August is here. It’s back to school today, but my son won’t pose for his yearly picture on the porch like his friends today, and our school year won’t start for another few weeks. We have decided to homeschool this year.
I have mixed feelings on this bittersweet day. Missing this first day of school and the school year in a traditional classroom means we won’t do the morning rush of lunches and uniforms. We won’t hurry out the door just to sit in the drop-off line. We won’t experience the after-school crash at 4 o’clock either. We will have the flexibility to travel, which we missed while my son was in kindergarten last year, and we will have more time with him (our most important reason for choosing this path). But we won’t get to be a part of an amazing school community and culture at the school he went to last year. One I affectionately still call “his school.” He won’t interact with the incredible teachers who helped shape his Kindergarten year. So, my feelings are pulled in all directions today; I feel like we have gained and lost in making this decision.
It was a decision that needed to be made. As soon as he started kindergarten last year, we knew we needed to consider homeschooling as an option. My husband and I both have unconventional work schedules that leave us spending nights and weekends working each week. We quickly realized that with our son gone throughout the day while we were home and us leaving for work as soon as he ended his day/week, we needed to find another option for our family.
I immediately dove into researching other possibilities. I was homeschooled for most of my childhood, so this wasn’t a new concept, and I knew the benefits. I also knew that homeschooling had been on the rise as an option over the past several years. I didn’t feel as confident that I had the skills to teach my son or keep him on grade level, though. I wondered what my many teacher friends and friends in education would think. Would they consider it a slap in the face that I didn’t want him in a traditional school setting? Would everyone think we were out of touch to think we could educate a child and still work full-time? The doubts kept me awake at night as we considered all the alternatives.
In the end, after months of conversation and finding connections and opportunities in the homeschooling community, my husband and I decided that this truly was the answer for our family. Still, at such a young age, we saw our son thriving outdoors, creating messy play, spending time with family, and traveling. All harder to incorporate into the day while in a traditional school setting. Most importantly, the flexibility we felt in our work schedules was halted by having to stay on the typical 9-4 school schedule, which was not ideal for our entrepreneurial family.
So, we’re taking this year to regroup as a family and give homeschooling a try. We’re not sure if that means we will return to a traditional school setting when he is a little older. Still, I’m reminding myself to focus on this year only instead of spiraling ahead to all of the questions and what-ifs. I have about 12+ more years of his education.
I am nervous and still hold doubt in my mind that I am capable of giving him an adequate education. He has made comments about wishing he was “going to school” with his friends, and that makes me doubt our decision even more. I know that incredible social opportunities are still available to us, even though he won’t experience that in the traditional classroom setting. I know we will find our groove, and this will be an amazing year. I know this is the right decision for us as a family. I’m thankful that alternative options exist and that we have the privilege of being able to navigate this new adventure.
