As I was helping SG with her homework, I became very frustrated with traditional school and how it is affecting her.

Let me start by saying that Nancy Hill Elementary is a great public school. The curriculum is really good. I would prefer a Waldorf inspired curriculum, but theirs is great for a traditional approach. I really appreciate their Math and Science programs. They have exceeded my expectations. The other subjects are great too, but I was leery of Math and Science for some reason. So seeing how great they are was a unexpected surprise to me.

The faculty is really great too. They truly care about these kids. SG's teacher is really sweet, and seems to be so patient and understanding. The principal is wonderful. She is so kind and takes the time to engage with students and parents. All the faculty does. Every time I am at the school I feel as though all the teachers know me, and I am by no means a PTA/PTO/volunteer Momma, so they really have reason to know who I am except for seeing me at pickup, drop-off and school functions.

And the kids...oh the kids. They are so cute, sweet and friendly. They don't have as much as families in other suburbs, and many of them don't have a great home life, but they really seem to be into school. I've been to 6 school functions in the last 3 months, and I have been shocked at the number of families in attendance. From curriculum night to the school festival, there has been a great turn out. I think this speaks highly of the families at Nancy Hill.

With all of those positives, I do have some negatives. One is the schedule. SG is 7 and in 2nd grade. I wish her school allowed more time for unstructured play. She goes to school from 8 AM to 2:20 PM. Here is her schedule:

8-10am - Classroom
10-11am - Recess and Lunch
11-1pm - Classroom
1-2pm - Mon - Music and Gym
              Tues - Art
              Wed - Music and Gym
              Thurs - Computer and Library
              Fri - Study Time (so there is no homework for the weekend)
2-2:20pm - Get school work together and clean up

We get home around 2:30 and have snack/relax time until 3pm. We do homework from 3 to 3:30/45 depending on how much she has. By the time homework is over, I have a weepy, touchy, moody little girl on my hands. Her mood does change for the better once her homework is put away in its folder and she's relaxed some more, but while she's working on it, her attitude stinks!

Between 8 AM to 3:30 PM SG only has 3 hours of fun/down time. And only 1 hour (recess and snack time at home) of those 3 is unstructured fun/down time. This frustrates me. I believe that children should have plenty of free time to play and use their imaginations. Maybe I should delay homework time so she gets more playtime before doing school work again. But I don't multitask very well (it's true!), so it doesn't quite work if I try helping her with homework while preparing dinner. And she doesn't seem to want to stop playing to focus on homework. It just seems better to do homework earlier... except for the nasty attitude that comes out.

The only other negative really worth mentioning is that Nancy Hill is not a Waldorf school. If we could afford Four Winds Waldorf, SG would be attending there! But right now my options are homeschool or the local public school.

I've been considering pulling her out of school over Winter Break and homeschooling for the spring semester. I'm wondering if I can handle the stress right now. I'm wondering if the kids can put up with me if I don't handle the stress very well. Ugh. I have two months to make up my mind.

With homeschool, I can give her the Waldorf approach to education, and I can give her plenty of unstructured play time. She loves homeschooling, and yes, she still has weepy, touchy, moody days at home. But these instances are more spread apart than they are now that she is in school. She loves being in school too though. She is a social butterfly and strives to be the teacher's pet. :) She is just the type of kid who will excel in either environment.

So what to do?

Prayers are appreciated!