Annabelle is ready for school.

If you are the parent of a genius or gifted child, like we all are, then I am sure you have worried about where your little superstar will go to school. Will public school be enough to keep him interested till college where his intelligence can truly be tested? Or is home school a better choice, where he can learn at his own pace, follow paths that interest him, and enter college earlier than his peers?

My Experience with Home School

These are questions that I have struggled with since I was in school. I spent my early years in public school where I collected some fond memories but not much knowledge. After that, my mom decided to homeschool me. It was great! I’d get up late, spend a few hours doing  school work, then watch TV for the rest of the day. After two years, my mom decided that she couldn’t teach me Algebra and started looking for a private school.

We visited several private schools to see what they looked like, how many kids would be in my class, and just basically what I could expect if I went there. The whole thing was so weird. I was already an awkward teenager and being paraded through a school that I might not even attend was mortifying. The kids would look at me and I’d hear them whispering, sure it was about me.

My parents settled on a small Christian school in Derby, Kansas. Close enough to home that I could drive myself but far enough to give me some breathing room. After some time, I really grew to love the school. My classmates were great, the classes were challenging, and I felt comfortable there. I played on the girl’s basketball team and participated in many clubs.

My Experience with Public School

Aaron, my then on and off boyfriend, attended one of the best public high schools in Wichita. I definitely picked up on some animosity toward my little private school, but I think he was just jealous of the boys there. There were 3 in my class and I dated 2 of them!

Anyway, he always said that he had more opportunities at his school. We had the soul-winning club and he had debate. We had sign language class and he had French, oh la la! (That’s sarcasm.) Of course, he also had access to serious musical and drama programs, dozens of Advanced Placement courses, computer labs, science labs, an Honors program, and…well, you get the idea.

He liked to point those things out, too — not necessarily in a mean way, but he took it for granted that his educational opportunities were clearly superior to mine. I didn’t necessarily agree.

Until college, anyway. That’s when I began to understand what he’d been talking about all those years. I really didn’t know how to write a decent paper or even do research for one. I seriously disliked reading. (And let me tell you a secret: there is a ton of reading to do in college!) These are just some examples of things that could have been different if I had gone to his big fancy public school.

The Great Debate

These questions and more have troubled my brain and (because I’m a mommy now) my heart. So what do I do? Public school could have more learning opportunities and social opportunities…but at the same time, it could also offer more “social opportunities.” (That’s a nice way of saying drugs and sex.) Home school may let me tailor an education to my kids’ abilities and my family’s principles, but it could also offer fewer chances to socialize. It’s a never-ending circle of what-ifs.

I have asked two great parents for some insight to help me sift through all these concerns. They should be able to offer an interesting perspective, because both are the product of a strong education first at public school and then at private universities. They’re also siblings who have been debating for a long time, so it should be interesting.

• Heather is my sister-in-law, and she is currently home schooling her 3 kids.
• Aaron is my husband, and he’s still lecturing me about the value of public schooling and how to get the most out of it.

These two great thinkers will present their opinions and ideas to us over the next week. And I’d love to get your opinion, too. I’m sure we’ll have some great discussions about the merits and weaknesses of school systems.