Dreading August

We drove past our local elementary school today and noticed there were a lot of cars in the parking lot. We decided teachers were probably working in their rooms. Our public schools still have 2-3 weeks of summer, but I know teachers do not. When I taught, I was always in my classroom the last week of July.

On Twitter this afternoon I came across a group of posts about how getting ready for "back to school" has changed. It seems they are selling bulletproof backpacks for kids this fall. Also bulletproof personal whiteboards with handles on the back, making them look a whole lot like police riot shields.

All of this makes me very sad. Driving past that elementary school today (the one I attended, by the way) made me have happy memories of decorating and rearranging my classroom each year.

Seeing those Twitter posts made me realize how much has changed in the 14 years I have been away from public education.

I know there are a lot of parents who....

...are scared to send their children back to school.
...are thinking about not sending their children back to school.
...are killing themselves to pay for private school in the hopes that it will be better (safer?) for their child.
...are considering homeschooling or online public school.

And if I were in that latter group of parents, I know I would have a lot of questions.

How would we do this since we both work outside the home?
I don't have a teaching degree. So how could I possibly do this?
Is it even legal to do that?
Would we get in trouble? Who do I have to tell? How do I go about starting this?
Where would I get school books from?
How would I teach them (fill in the blank with something you don't know)?
Wouldn't they miss their friends?
What about sports?
What about prom?
What about all the special classes and extra-curricular activities?
Would my child be mad at me?
Should I make a big decision like this out of fear?

I can only imagine the conversations that have been going on behind closed doors all summer by concerned parents who don't know how to handle sending their child back to school in August.

And I'm sorry. I am praying for you. It must be so hard.

I also want you to know that you can find answers. I will be addressing these questions here at Project: Family. There are answers.

Signing off,