Public, Private or Homeschool???

School options are difficult for any family. Where is the best school for my child? Should I send them to the public school? Will they be able to get a quality education there? Should we choose a private school? If so, do we choose a religious school or a highly rated prep school? Will we "fit in" at the prep school or will our children be teased throughout their education? Should we homeschool? Can I teach my children?

These are a few of the typical questions that run through many parents minds about their education choices. We have went through most of these as well. When our children began school we felt public school was the best choice because of their disabilities they would be able to receive the best services there. We had no idea how difficult finding the right school would be.

When Shana was in preschool she was very happy and she loved school. When she started Kindergarten her teacher did not really work well with her and she started showing signs of anxiety. We found a school that focused on arts and transferred her there. This was a great option for the first couple years. When the principal changed the school changed too. Shana was being bullied and the school seemed unwilling and unable and many times she was suspended for hitting a child after they were bullying her. She was angry and unhappy most of the time and we struggled with the decision of what to do.

Hunter was and still is another problem altogether when it comes to school. In the first year of preschool all his teachers thought he should attend the public gifted school in our district. We applied for his Kindergarten year and he was placed on the wait list. He ended up attending the same school as his sister. We applied at the gifted school again for 1st grade and he did not qualify because his test scores were too low. I asked them if they made any accommodations because of his Asperger's and they said no. He was tested in a room with 25 other kids and got bored with the test and instead added up the number of questions on all the sections and then subtracted the number of questions he answered on each section to find out how many he would miss. This number was his exact number he missed.

It became clear to us at this time that the gifted school, although it is suppose to be equal for all children and not pick just the best of the district that they do not want children like Hunter there. I have even talked to many parents of children at the school and they have said there is not much diversity and most the kids are not only smart but also highly motivated. Hunter is motivated to learn what he is interested in the subject but sees things differently and doesn't always follow the standard lesson plan.

After being suspended for 10 days in the beginning of first grade, Hunter had to change schools. The district strongly wanted him in a Behavior Development (BD) program, even though his behaviors stem from his disability. Thankfully we found a program with a teacher willing to work with him and understand our concerns and truly seemed to care. We also moved Shana at this time and coincidently the principal at the new school was her former principal at the arts school. This year has been very good for both children and they are both doing better. Hunter went downhill for a little while but seems to be picking back up and is getting into the main classroom frequently.

However, academically we are not sure if the traditional school can meet his needs. Hunter is very bright and learns quickly. He is currently in first grade yet is reading at the 3rd-4th grade or higher levels (testing is hard for him), he is doing 3rd-4th grade math and has created his own methods for doing math.    The standard curriculum is not challenging or interesting.  He has found mistakes in the tests and often creates his own answers or questions instead of completing the requested information.

We are considering homeschooling him next year, but are concerned about his social needs. Having Aspergers he needs to work on social skills.  However, with the right support we should still be able to help him socially through groups and field trips. I think in many cases people that don't care for social situations find jobs and live their lives in a way that limits the amount of social contact they have with others.

So it adds more questions to the puzzle and all we can do is pray that we will make the right decisions. They are tough choices because we already feel like with Hunter we have lost almost 2 years because of all the changes and issues with his preschool (I will discuss that later) and we worry that if we make the wrong choice we will only set him back that much more. So we will continue praying and trust that God will lead us in the right direction.