Question for elementary school teachers- stay enrolled or not

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not a teacher, but have some input you may find helpful.

*I have seen many posts on DCUM that solely exist to bash teachers. That is not my intent here, and find that behavior inexcusable. Our teachers are one of our nation’s most valuable resources.*

So, moving on - Another Fairfax AAP family here. Distance learning wasn’t working for our child, despite having an amazing teacher. We opted to homeschool for the year, and are now seriously considering it for all of elementary because our child is learning (and retaining) more than ever.

We did a lot of research, and found that all-in-one curricula are all terrible. We don’t homeschool for religious reasons, and we believe in evolution 😉, so we eliminated all non-secular curricula from our search. Here’s what we found:

Math:
- Singapore Math (We use Dimensions, but hear Primary is also good. I’ve been told that some privates, like Potomac, use the Math in Focus version.)
- Eureka Math (Aligns well with schools that use Common Core standards.)
- Beast Academy (Written like comic books, but is actually great for math skills. We use this a little on the side, but it is a full curriculum.)

ELA:
- Core Knowledge
- Supplement with Build Your Library
- The Writer’s Revolution

History and Geography:
- Core Knowledge
- Supplement with Build Your Library

Science:
- Core Knowledge
- Supplement with Real Science Odyssey

Spanish:
- Private tutor (virtual lessons)

While I think our public school experience has been great (thank you, teachers!), we have found this year to be more academically challenging.

The only way homeschooling can be done well (many homeschoolers may disagree):

1. The parent(s) need to be well-educated themselves. Virginia mandates that the instructor must have a high school diploma, but this is not enough).

2. The parent(s) must have adequate time to devote to lesson planning and instruction. I’m not saying that I create the lessons, but do look at them closely enough to create a thoughtful schedule. Since we are combining curricula, I spend time making sure that themes and topics are combined in a way that makes sense. Quality homeschool is VERY time and labor intensive for the parent! You CANNOT work full-time and homeschool well (in the early years at least).

3. The child must (generally) enjoy learning and not resist parent instruction. If your child fights you for hours when you ask them to make their bed, this is probably not a great option for you.

Good luck!

This seems like a lot. Most homeschoolers I know only spend 2-3 hours on homeschool each day...

You’re right. It is more time than that. When our family discussed the homeschool option, we made clear boundaries.

1. The hours of the school day remain the same.

2. No fighting the instruction or assignments. It’s hard enough to put all of this together, and I don’t want to hear complaining.

3. We read together (either to child, or child reads aloud) at least one hour per day. I don’t want to fall behind. It turns out that on weekdays, we read together much (MUCH!) more than one hour.

4. One hour outside, rain or shine.

It works well.