Jennie:

I appreciate your suggestion and I'm looking at this, too.

Frankly, I've sent a note to Laraine (lsmiller) because she also works full-time and I'm needing to know how she is able to juggle things. Perhaps I will re-explore the idea of home-schooling, but I've felt like running my own business and being a single parent may make this the "straw that breaks the camel's back."

I like the suggestion of moving in some different directions for the "home learning" this year. I have been focusing more in those areas, but placing this as the priority would be good.

The broadening gap has been one of the concerns that I've been looking to, because if I continue to work with them at home, nothing ever changes and they will see school as a time to sit still and do pretty much nothing. That is what I want to avoid without putting them out of their age group.

In my perfect world, I'd put together a group of kids all within their age group (I know of a set of triplets of their age who are also at their level academically and live nearby), and we'd put together a curriculum and do home-schooling on a consortium basis. But, my schedule probably doesn't allow for this. However, if we had ten children of this age and level, it could be the perfect circumstance.

And, you are right. I am trying to find something a bit more individualized and this is probably where my frustrations are arising. It is unrealistic to expect the school district to individualize, particularly in kindergarten. In working with the other 5 year olds in their class, I see that there are roughly 4 who are reading and working at a high level, and about two or three who seem to be right at level, and another one or two who have significant impulse control and energy/focus issues. It is not possible to gear a curriculum to all of these issues at the same time, and certainly not in a combination class where you have the same types of gaps within the first graders.

I appreciate your help and I am still contemplating the best approach. Your insights have been very helpful, as have a lot of the insights provided in response to my post.

Thank you to everyone.

Cat w/3 Kittens
Caidan, Carina and Caeleigh
Born at 31 weeks, 1/8/04.