Homeschool or private?

[Anonymous]

Better research the state requirements you have to meet.

Better be sure you can teach your own kid -- some kids don't take instruction well from their parents. You can fill the gaps with tutors, of course.

I do think that while there are certainly many success stories, kids who are homeschooled end up being underserved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What grade is DD? You mention recess, so I am assuming elementary age. The child's age matters for this discussion.

1st grade

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Better research the state requirements you have to meet.

Better be sure you can teach your own kid -- some kids don't take instruction well from their parents. You can fill the gaps with tutors, of course.

I do think that while there are certainly many success stories, kids who are homeschooled end up being underserved.

+1. The power struggles between my child & I were exacerbated when we homeschooled. We also ended up feeling isolated & my child's social skill suffered. And we were taking full advantage of all the group activities amd other social opportunities here in DC. I thought that the great homeschool network here would help us overcome the drawbacks, but in our case, it just didn't substitute for the real independence and social opportunities (even if limited) that kids gain at school.

[Anonymous]

Only 15 minute recess and kids cannot talk to eachother the entire day?! What 1st grade class is this? What school system are you in? Seriously.

[Anonymous]

Is your DC an only child?

[Anonymous]

I wish I could homeschool my child. There are so many ways to get out there and socialize. My child doesn't do much socializing during the school week anyways. He's in school 7 hours and then he comes home and does homework for an hour, goes to activities if he has them, has dinner and it's nearly time for bed. He plays with the neighbor kids when it's the weekend or school breaks.

I do homeschool in the summer so that he doesn't forget what he learned in the school year and he likes doing school with me. I have him do projects, do things on the Internet, play games with him to get extra math, reading and thinking, we do science experiments and go to places like museums and stuff. So much more fun than school is for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only 15 minute recess and kids cannot talk to eachother the entire day?! What 1st grade class is this? What school system are you in? Seriously.

I agree, this sounds highly irregular and implausible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is your DC an only child?

Yes.

They are encouraged to be quiet in class, recess is 15-20 min, they are not allowed to talk the first 15 minutes of lunch. Of course, they manage to break the rules. But I think there is little socialization going on.

I don't live in your area, so hopefully your schools are better.

[Anonymous]

Have you tried to address any of this with the principal or school counselor? We had some social concerns & recess roughness issues at our public & the school counselor was very helpful. It's part of their job. I would try diligently to seek change in current environment before making such a big change. Much easier on the child. What does DH think?

[Anonymous]

Not sure about your state, OP, but our state mandates 600 minutes physical activity per month for kids 5th grade and below. That's just shy of 30min a day. Maybe your school is in violation of your state standard?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you tried to address any of this with the principal or school counselor? We had some social concerns & recess roughness issues at our public & the school counselor was very helpful. It's part of their job. I would try diligently to seek change in current environment before making such a big change. Much easier on the child. What does DH think?

OP, I agree with this. I'd dig into what was going on at the school before pulling a child out.

There was a thread on DCUM fairly recently where an elementary school required kids to have silent lunch. One thing that came up in that thread was that in some schools, the school has found that having the start of lunch period be quiet means that kids actually eat their food, whereas if kids chat the entire time they aren't eating, and they (and the teachers) pay a price for that all afternoon in class. You said above that the start of your child's lunch period is silent but doesn't that mean that after the start, they ARE allowed to talk? I would absolutely go ask at school why the silent start is used, and you might find that it's because of issues of which you are just not aware, such as ongoing problems with kids not eating during lunch. You won't know unless you ask.

OP, have you been involved in the school, volunteered in the classroom (in first grade is the time to do that -- in a couple more years teachers need less parent help)? Are you participating when there are events, or even just volunteering to help out in the front office if needed, etc.? I always found that volunteering a lot put me inside the school, and teachers, secretaries, etc. became more familiar with me, and I could pick up a lot of the school's "vibe" and know more about why certain things were done in certain ways. If you have not been doing that this past year, I would really jump in now for these last few months if you can.

Maybe you're doing that already and that's how you formed your opinion-- fair enough! But if you feel the whole school's mediocre based just on recess, lunch and one teacher -- that seems like too little information to go on.

Even if you don't want to or cannot volunteer, have you just asked at school about the things you mention in the post? How do you know the other school, which your child doesn't attend so you don't have first-hand experience there, is also not up to snuff?

It does sound as if your child's current teacher expects a level of classroom quiet that might not be great for first grade, when teachers should be able to engage kids more actively and get them to like learning more. But a teacher who is a disappointment does not mean the whole school should be ditched, especially as your child is nearly done with this teacher. Do you know parents who have had older kids go through this same school? Those parents can be a great resource for a reality check on things like "Second grade's much better here" or "Everyone knows the fourth grade teaching team is tough" or whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure about your state, OP, but our state mandates 600 minutes physical activity per month for kids 5th grade and below. That's just shy of 30min a day. Maybe your school is in violation of your state standard?

Does PE count?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you tried to address any of this with the principal or school counselor? We had some social concerns & recess roughness issues at our public & the school counselor was very helpful. It's part of their job. I would try diligently to seek change in current environment before making such a big change. Much easier on the child. What does DH think?

+1000

[Anonymous]

Some schools do silent lunch as a temporary measure when kids are too rambunctious, it's rarely a permanent thing.

[Anonymous]

That's a lot of stress to homeschool when working and you have a baby. All the responsibility for facilitating any social interaction, fun, physical activity, and intellectual stimulation falls on you. Even a mediocre school provides plenty of opportunities for learning and socializing, even without explicit social time. Give it time. Nothing is perfect. No school is perfect. But do the kids go on to college? I'm guessing yes. Homeschooling isn't perfect either. We did it for a year and I liked many things about it but glad my DC is back in school now for middle school.