“Regular” School or Homeschool?
Are you a military family?
Chances are, the answer to that question is yes, since you’re finding this exclusive content on Army Wife Network. I’m a military spouse who has been married to an active-duty Guard soldier for 18 years. We have two children, so that makes ours a military family, too. Currently, one of my children is in public school, and the other is homeschooled.
“Why?” you may ask. Because we can, because we decided we wanted to, and because it makes sense—for us. Please know, in this series of education columns, I am only speaking of my experiences and from my own perspective to engage you all in a discussion and garner support for both those students who are at school or at home.
There is no right answer here. Just like there is no right answer to “on post or off post” or “work at home or work out of the home.” The only answer is the one you have reasoned out together: spouse and service member, for your family. The plan you choose is the plan you choose, and I only want to be here as a resource to make that plan play out the best it can.
Why do military families choose to homeschool?
Often times, negative attributes of the area public school system are listed as reasons to homeschool. Some families do so because they feel they must in order to escape various unwanted experiences. However, there are positive reasons to homeschool absent of those strikes against your neighborhood school.
Our lives are mobile. Families want some continuity, so they opt to make moms or dads the teachers at every duty station.
Our families need flexibility. It can’t be assumed that any service member can get time off when the schools have time off. Keeping children home allows families to operate outside the traditional school calendar.
Our assignments are in some unique locations. These locations are “home” to the locals and may be taken for granted by them. Not always, but sometimes, that school may not afford the opportunities or closer look at the exciting places we live temporarily.
Why do military families choose public school?
They don’t have time to homeschool.
They are in an awesome school system.
They feel their children should be immersed in the culture with children their age, particularly in the area of language immersion at OCONUS (outside the continental United States) assignments.
They want sports or other social opportunities for their children.
They want to homeschool, but think they can’t.
I just want to reiterate that no matter what your needs and reasons, you can do whatever you want.
The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), your state, your local school system, and I should not “encourage nor discourage” you from making a particular choice.
That said, I do have two questions to ask. These questions will be the basis of our exploration in to school options and the milestones of our children’s Kindergarten through 12th grade years.
- Is your school a home?
- Is your home a school?
What I mean is that both experiences could bring together learning and living as defined by your family’s passions and vision. There are small tweaks you can do in both scenarios to improve your child’s education, and that’s where we’ll start next month.
In the meantime, I’d love to read your comments about where you are in this journey and what you are doing to make your plan play out the best it can.
