An Educational Quandry

So Dave and I have been talking this over for some time. I know everyone will have an opinion, and I am eager to hear them. Ok, not really, but on this one more opinions will be better.

I am a teacher. I love teaching. Since the day I left the classroom to raise my kids I have missed it. I keep up with old students on Facebook, endlessly nagging them to be good kids. I don't mean to brag, but my classroom was awesome. The kids had lots of fun and loved the learning thrust upon them. It was certainly a loud room, but a loving one.

Then there is my kid's classroom. It quiet. Really quiet. The stereo is on all the time at volume two; the kids know they cannot make more noise than allows them to hear the stereo. When I ask the boy what he does all day he says "I just make sure I don't get in trouble." He's bored to death, but his goodie two shoes nature (where the hell did this come from??) seems to be keeping him out of mischief, but I know that can only last so long.

Before everyone jumps on the "what a terrible school/ teacher he must have" I have to state that his school and teacher are actually pretty awesome. His teacher is deeply caring and makes a lot of attempts to individualize the program and create fun learning centers for the kids. As far as public school teachers go, I believe she is in the top 10%. I believe the challenge is systemic. There are so many kids from so many different backgrounds with so many different skills and abilities makes for a near impossible learning environment. I think there is serious value for kids learning to be a part of the larger group, knowing how to walk in a line quietly and work with others who are different. But the value in these skills are not above the other things I want for my kids to be learning in school. I know that they will learn to read, do math, all that jazz, regardless of the school dynamics. What I do not see kids in schools learning is to love learning.

I am incredibly lucky. My kid loves learning about everything. He is excited about it all. This morning he grilled me on the American role in enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya. I don't want to see his interest in his world diminished because ninety percent of his time is spent waiting. Waiting for his turn, waiting for an answer, waiting in line. I am beginning to feel like his educational experiences are like a very long day at Disneyland; you wait three hours for a thirty second experience. It's a long haul for a little mind, day in and day out.

So here I sit with a teacher's dilemma. How do I educate my kids? Public school? Private school? Home school? Each has it's own advantages and disadvantages. I am not sure which direction to turn. I only know that the current model of watch, wait, and see is not going to make it much longer.