From the Editor

As summer vacation comes to an end, it’s time to think about new beginnings, especially the beginning of a new school year.

It seems like only yesterday that my firstborn went skipping off to her first day of kindergarten. Now, she’s a mother of two, and thinking about homeschooling her children when the time comes. She and her husband are doing their “homework” now, considering their options for preschool or homeschool, or a combination of both.

As toddlers grow into preschoolers, educational options become an important topic for families, and the way to do your homework is by talking with other parents, researching online and at the library, and visiting various school programs. After you’ve completed these steps, you should be able to define your family’s educational values, and make a decision that’s best for everyone involved.

When I was a child, everybody went to kindergarten, and no one went to preschool. When my children were young, everybody went to preschool, and then on to public or private school. Homeschool was talked about, and a few people did it, but it sounded risky and unorganized to me.

Times have changed, homeschooling is a viable option, and now I wish I’d explored it further when I had the choice to make. I believe my third child, who was one of those “square pegs” who didn’t fit into the “round holes” of public school, would have benefited from homeschooling. He’s in college now, and has finally found his voice and his passion, but perhaps it wouldn’t have taken so long if I’d been less fearful of trying something else when public school wasn’t working.

Today’s parents have lots of information and choices, and I hope they’re courageous when it comes to deciding what’s best for their families, no matter what everybody else is doing. The good news is that you don’t have to make one choice last for all the years of your child’s schooling. Find what works and what doesn’t and proceed from that knowledge. It’s okay to change your mind if you find another program that suits your values and your child better.

Whatever you’re beginning this fall, you’ll be glad you did your homework first.