Any suggestions when one of the kids says they want to see what public school is "like"? Only because they think public school is like what is depicted on tv (hanging out with friends in the hall) and that their friend says they get "free dessert". He also wants to see what a school "looks like" inside.
Take him into the bathroom. Beat him up. Mock his hairstyle, steal his money and shove his head down the toilet. Then make him sit at a little desk for six hours doing nothing.
Tell him "that's what public school is like".
Since my oldest plays with and interacts with public school children a good deal in the neighborhood, different clubs and in Boy Scouts- he is not that mystified about what public school kids are like-And he knows that recess is only 1/2 hour for the kids who are lucky enough to get it (We play at the playground until we are ready to go home). I let him pick out some of the neato school lunch meals he sees at the grocery store and we have lunch together with a bunch of homeschool kids at least twice a month- and we include special hostess goodies!!!
The other day he said to me,"Mom, if school is that great then why do all of the kids I know get so happy for vacation and a day off?"
Good question, huh?
My oldest son knows that if he is interested in attending school, he may- but the rule is not until high school.
I ask him every so often if he wants to to go to school in a school building and he always say no, not now. He also has a bunch of friends who want to be homeschooled, but their parents can't do it for lots of different reasons- so he thinks he is lucky.
Well we had our oldest in public school for kindergarten. I thought that since we were in a heavily republican area of Texas that we would be immune from all of this craziness with public education. I was wrong. During his first year he was:
-Shoved in the bathroom on his 2nd day of school which caused him to smash his head on the tile wall.
-Told that he needed to be on Ritalin for ADD (my son's doctor was ready to go to bat for us and fight this if necessary).
-Sent to the principal's office for defending a smaller boy who was being harassed by transient children.
-Cramped in a classroom of 24 other 5 yr olds.
Needless to say, we took him out of public school at the end of kindergarten. We now have him in a Catholic school and we all couldn't be happier. It is definitely a financial sacrifice and I get hacked off that all of the money that we are paying in school property taxes is being flushed down the drain, but I don't have to worry anymore when I drop him off at school. I worried every day when I sent him to public school.
The sad thing is, I went to public school about 20 minutes away from where we are at right now and I had a great education, but things have definitely changed.