Homeschool or private?

[Anonymous]

OP, if you are worried about a social aspect, consider joining a homescholing co-op AND have your DD attend one of the enrichment centers in the morning. My DS is not homeschooled but he attends weekend classes at IdeaVentions. They have weekday morning classes designed specifically for homeschooled kids. From what I hear, they are really good.

http://www.ideaventions.com/class-summary.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is your DC an only child?

OP here. Yes, the only child. I'm afraid of making a project out of my child.

I have volunteered at school and the vibe I'm getting there is a lot of yelling, expectation of them to sit still and be quiet. When I see the upper elementary kids I'm not getting a good impression.

There is little parental involvement. Most kids from lower socio-economic level than we are. They had a Christmas party and were supposed to exchange books as gifts. Parents were asked to come. Only 3 parents came including myself, and half children didn't bring books. We had 2 bday party where the whole class was invited. At first one only 2 kids showed up, including mine. The second party is ours, I had 0 parents RSVP. To me when parents don't RSVP it shows that they have bad manners, and that's usually indicative of a lower socio-economic class.

But the school is ranked 9/10, free lunch is 20%. So you would think it was a decent school.

[Anonymous]

What's your spouse's opinion on the whole thing? Have you talked to the school counselor about the yelling and rules?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you should go to college and get a teaching degree. When you study pedagogy, you'll realize that there's a lot more to it than "anybody can do this job".

I'm an ex-math teacher and a big fan of cooperative learning. I wouldn't want my kids to miss that aspect of school. Sure, the system isn't perfect right now, but I bet there are some fantastic learning opportunities happening at your kid's school that you aren't realizing.

I wouldn't go for the expensive private school because it probably won't be as different as you would hope for the money.

I'm a teacher and I do believe "anyone can do it"- at least one-on-one at the elementary level. I also tend to believe cooperative learning is way overrated.

[Anonymous]

I heard this a lot from sahm friends back when the kids were in K and 1st. None ever did it and after 2nd I stopped hearing about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is your DC an only child?

OP here. Yes, the only child. I'm afraid of making a project out of my child.

I have volunteered at school and the vibe I'm getting there is a lot of yelling, expectation of them to sit still and be quiet. When I see the upper elementary kids I'm not getting a good impression.

There is little parental involvement. Most kids from lower socio-economic level than we are. They had a Christmas party and were supposed to exchange books as gifts. Parents were asked to come. Only 3 parents came including myself, and half children didn't bring books. We had 2 bday party where the whole class was invited. At first one only 2 kids showed up, including mine. The second party is ours, I had 0 parents RSVP. To me when parents don't RSVP it shows that they have bad manners, and that's usually indicative of a lower socio-economic class.

But the school is ranked 9/10, free lunch is 20%. So you would think it was a decent school.

OP, please do homeschool. You will have less contact with those low-class poor people, and that will be better for both you and them.

[Anonymous]

I think home schooling is great if you take is seriously. Research. Take some teaching classes maybe, definitely make sure you follow a curriculum and are on top of your game with ALL subjects. Get tutors for the subjects you can't handle. And make sure your child is on board. If your child tells you "Mommy I want to go to a real school." you need to listen. Do it for your child, not for you. Make sure you get enough social interaction, go iut a lot, do a lot of practical teaching throughout elementary and middle school.

I would do it if I could. I can't. I couldn't handle half the subjects properly and I am just not a good teacher. But I know families who homeschool beautifully and their kids are very bright and very much on track.

[Anonymous]

Homeschooling allows a child to learn independently and cooperatively. A child gets the best of both worlds. There are many opportunities to socialize and collaborate with other children. Here is a co op that is starting up:

http://www.sligocreekcoop.com

Check out homeschool yahoo groups for more info.

[Anonymous]

Former homeschooler here.

I think it's possible for children to thrive in a homeschool environment, but in my experience most parents aren't up to the task. They have a tendency to select curricula based on personal religious beliefs rather than rigor, shelter children from challenging social and academic experiences ("Oh no - interacting with the poors?! Can't have that!"), and give short shrift to subjects that they're uncomfortable with- usually STEM subjects, which are increasingly important if you'd like your children to eventually find employment. All of these things applied to my own personal home school experience. I turned out okay anyway by most standards - elite college and professional school, great job with high income, civically and politically engaged, etc. But I was definitely the exception. Most of my co-op peers went to unremarkable colleges (if they went to college at all), most had children too early, and most are struggling in the current economy. I'm not one to think that there's anything wrong with being lower middle class, and most of them ultimately seem pretty happy, I guess, but most of them had the potential for more. So take that for what you will.

I don't know you, OP, so I can't tell you what to do. But it's not encouraging that you show very little regard for teaching as a profession. It suggests you're underestimating how hard it is to do this well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is your DC an only child?

OP here. Yes, the only child. I'm afraid of making a project out of my child.

I have volunteered at school and the vibe I'm getting there is a lot of yelling, expectation of them to sit still and be quiet. When I see the upper elementary kids I'm not getting a good impression.

There is little parental involvement. Most kids from lower socio-economic level than we are. They had a Christmas party and were supposed to exchange books as gifts. Parents were asked to come. Only 3 parents came including myself, and half children didn't bring books. We had 2 bday party where the whole class was invited. At first one only 2 kids showed up, including mine. The second party is ours, I had 0 parents RSVP. To me when parents don't RSVP it shows that they have bad manners, and that's usually indicative of a lower socio-economic class.

But the school is ranked 9/10, free lunch is 20%. So you would think it was a decent school.

OP, please do homeschool. You will have less contact with those low-class poor people, and that will be better for both you and them.

She has a point. That's terrible if the parents communicate and also not participate. We are in private school, and even though not all is golden admin always listens and parents are very involved. We get financial aid too. So, if you have a bright kid try and see if they give you aid. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

"don't" communicate

[Anonymous]

I wonder if anyone has studied home schooled kids beyond college. It seems they wouldn't know how to socialize and work on work teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if anyone has studied home schooled kids beyond college. It seems they wouldn't know how to socialize and work on work teams.

No, of course not, because we keep our honeschooled kids away from society. All day, every day.

[Anonymous]

OP the poster who mentioned that they hear about Homeschooling a lot when the kids are in K and 1st. Well we had the same experience. It seems to be the most fluid time in a child's education while the parents are trying to find the right "fit". We tried public, home, private and back to public again.

Really a lot of it is down to age and getting used to a school environment. Our 3rd grade DS is thriving, happy, likes his teacher is getting good grades, comes home with interesting stories of the things he is learning. Its okay now, but it was a bumpy ride. Sometimes you just have to ride it out.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I represented a 16 year old kid who was home schooled. He was tested and he tested at college level in reading and 3rd grade in math. Before you homeschool make sure you know your limitations.

Aren't there testing standards to ensure that the child is meeting academic requirements for each grade? Why was this not discovered until so late?