3 Tips to Help with School Choice

Education is tricky. Many parents tend to lean toward the options they were presented with while growing up. If we went to private school, that is the first place we begin to explore for our children. If homeschooled, we already know the basics and can go from there. For those of us who went to public school, that can become more of a mental battle. I personally had both positive and negative experiences in that environment—as did my husband. We have chosen not to take that route and decided to explore other options. Since we wanted an alternative method, we explored our school choice options and landed on homeschooling. Regardless of where you land in your family's decision, here are three tips to help with school choice.

1. Know Your Child’s Needs

Your child will have specific needs, both with academics and life skills. It is worth keeping these in mind when exploring your options. It lets you narrow down your choices more than you would have otherwise. It is just a matter of making sure the options can meet your child’s needs.

This is especially true when your child has been diagnosed with any condition that could affect their academics. They could need extra support, for example. Make sure any option you are considering actually offers this. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t focus on this going forward. It should be a priority.

2. Do Your Research

It’s always worth spending some time researching each of your options. That way, you’re in a better position to figure out if they meet your child’s needs. Working in missions and connecting with MKs (missionary kids) and missionaries over the years, I have found that some of these families do explore the idea of boarding schools. If this is for you, check the website first, and see what they offer. Some options, like here: https://www.kisrp.com/ can help you see if this is the educational option for you.

It’s also worth talking to other parents with children in each of these schools to get a better idea of what they’re like. It’ll help put you in a much better position to figure out whether they’re the right picks for your children. I will say that many homeschool curriculum options offer discounted options for missionary families but depending on the type of work you are doing, homeschooling or that country's public school will not always fit every single family's needs.

3. Don’t Overlook Extracurriculars

It’s natural to focus on the academic and support side of what the school offers. These are quite important, but they’re not the only ones to focus on. It’s also worth looking into any extracurriculars that each of your options could offer. These can be more important than you might’ve thought.

Extracurricular activities help to give your child a more holistic education, whether homeschooling, enrolling in a private school, or public school. This lets him develop skills outside of pure academics, and even help him enjoy themselves more. You can tie these to your child’s needs and interests so he ends up enjoying school more than they would have otherwise. School does not need to be boring!

Hopefully these tips can help to make it easier for you as you explore your school choice options. As a homeschooling mom, I would love to see everyone choose that option and I am here for you to answer any questions if you exploring that idea, but I understand that it is not for everyone. Support is available for the various educational options explored here, you just need to get out there and embrace it!