy nilly "liking".) I am starting to think that he was not ready in kindergarten or first grade and I'm sure his speech issues didn't help. But these guys are doing crazy things with him and he is taking off. Like... in leaps and bounds... like if we miss a night of reading I feel awful for the window we are missing... he's progressing that fast. He has the potential to be the first of my boys to actually be a "reader". (Imagine). So, the thought of Neil going to school.... well it doesn't seem so terrible after all. And think of the reading I could do...