do you look down on homeschooling moms?

[Anonymous]

I know a fair number who only have a high school diploma. Funny, I have a lot of education and yet would not feed confident that I could teach my kids everything they needed to know to be ready to go to college. A lot of the people I know, however, have a lot of misplaced confidence in their own abilities.

[Anonymous]

Yes. I asked a home schooling mom acquaintance what types of resources she uses, online or in the community, and her response was a blank stare. When I tried to probe a bit she said, "we just have conversations."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What gets me is how many parents homeschool that don't have a masters. You can't teach in a school system without a masters so why would less education be ok for homeschooling? Let alone see dont even have bachelors. And most don't have teaching certificates.

Actually, it'd be interesting to see some hard statistics on the education levels of homeschooling parents, especially, in NoVa. The homeschooling demographics is changing and what was valid a couple of decades ago may no longer be true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I had no kids of my own, I looked down on homeschoolers. Nine years later my child is in the 4th grade. The child spent K-3 grades in public schools, but now in the 4th grade we started to homeschool. Why? My husband and I realized that public schools are not meeting our expectations. The child attended four different public schools (three in FCPS, one in a different state, all were highly ranked), as we moved several times. Only two had good teachers, the curriculum was terrible everywhere (it does include the AAP, although the AAP is certainly better than the non-AAP version). My husband and I taught at several top-ranked universities (STEM fields) in the U.S. for over a decade, and could not understand why our seemingly bright students had such poor knowledge of background subject matter, as well as an inability to think. Anything that went beyond solving elementary recipe-driven problems was impossible for them to do, but now we understand the causes behind this phenomenon better. We cannot allow our child to receive worse education than the one we ourselves got 30 years ago in a third-world country. We decided to stop waiting for schools to educate our child, so now we homeschool.

When we were growing up, we were lucky to have some amazing teachers at the schools we attended, who were not only experts in their fields but could also inspire kids to learn. I would like my child to have a chance to meet such teachers, if possible. This means that we will re-enroll our child in public schools periodically in the hopes of lucking out on a great teacher, [u]but, if not, we can and will give a much better education at home. Nor are we averse to hiring great private instructors or joining group lessons, when the teachers and subject matter are worth it, which makes it closer to a private school experience, but at a fraction of the cost and with hand-picked teachers.

A lot was said about socialization. Well... our child is doing sports (4 hours per day), plus a number of other enrichment activities (not to mention, playdates), which involve interaction with other kids, so the topic is moot for us.

It is ironic that, only 3-4 years ago, we were like many of you in your attitudes toward homeschooling. In reality homeschooling is amazing if (and it's a big 'if') the parents are educated and care about their children's education. But it could also be a complete disaster. However, staying enrolled at public schools can be a disaster too. Either way it's the parents' responsibility to give their child the best secondary education possible. As for socialization issues, forget it... teenagers are socializing through their smartphones these days, regardless of the schooling method.

You had a single AAP teacher if you pulled your child out by fourth grade, so you really don't know what the AAP curriculum is based on a single year. You do sound like one who will put a lot of thought and effort into homeschooling and you had me on your side (for your child) until the bolded part. That's just cray cray. You don't jump in and out (and in and out)...think of your poor child!

I also wonder why your child was in FOUR different public schools in FOUR years (k through 3).

That is correct about a single AAP teacher. The experience could get better with a different teacher in a different grade.
Regarding jumping in and out, if necessary, I don't really see the downside right now. So far, while at public schools, the child had to start the year with a new teacher and a new set of classmates each year (kids were mixed and class assignments were semi-randomized, so there was no stable group of close friends even at the school where the child spent several years in a row). [u]It's ok, as the child has close friends outside the school. The question now is about what to do in those subjects where the child is accelerating much faster than the current curriculum at schools. I would appreciate your thoughts on this and don't mind the criticism. I'd like to understand why you feel that returning to public schools is a bad idea. Our current plan is to homeschool 5th grade, then potentially re-enroll for 6th and 7th grades. If the experience in middle school is positive, then stay. If not, homeschool for 8th grade. Enroll in public school in the 9th grade (1st year of highschool) and, again, either stay for the rest of the highschool years, or do homeschooling, depending on whether the experience is positive or negative overall. If homeschooling during highschool, it would simply mean taking a significant number of college courses.



The moves had to do with changes in job locations of the parents, as well as availability of corporate housing upon relocation, so were unrelated to schools.

Based on you saying that this child attended 4 different public schools between k-3, when on earth did your child, "attend a school where she spent several years in a row?" The only way that would work is your child attended one school for 2-3 years and then for the third year or so she attended 3 different schools. Unless wait...are you trying to compare preschool or daycare to elementary education????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I had no kids of my own, I looked down on homeschoolers. Nine years later my child is in the 4th grade. The child spent K-3 grades in public schools, but now in the 4th grade we started to homeschool. Why? My husband and I realized that public schools are not meeting our expectations. The child attended four different public schools (three in FCPS, one in a different state, all were highly ranked), as we moved several times. Only two had good teachers, the curriculum was terrible everywhere (it does include the AAP, although the AAP is certainly better than the non-AAP version). My husband and I taught at several top-ranked universities (STEM fields) in the U.S. for over a decade, and could not understand why our seemingly bright students had such poor knowledge of background subject matter, as well as an inability to think. Anything that went beyond solving elementary recipe-driven problems was impossible for them to do, but now we understand the causes behind this phenomenon better. We cannot allow our child to receive worse education than the one we ourselves got 30 years ago in a third-world country. We decided to stop waiting for schools to educate our child, so now we homeschool.

When we were growing up, we were lucky to have some amazing teachers at the schools we attended, who were not only experts in their fields but could also inspire kids to learn. I would like my child to have a chance to meet such teachers, if possible. This means that we will re-enroll our child in public schools periodically in the hopes of lucking out on a great teacher, [u]but, if not, we can and will give a much better education at home. Nor are we averse to hiring great private instructors or joining group lessons, when the teachers and subject matter are worth it, which makes it closer to a private school experience, but at a fraction of the cost and with hand-picked teachers.

A lot was said about socialization. Well... our child is doing sports (4 hours per day), plus a number of other enrichment activities (not to mention, playdates), which involve interaction with other kids, so the topic is moot for us.

It is ironic that, only 3-4 years ago, we were like many of you in your attitudes toward homeschooling. In reality homeschooling is amazing if (and it's a big 'if') the parents are educated and care about their children's education. But it could also be a complete disaster. However, staying enrolled at public schools can be a disaster too. Either way it's the parents' responsibility to give their child the best secondary education possible. As for socialization issues, forget it... teenagers are socializing through their smartphones these days, regardless of the schooling method.

You had a single AAP teacher if you pulled your child out by fourth grade, so you really don't know what the AAP curriculum is based on a single year. You do sound like one who will put a lot of thought and effort into homeschooling and you had me on your side (for your child) until the bolded part. That's just cray cray. You don't jump in and out (and in and out)...think of your poor child!

I also wonder why your child was in FOUR different public schools in FOUR years (k through 3).

That is correct about a single AAP teacher. The experience could get better with a different teacher in a different grade.
Regarding jumping in and out, if necessary, I don't really see the downside right now. So far, while at public schools, the child had to start the year with a new teacher and a new set of classmates each year (kids were mixed and class assignments were semi-randomized, so there was no stable group of close friends even at the school where the child spent several years in a row). It's ok, as the child has close friends outside the school. The question now is about what to do in those subjects where the child is accelerating much faster than the current curriculum at schools. I would appreciate your thoughts on this and don't mind the criticism. I'd like to understand why you feel that returning to public schools is a bad idea. Our current plan is to homeschool 5th grade, then potentially re-enroll for 6th and 7th grades. If the experience in middle school is positive, then stay. If not, homeschool for 8th grade. Enroll in public school in the 9th grade (1st year of highschool) and, again, either stay for the rest of the highschool years, or do homeschooling, depending on whether the experience is positive or negative overall. If homeschooling during highschool, it would simply mean taking a significant number of college courses.



The moves had to do with changes in job locations of the parents, as well as availability of corporate housing upon relocation, so were unrelated to schools.

You write, "the child had to start the year with a new teacher and a new set of classmates each year (kids were mixed and class assignments were semi-randomized, so there was no stable group of close friends even at the school where the child spent several years in a row)." Something is off. Your child's scenario was like all others in public school where kids are mixed and class assignments are generally random. Where the problem is, however, is how could your child have been at a single school for several YEARS and had "no stable group of close friends" because kids were mixed and class assignments were semi randomized? Huh? That's precisely how classes are picked for all of us and our kids have lots of close friends, both in and out of their class. Me thinks there is more to this story...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. I don't judge. I can understand why people opt to home school, especially those who do so for religious reasons.

The kids have to pass annual standardized tests. And the home school parents connect with each other and other resources to ensure that their kids are getting a good education and socialization. It's not like they are sitting at home all day watching t.v. and playing video games. For those who take home schooling seriously, it is a lot of (highly rewarding) work. The home schooled kids that I am aware of went to college.

It varies by state. In Virginia, that is not required.

I thought that they had to show adequate yearly progress in order to continue to home school?

[Anonymous]

I don't look down on them. I'm impressed by their level of commitment to their kids - I don't want to do that at all.

I only dislike smug homeschoolers (or smug anyone for that matter) who blather on about how public schools are so terrible for kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What gets me is how many parents homeschool that don't have a masters. You can't teach in a school system without a masters so why would less education be ok for homeschooling? Let alone see dont even have bachelors. And most don't have teaching certificates.

You don't need a Masters degree to teach at a private school. What about that?

[Anonymous]

And for all those homeschool moms who chime in about museum-outings, that is but a teeny portion of the learning that is required. Sure, frequent field trips are great but we all know that a child isn't learning the breadth of a school year's subject matter by visiting a museum. My kid may be fascinated with an exhibit on the heart at a museum but it doesn't mean he has learned the structures of the heart. It means he's visited a museum and seen an exhibit on the heart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I had no kids of my own, I looked down on homeschoolers. Nine years later my child is in the 4th grade. The child spent K-3 grades in public schools, but now in the 4th grade we started to homeschool. Why? My husband and I realized that public schools are not meeting our expectations. The child attended four different public schools (three in FCPS, one in a different state, all were highly ranked), as we moved several times. Only two had good teachers, the curriculum was terrible everywhere (it does include the AAP, although the AAP is certainly better than the non-AAP version). My husband and I taught at several top-ranked universities (STEM fields) in the U.S. for over a decade, and could not understand why our seemingly bright students had such poor knowledge of background subject matter, as well as an inability to think. Anything that went beyond solving elementary recipe-driven problems was impossible for them to do, but now we understand the causes behind this phenomenon better. We cannot allow our child to receive worse education than the one we ourselves got 30 years ago in a third-world country. We decided to stop waiting for schools to educate our child, so now we homeschool.

When we were growing up, we were lucky to have some amazing teachers at the schools we attended, who were not only experts in their fields but could also inspire kids to learn. I would like my child to have a chance to meet such teachers, if possible. This means that we will re-enroll our child in public schools periodically in the hopes of lucking out on a great teacher, [u]but, if not, we can and will give a much better education at home. Nor are we averse to hiring great private instructors or joining group lessons, when the teachers and subject matter are worth it, which makes it closer to a private school experience, but at a fraction of the cost and with hand-picked teachers.

A lot was said about socialization. Well... our child is doing sports (4 hours per day), plus a number of other enrichment activities (not to mention, playdates), which involve interaction with other kids, so the topic is moot for us.

It is ironic that, only 3-4 years ago, we were like many of you in your attitudes toward homeschooling. In reality homeschooling is amazing if (and it's a big 'if') the parents are educated and care about their children's education. But it could also be a complete disaster. However, staying enrolled at public schools can be a disaster too. Either way it's the parents' responsibility to give their child the best secondary education possible. As for socialization issues, forget it... teenagers are socializing through their smartphones these days, regardless of the schooling method.

You had a single AAP teacher if you pulled your child out by fourth grade, so you really don't know what the AAP curriculum is based on a single year. You do sound like one who will put a lot of thought and effort into homeschooling and you had me on your side (for your child) until the bolded part. That's just cray cray. You don't jump in and out (and in and out)...think of your poor child!

I also wonder why your child was in FOUR different public schools in FOUR years (k through 3).

That is correct about a single AAP teacher. The experience could get better with a different teacher in a different grade.
Regarding jumping in and out, if necessary, I don't really see the downside right now. So far, while at public schools, the child had to start the year with a new teacher and a new set of classmates each year (kids were mixed and class assignments were semi-randomized, so there was no stable group of close friends even at the school where the child spent several years in a row). [u]It's ok, as the child has close friends outside the school. The question now is about what to do in those subjects where the child is accelerating much faster than the current curriculum at schools. I would appreciate your thoughts on this and don't mind the criticism. I'd like to understand why you feel that returning to public schools is a bad idea. Our current plan is to homeschool 5th grade, then potentially re-enroll for 6th and 7th grades. If the experience in middle school is positive, then stay. If not, homeschool for 8th grade. Enroll in public school in the 9th grade (1st year of highschool) and, again, either stay for the rest of the highschool years, or do homeschooling, depending on whether the experience is positive or negative overall. If homeschooling during highschool, it would simply mean taking a significant number of college courses.



The moves had to do with changes in job locations of the parents, as well as availability of corporate housing upon relocation, so were unrelated to schools.

Based on you saying that this child attended 4 different public schools between k-3, when on earth did your child, "attend a school where she spent several years in a row?" The only way that would work is your child attended one school for 2-3 years and then for the third year or so she attended 3 different schools. Unless wait...are you trying to compare preschool or daycare to elementary education????

It's easy. The child spent K-2 in one school, then switched mid year to a second school in 2nd grade, because of the move. Then we moved again before 3rd grade, where the child attended the 3rd school. Then moved again over the summer, and spent the first half of 4th grade in the 4th school. Your comment is rather amusing...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I had no kids of my own, I looked down on homeschoolers. Nine years later my child is in the 4th grade. The child spent K-3 grades in public schools, but now in the 4th grade we started to homeschool. Why? My husband and I realized that public schools are not meeting our expectations. The child attended four different public schools (three in FCPS, one in a different state, all were highly ranked), as we moved several times. Only two had good teachers, the curriculum was terrible everywhere (it does include the AAP, although the AAP is certainly better than the non-AAP version). My husband and I taught at several top-ranked universities (STEM fields) in the U.S. for over a decade, and could not understand why our seemingly bright students had such poor knowledge of background subject matter, as well as an inability to think. Anything that went beyond solving elementary recipe-driven problems was impossible for them to do, but now we understand the causes behind this phenomenon better. We cannot allow our child to receive worse education than the one we ourselves got 30 years ago in a third-world country. We decided to stop waiting for schools to educate our child, so now we homeschool.

When we were growing up, we were lucky to have some amazing teachers at the schools we attended, who were not only experts in their fields but could also inspire kids to learn. I would like my child to have a chance to meet such teachers, if possible. This means that we will re-enroll our child in public schools periodically in the hopes of lucking out on a great teacher, [u]but, if not, we can and will give a much better education at home. Nor are we averse to hiring great private instructors or joining group lessons, when the teachers and subject matter are worth it, which makes it closer to a private school experience, but at a fraction of the cost and with hand-picked teachers.

A lot was said about socialization. Well... our child is doing sports (4 hours per day), plus a number of other enrichment activities (not to mention, playdates), which involve interaction with other kids, so the topic is moot for us.

It is ironic that, only 3-4 years ago, we were like many of you in your attitudes toward homeschooling. In reality homeschooling is amazing if (and it's a big 'if') the parents are educated and care about their children's education. But it could also be a complete disaster. However, staying enrolled at public schools can be a disaster too. Either way it's the parents' responsibility to give their child the best secondary education possible. As for socialization issues, forget it... teenagers are socializing through their smartphones these days, regardless of the schooling method.

You had a single AAP teacher if you pulled your child out by fourth grade, so you really don't know what the AAP curriculum is based on a single year. You do sound like one who will put a lot of thought and effort into homeschooling and you had me on your side (for your child) until the bolded part. That's just cray cray. You don't jump in and out (and in and out)...think of your poor child!

I also wonder why your child was in FOUR different public schools in FOUR years (k through 3).

That is correct about a single AAP teacher. The experience could get better with a different teacher in a different grade.
Regarding jumping in and out, if necessary, I don't really see the downside right now. So far, while at public schools, the child had to start the year with a new teacher and a new set of classmates each year (kids were mixed and class assignments were semi-randomized, so there was no stable group of close friends even at the school where the child spent several years in a row). It's ok, as the child has close friends outside the school. The question now is about what to do in those subjects where the child is accelerating much faster than the current curriculum at schools. I would appreciate your thoughts on this and don't mind the criticism. I'd like to understand why you feel that returning to public schools is a bad idea. Our current plan is to homeschool 5th grade, then potentially re-enroll for 6th and 7th grades. If the experience in middle school is positive, then stay. If not, homeschool for 8th grade. Enroll in public school in the 9th grade (1st year of highschool) and, again, either stay for the rest of the highschool years, or do homeschooling, depending on whether the experience is positive or negative overall. If homeschooling during highschool, it would simply mean taking a significant number of college courses.



The moves had to do with changes in job locations of the parents, as well as availability of corporate housing upon relocation, so were unrelated to schools.

You write, "the child had to start the year with a new teacher and a new set of classmates each year (kids were mixed and class assignments were semi-randomized, so there was no stable group of close friends even at the school where the child spent several years in a row)." Something is off. Your child's scenario was like all others in public school where kids are mixed and class assignments are generally random. Where the problem is, however, is how could your child have been at a single school for several YEARS and had "no stable group of close friends" because kids were mixed and class assignments were semi randomized? Huh? That's precisely how classes are picked for all of us and our kids have lots of close friends, both in and out of their class. Me thinks there is more to this story...

Yes, that's correct. Her close friends were either moving out of the area, or simply assigned to a different classroom (and they had little interaction during the school day), so none of her close friends were in the same class as her for two years in a row. If you had a different experience, your kid was more lucky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I had no kids of my own, I looked down on homeschoolers. Nine years later my child is in the 4th grade. The child spent K-3 grades in public schools, but now in the 4th grade we started to homeschool. Why? My husband and I realized that public schools are not meeting our expectations. The child attended four different public schools (three in FCPS, one in a different state, all were highly ranked), as we moved several times. Only two had good teachers, the curriculum was terrible everywhere (it does include the AAP, although the AAP is certainly better than the non-AAP version). My husband and I taught at several top-ranked universities (STEM fields) in the U.S. for over a decade, and could not understand why our seemingly bright students had such poor knowledge of background subject matter, as well as an inability to think. Anything that went beyond solving elementary recipe-driven problems was impossible for them to do, but now we understand the causes behind this phenomenon better. We cannot allow our child to receive worse education than the one we ourselves got 30 years ago in a third-world country. We decided to stop waiting for schools to educate our child, so now we homeschool.

When we were growing up, we were lucky to have some amazing teachers at the schools we attended, who were not only experts in their fields but could also inspire kids to learn. I would like my child to have a chance to meet such teachers, if possible. This means that we will re-enroll our child in public schools periodically in the hopes of lucking out on a great teacher, [u]but, if not, we can and will give a much better education at home. Nor are we averse to hiring great private instructors or joining group lessons, when the teachers and subject matter are worth it, which makes it closer to a private school experience, but at a fraction of the cost and with hand-picked teachers.

A lot was said about socialization. Well... our child is doing sports (4 hours per day), plus a number of other enrichment activities (not to mention, playdates), which involve interaction with other kids, so the topic is moot for us.

It is ironic that, only 3-4 years ago, we were like many of you in your attitudes toward homeschooling. In reality homeschooling is amazing if (and it's a big 'if') the parents are educated and care about their children's education. But it could also be a complete disaster. However, staying enrolled at public schools can be a disaster too. Either way it's the parents' responsibility to give their child the best secondary education possible. As for socialization issues, forget it... teenagers are socializing through their smartphones these days, regardless of the schooling method.

You had a single AAP teacher if you pulled your child out by fourth grade, so you really don't know what the AAP curriculum is based on a single year. You do sound like one who will put a lot of thought and effort into homeschooling and you had me on your side (for your child) until the bolded part. That's just cray cray. You don't jump in and out (and in and out)...think of your poor child!

I also wonder why your child was in FOUR different public schools in FOUR years (k through 3).

That is correct about a single AAP teacher. The experience could get better with a different teacher in a different grade.
Regarding jumping in and out, if necessary, I don't really see the downside right now. So far, while at public schools, the child had to start the year with a new teacher and a new set of classmates each year (kids were mixed and class assignments were semi-randomized, so there was no stable group of close friends even at the school where the child spent several years in a row). [u]It's ok, as the child has close friends outside the school. The question now is about what to do in those subjects where the child is accelerating much faster than the current curriculum at schools. I would appreciate your thoughts on this and don't mind the criticism. I'd like to understand why you feel that returning to public schools is a bad idea. Our current plan is to homeschool 5th grade, then potentially re-enroll for 6th and 7th grades. If the experience in middle school is positive, then stay. If not, homeschool for 8th grade. Enroll in public school in the 9th grade (1st year of highschool) and, again, either stay for the rest of the highschool years, or do homeschooling, depending on whether the experience is positive or negative overall. If homeschooling during highschool, it would simply mean taking a significant number of college courses.



The moves had to do with changes in job locations of the parents, as well as availability of corporate housing upon relocation, so were unrelated to schools.

Based on you saying that this child attended 4 different public schools between k-3, when on earth did your child, "attend a school where she spent several years in a row?" The only way that would work is your child attended one school for 2-3 years and then for the third year or so she attended 3 different schools. Unless wait...are you trying to compare preschool or daycare to elementary education????

It's easy. The child spent K-2 in one school, then switched mid year to a second school in 2nd grade, because of the move. Then we moved again before 3rd grade, where the child attended the 3rd school. Then moved again over the summer, and spent the first half of 4th grade in the 4th school. Your comment is rather amusing...

Poor kid. Homeschooling might be best in your situation, but I wouldn't blame the schools. Just admit that you cannot give your child stability by sending her to public/private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't look down on them. I'm impressed by their level of commitment to their kids - I don't want to do that at all.

I only dislike smug homeschoolers (or smug anyone for that matter) who blather on about how public schools are so terrible for kids.

+100 I know a lot of private school families because one of my kid's activities is VERY popular with the homeschooling crowd. Most are amazing, and their kids are lovely and intellectually curious. It's not the right choice for my family for a variety of reasons, but I don't judge homeschooling families. The exception are the ones who go on and on about how public schools are just creating the next generation of wage slaves or whatever. Meanwhile, their "free thinking" kid is the absolute worst behaved in any group - inappropriate, impulsive, and disruptive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I had no kids of my own, I looked down on homeschoolers. Nine years later my child is in the 4th grade. The child spent K-3 grades in public schools, but now in the 4th grade we started to homeschool. Why? My husband and I realized that public schools are not meeting our expectations. The child attended four different public schools (three in FCPS, one in a different state, all were highly ranked), as we moved several times. Only two had good teachers, the curriculum was terrible everywhere (it does include the AAP, although the AAP is certainly better than the non-AAP version). My husband and I taught at several top-ranked universities (STEM fields) in the U.S. for over a decade, and could not understand why our seemingly bright students had such poor knowledge of background subject matter, as well as an inability to think. Anything that went beyond solving elementary recipe-driven problems was impossible for them to do, but now we understand the causes behind this phenomenon better. We cannot allow our child to receive worse education than the one we ourselves got 30 years ago in a third-world country. We decided to stop waiting for schools to educate our child, so now we homeschool.

When we were growing up, we were lucky to have some amazing teachers at the schools we attended, who were not only experts in their fields but could also inspire kids to learn. I would like my child to have a chance to meet such teachers, if possible. This means that we will re-enroll our child in public schools periodically in the hopes of lucking out on a great teacher, [u]but, if not, we can and will give a much better education at home. Nor are we averse to hiring great private instructors or joining group lessons, when the teachers and subject matter are worth it, which makes it closer to a private school experience, but at a fraction of the cost and with hand-picked teachers.

A lot was said about socialization. Well... our child is doing sports (4 hours per day), plus a number of other enrichment activities (not to mention, playdates), which involve interaction with other kids, so the topic is moot for us.

It is ironic that, only 3-4 years ago, we were like many of you in your attitudes toward homeschooling. In reality homeschooling is amazing if (and it's a big 'if') the parents are educated and care about their children's education. But it could also be a complete disaster. However, staying enrolled at public schools can be a disaster too. Either way it's the parents' responsibility to give their child the best secondary education possible. As for socialization issues, forget it... teenagers are socializing through their smartphones these days, regardless of the schooling method.

You had a single AAP teacher if you pulled your child out by fourth grade, so you really don't know what the AAP curriculum is based on a single year. You do sound like one who will put a lot of thought and effort into homeschooling and you had me on your side (for your child) until the bolded part. That's just cray cray. You don't jump in and out (and in and out)...think of your poor child!

I also wonder why your child was in FOUR different public schools in FOUR years (k through 3).

That is correct about a single AAP teacher. The experience could get better with a different teacher in a different grade.
Regarding jumping in and out, if necessary, I don't really see the downside right now. So far, while at public schools, the child had to start the year with a new teacher and a new set of classmates each year (kids were mixed and class assignments were semi-randomized, so there was no stable group of close friends even at the school where the child spent several years in a row). [u]It's ok, as the child has close friends outside the school. The question now is about what to do in those subjects where the child is accelerating much faster than the current curriculum at schools. I would appreciate your thoughts on this and don't mind the criticism. I'd like to understand why you feel that returning to public schools is a bad idea. Our current plan is to homeschool 5th grade, then potentially re-enroll for 6th and 7th grades. If the experience in middle school is positive, then stay. If not, homeschool for 8th grade. Enroll in public school in the 9th grade (1st year of highschool) and, again, either stay for the rest of the highschool years, or do homeschooling, depending on whether the experience is positive or negative overall. If homeschooling during highschool, it would simply mean taking a significant number of college courses.



The moves had to do with changes in job locations of the parents, as well as availability of corporate housing upon relocation, so were unrelated to schools.

Based on you saying that this child attended 4 different public schools between k-3, when on earth did your child, "attend a school where she spent several years in a row?" The only way that would work is your child attended one school for 2-3 years and then for the third year or so she attended 3 different schools. Unless wait...are you trying to compare preschool or daycare to elementary education????

It's easy. The child spent K-2 in one school, then switched mid year to a second school in 2nd grade, because of the move. Then we moved again before 3rd grade, where the child attended the 3rd school. Then moved again over the summer, and spent the first half of 4th grade in the 4th school. Your comment is rather amusing...

Poor kid. Homeschooling might be best in your situation, but I wouldn't blame the schools. Just admit that you cannot give your child stability by sending her to public/private school.

Sorry... I think my message got lost in the long exchange. I did not want to homeschool, but I am now. It has to do with the curriculum (we are not religious, the child had good classmates, there were no social or academic issues). The only reason I mentioned that the child attended several schools was to explain that the sample size was bigger than one. It is not my intention to blame schools. It is my intention to blame poor curriculum and to point out that many of your kids can be taught better, and homeschooling for a period of time gives them opportunities that otherwise do not exist. If you prefer not to try it, that's fine.

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Anonymous wrote:When I had no kids of my own, I looked down on homeschoolers. Nine years later my child is in the 4th grade. The child spent K-3 grades in public schools, but now in the 4th grade we started to homeschool. Why? My husband and I realized that public schools are not meeting our expectations. The child attended four different public schools (three in FCPS, one in a different state, all were highly ranked), as we moved several times. Only two had good teachers, the curriculum was terrible everywhere (it does include the AAP, although the AAP is certainly better than the non-AAP version). My husband and I taught at several top-ranked universities (STEM fields) in the U.S. for over a decade, and could not understand why our seemingly bright students had such poor knowledge of background subject matter, as well as an inability to think. Anything that went beyond solving elementary recipe-driven problems was impossible for them to do, but now we understand the causes behind this phenomenon better. We cannot allow our child to receive worse education than the one we ourselves got 30 years ago in a third-world country. We decided to stop waiting for schools to educate our child, so now we homeschool.

When we were growing up, we were lucky to have some amazing teachers at the schools we attended, who were not only experts in their fields but could also inspire kids to learn. I would like my child to have a chance to meet such teachers, if possible. This means that we will re-enroll our child in public schools periodically in the hopes of lucking out on a great teacher, [u]but, if not, we can and will give a much better education at home. Nor are we averse to hiring great private instructors or joining group lessons, when the teachers and subject matter are worth it, which makes it closer to a private school experience, but at a fraction of the cost and with hand-picked teachers.

A lot was said about socialization. Well... our child is doing sports (4 hours per day), plus a number of other enrichment activities (not to mention, playdates), which involve interaction with other kids, so the topic is moot for us.

It is ironic that, only 3-4 years ago, we were like many of you in your attitudes toward homeschooling. In reality homeschooling is amazing if (and it's a big 'if') the parents are educated and care about their children's education. But it could also be a complete disaster. However, staying enrolled at public schools can be a disaster too. Either way it's the parents' responsibility to give their child the best secondary education possible. As for socialization issues, forget it... teenagers are socializing through their smartphones these days, regardless of the schooling method.

You had a single AAP teacher if you pulled your child out by fourth grade, so you really don't know what the AAP curriculum is based on a single year. You do sound like one who will put a lot of thought and effort into homeschooling and you had me on your side (for your child) until the bolded part. That's just cray cray. You don't jump in and out (and in and out)...think of your poor child!

I also wonder why your child was in FOUR different public schools in FOUR years (k through 3).

That is correct about a single AAP teacher. The experience could get better with a different teacher in a different grade.
Regarding jumping in and out, if necessary, I don't really see the downside right now. So far, while at public schools, the child had to start the year with a new teacher and a new set of classmates each year (kids were mixed and class assignments were semi-randomized, so there was no stable group of close friends even at the school where the child spent several years in a row). [u]It's ok, as the child has close friends outside the school. The question now is about what to do in those subjects where the child is accelerating much faster than the current curriculum at schools. I would appreciate your thoughts on this and don't mind the criticism. I'd like to understand why you feel that returning to public schools is a bad idea. Our current plan is to homeschool 5th grade, then potentially re-enroll for 6th and 7th grades. If the experience in middle school is positive, then stay. If not, homeschool for 8th grade. Enroll in public school in the 9th grade (1st year of highschool) and, again, either stay for the rest of the highschool years, or do homeschooling, depending on whether the experience is positive or negative overall. If homeschooling during highschool, it would simply mean taking a significant number of college courses.



The moves had to do with changes in job locations of the parents, as well as availability of corporate housing upon relocation, so were unrelated to schools.

Based on you saying that this child attended 4 different public schools between k-3, when on earth did your child, "attend a school where she spent several years in a row?" The only way that would work is your child attended one school for 2-3 years and then for the third year or so she attended 3 different schools. Unless wait...are you trying to compare preschool or daycare to elementary education????

It's easy. The child spent K-2 in one school, then switched mid year to a second school in 2nd grade, because of the move. Then we moved again before 3rd grade, where the child attended the 3rd school. Then moved again over the summer, and spent the first half of 4th grade in the 4th school. Your comment is rather amusing...

Poor kid. Homeschooling might be best in your situation, but I wouldn't blame the schools. Just admit that you cannot give your child stability by sending her to public/private school.

So the kid would have had:

Kindergarten - school #1
first grade - school #1
1/2 of second grade - School #1
1/2 of second grade - school #2
third grade - school #3
1/2 of fourth grade - school #4
1/2 of fourth grade - homeschooled
5th grade - home schooled

And her tentative plan is:
6th grade - possibly back in school
7th grade - possibly back in school
8th grade - either home school or back in school
9th grade - back in school
10th grade through 12th grade - either homeschool OR high school

Yes, dear, your poor, poor kid.

Then to say that your child had no real friends from year to year in her classes from k-2 because her friends were either moving out of the area or simply assigned to a different classroom and presumably that had some negative impact is ridiculous. Our kids have to deal with that all the time. That's part of life. They are adaptable. They will meet friends. You can't seriously be worried about your kid meeting friends if you're pulling her in and out of schools at the drop of a hat.