Homeschooling to Public School: One year Update

It has officially been one year since we transitioned our kids from homeschooling to public school, so I wanted to give an update on our experience, and share my reflections for those following along or those thinking about making a similar change. In September 2023 I was prepared for the worst, but hoping for the best. Now that we have a full school year under our belt, I can say we are pleasantly surprised with the experience. So far, all of the benefits we were hoping to gain from this change have happened. Conversely, some of our concerns have proven to be valid as well. Overall, at this point I will say the change for our family has been a net positive.


Our primary concerns were:


{ quality of education }
Transitioning from one-on-one private teaching at home to a classroom full of children with one teacher is going to be a big educational adjustment for our kids. Also, not being able to advance or move slower in subjects as needed is a benefit of homeschool we will miss greatly.

2024 update: This hasn't been a concern that proved to really be an issue. My older two kids went into school “ ahead” of grade level according to the curriculum we had been using, but I had a feeling that the transition from one-on-one learning to classroom learning would neutralize any lead. It did. There have been times they have complained about being bored, but there have also been times they've complained about being challenged - and I think that's a good, realistic mix. One thing I did not anticipate was my kids being peer-pressured to do better academically. One of my kids did not want to be the worst at typing in his class, and peer-pressure motivated him to practice at home. Another kid did not want to be struggling to read, and peer-pressure motivated her to take tutoring seriously and practice every night. Another kid did not want to be having emotional outbursts around his friends because none of his other friends were. I will also add that public schooling afforded my kids challenging opportunities that I was not able to provide at home: having to partner with a student you don't really know, having to make a presentation in front of the class, participating in a large group discussion with kids with differing backgrounds and worldviews than you. Further, I've watched my kids rise to many challenges on the playground: being brave and playing sports they aren't really good at because all of their friends are, being okay playing by themselves when they don't like what their friends are playing, and my favorite: looking out for each other at recess and making friends with each other's friends.


{ worldview }
Our biggest concern entering the public school system is navigating the clash of worldviews. As a Christian family, our worldview comes from the Bible. That is often at odds with the worldview used in public schools. Unlike our faith-based homeschool co-op, public school does not guarantee friendships with kids and families that share our worldview. Being able to understand and respect other people's worldviews without abandoning your own is something we're already teaching our children - but this will be put to the test as they enter public school. Further, we don't want our kids to be bullied or ostracized for their Biblical worldview. We will likely spend the majority of our energy helping our kids navigate this aspect of public schooling.

2024 update: This concern proved to be very valid. It's no secret that the public school worldview is not inherently Christian. We were hoping for the environment at their school to be at least Christian-friendly, and that is exactly what we got. The kids’ school promotes true tolerance for all world views and faiths, and that includes Christians. We've had no problem finding Christian families and friends for our kids, as well as just really nice families and friends all around. There are a handful of Christian teachers and staff at the school as well (and really nice faculty all around). One thing I really like about their school is the emphasis on character, vs. identity: while there is room for all identities, the school emphasizes that who you are is shown but how you act, not by who you say you are. This is emphasized top to bottom, bottom to top, left and right. The kids really seem to understand that character matters - and while this sentiment is not based on biblical principles in this scenario, is very consistent with our faith.


{ time}
Time and affirmation equals influence, and we are concerned about the amount of time our kids will spend with adults that aren't us and children that aren't their siblings. This would be a concern even if we were doing private school. I'm also disappointed at how many days of the year the kids are required to be in school, and will greatly miss the freedoms that homeschooling provided our family.

2024 update: this proved to be a valid concern as well. Simply put, we get much less time with our kids. We combat this in a variety of ways: I pick them up and drop them off for school so we can get that chat time in the car, I make an earnest effort to have all of my housework and family life tasks completed by the time they get home so I am available to them after school, I volunteer in each of their classrooms once a week, Kyle does as many field trips as he can, and of course we spend evenings and weekends mostly together.


We were looking forward to:

{ richer family time }

Not spending all day everyday together will make the time we do spend together more rich. I will be downright eager to reunite with the kids after them being away all day school!

2024 update: This proved to be true! I am so happy to see them at pick up, and that lasts all the way through bedtime.

{ friendships }
I love that my kids have each other as their best friends, but I am also excited to see them develop friendships outside of our family. Especially knowing that many of these friends they will have throughout high school and beyond! I am still close with some of my friends from elementary school, and I'm happy my kids may get the same experience.

2024 update: This has been even better than we thought it would be. My kids have all made great choices with the friends they've made so far, and I'm loving getting to know so many other moms and families. We're only one year in and I'm already picturing their little friend groups at high school graduation and the lifetime of memories the kids will share with their friends between now and then.


{ community involvement }
While we were involved in our local homeschool community, I am excited to branch out of that and be involved in the local public school community. I've already met so many wonderful people, and reconnected with many people from my own public school childhood.

2024: This has also proven to be true. We feel much more involved in our local community, which has extended to extracurricular activities, sports teams, supporting fundraisers, youth groups, etc.


{ my health}
My health is going to improve by making this change, and I am so ready to put the existing energy and good health that I do have toward joining the kids in this transition and supporting them in their public school experience.

2024 update: Last year my youngest was still in half day pre-k, so we wont see the full effect of having the kids in public school until after this school year now that she has joined them in kindergarten. But I can already say with certainty that my health has, at the very least, stopped spiraling downward. I'm very thankful for this!


General reflections

Some things I know made a big difference for us:

• Being in the classroom and at the school. I volunteered in each of my kids' classrooms an hour a week last year, my husband volunteered for as many field trips as he could, and we both volunteered for as many school activities as we could. Our goal was to know others and be known; I think we accomplished that, and it had the benefits we intended. We will continue this.
• I started a local Moms in Prayer chapter at our school. Praying for our kids and our kids' school is most powerful thing we can do for our kids while they are away from us, and joining together to do it with other believers is incredibly comforting. I will continue wit this!
• While our kids didn't have much homework, we are very hands-on with the homework they do have. We are also very interested in the books they brought home from the school library.
• I read any and all communication from the school, which helps me stay very much in-the-know. This also helps me know what they might be learning about in the classroom that we want to add to, or correct.
• I was open with their teachers and Principal about things I did not feel comfortable with for them. This only happened a few times, and was not a problem at all. 
• The kids are liking the change, for the most part. They don't like how long the day is, but other than that there are few complaints. They are loving all the new friendships and activities! 

Final thoughts: Putting our kids in public school isn't necessarily less work than homeschooling, it's just been different work. We're putting our energy into different areas so that we can stay heavily involved with them in this. We told our kids that they aren't going to public school, our family is going to public school - and we really wanted them to feel like that is true. And I think they do.  I can confidently say that making this change did accomplish what we set out to accomplish. We've been pleasantly surprised, and we are really looking forward to this school year!

Homeschooling to Public School

When I first began researching the transition from homeschooling to public school, I found only a few resources; the vast majority of the resources out there are about the transition from public school to homeschooling. I was able to find one blog post and two books that were helpful. Once we had finalized our decision to transition from homeschooling to public school, I vowed to myself that I would write a few blog posts on our reasons why, factors in our decision making, and (hopefully) chronicle the transition over the coming months and years for those families in a similar spot as ours.

We have been homeschooling informally since 2014, and formally since 2021. I make that distinction because in Washington State kids are educationally free until they turn 8 years old ,and because of that I have only had to file a declaration of intent to homeschool the past two years. My husband attended private school for K-12, and I attended public school K-12. Neither of us necessarily had our hearts set on homeschooling until our oldest was due to enter kindergarten; we didn't feel ready to release him to the local public school for 6 to 7 hours a day, 5 days a week. Because I had been informally homeschooling him during the toddler and preschool years as a way to fill our morning time, making the transition to homeschooling for grade school was easy on everyone. 

To be clear: we have loved homeschooling. We have very little negative things to say about it. The longer we did it the more we experienced the benefits of it. We think that homeschooling is the far superior educational choice - if the parents are willing and able, and if it is proving beneficial to the child. We will greatly miss homeschooling and our homeschool community.

So then why are we making the move to public school?

There's just one, single reason: my health. In late 2017, I was diagnosed with a benign, vascular brain tumor that was actively bleeding. In Spring 2018, I had a craniotomy to remove the tumor. While the craniotomy was successful, I suffered a stroke during surgery that rendered me a left side hemiplegic. I also suffered 25% vision loss, and developed Central Nerve Pain following the surgery. To complicate things more, I was 5 months pregnant with our fourth child during the surgery. This significantly hindered any initial recovery attempts following the stroke. One month after the brain surgery I had an emergency appendectomy, which further delayed any recovery. In Fall 2018 I delivered a beautiful baby girl - which was honestly the easiest thing I did that year! In the following months, I experienced a rapid recovery period . By the following fall, I was walking with the assistance of only a cane, able to drive again, and taking care of the kids and our home without the help of a nanny or caregiver. I was doing so well, and our family had been through so much recently, that we decided homeschool was the best option for our incoming kindergartener and our family as a whole. It just felt right to stay close together at that time. Little did we know that later that school year the pandemic would make all families “homeschoolers”, and we were of course so thankful that we were already actually homeschooling at that time. 

That first year of the pandemic we fared okay, but the second year of the pandemic was rough for us - especially me. I was watching friends in neighboring states have their freedoms returned to them, while we were being told we couldn't gather with family for the holidays. I was watching friends in other parts of the country enjoy mask-free outings around their towns, while we were being told we still had to mask and social distance, and furthermore had to be vaccinated to do certain things. I was growing tired of disappointing our kids week after week. I was growing weary of navigating mask wearing while being disabled and only having one arm available to deal with my mask, my kids' masks, my cane, and anything else I needed my hand for out in public. I had also lost access to all of the therapies I had been doing for recovery, and had lost many of the freedoms outside my home I had just worked so hard to regain the previous year. I call this time period my "dark months", as it was marked by extreme insomnia, panic attacks, anger, anxiety, and depression. I knew I was being depleted, but I had no idea the long-term effect this would all have on my body. 

Finally, long after most other states, things started actually opening back up for us in a way that life outside the home was easy and accessible again for the kids and me. This most recent school year my oldest two kids and I joined a homeschool co-op, my third child took advantage of the newly opened private kindergarten at the kids' preschool, and my youngest was in preschool three days a week. While I was relieved at the return to freedom, my body was suffering the effects of the pandemic and my "dark months": rapid weight gain, night sweats, irregular cycle, skin changes, extreme fatigue, hair loss, and increase in trips and falls. After some brilliant lab work by my functional medicine doctor, it was determined that I am in Stage 3 Adrenal Fatigue and have entered premature menopause because of it. Weathering the pandemic was hard for everyone, but I didn't realize the toll it was taking on my newly inured brain and disabled body; I was carrying on with the energy and determination that I have possessed all my life, not realizing that I can no longer go at that level without suffering consequences. Fortunately, both of these new conditions are reversible by medication, supplements, and lifestyle changes. I've started both supplements and medications, and we’ve removed everything off my plate that we can, which sadly includes homeschooling. It's not the homeschooling that's fueling my adrenal fatigue, it's just the having them all home. My kids are now 10, 8, 6, and 4. They are...loud. Spirited, innovative, energized, demanding, funny, cheerful, and loud. They are all going a million miles an hour in all directions from morning to night. They have zero chill. And I love them for it! But my injured brain does not. And my disabled body cannot keep up with demands of homeschool life in this season. 

I've started a treatment regimen and I'm already seeing slow but clear improvement in the adrenal fatigue, and I'm hopeful that the premature menopause will follow soon. My goal is to stay out of a wheelchair before I turn 50; I'm so thankful for wheelchairs and the mobility they provide, but our home and lives are not set up for that. Me in a wheelchair will disrupt our lives in a way that we would like to prevent for as long as possible.

It goes against every fiber of my mother's heart to make a decision for my children that benefits me the most, but my husband reassures me that sustaining me benefits them the most. And I'm choosing to believe him. 

Before landing on public school we prayed for months about our options, did research, cried, and prayed some more. And then cried some more. Like I said above, we love homeschooling - and aside from my health, would have no intention of stopping anytime soon. Private school is not financially viable for us. Homeschool co-ops can not provide the relent in home life intensity I am needing. As a conservative Christian family, we obviously have our concerns about public school (which I will address below). Yet, over the weeks and months of praying, researching, and talking together, it became clear to my husband and I that our best option for the kids right now is public school. So now we've cried our tears, outlined our concerns, and we are ready as a family to look for the good!

Our primary concerns are:

{ quality of education } 

Transitioning from one-on-one private teaching at home to a classroom full of children with one teacher is going to be a big educational adjustment for our kids. Also, not being able to advance or move slower in subjects as needed is a benefit of homeschool we will miss greatly.

{ worldview }

Our biggest concern entering the public school system is navigating the clash of worldviews. As a Christian family, our worldview comes from the Bible. That is often at odds with the worldview used in public schools. Unlike our faith-based homeschool co-op, public school does not guarantee friendships with kids and families that share our worldview. Being able to understand and respect other people's worldviews without abandoning your own is something we're already teaching our children - but this will be put to the test as they enter public school. Further, we don't want our kids to be bullied or ostracized for their Biblical worldview. We will likely spend the majority of our energy helping our kids navigate this aspect of public schooling.

{ time}

Time and affirmation equals influence, and we are concerned about the amount of time our kids will spend with adults that aren't us and children that aren't their siblings. This would be a concern even if we were doing private school. I'm also disappointed at how many days of the year the kids are required to be in school, and will greatly miss the freedoms that homeschooling provided our family.

Ok, phew. So now: here is us looking for the good! This does not mean we are ignoring our concerns or trying to convince ourselves that this is somehow our first choice for education when it's obviously not. But - what good is it to us if we sit around and focus on what we are losing, when instead we can put that energy into focusing on what we are gaining in this change.

 
 We are looking forward to:

{ richer family time } 

Not spending all day everyday together will make the time we do spend together more rich. I will be downright eager to reunite with the kids after them being away all day school! 

{ friendships }

I love that my kids have each other as their best friends, but I am also excited to see them develop friendships outside of our family. Especially knowing that many of these friends they will have throughout high school and beyond! I am still close with some of my friends from elementary school, and I'm happy my kids may get the same experience.

{ community involvement }

While we were involved in our local homeschool community, I am excited to branch out of that and be involved in the local public school community. I've already met so many wonderful people, and reconnected with many people from my own public school childhood.

{ my health}  

My health is going to improve by making this change, and I am so ready to put the existing energy and good health that I do have toward joining the kids in this transition and supporting them in their public school experience. 

Lastly, my husband and I sat down and clarified for ourselves what we believe going into this change. 

We believe:

-God is good and in control, even in the public schools.

-The homeschooling world often vilifies public schools, but communities benefit when children are educated. I no longer take part in conversations where the public schools are being bashed for their mere existence. Criticism where change is needed, absolutely. But denouncing their entire existence,  no. Public schools serve a necessary function for families that want and need them, and again: communities benefit when children are educated - whether that be through homeschooling, private schooling or public schooling.

-Homeschooling is the far superior educational choice - if you are willing and able to do it, and if the child is benefiting from it. We will always support our local homeschool community, and we may even return to homeschooling each child for the middle school years if my health can handle it when the time comes.

-We are not going into the public schools to change everything that is "wrong" with them, or to make them more Christian friendly.  Those are both valiant fights, but they aren't our fights. Our fight is for our own children, focusing our energy on what we can control and supporting them as best we can. To that end, we will not be outraged over every little thing. Frankly, I don't have the adrenals for that right now! Nor is that a good use of our time and energy. We'll use our time and energy to stay informed, be involved, and walk alongside our kids in this journey. Also, we are not sending our kids to be "lights in the darkness" - that's our job as adults, not theirs as kids. If that happens naturally, great! But that's not our goal right now.

So: public school starts up in 2 weeks, and we are as ready as we can be! My oldest Drew (10, summer birthday) will be in 4th grade, Mary (8, summer birthday) will be in 2nd grade, Evan (6, winter birthday) will be in 1st grade, and Ruthie (4, fall birthday) will be in pre-K at our beloved private preschool at a church just up the street. I decided to do Drew and Mary old for their grades for a variety of reasons, so we'll see how that goes!

Drew is nervous, Mary is pumped, Evan is indifferent, and Ruthie can't wait to get back to preschool to see her little friends! 

The Lord gives, the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.