Is Homeschooling for Amanda Torres?

In August, Little Man will begin his first real days of school. Quite frequently I get emails or questions about whether or not we are going to homeschool Little Man.  I'm not sure if I should take the suggestions of homeschooling as a compliment or an insult.  I'd like to think they ask because they think I can (insert blushing here), but I think they are more so asking to see my level of craziness. 

Regardless of the meaning behind the question, my answer is no.  I don't plan on homeschooling Little Man.  Here are my reasons for choosing to not homeschool...

• Little Man would benefit from a learning environment outside of home.  
• I don't fully trust myself to devote the amount of time needed to educate him and give the level of care needed to Little Miss and Chunky Monkey.
• Even though I was a teacher, I taught fourth grade.  I am not going to pretend that I am a professional early childhood teacher.  I am a professional upper elementary teacher. 
• Steven and I feel strongly that Little Man learn to take correction from adults other than ourselves.

All of these reasons why I will not homeschool Little Man for his Pre-K year are important but the most important one is the devotion of time.  Even though homeschooling CAN be more efficient than a classroom setting (since the teacher/child ratio is smaller), it doesn't mean it IS always efficient. 

Planning one day of learning for Little Man would take at the very least one hour of planning on my part, and that is taking into consideration my previous knowledge of how to plan a school day.  That mininum hour does not include gathering materials.  So let's add another hour (another minimal estimation) to gathering and prepping those materials.  For every one day of Little Man's schooling, I have at least two hours of work in order to be prepared to teach him.  That equals out to at least 10 uninterrupted hours a week of prep time.  I have not one clue as to how I would find 10 uninterrupted hours per week, AND if I did have that time I would definitely fill it will bubble baths and leisurely reading.

On the side of homeschooling, I have many friends who choose to homeschool.  Some of those friends do an excellent job, and some of them just do the best they can.  I think I would fall into the 'I Did the Best I Can'  category, and I don't want that to happen to Little Man. I don't ever want to look at him and say, "Well, I tried my best."  So for his personality, a classroom setting is a good fit for him. 

Choosing a classroom setting does not mean I have to give up my right to teach him at home.  I plan on knowing exactly what's going on in his classroom, and what he's learning each day.  I will not quit doing learning and extension activities at home because I enjoy doing those things with my children.  However, I will not be his full-time teacher.  It's just not a good fit for him.