Children's education - what if?

After a visit back to work yesterday (annual review time), I have been thinking about 'what if' I could be a stay-at-home mom. Given our circumstances, it isn't a wise choice to stay-at-home. It is in my family best interest - financially and emotionally - for me to return to work.

However, if I wasn't going back to work, what we would I do with the babes. A few of my internet peers are also contemplating the next step in education - and it has me thinking.

My kiddos have always been in 'institutional care' at a daycare in my building in downtown Toronto. It is an awesome daycare (one of the highest ranked in Toronto - got in because I was simply lucky, not well organized), with staff, facilities and a manager I simply adore. They have been very influential in the positive development of my lovely (biased???) children. I couldn't imagine having left my kiddos at home with a nanny and used the half-day church programs in my neighbourhood. I will admit, I had always thought my children were much better off at my daycare then even staying home with me or a nanny.

I have changed my tune. With Deckie only going to school two days a week, I actually think my kiddos would have been equally well off at home with me. I would have to more organized to ensure we read more, did more puzzles, watched less television (ooops) but I do think the kiddos would have had more fun, and been equally well-adjusted, most-well-mannered awesome kiddos. With the right nanny, I will have no issues leaving Declan and Seanie home with the nanny next year - they will have a blast.

Now on to Andrew and Kathleen ... Kathleen is half day kindy at five years old. She is doing wonderfully - she has very involved conversations with her little girlfriends under the playground equipment (very serious stuff, I am told), she does lots of drawing, sits in circle, eats a bit of snack and doesn't ever go to the bathroom (whole other story). She is reading basic readers on the side, enjoys math tasks, spelling & printing. She enjoys going to school and is meeting all milestones - but I really think it is the social aspect that is key to her development not the academics. I think I probably teach her more than her teacher at this point (no offence to the teacher - she is wonderful but how much can you do in 2.5 hours with 20 kiddos?)

Andrew will attend half day junior kindy next year - I am hoping for the same teacher. What will Andrew learn - he will learn to sit in a circle, he will make some new friends, he will enjoy snack time and outdoor playground time. I am sure he will find the bathroom locks much more to his liking than Kathleen. He likely will do minimal drawing but will enjoy the block area. He also loves listening to a story. In my home, with four little kiddos, does he need juniour kindergarten next year. Not at all! A few activities - sports ball, swimming and gymnastics on the weekend - and 'homework' time which we already do on Friday afternoons would more than make-up for the 2.5 hours of fun at junior kindy. Given junior kindy is free here, I wouldn't not send him - but if I had to pay for it, I certainly wouldn't think about doing five days a week, maybe 2 or 3 days a week for a 'break' for me and a bit of socializing for him.

I am not at all into academics (well that is a bit of an exageration). I am confident that my children are bright - not rocket scientists, not gifted - but bright. They will do just fine in school. They are social little critters so they will make friends (which I actually think is a much more important life skill than uber-high grades). I don't care if Kathleen or Andrew reads at jk, as long as he is slight above average and not struggling in any one area - I will be overjoyed. I would love them to participate in sports, something that I don't expect to get very much from the public school system - that will be on my time.

For the record, I attended one of Canada's top university as did my husband - mine was better! I have two 'professional designations' and I live in an affluent neighbourhood - so money, education and social milestones are key - so I might have a bit of a weird 'floor' of expectations ... in a perfect world, I expect my kiddos to be near the top of their class, I expect them to be social & well-adjusted, I expect them to go to top tier Canadian university (or American ones on sports/acadmic??? scholarships). So take my 'don't care about academics' with a tiny grain of salt.

PS - should probably add, as I thought about this today, that I hope my kiddos pursue higher education because I think it is a great way to learn and to grow up (and to make friends, and drink a bit too much). If they don't, that too is OK.