School and Jam

This last couple of years in the public school system have been difficult. Little Mr. is- without a doubt- a cool kid. I'm not just a biased mother (though I certainly am a biased mother!) Everyone from daycare providers to random people at the store have told us that Little Mr. has a unique, sensitive nature. He is kind with other children and respectful and willing to engage with adults, he is thoughtful and sensitive which definitely can have it's downsides, but mostly is amazing. This is the kid that will stop and pick his sister up off the ground and dust off her shirt, saying "It's okay, Little Miss, you're gonna be okay, because you are brave".

And maybe everyone's son does that. But... my son also has a hard time focusing at school, he also doesn't seem to know that it's not cool (in first grade) to be excited about things like stars and jellyfish. Then, last year we found out that the other kids in his class were teasing him- calling him "too small" or "too bony" to play in games. The classroom is huge (30 kids) and the teacher flat out told me that she wouldn't be able to prevent this and that I would need to teach my son how to cope with bullying. At 6 years old.

So to my own disappointment- I have been. I taught him how to make light of people's mean jokes and how to laugh at himself and how to -when nothing else worked- even tease back. 

Public school is teaching him one thing as far as I can tell- how to be a jerk.

I find myself considering homeschooling... yes in part because my son is being teased at school and I do not know how to break that cycle without real and substantial help from the staff (which is not coming!) but also, last night we made jam.

I know, it's not a big deal, but we learned about pectin and natural pectin and percentages and fractions and after we made the jam, he at more waffles this morning than I have ever seen him eat because he was proud of his jam. And I was proud of him. Proud of him in a way that seeing him do repetitive worksheets will never make me. Proud of how he started to immediately integrate his knowledge and ask about making other kinds of jam, sharing jam with other people, getting out to the farm to pick more berries and so on.
He was actually excited, actually learning. No social games, no fights over getting work done, no procrastination or loss of interest.

Could I do this every day? Could I keep him home and around and still find ways for him to be engaged with same age peers? 


I think so. I think I'd like to try. 

So, now just to convince his father.