Public school, homeschool, forest school, (no) cyber charter school, oh my.
One would think that with only two children, our back to school routine would be fairly simple. It’s not that our year is overly challenging so far, but we do have a lot of proverbial balls up in the air regarding school choice for our 7 and 10 year old boys. We also have a big education professional change for me! I’ve been advised before to never make more than one big change a year. I think Mike and I have averaged at least half a dozen big changes a year through our near fifteen years of marriage, and this year is no exception. Oops.
We’re Homeschooling
Our 7 year old is homeschooling again this year. In the weeks leading up to the start of school he started to have a change of heart, telling us that he wanted to go back to school with his older brother. Just like his older brother is welcome to homeschool at any point, we would never deny our youngest going to public school. But we also felt that his sudden desire to go to school was based solely on wanting to do what his older brother was doing, not what he actually wants/needs from school right now.
I worried he’d feel an extra dose of FOMO on the first day public school was back in session, so I invited another homeschooling family over for the afternoon to play. Our youngest and his guests spent hours playing in the woods, roasting hot dogs over an open fire for lunch, and fishing at the lake. We’ve gotten lots of unstructured play time in with friends this year, and he no longer has any interest in returning to public school right now.
We’re Public Schooling
Our oldest is in 5th grade at our local public school where his dad is the K-12 assistant principal. He knows that homeschooling is an option. But he enjoys his school environment, and has chosen to continue going to school. We’re two for two in the “happy with their school environment” department, and I’ll take it!
A fun addition to his 5th grade year is the option to join band and chorus. We have an alto saxophone we’re carting to and from the school three times a week (for two band rehearsals and a lesson), and the other two days he attends chorus rehearsal. It’s such an exciting right of passage, finally getting to play a musical instrument. It also makes me want to beg time to slow down. When we set his saxophone up at home the first night and he made his first mouthpiece and reed squawk, I was taken back to my last year teaching instrumental music in a public school setting. I remembered those first lessons with the brand new 5th grade students. It feels like yesterday. Those 5th graders are now in their second year of college, military service, or workforce experience. They’re all 20 or nearing 20. Time is a thief, sigh.
We’re Forest Schooling
In addition to homeschooling, our youngest is also attending a homeschool program one day a week at a Forest School. The school is a little over an hour drive from our house which makes it quite the commitment with roughly two and a half hours on the road for four and a half hours spent at Forest School. It is so worth it, though. We’re familiar with the school from a one day camp opportunity last spring, and a week-long summer camp this past August.
A half day break from mom is definitely good for our independent youngest, and good for me! I can run errands, run (literally, like for exercise), plan homeschool lessons, and just…be. In fact, I’m typing this post in a Barnes and Noble cafe right now while my youngest is at Forest School! I’m excited for all of the experiences he’s going to have there this year, and I’m also excited to see all the fun ways I come up with to utilize my time on these days.
We’re Saying Goodbye to Cyber Charter School
After leaving my teaching job in a brick and mortar public school in December, 2022, I began teaching high school English from home in the fall of 2023. I had no idea what I was getting into when I accepted my cyber teaching position, but I ended up absolutely loving my role there. It’s probably pretty evident from my own household (public school, homeschool, Forest School, cyber school) that I don’t think there is any education option out there that is one size fits all, but teaching in the cyber charter environment surely suited me.
Deciding to continue to homeschool our youngest made the decision to leave my teaching position relatively easy. It didn’t make saying goodbye to colleagues and supervisors I enjoyed working with any easier, but there is no job I’ve ever loved as much as mom, and the ability to be mom full time right now is magical to me. Who knows what the future will bring – maybe I will be back to teaching online one day, maybe within the walls of a brick and mortar public or private school, or maybe I’ll even teach for or open my own Forest School! But for now, I’m teaching one of my three favorite boys in the world at our kitchen table…and at the coffee table…and on the kitchen island…and at the picnic table…and in the car…and, well, everywhere….and I am happily soaking in every moment of it.
