Homeschool/Public School - That Is The Question Right Now

I have been homeschooling my kiddos for a total of 7 years. This particular go around I have been doing so for 5 years. I have homeschooled in places where the community is great, and I have homeschooled in places where the homeschooling community was not so great.

I have also experienced the public school system for a total of 5 years. Just as with homeschooling I have had some amazing and wonderful experiences, and I have also had some not so good experiences.

We could go round and round about which is better homeschooling or public schooling, and I could easily argue on both sides of the fence. I don't think one size fits all in this category. There are better fits for different families. Sometimes both worlds fit different families for different seasons of life.

And that is where we are at right now. Which option is a better option for our family at this stage in our life? It is a big decision to make, and one that will not be made quickly or lightly. I plan on meeting with the local school district once we get settled to see what our actual options are. Some school districts will allow children to attend public school part time. Some only allow full time attendance. Sarah has the right under federal law to be tested and placed on an IEP as a homeschooler, but the local school has the right to decide whether or not they are going to require her attendance at their school on a full time basis to provide those services. (Not all school districts require this. Some school districts will allow a homeschooled child to receive IEP services while still being homeschooled.)

And what is better for each of my children as individuals? What is better for us as a family? What are our goals educational goals as parents for our children? Which option will help our kids achieve this goal?

I swing back and forth each day between the thoughts of:

"Yes, they are definitely going back to public school."  to "No, we will just keep homeschooling."

I can tell you this: right now I am just plain tired out from homeschooling. I don't want to do it anymore. But will I feel differently after a summer break? I don't know. And here's the thing - there will be things that will tire me out from sending them to public school too. Right now, I just want someone else to educate my children. I want someone else to come up with the lesson plans, activities, and book work. I want someone else to test them to see if they are learning what the state/federal government deems they should be learning.  I want them to have access to a wide variety of different kids that I don't have to coordinate their exposure to.

But on the flip side, do I really want my kids to be in a learning environment that is geared so much so towards federal/state testing? Do I really want my kids to be in school 6-7 hours a day only to come home with homework on top of that? Do I really want my kids to be in an environment focused so much on electronic learning? And while, exposure to all different kinds of kids and families with different rules and different values is great - I have to take the good with the bad. We are a pretty conservative family when it comes to rules and values.  Are we ready for that as a family? And what about two weeks into school and the shininess of school has worn off on those that would like to go back do I really want to deal with kids complaining about how they wished they were homeschooled again?

There is no perfect solution. There are good and bad things about both options, and as trivial as some of the things I may have mentioned above may be - they must all be considered. (As well as a million other pros and cons to both options that I did not even mention above.)

I wish there was an easy answer. I wish I knew in my heart which way was the right way for us. But I don't. And I am not sure I will for a while. Which doesn't sit well with me.