There are a multitude of ways to educate your child today.  So many that it can be overwhelming. Yes, it’s nice to have choices, but couple the volume of options with the sense that your decisions have life long implications for your child’s success and ultimate happiness and you have a recipe for immense stress.

I grew up in a small town in Michigan.  This was back when school involved little choice  My parents had two options – Central Elementary or St. Robert’s Catholic School.  And we weren’t Catholic. Catholic or not, the only option after 8th grade was the public high school.  I think my town had pretty good schools, but I’m also sure they weren’t a good fit for everyone.

Today, we are both blessed and cursed by the volume of educational choices.  Certainly, we say, it must be better than the ‘one size fits all’ approach that we had in the past.  Okay, that’s true. But how do you wade through all the choices and make the ‘right’ decision?

If you’re in a larger city, there’s your neighborhood school.  However, maybe you should choice into a ‘better’ school. Charter, Montessori, Classical Learning, or private school.  Or somewhere else. And then there’s homeschooling. But not just homeschooling. Is your curriculum Christian, Secular, or Wiccan?  Perhaps you could homeschool and enroll in that 1 – 2 day per week enrichment program. Or maybe you should unschool. Really, the possibilities are endless for schooling in or out of the home.  Not surprisingly, people have differing opinions on what is ‘right’. And they’re happy to tell you about them. At length. Ha.

Here are my three basic steps for getting through the process:

1. Trust Your Instincts

Think about it.  You know your child, yourself, and your family better than anyone else.  Deep down, you have the answer that will work best. You may be scared, you may wonder if you are really capable of homeschooling, but trust yourself and know that if homeschooling is the answer, you will figure out how to do it.

Or maybe you know that homeschooling isn’t really for you.  You’ve decided on a public school that your mom, your best friend, and your outspoken Uncle Fred don’t like.  In fact, they declare it would be a grave mistake. Do your best to ignore them. Which brings me to the next step.

2. Focus Forward

I spent a good amount of my teens and 20’s working with horses.  I frequently think back to the horses who performed much better with blinders on.  Blinders block the peripheral vision of a horse, so they can focus ahead and move forward.  They can ignore the flapping flag, the bucket on the ground, or the dog jumping around.

Yes, sometimes you need to look around and see what’s out there.  But more often you need to ignore the flapping flags, put the blinders on, and focus forward so you can help your child move onward.

3. Persevere

This is one of my favorite words.  Mostly because I have written it into several National History Day plays and the kids usually say ‘preserve’, no matter how many times we rehearse it correctly.

Anyway, you’ve trusted your instincts, made your choice, and focused forward.  Now, all you need to do is persevere. Show up for your kid every day and support them on the path.  It’s going to be hard and wonderful. Exhausting and amazing. I promise this is true no matter what path your child is on.  I’ve talked to enough people who don’t homeschool to know that they work just as hard as me and care just as much about their kids.

You have it in you to help your child find the right path.  And you can do it with these 3 steps:

  1. Trust Your Instincts
  2. Focus Forward
  3. Persevere

Finally, don’t worry about what your Uncle Fred says.  You only see him at Thanksgiving anyway.

Take care, Sarah