Schooling Options for Your Kids in China

If I took my family back to China now, I honestly don't know what I would do about this.

Chinese school is an option that some ex-patriates choose. Some of the new private primary and secondary schools in China now offer free tuition for children of foreign teachers they hire. The teachers vary a lot. Some are awful, but others go out of their way to work with your child to help them. This is going to be tough for the child. I think it's often difficult for foreign kids to be accepted by Chinese classmates, especially as they get older.  I would probably not recommend this for most kids, unless you have a very adaptable kid and you plan to be in China for a long time.

School overseas. You could leave your child with a relative back home or send them to an international school in another Asian country. A lot of missionaries take this option. I can't imagine sending my child thousands of miles away to be raised by strangers.

Home school is a good choice, although it would be difficult in China, due to lack of access to materials and libraries and lack of space in your tiny apartment.

The options are not very promising, are they? Don't worry too much. Kids don't learn that much in American public schools, anyway. They won't be missing much. But they will learn a tremendous amount by experiencing another culture first-hand, being exposed to totally different ways of thinking, seeing how you deal with problems with your waiban, and experiencing bartering for cucumbers in the market. Experience is the best teacher.