To School or to HOMESCHOOL that is the question

I do not want to be one of those people who force my ideas on other people because I feel convicted. I do not want to be one of those parents who go around convincing other parents to homeschool. Everyone has a reason and everything under heaven has a season. I am in a season of schooling and boy am I confused. There is a part of me that wants to send my son to school and there is a part of me that believes I may be able to give my son a better education at home. I have been hearing some scary stories about kids Isaac's age (2.5 years old) being evaluated for lack of speech or lack of knowledge. What if my child is shy in front of strangers? What if he is a slow learner? What if he prefers soccer over his math book? Which school and which teacher will accept my son the way he is and wait for him to grow at his pace. After all we all say 'Each child is different'. In a class of 20 students does the teacher have time to learn about my child the way I have time for him. This being said right now I have very little time since I spend my minutes scrambling between Isaac and 9 month old Ziva.

While I am contemplating homeschooling I have seen a few people around me and have a few bones to pick about the conversations I have heard
I do not believe school is the devil like some people claim it to be.
I do not want to condone school. I went to school in a class of 52 students and I turned out just fine. I do not believe my parents had another way or my mother had the support system to homeschool me. So this is not me saying school is bad this is just me saying there is now another way available now that may be conducive to me and my family.
I do not believe homeschooling is the bestest way of education!
I do not believe all are called to homeschool.

Reasons I feel should not be used to homeschool
My child will pick up bad habits at school. Uhhhhh  They can pick them up numerous other places ... the park ... cousins... Uncles... aunts and especially parents! I kept using the SH*& word around Isaac yesterday as I tried to clean up the basement and things kept falling from my hands. I know my son can pick up bad habits from anywhere. Its up to me on how I train him away from it.
To bring up more God fearing and biblical orientated children. I think I can do that even if Isaac and Ziva went to school. We have numerous examples of people who were not homeschooled who love the Lord more than anything in the world. Again it is for me to train up my child.
To protect my child. I am beginning to learn that there is only one person who can always protect my children. I submit both of them to HIM. I will do my best to protect them ... but I can do nothing but through him!
School is too competitive. I do not believe it is school that causes competition. I think parents play an equally big role in putting that thought into their children's hearts and minds about being better than someone else. Rarely would you find a parent who would say 'Do better than what you did last time' i.e. improve yourself.

Reasons I am nervous of homeschooling.
I do not want to justify why I am homeschooling or why I am sending my children to school. I want to do it because I feel convicted. Because God has put it in my heart.
I do not know if I am able. Patient ... reliable  ... accountable.
I like structure and discipline in my life. I would like my children to be in bed at a particular time and awake and bright eyed at a particular time. I am still not certain homeschool in conducive to as structured a life as school especially in India.

Reasons I am nervous about school
I do not want my child to spend 2 hrs of his day in a school bus
I do not want my child to spend those 2 hrs on the bus napping. If he needs a nap he should be at home in bed restful not bumpy!
I do not want my child to lose his creativity if he goes to school.
I do not want someone who does not know my child to decide where his aptitude lies after a series of written tests.
Especially between the ages of 2 and 7 I want my child to have to option of 'doing something different today' - like go to the park and pick up stones, read some books ... or go grocery shopping with me (Very educational that grocery shopping trip !)

Why would I send my Child to school?
Well I do not know if Isaac will enjoy school unless he goes to school. I do not want to spend my life wondering if I deprived my child of some joy he would have gotten if he had gone to school. 
I do not know if Isaac will 'benefit' from school unless he goes to school.
Suresh loved school. He says he has some really good memories from school. Of course Suresh was also one of the more brilliant students and an all rounder and walked way with best student of the year and best sportsman of the year in his 12 grade. This past weekend Suresh's sister (Zoraida) was here and she handed me a book and said 'I thought you would like to keep this for Isaac.' It was a short stories book and she said Suresh got one of those every year for General Proficiency. The book Zoraida handed to me was from Grade II. I gave it to Suresh and his eyes lit up. I guess School memories can also be some good memories.

I have met numerous homeschooling families in the US and I am thrilled by my interactions with them. I love the idea of chores and children helping parents at home and sibilings sitting down together to study. I know one particular family where the kids have to go to bed at  8:30 pm and they have to be awake, make their beds and clean up before coming down for breakfast all before 6:30 am.

In India I know I will have the issue of parents around asking me why I am not sending my child to school. But I have watched my sister brave those issues and hope to get some pointers when I get stumped with hard questions. I have also watched my nieces and nephew enjoy themselves and sometimes complain as they immerse themselves in math, science and languages (Hindi!)

I occasionally ask Isaac -' Isaac do you want to go to school' Isaac so far has replied ' NO'
Then again Isaac says NO to everything.

For this year Isaac is not going to join any school for nursery! I will revisit my blog in about 6 months to see where we stand. I also like Faith's way of going about this --- one year at a time (http://faithfullmama.blogspot.in/2011/01/weve-come-to-decision.html)