Q: If you ever considered Homeschooling

AmberLoryn2629 · May 2011

Hi All Smile . My name is Amber and I'm a SAHM with my son, JT, 6 months. I lurk around these parts and I thought this was an appropriate place to ask this question. I know I have a few years to make the decision but I've been thinking about homeschooling a lot lately and trying to weigh the pros and cons, but I really don't know enough yet.

My question is if you ever considered homeschooling your child(ren), why did you decide to OR not to? What were the biggest influences on your final decision?

Thank you!

Geek_Girl · May 2011

I'm pretty sure I'll be homeschooling DS. There's a charter school program (I think its called K12) that is free (uses your school tax money that you pay anyway) and they provide all of the materials, lesson plans, etc., that you'll need. They also have field trips with fellow "classmates", which I like a lot, too.

On the other hand, our school district is pretty good, so we can still go that route if we want to.

DS is only 21mo, though, so we're kind of in the same boat - plenty of time to decide what our final plan is.

AmberLoryn2629 · May 2011

rmj80:

I still haven't decided. Our two biggest issues are that: I'm 99% sure that DD would get a much more thorough, well rounded education at home (her dad and I are both certified teachers), and the fact that a lot of moral issues will come up that we would like DD to hear about from us first (we are by no means interested in sheltering her, in fact we intentionally "expose" her to a lot of issues that most parents would not, but just want to make sure she gets correct information)

BUT

DD is a very social person and LOVES being around the other kids. She also is very excited about school and really wants to go. Our elementary school is on our street, and she practically drools every time we drive/walk by.

so, we still haven't decided yet. It's a TOUGH decision and I think it needs to have a lot to do with each individual child. If I were you, I would use these next few years to educate myself on curriculum and explore all of the options available to you. I wouldn't even consider making a solid decision until the year before your LO goes to school.

This is great advice, and thank you! I have seen some info in the paper about Maine voting for charter schools so I will definitely be educating myself on this as well. I am very interested in talking to lots of people about their experiences, hence my OP Smile .

jellybelly03 · May 2011

I think about it, but our situation sounds a bit different: we're in a hit-or-miss school district. We live in the city and schools are assigned by lottery, so there's a chance that we'll get a good one, and a chance we won't. Sooooo... that will affect our decision. I am really nervous about DS losing out on the social aspects of school, but I also don't love some of the other parts. I'm just not sure.

Cherryblossoms07 · May 2011

I am considering homeschooling DD. Whether or not I do depends on where we move and the schools in the area. If we cannot find a school that meets our standards then I will homeschool DD.

Your LO, like mine, is still very young. Right now I am collecting all the information I can on homeschooling and literacy standards just in case.

Shozzies · May 2011

I am leaning towards homeschooling DD. I live in a mostly religious community with a lot of homeschoolers. There are a lot of supplemental programs for homeschooled children for additional learning and socialization. Our gym hosts a PE class and I plan on keeping DD in at least one type of physical activity of her choosing (dance, gymnastics, sports, etc.) I would not send DD to the public schools here, but I have been considering a Montessori school. I don't plan on making the final decision until it's closer to that time. Most of my siblings and I were homeschooled. Homeschooling can work great for some kids and not so much for other kids. I want to make sure that I'm basing my final decision on what would be best for DD specifically.

hcassell · May 2011

I'll be starting homeschool with DS next year. We do preschool now, but we'll begin kindergarten in the fall. A few factors went into our decision. I'm a teacher and lost my job last school year. I know what is going on in our schools (large class sizes, pressure to perform for the test, peer influences and exposure). I think that DS can learn better at home, away from that environment. Also, DS is all boy. We have very high expectations for him, but he would be in so much trouble at school. At home, he can lay on the floor to do his work, bounce on an exercise ball, etc. There are a lot of accommodations that we can do at home to channel his energy. I can teach according to how he learns best, not how the other 30 kids in the class learn. He also misses the kindergarten cut off date by three weeks. He's ready now, can read simple words, identify numbers and count up to 100, etc. If he had to sit out a year to go to public school, he'd be really bored.

As for socialization, there are several co-ops in our area that you can join. They offer classes and field trips for the students. We also have several friends that homeschool. He will be involved other activities, gymnastics, baseball, soccer, etc. (whichever he chooses).

JaysonandKristin · May 2011

Geek_Girl:
I'm pretty sure I'll be homeschooling DS. There's a charter school program (I think its called K12) that is free (uses your school tax money that you pay anyway) and they provide all of the materials, lesson plans, etc., that you'll need. They also have field trips with fellow "classmates", which I like a lot, too.
On the other hand, our school district is pretty good, so we can still go that route if we want to.
DS is only 21mo, though, so we're kind of in the same boat - plenty of time to decide what our final plan is.

This is our scenario. A local charter school offers two options a 4 day per week in-school on campus school year or a 5 day homeschool program sponsored by the school district. All materials are provided, and they're still considered part of a class. Your kids can still participate in activities like field trips and back to school night and plays/concerts.

Our school district is OK. There is one other school that I'm considering. It is a Spanish immersion school. So, K-6 is taught exclusively in Spanish. This would be the only reason we sent our kids to school... if they can get into this program.

DS is only 16 months, so we have plenty of time.

spiritenergy · May 2011

We are homeschooling. Homeschooling provides us with the lifestyle that we want. I can be part of our business, and DH can be more involved in their education. We have flexibility to travel when we need to with our business. School can be done anywhere. We are in a homeschooling group, so he does get socialization there. My kids will have the possibility of inheriting a business and with that comes a lot of responsibility. I do not think it is fair of me to expect public school or private school to prepare my child for our unique circumstances. DH and I are the only people who do that effectively.

Sweets2005 · May 2011

I am also considering, but like you have lots of time to think on it. Currently we live in a terrible school district but this house is for sale anyway so we could move to another nearby better district and send our kids there if we wanted to but I am not sure what I want. I simultaneously think that they would both be better off and worse off socially if they went to school here! We don't have too much of a homeschool group around here, so that would hurt us. If my kids went to school then I could go back to work which would help us. So there are a lot of pros and cons! Oh and I am a teacher so I would feel 100% comfortable teaching them- I am just concerned of the social and monetary aspects of it! Lots to think on...

P.S. There are a ton of cool blogs if you google it.

KikiCohen · May 2011

Although DH and I don't have any children yet, I can speak from some experience. DH was homeschooled K-12 through a program that's similar to the charter programs that are becoming popular today. I, on the other hand, attended the same school district K-12. The transition for him to go to college was HUGE and he chose to commute b/c he didn't think he could handle the additional adjustments of living on campus. And I promise you, DH was VERY socially active in several community and church groups, so it's not like he was sheltered. Another issue he has is that he never got to play sports. Some schools do not allow homeschoolers to participate in programs b/c of liability issues and he happened to live in such a district. We can't watch a football game or even see a football commerical without him bringing it up. He still really doesn't understand the concept of having a class reunion, going to prom, or any of the regular public school stuff. In fact, until he became a teacher, he didn't know that kids had to pay for lunch there and that they had to purchase most of their own materials (paper, etc) but didn't have to purchase books. Those issues are minor, but it really bothers him about the sports thing and again, he had a rough transition to college. I would think long and hard about this decision, and don't buy into the whole "oh it's a bad school district" thing. Education is what you make it, and helping your child with their education is 100% possible even if they attend public school. GL!

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