Looking ahead to being in London, the next item on our to do list is figuring out school. There are many options, so now is the time to research all of them and attempt to make the best decision for our family.

Option #1 – Attend school in London

Pros: A great opportunity to meet a variety of people, have an incredible educational experience.

Cons: Our schedule will be determined by the school calendar, less travel opportunities. Big adjustment for the girls for only one year.

Option #2 – Homeschool

Pros: Completely flexible schedule, choose any style of curriculum we want, travel whenever we want, explore the city – field trips!

Cons: We have to be more proactive to meet people & make friends, US High School may not accept homeschool classes for transfer credit.

Option #3 – Virtual school through a US based school

Pros: Completely flexible schedule, travel whenever we want, explore the city – field trips! School is accredited and all classes will transfer to any US high school upon our return to the states.

Cons: We have to be more proactive to meet people & make friends. The curriculum is chosen for us. Online education may be harder to learn from.

Option #4 – Take the year as a “gap year” and have our oldest start back to school once we return

Pros: Completely flexible schedule, travel whenever we want, explore the city – field trips! Our oldest could choose any homeschool course to take without worry about whether it will be accepted by a US high school.

Cons: We have to be more proactive to meet people & make friends. Upon our return to the US, our oldest would be one year behind her friends and that will be a tough transition.

Right now we are leaning towards Option #3.  It seems like the best of both worlds, homeschooling and attending public school. We can have all the flexibility of homeschool with all the benefits of traditional school. In the next few weeks we will be learning more about this option and hopefully be able to make a decision.