I'm going to start this post by saying that we are surrounded by good educational options. Surrounded. The public schools in our county are, by and large, terrific, there are a mind-boggling number of magnet and charter options, there are plenty of private schools, there is a vibrant, diverse, and involved homeschooling community here. For the purposes of ensuring that our children get a good education, this is a great place to be.
Except there's Luke. We have gone to school tours and open houses. We have asked uncomfortable (for us) questions. We put in applications to the schools that we thought would be a decent fit for him and we crossed out fingers. Four of the five schools have now held their lottery drawings to determine which applications are accepted and four of the five schools have declined our application.
So now, we wait on the last one. Will he be in an environment that will (hopefully) meet him where he is and allow him to grow and learn?
Will he be at our base school, which has been described by a friend whose children went there as being "not horrible?" (The same friend followed that comment by saying quite emphatically that her two younger children will not be attending this school.) A school where half the teacher assistant spots remain vacant? A school that doesn't host a tour or open house because, according to the staff, there is no parent interest in such things? (Is there really no parent interest? Or are the parents having a hard time conveying this interest to the administration? Or is the school simply unwilling to hold an open house?) A school that has recently had some big administrative changes because the last principal was much-hated? (So then, the new principal has to be better, right?)
Or will we take a deep breath and step down the path of homeschooling? It's a path that has always intrigued me. Until recently, I pointed out all of its benefits to McMoose, who was less excited about it. But a funny thing has happened of late. McMoose has warmed to the idea, while I find myself backing away from it. The time, the commitment, the social pariah-ness of it all, the being completely at fault for any educational mistakes that are made. (If a school doesn't serve his needs, we can blame the school, the administration, the teachers, the climate of public education, the current standards of education, the government, the president. If we don't serve his needs, who do we have to blame but ourselves?) If ever there was a place where homeschooling could be a real option for our family, this is it. There are so many educational and social opportunities for homeschoolers in this area. But...do we dare?
(Come on, Lottery #5. Make this an easy decision for us.)
