School Decissions

I was going to blog about something else today, but something happened this morning that got me on a different train of thought. The other blog will have to wait.

What happened?

Peter didn't want to go to school this morning. This is becoming a more and more common occurrence. This morning, he was complaining that his stomach ached, and I'm pretty sure it was because one of the other students mentioned yesterday that there might be a fire drill today. Peter has always hated drills; I think it has something to do with him being sensitive to loud noises. So there we were, standing at the top of the stairs that go down to the courtyard where the kids gather before going inside the school, and he was hugging me and crying and telling me he didn't want to stay at school, or he wanted me to come stay at school with him, and I really didn't know what to do.

1. I don't think that staying at school with him would be a very good idea. In years past, I was a volunteer in his classroom, and I learned that when I was there, he didn't behave as well. He was more likely to test the boundaries, and he was less cooperative and more emotional. I don't know if his teacher would appreciate my presence in her classroom if Peter was going to be disruptive because of it.

2. I didn't particularly want Peter to get the impression that if he didn't feel like going to school, he could just stay home and play instead. I didn't know how bad his stomach ache was, but I followed the example my mom set when I was a kid and told him that if he was sick enough to stay home, he could, but he would need to stay in his bed and BE sick.

In the end, as the last of the kids filed into the building, Peter decided he would stay at school, and he hurried in, wiping the tears from his face as he went.

As I walked back home, I began seriously contemplating the pros and cons of homeschooling him. After I arrived home and was checking Facebook, I came across a blog my friend Tabitha (who homeschools 8? of her 11 kids) shared: "50 Reasons Homeschooled Kids Love Being Homeschooled." Reading these gave me even more things to think about. So here's my list as it stands now:

Pros	Cons
Peter isn't a morning person. He would be able to sleep later, and our mornings would be less stressful.	Peter would miss out on the awesome opportunities he gets at the STEM school he goes to now. If I take him out, he might not be able to get back in if homeschooling doesn't work out.
Peter wouldn't have to deal with all the drills that bother him so much.	He would have less contact with his friends at school, and less chance to work with others to develop healthy social skills. (I don't know any local families who home school kids his age, and I'm an antisocial homebody.)
We wouldn't have the afternoon homework battle when we're both tired.	We might have a battle over getting school work done all day, every day, instead of just in the afternoons.
He would be safer from bullying, bad language, school shootings, etc.	I don't know if I would have the diligence to keep him going and learning. How long until I get tired or frustrated and give up?
He would have the time and opportunity to study things that interest him.	With less structure, he could get very bored, and I would have to spend all my time finding ways to keep him entertained.
I would have more say in what he is learning and doing educationally.	I would have to figure out curriculum, laws, testing, etc. to make sure he learns everything he needs to be learning, and that we're following Colorado state laws in regard to his education.
He would have more one-on-one time with me and that could strengthen our relationship.	I would have to find ways to teach him accountability and responsibility. Right now it feels like he doesn't listen to me when I ask him to do things, while other people have more influence.
Peter might be happier and have fewer tantrums and meltdowns.	I would have less quiet time by myself to concentrate on preparing lessons, writing, and other hobbies that I want to do. (After having all my kids in school for the last 4-5 years, that would be difficult for me.)

I realized after I wrote these down that most of the pros are about him, while most of the cons are about me.

Frankly, the idea of home schooling intimidates me. At Peter's school, he gets a lot of hands-on experiences. He gets to go on field trips to different types of museums and use cool computer programs and listen to guest speakers from the real world. He is challenged to leave his comfort zone, to try new things, to resolve conflicts with other students, to take responsibility for his actions. He regularly gets to research ways to solve real world problems. Peter is doing well there, earning good grades and learning a lot. If I tried to educate him myself, I don't know if I could even come close to that. I feel like if I take him out of school, I would be depriving him of these awesome experiences, and he would regret it later.

On the other hand, I don't know how many more mornings like this one I can take. I already kind of feel like a witchy mom for making him choose between going to school by himself and dealing with the stress of a possible fire drill, or returning home and spending the whole day in bed. (I'm assuming his stomach would stop hurting as soon as he knew he wouldn't have a fire drill, so he would be perfectly fine, but stuck in his room, totally bored all day.)

I'm not going to make a decision about this right now. It will require discussions with Steven and Peter as well as a lot of prayer. Right now, I really don't know what to do.

Edited to add: Peter came home from school happy and just fine. The event his classmate had hinted about wasn't a fire drill after all, but an assembly where they got to see Miles, the Denver Broncos' mascot. There was music and some kind of show. He would have been really sad to miss out on that.