Public school does a grave disservice to kids and parents alike. They are forced to learn a curriculum that serves very little purpose, in their mind and in real life. A real indoctrination station, if you will. And the farce continues.
I'm happy to hear you plan to home school your kids. You made a fantastic impression on your charges for the day, and they will remember you long after you left. Most people, young and old, just want to be heard and you listened intently and gave feedback. They learned something that day.
It was shocking to me how eager the kids were once they realized I meant to listen to them and let them talk, not preach at them. It was a reaction like I'd offered to take them to Disneyland or something. Says some very upsetting things about our education system if it's that easy to get on their good side.
Since you have such a great rapport with kids of that age, you would make a great tutor or mentor, and with your writing skills, you might just foster a new wave of authors! And to think it all started with listening!