Choosing how to educate your children is a very personal matter, and one that does not have a right or wrong answer.

I have many friends who choose to homeschool their children, and it works out wonderfully for the parents and the children. Advocates of homeschool feel that they are able to let their children learn the basics, along with a broader choice of things that really interest them. They are able to tailor learning to the children’s individual learning styles. They are able to focus on learning and not on test taking. They are able to protect their kids from all of the bad aspects of public school (bullying, teasing, etc.) Many worry about a poor quality of education that is found in some public schools. I know there are other reasons, but those are the big ones I am thinking of.

Advocates of public school or other out of the home schools feel that it is good for kids to be with other kids and other adults and not just be with their parents all the time. Many people live in a place with great public schools or private school choices and feel good about the quality of education their children will receive. Many parents feel that they would not be well enough equipped to teach their children many of the subjects, especially compared to professionals who have completed college for teaching. Some worry about the lack of social interaction if their children are homeschooled (although there are many options for social interactions for kids that do get school at home). Some parents just do not have the time or organization to homeschool. Many children enjoy public school.

As you can see, there are great “arguments” for both choices, and again, there is no one right answer for all families.

When you factor in adoption, it does give you a few more things to think about. If your child is adopted at an older age, they very well might be delayed in the schooling (even if adopted from the US, but especially if adopted internationally). Putting a child into public school who is very behind their peers might be very frustrating for them, and would most likely involve a great deal of advocating on the parents’ part to ensure that the child was getting their needs met.

Then again, many children adopted internationally from orphanage type settings enjoy being in “group” settings like school because they are used to being around lots of other children. Many do “catch up” relatively easily in public school. Also, in many cultures kids are taught that education is valuable and they look forward to attending school.

Then there is the issue of bonding. For a child that is brand new to a family, sending them off to school for hours each day could delay bonding. And yet again, many families do not have a choice other than to put a new child into daycare or school fairly soon after the adoption, and things still go smoothly.

From the social aspect, many parents worry about their child being "different" and therefor picked on at school, while on the other hand, many parents find that their children make lots of friends and do well at school socially.

It is also common at school age for parents of adopted children to start “finding” learning disorders or disabilities caused by malnutrition, neglect, prenatal substance abuse, or any other combination of factors.

Like I said, there is lots to think about!

To be continued...