Possible Route

Leaning toward an option: local school district offers two half-days of on-site classes per week paired with home study using their curriculum. When I first looked into this I think there were some small differences in how the program was worded that made me close the window without further thought. This week when I re-read the description the wording enticed me and I saw that we are personally acquainted with one of the school's key people. We can get some insight from someone we know regarding the teachers and nuances of the classes.

• The most compelling factor here is the ease of the class time. I have always said that my kid needs some structured group learning time - whether it be one or two days a week in a school setting or multiple specialty classes that I choose and take him to on my own. Charter schools with such offerings are a drive; private schools with such are a drive and a lot of money. With the second option, there's cost and to have much variety, there's a drive. The route here proposed is a five minute drive and free. 
• Is it homescholing? No. It's learning at home. It's designed by someone else, overseen by someone else, and simply carried out by me. However it is ME for the equivalent of four school days a week. It is me deciding what approach and perspective to take, where and how to cover the material, how much we sit down, the daily schedule, etc, etc, etc and maybe more, I don't have all the details yet. I was looking at declaring myself a credentialed tutor and homeschooling 100% independently, that's the opposite end of the spectrum from this route. The lack of drive time, drive money, and class money are pro's here. Other definite pro: he is not one in 20 or 30. It is me focused on him; knowing what motivates him, what his strengths and weaknesses are, and caring very much.
• It is not the ultimate idealistic picture of homeschooling I have held in my mind. It is not everything I REALLY want to do that I really think is the best, but it may be very doable and doable counts for a lot - doable through thick and thin, consistent. Also, maybe I will be able to work in an awful lot of mentors and classics and Charlotte Mason; I bet I will. I probably won't be able to work in a lot of delayed academics and we'll just see how that part goes. If my kid is ready for the academics as they come, that's one thing; if not, it may do more harm than good . . . . and . . . . we can always try another route.
• Furthermore, academic concepts need not equal hours on end in a seat with "seat work." This option will hopefully still allow a five-year-old boy plenty of time to do things that I think are crucial - key words are dirt, play, experimenting, family, sunshine, running, climbing, thinking, problem-solving, imagining . . . .
• After spending months feeling a little crazy over kindergarten plans, I have total peace with this possibility. I still have legwork to do and details to learn; decision is not yet made but I have peace and peace counts for a lot. If we choose this route for kid #1's kinder year, that doesn't mean we are locked into this route forever. There are more school-aged kids and many more years of educating them on the horizon. This may be something we try and move away from or we may love it and be settled for a long time.
  

I Want A Perfect Option

I blame it at least partially on the time change, but it has been the kind of week where I think about sending my kids off to school A LOT.

I started my morning figuring out how many miles I'd be driving to the two Christian schools on my horizon. Both are 2 or 3 days at school and 2 or 3 days independent study at home options. School A is 11 miles from my house and 3 days per week: 44 miles/day, 132/week, 110/week if I didn't drive back home during school hours one day. School B is 21 miles from my house but only 2 days per week: 84 miles/day, 168/week, or 126/week. Keep in mind, this is with 2 younger siblings riding those round trips in the car and gas money on top of tuition. The tuition is very reasonable primarily because these are not full time schools, but still the costs add up and when I think of having multiple students in school not too far in the future, the costs really multiply! These are both schools I have a lot of respect for and seriously consider during weeks such as this. The biggest negative, for me, after the driving and money, is that the days at home are not really homeschooling. I love education! I want to be the one educating my children. I want to make curriculum choices! I want control! I'm excited about the possibilities. I just don't necessarily want my children 24/7 and I want them to have some other educational experiences . . . . so, not to re-do my "What I Want" post . . . . the fact that I'd like them to get some extra-curricular classes in a somewhat regular school setting once or twice a week is nothing new.

Later in the day I started googling local charter schools. Oh ya, that was after I searched for Christian schools in my town for the 29th time hoping I had missed something. I used to work for a homeschooling charter school and I know they are all different and they can have a lot to offer a parent like me. The school I worked for would be the perfect option if I lived in Temecula and I even looked at the possibility of commuting for some classes, but it looks like it would have to be twice a week and that is a lot! So, other charters that appear to offer homeschooling . . . . meaning parent-choice and freedom not just a lot of prescribed things to complete at home . . . . I say appear because, granted, I'm just looking at websites here; I'm in the very preliminary stages of a half-hearted search . . . . possible next step would be phone calls and tours . . . . Charter A with once a week classes about 20 miles from my house and Charter B with once a week classes 46 miles from my house. Both are strong possibilities right now. Classes once a week, if I stayed in that area that one day, would be 40 miles/week or 92 miles/week respectively. Charter B actually really excites me. Why can't it be closer to home?! I definitely need to do more research but my mind won't stop contemplating how I could manage an hour one way drive with a toddler and baby and then spend one day a week in a far-off city doing parks and whatever else I can think up . . . . hmmm. It is a good location for meeting family for lunch and such. Would I be able to do it? I probably wouldn't cook big dinners those nights. The school offers performing arts and other programs and I'm sure it would turn into more than once a week as my son got involved, but hopefully this wouldn't be a big issue until later in elementary school when the other two could handle the drive better and be in school some of the time too. For the drive I'm imagining audio books, learning songs, discussions, lots of good time at least for kids over about three . . . . that would be in the future. And as my husband pointed out, friends would be made that lived far away. There are definite cons. I don't know where my answer lies.

Is the fact that there is no perfect option God's way of forcing me back to 100% homeschooling? Although, 100% homeschooling in my eyes should include outside activities or classes in one form or another, so I think I'm still there. I had more passion for homeschooling before the reality of the hard work and craziness came about and now many days I'm ready to abandon ship but know I shouldn't leave what I think I'm supposed to do out of fear. Yet, I'm not 100% sure that it is what I'm supposed to do, so I look at schools and possibilities. I find nothing great. I go back to 100% homeschooling but look for the best way to get those outside activities and classes and find nothing perfect. Here I am. I pray for God's plan for my kids' education and for help with my daily use of time, need for inspiration and direction, my patience, and my willingness to work hard.

• Greater San Diego Academy

• The Classical Academy (& see link from page to blog/FB)
  

• Reviews

What I Want

I want to send my kids to a school-type setting 1 or 2 short days a week. I want them to get the playground time with other kids and then maybe an art class and some other enrichment type activity. I want to do the core subjects on my own. This plan saves me from being with them 24/7. It gives them a taste of the good parts of school so they don't feel like they are missing out on something. Luke does feel this a little bit right now and that makes me sad. However, I feel a little bit better when I watch him play "school" with the rabbit. Floppy gets to hop freely around the house sometimes. He grabs her, sticks her in the little carrier cage, slams the door, and then laughs; lets her out, only to catch her again and repeat the same. I said, "I don't think Floppy likes that game" and he said, "Oh, we're just playing school."

Luke goes to a gymnastics class and Sunday school and by next year I'm looking to add another class or two to his life. I want him to have fun, learn from other adults, and work with other kids but I also think the core learning will happen best at home, as well at the tide pools, museums, library, grocery store, etc. I think if a school I was really excited about existed near our home I would consider it and I think it is possible I'll still decide on a school at some point in the future and drive for it.

I have started a list of my homeschooling pros and cons. I started blog-stormiong lots of topics I want to write about- mostly things that will make me re-examine, re-study, and remember the people and philosophies that got me so excited about homeschooling to begin with, details of which I can no longer pull together and articulate like I once could. My little starting point list of pros and cons is not ready to post and I think the reason is, I'm afraid of offending some random reader (not that I think my one-week-old blog has a big following or anything). None the less, there will probably be some sort a disclaimer post preceding my list post.