Wow... He's really going to be FIVE!! I can't believe it! Time sure does pass with a single full nights sleep... Maybe that's why Mom's don't sleep? It makes the days drag on and time slows down. *sigh* But alas, time catches up with you regardless, one morning you wake up and they are FIVE... Soon I will wake up and he will be 20.
I'm not sad in anyway.. I'm so thankful for all the time I've been able to spend with him and watch him grow into such a wonderful young boy. I look forward to waking up one day and seeing the man that he becomes.. But it still doesn't take away from the fact... He's going to be FIVE... Just strange...
Anyway (slap, back to reality), FIVE means kindergarten... and it means that I need to make a choice between sticking with Montessori and paying monthly tuition, or switching to Public Schools. There really is no choice for me...The choice was made clearly when Veg said last night... "I don't care if I'm sick tomorrow or not, I want to go to my school, I want to learn"
They don't have text books at this school, they learn by doing! They don't have tests at this school, Because the children want to constantly challenge themselves. They don't have Desks... because they sit at tables... They are not required to memorize things and call that learning, They learn by doing one step at a time until they have mastered the skill... They are not told what to learn, they learn what they choose.... There are no bells unless there is a fire. The kids aren't shuffled from subject to subject because 30 minutes has passed. They can take as much time as they need to finish what they are working on. (except for lunch and outside play time, of course)
So, when I went to the Parents Meeting today to learn about Kindergarten and we were shown a Binomial Cube Lesson that these kids are working on at 3& 4 & 5 years old... In case you were wondering, the Binomial cube is a puzzle method of teaching the following..(a+b)3=a3+3a2b+3ab2+b3.....
Yeah, I had no idea what this was... But I did get the puzzle together (only by cheating and following the clues)... This is mathematics at a whole other level. And they ENJOY doing it.. They ask for more.....
So, do I have a choice of Montessori vs. Public? Of course, I do! But is the decision a difficult one? Absolutely NOT!