2 questions

two questions i've been asked with increasing frequency lately:
when is sena going to school?
and,
what am i going to do now (since the kids are supposedly more independent)?

i'm a little taken back by these question, and since they're occuring frequently and often my responses meet with judgement (and looks too), i feel that i'd better work on some answers....

so for sena (and aiyana) going to school...the best i can say is that at the moment i am considering all alternatives. from public school, to homeschooling and everything in between. i've been reading on different models of education (such as montessori, waldorf, homeschooling, unschooling, etc). there are many ideas i'm drawn to in what i read, and what i come accross when speaking to other parents and educators. i'm also reflecting a lot on my own education, or lack thereof, on what i want or do not want for my children in light of my experience. of course, sena and aiyana's own input will play an important role when deciding what kind of schooling to undertake. and finally, as my friend Sue advised me, i'm planning to take things slowly, one year at a time. maybe we'll try homeschooling, or motessori, for a semester and then decide that it's not working for us, and send our kids to public school. or vice-versa.

as for question #2, what am i going to do now? hmm, i don't know, walk in the woods, paint, sing, be really involved with my kids, write...well, these are not acceptable answers to that particular question, because i know that the people who ask it assume that the answer will come in the form of some kind of job or career. as of right now, i'm not investing any energy in anything of the sort. maybe in a few years, depending on the kid situation and our financial needs (which will hopefuly be kept to a minimum as they've been so far), i'll look for something to do part-time, something that pays. maybe i'll teach anthropology at a community college, maybe i'll work at the co-op, maybe i'll go back to school. maybe i'll grow mushrooms and sell them (shiitakes are supposed to be easy to grow and they sell for $12 per pound, organic, at the co-op).

we'll see...

peace