I had always had in my head that once those few years were over, my kids would be attending public school. I had mistakenly thought that public school would be similar to the childcare center they were enjoying. (Boy was I wrong.) The plan was for me to go back to teaching wherever they attended. So, I asked a few friends where their kids attended and if they would recommend any schools in the area. I did very little research into the schools in my area but never really investigated all my options (and I have since learned that there are a lot of them out there).
As I look back, I realize I never took the time to really investigate ALL my education options out there (I honestly didn't even know I had options). I just looked at schools. I focused mainly on public schools in my area never realizing there were so many more options available to me and my family. And, any time a friend recommended a private school, I blew it off knowing that the cost would be too much (without diving deeper to find if financial aid was available).
Now I'm wondering, how many other parents approach the school years the same way? We make a short, quick attempt to find out the "best" schools in the district or the "best" districts in our area but never really uncover ALL our choices. Did you know you have a choice? A ton of choices, actually.
Just a Couple Thoughts to Consider:
- Be open to a new way of thinking about education. Don't simply enroll your children in public school because that's "just the way it's always been". And the argument, "I attended public school and I turned out ok." has no weight here. Public school nowadays and the issues families are experiencing is no where near what it was when I was in school in the 80's and early 90's.
- Consider your definition of "education". How do you define it? What does "education" look like to you? How about "learning"? Is "learning" the same thing as "education"? We, as parents, need to define these terms and then line up our definition with the education option that fits best.
- You owe it to yourself and your family to really investigate all your options.
- If you try something for a year (or sometimes even for a semester) and it doesn't seem to be a good fit for your family, try something else. Don't just suffer through it. You are not locked into one education option. This applies to whether you're not pleased with your public school and would like to switch to something else or whether you are home educating and you'd like to change curriculum or any other education choices you're trying to make.
Here are the choices I'm covering in today's post:
- Home Educating (even under the 'home educating' umbrella are a whole host of different education options)
- Public school at home
- Private schools
- Charter schools
Home Educating
By far, my number one recommended option is to home educate. Now, let me make the point clear - being "at home" doesn't actually mean you have to be at home, solely with your children all day every day, teaching all the subjects yourself. Far from it!
There are many wonderful resources that you can turn to for curriculum ideas, support groups, and classes. Our family is a part of several home school groups in our area and through the field trips, parties, sports activities, support groups and different clubs, we have a rich education. Beyond what I ever thought was possible when I first brought my kids home.
Resources:
- Center for Home Education in Watuaga
If I had to pick just one place on my list of resources to recommend, the Center for Home Education is it!
They offer classes, a bookstore full of curriculum and other home educating resources, a coffee shop, kids and teen events, summer camps, theater productions, family support groups and more!
Both my kids have taken classes and summer camps at CHE and loved it. My son even took a dissection class there as well as a General Science class (they did a ton of experiments). Science is not my favorite subject so taking the classes at CHE was great!
If you have questions about homeschooling in general, they are more than happy to help. CHE was (and still is) my "go to" place when we first started and I am so grateful for their guidance.
- University Model Schools
Want a two-day or three-day a week program? That's where university model schools fit in. Students attend the program and then complete the teacher-prepared assignments on the other days at home under the guidance of the parent or sometimes even grandparents.
The National Ministry Dedicated to University Model Schools and Families has an entire directory of schools listed by state. See what your state has to offer.
Mosaic Academy is a private part-time school for home educators and many of our friends attend there and love it. - Additional Options
Be sure to take a list of the part-time and full-time class options on the Database of Resources page for even more options to fit your family. Even if you work full-time, there are places to meet your needs.
It can be done!
Public School at Home
If you are unsure about home educating yourself, you can always give public school at home a try. This is how we started our 'at home' journey.
We chose the Texas Virtual Academy / K12 program. All the books and curriculum were shipped directly to me, my son did his work and then logged in the time online. He had an online teacher and online classes he was required to attend.
Even though you don't get a choice about the curriculum, being at home gave us flexibility and freedom. Flexibility about when my son completed his work (and what order) and freedom for us to continue to teach our faith alongside his academics.
A few drawbacks:
- It was difficult for me to have two kids in public school online. Each child had their own set of textbooks, topics, tests, and online classes to attend and all I did all day long was flip flop between the two of them. I was doing so much work yet I had no choice in what they were learning, when they were learning it or how they were learning it.
- Students still need to take the state required test (STAR test).
- No choice in curriculum and schedule. Textbooks are dry and boring and it was hard to really go deeper into any topics simply because we had to keep up with the schedule and check things off the list every day.
Because of these reasons, after a year of doing public school online, we decided to take the plunge and home educate 100%. Now, we get to choose which topics we want to learn more about and which topics we just read about and move on. We have the flexibility to travel when we'd like, take classes when and where we like, and set our own schedule that works for our family.
Private Schools
There are so many private schools in the Dallas / Fort Worth area. Many of them provide scholarships and financial assistance. When I first started looking at school options, I dismissed many private schools based on cost alone and didn't consider asking about financial assistance.
One school I'd like to make mention of is Wedgwood Academy. They are a non-profit school for children with learning differences and ADHD (and, may I add, they are way more affordable than I'd originally thought). Had I known about them sooner, we might have made this choice for my son.
Do a search for private schools in your area and make some phone calls. You might be surprised what you find!
Charter Schools
Charter schools seem to be popping up quite a bit these days and I was curious about how they operate. In her book, They're Your Kids by Mrs. Sam Sorbo, charter schools are called the "Trojan Horse" of school reform. She continues:
"But looking more closely at the charter system, we see the government handing out money to people (that charter's board) who have no standard of accountability. Currently they'rs no requirement for elected boards for charter schools. That's called taxation without representation."
Charter schools are still also bound to state testing.
As with any option you choose, do your homework. Ask lots of questions. If you're currently considering a charter school, ask about funding and who is on the school board (and how were they selected to be on the board).
Because of the close similarities with public schooling, I felt this wasn't a good option for our family.
I hope today's post, if nothing else, has helped you to see the variety of choices open to you and your family! Public school isn't the only option any more! Thank goodness for choices!!
Happy Homeschooling,
Christi
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