In regards to school choices and adoption, I will share with you what has worked for our family and my thoughts on things, but keep in mind that many families have done things differently with great results.

We live in a small town with excellent public schools. I honestly know most of my kids’ teachers and administrators. The class sizes are small, and our district has been recognized as the best in the state and even chosen as a “model” for other districts. We have excellent reading and math programs (along with other subjects), as well as wonderful art and music programs. We have been highly impressed with the schools here since our first child entered kindergarten, and our kids are happy and thriving.

I also like the our kids get home pretty early...the are home by 2:30 p.m., so there is lots of time in the day left for us to do things together as a family.

When our girls came home at ages 9 and 6 (it was a domestic adoption) they were very behind in their schoolings. Multiple moves, missing tons of school and being in a very less than ideal school district in another state left them significantly behind their peers in math and reading. Their teachers did a great job to work with us and the girls to help get them caught up. The girls were encouraged and really blossomed. One has caught up completely, and one was found to have a learning disability in a certain area, but is receiving one on one help in that area (at school and at home) and she is making progress at her own pace and really impressing everyone. I have been very impressed in the way that her teachers base her grades on her work and her ability and effort, and not just the tests she takes with her class.

Seeing the way that our schools helped our girls adjust socially and academically and all of the personal attention that they received and how much they enjoy school even when it is hard, really showed us the strengths of our district.

I did consider homeschooling the girls in the beginning, and I talked with them about it and gave them the choice, making it clear that if they weren't happy or I was wasn't happy with the way things went, we could change our plans. They both wanted to go to school, so we tried that first. If they hadn't thrived the way that they have, I would have changed our plans.

When Ben came home last year he was Kindergarten age, and there was three months left in the school year. I chose to keep him home with me, because I just couldn’t see sending him off to school for hours each day. I wanted him to be able to bond with us and have plenty of time with us, and I wanted to help him learn English and get settled into his new culture and new life before sending him off to school.

Towards the end of the school year (after multiple requests by him) we let him start preschool two days a week for a few hours with his sisters. It was just right for Ben…he looked forward to it and loved getting out of the house and playing with the other kids and “going to school”, and yet he wasn’t gone for very long and it did not take away from our bonding.

Our three biological sons have always been in public school and they absolutely love it. Ben will start first grade with one of his brothers this year, and he is very excited about it. So for now, we are going with what works.

However, there are situations in which I would choose to homeschool. If at any point one of my children started to struggle in public school, I would consider homeschooling. If the quality of education they were receiving in our district changed, I would consider homeschooling. If one of my kids decided that is what they wanted, I would homeschool. If we had adopted an older child who was very delayed in their schooling compared to kids in America, I would have considered homeschooling.

At the moment, public school is the right choice for my family, but we are open to homeschooling if any thing changes. I know many happy homeschooling families and many happy public school families.

I encourage each family to really look at your options, and the individual issues and concerns you have about your specific children and their education, so you can make choices to ensure that your kids are getting the best possible education. I also encourage you to be flexible (especially if you are planning on what to do and your child is not home yet), and be willing to change your plans to best fit what your kids need.

Happy Back to School everybody! Whether you homeschool or are going to be putting your kids on the school bus this year, I hope you and your kids have a wonderful school year.