The love of learning

Good morning to everyone out there in "blog land".  I have been wrestling with something for about a week and a half now so today I've decided to share it with you.
Now that I am homeschooling Matthew, I am determined that I will not destroy his love to learn.  I refuse to get bogged down with ridiculous rules that do not affect the overall learning environment at LADS.  Granted, I understand and see the need for rules to be followed.  However, when these rules destroy the passion that students have for learning, I become concerned.  Some of the recent examples that have come to my attention just drive me bananas.  For example, when did the focus of name placement become more important than what is actually written on the page?  How can we ask for a student's opinion or interpretation of a piece of poetry only to tell them that it is wrong?  Why do we encourage discussions yet dictate how a student must contribute in order to receive points?  When did we stop encouraging our students to think for themselves instead of expecting them all to be cut from the same cookie cutter?  I could continue with the list but if I do I believe my head will explode.
Right now, I am sitting across from Matthew watching him work on a Science project and listening to him laugh and joke.  I still see that sparkle in his eye as he works to get something accomplished. Do I worry that the labels aren't 100% straight?  Am I going to make him re-do the project because it doesn't look exactly like the teacher's example?  NO!   I want him to comprehend the information and understand how it relates to the other concepts of earth science.  Isn't that what we are supposed to be encouraging in our students?
It is no secret that I would love for Hannah to choose to be home schooled.  The possibilities for her are endless and she would be much more content.   She has considered it and even made a pros and cons list in detail this past summer.  However, she loves poms and softball which are extra-curriculars and home schoolers are not allowed to participate. So, for that reason, she will continue to to hide behind her "everything is going fine" mask and sadly no one will know any different.