To Homeschool or Not to Homeschool

Once again, Summer has ended and the children are scurrying back to school. Our days are now peppered with the sounds of kids and buses driving to and from school. For us, nothing much will change. In the afternoon we’ll watch the buses go by, while I wonder how I could ride the bus every single day for 7 years and not remember this house of our’s.

Ave will have her question again, “Mommy, can I ride the bus?” I’ll have my question again, “Do we send her to public school or homeschool?” Every Fall I ask this knowing that the time to make a decision is getting closer. Next Fall she’ll be turning 4, then 5.

I have no idea what the answer is.

My brother and I went to public school. My sister was homeschooled.

I’ve seen both done right, and both done horribly wrong. No matter how much I dwell on this question, how much I pray about it, I still don’t know the answer.

Matt and I both went to the school in our town, back when it was a decent school. Now, not so much: Teachers have told us we would be better off homeschooling our children. We’ve toyed with the idea of driving to the private Christian school 45 minutes away, but others say they’re not much better.

My worry is that by deciding to homeschool my children I could be one of the people that do it horribly wrong. At least if I send them to public school I can blame someone else {I jest, a little}.  I worry that if I send them to public school that they’ll turn their backs on our beliefs and become fully indoctrinated individuals of the state {again, I jest, a little}.

How wonderful would it be to have all that free time again, if we sent the kids to school?! I could quilt more, cook healthier, exercise, keep on top of chores. Of course, there would be the morning and evening rush of getting to and from school, plus homework. But those glorious hours in between….

Then I think, how I could send my babies to school, knowing the people they will be there with (Matt and I did go to school with most of the teachers and/or parents of the students), knowing that they will have very few people who truly have their best interest at heart, who see them as an individual, not just another test score.

I don’t know the answer.

Or maybe I do.

Maybe, it’s just that the amount of work and dedication and responsibility that it will take scares me and I’m not sure I can hack it.