I feel like I am back at square one in making the decision to homeschool or send my kids back to public school. This time last year I wrote a blog post called “Planning 7 Months in Advance” because it was the beginning of 2020 (the part where we thought it would be a regular year) and schools and extracurricular programs were already enrolling. This year is the same. Kindergarten enrollment, 8th grade schedule selections, and applying for scholarships for special needs therapy while homeschooling are all filling my inbox with deadlines. So while I’ve been telling myself I had 6 months to decide what we would do for the 21/22 school year that is absolutely false. We have to figure it out ASAP. Granted we can always change our minds, so nothing is written in stone, but either way we eventually need figure it out.

Sigh.

Fostering a love for knowledge and a strong educational foundation has always been a top priority for me as a mom. When I look back over the past 10 years so much of it was spent determining what the best fit would be for each of our precious little sponges. They are each so unique and talented as individuals. I’ve ALWAYS said, like a broken record, we evaluate their educational needs and what fits best on a case by case, day by day basis.

J and I have definitely talked about what the year will bring and how we feel. We’ve prayed that God would lead. I made an actual list of pros and cons for either path and I have informally interviewed all kinds of different people including moms, intervention specialists, and teachers. The good news is last year we had no idea what in person learning during a pandemic would be like. This year we have a year we know so much more. Last year during one of the district meetings a school board director compared their strategy for the 2020/2021 school year to building an aircraft while simultaneously flying it. It’s a great analogy. I was building my own airplane while flying it at home. It’s why unprecedented was the word of the year in 2020.

Although we are leaning towards in person learning for the upcoming school year there are several reasons why I would love for the kids to stay at home. Here is a peek at my list of reasons we might do it all again.

  1. No masks or shields! (that’s probably the biggest, especially with a deaf child)
  2. Bible and faith included in our daily lessons

3. More time for piano and chickens!!

4. I really get to observe my kids’ learning styles 5. More quality family time 6. We have a laid back schedule rather than running from one thing to the next all the time 7. Sleep in (we actually keep a pretty consistent schedule that includes waking up somewhat early, but on occasion we don’t and it’s nice to have that option) 8. More outside time 9. Less driving!10. I get to learn new things everyday too


I know some people might think after a year of homeschooling I would be ready to throw in the towel and not look back. While there are challenges to homeschooling that I would never want to sugar coat, I really would miss so much of it. I’ll give my list of reasons we wouldn’t do it again another time. One thing I know for sure though. We made the right choice for this school year and I will cherish the time we had.