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When my wife and I made the choice to place our kids in the public school system it came with an understanding that their are great benefits as well as some hazards we want to be careful of. We talked through some things that would help us to stay on course when the time came to navigate some those hazards. Below is a short list that has been of great help to us. Continue reading
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While we wanted to make the right decision for us and we looked at all the options in our area we considered the public schools, private schools and even homeschooling. In the last post I walked through some of the benefits and hazards of each of those options and wanted to share with you which one we actually decided on.
Our Decision
My wife and I have been talking about this for a good amount of time. As we began looking at the options that were available to us we looked in our immediate area and the area we had been looking to purchase a new home.
What we Found. We found that the public school in our area is in the top districts in the state and would be a viable option for our kids. As we looked at the christian school in our area, they are doing well and while it would hold a significant financial sacrifice we could not make it work. The whole idea of homeschool is not a far reach for us as my wife has a degree in elementary education and is, simply put, an excellent teacher.
So which option did we choose?
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The whole process of deciding what to do with our kids as they begin school has been an ongoing conversation for me for a few months. It pretty much starts with the fact that I am convinced that as the head of my home it is ultimately my responsibility to figure this out and to not be passive in doing so. My wife and I had the opportunity to sit down with a few couples who had walked this path before us and did so by making a deliberate choice. Their wisdom and insight was very helpful and while I am still fresh in the process I hope that what I am learning may prove to be helpful for some others as well.
Framing the Decision
I believe that the responsibility is mine to education and train my children. At some part of their education I believe that the structure of school is very helpful in their development as a person and their education in learning. Where we live currently I am presented with multiple options for where to send my kids to school and then the question of when enters the picture. First let me address the issue of “Where?” and proceed to the “When?” in the next post.
The three legitimate options that are in front of me are as follows:
Each of these schools can have significant advantages that could positively impact each of my kids. As illustrated below you will see some of the areas that understandably draw parents to each option. I am not immune to each of these and each has crossed my mind at least once. Continue reading
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This year my wife and I started a new phase of life when our oldest became a student. Now it is just kindergarten but it started the process that now will be a constant in our family for the next decade or more. About two years ago we started wrestling with where to place our children and we noticed that just about every system has certain things we loved and other things we, well, did not like so much. That led us to investigate and really think through what we wanted to do with our family.
Over the next few posts I wanted to share with you our thought process and then finally what we decided and why. I am sure that not everyone will agree with us and that is okay. What I do hope you are able to see is the process of our thought process. If you are entering this phase or already have kids in school I hope you are able to think through this process as well, even if you do come to a different conclusion.
Enjoy! Continue reading
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