Getting Ahead

Last week my daughter finished her math book--one of those big, fat 3 inch thick ones. She did every single problem in the book. At the beginning of the year I tried to convince her to do, say, every other problem, but no, she insisted on doing every single problem of every single chapter because "that's what Bill made us do." Every single problem got checked and corrected. Every review and test was taken.

This happens to be the same textbook the kids in her class are using, and it will take them the entire school year to get through it. Aurora loves math, and I am glad she can move right along. But it brings me face to face with one of the reasons she brought up last April as to why she might not want to be homeschooled. As we began to explore the possibility of homeschooling, Aurora said, "But what if I get so far ahead and then I have to go back to school and do it over again? That will be boring." That was one of the few concerns she had that I didn't address, saying that "We'll deal with that when it happens." We don't have long-term plans as to whether we will homeschool or head back to the brick and mortar school, so I guess I still can't answer that question. It certainly is a valid concern. Many conscientious homeschoolers find that they are far ahead of their in-school counterparts. And after experiencing the freedom of learning independently and at their own pace, it can be difficult to "slow down" to the pace and level of the classroom.

I struggle with this question. I don't have answers, but I also trust that we are building a good foundation for our kids to learn, not just in school but in life. If school proves unsatisfying educationally, we now have the tools and initiative to seek other sources of challenge.