Friday, January 17, 2014

School Choice: Introverts Vs. Extroverts

Tonight, I asked my 7yo son a question. "If you could spend time with zero, one, two or five people, how many would you pick?"

"Five!"

"What if you got to choose between zero, one, five, or ten people?"

"Ten!"

That's my very extroverted 7yo!

Over the years, my five kids have spent time in public, private, and homeschool. We've tried to make the best decision for each child on a year-by-year basis. Unless there's been a compelling reason to do otherwise, we've allowed the kids to weigh in on the decision.

Enter my 7yo son.

Last year, we encouraged him to go to public school kindergarten. We live in a small, friendly community, and felt that a half-day in school was exactly what he needed to gain some more real-world experience after arriving home from China at the age of 3. This year, we were very open to either homeschool or public school. He chose public school even while his older brother remains in homeschool.

I find the choice interesting from an introvert/extrovert standpoint.

I am (thoroughly!) an introvert. The other three kids that I've homeschooled are introverts. We like spending time at home.

In contrast, if nothing is scheduled for the day (and sometimes even if there is), my 7yo wakes up and immediately says, "What are we doing today?" Translation: WHO are we seeing today? Preferably a LOT of people. And family doesn't count!

Although I would be happy to homeschool any of my children, I fully recognize how difficult it would be to homeschool this child if only because his social calendar is never full enough to suit him. Never.

Has anyone else ever thought about how being an introvert/extrovert applies to school choice? 


3 comments:

  1. I thought our daughter was an introvert like me but it's turning out that she's an extravert which is why we are out more than at home. We now call ourselves "Out-schoolers". :)

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  2. Love that! My 7yo would need to be an outschooler as well!

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  3. I can definitely relate. It's pretty much impossible for me to meet my son's social needs at home. He'll go to kindergarten next year.

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