When the school is interested in the child

Three things that blew my mind after we left the school system

When my son’s new best friend announced their family would be homeschooling in September, it was the final straw.

My socially awkward kiddo had worked so hard to build that friendship.

We’d already been through this in grade three. His closest friend left to homeschool and suddenly he had no project partner, no default recess playmate … He struggled and stumbled through his worst school year to date.

And now he would lose his new bestie.

I couldn’t let this happen again.

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em

I decided to pull my son out of our bricks-and-mortar school and homeschool him, too.

Within a week, after obsessive research and consultation, I applied to a public “distance learning school.” I also arranged regular school-year activities, including weekly hikes, with his best friend’s parents.

Despite some initial angst, I am increasingly excited about our plan for September. In the weeks since we signed up for our new school experience, three big moments have affirmed my decision:

1. We got to choose his teacher.

From kindergarten to grade four, we’ve relied on our local school’s judgment to place my son with the best teacher for him, with…