Lots of families are getting ready for back to school. It is definitely normal to have mixed emotions about back to school, no matter what that looks like for you. These times are different and this school year is certainly a path to the unknown.
As a family we have thought long and hard about this school year. I have prayed much and I keep finding myself at the same place… We don’t feel good about sending them back. Now please know that these feelings are not at all a reflection of my children’s amazing teachers or administrators. I have so much respect and love for them and continue to pray for them as this year is definitely scary, challenging and tough!
I know some of you may think the idea of keeping your kids home is a little crazy… and I expect some judgement regarding our decision, but I learned a long time ago that “other people’s opinions of you are none of your business” and it is something I will be reminding my kids as we navigate a different type of year.
Do I think my kids will catch Covid by going back into the school? Not really, well maybe, hmm… that is the thing… I don’t know! If as a province we planned to keep NS locked down for the year, I would feel slightly okay with sending them back into a classroom, but since I know we have to open up at some point and even to the US, it leaves me feeling very unsettled.
For those of you that don’t know, my parents live in an apartment within my home and my mother has an auto immune disorder. Half of my family are Type A blood types and as a result my goal is to limit exposure. We will not eliminate contact with others, because we need to balance for our mental health and other reasons. I also desire consistency for my children. I hope I am wrong, but this school year will likely change multiple times and learning will take many different shapes, so more than anything I want consistency for our family’s learning / life.
For those of you that really know me, you’ve likely heard me say that I have wanted to home school forever, but I see benefits in the public school system, mainly the French Immersion program. Now that the French is established, we can maintain their use of it during this year and have them ready to go back next year, when hopefully the Education plan looks different.
Caile will attend 1 class in person that has less than 10 people and is a requirement to graduate, but the rest will be done through the NS Virtual School. The other 2 kids at this time will be learning at home. We will assess throughout the year and maintain contact with the Principals, because as the school year changes, opportunities may open for our children.
Personally, I am beyond thankful that our employment allows us this flexibility. I am thankful for friends and family that have supported our thought process and decisions. And I am also thankful for those that I know don’t support us and have no interest in chatting about it. I have learned much along the way and it has been an interesting past few months of discovery. I am excited for this new journey and confident in our abilities to be organized, get the work done and make some amazing memories along the way!
Regardless of what your school year looks like, I hope we can all support each other, understanding that everyone is making decisions that are best for their own individual families!
I Dream of Summer 
With our kids, each year we let them each choose public, private or homeschool. Whatever they chose, they had to stick with for a year. My favorite years were always the homeschool ones 🙂 When they hit high school they attended a virtual high school so I wasn’t the teacher. Absolutely no regrets. Enjoy the time with them. It’s a blessing.
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