Why change from hs to schooling? PM me if you prefer :)

[Rose-Roget]

I posted in the hs section looking for success stories.  I'm almost looking for the converse here, so that I can get a balanced view of what works and what doesn't.  Ds is 6, in 1st grade at a public school.  I'm strongly looking at hs'ing starting this semester or next school year, but I'm interested in why people who have moved from hs'ing to schooling made their choices to do so.  I need to hear all sides to know my decision is the right one.  TIA!

[earthmama369]

We just started public school last week, on fairly short notice. We've been homeschooling (leaning toward eclectic unschooling) right along, and DD is now 6 and DS is 4.5. I'll be honest. I'm not happy about the change, and thus far, I'm really not blown away by the curriculum. DD is in first grade and thus far has come home every day saying that they did a lot of writing and no math or science. (Which are her two favorite subjects right now.) Even though standardized testing doesn't start here until 3rd grade, it feels like the curriculum is heavily geared toward that. On the bright side, she's making a lot of new friends and is enjoying the social time she gets. And skill-wise, she didn't have any problem going into that grade or going in midyear.

The reason she started public school is twofold. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia over the summer and had to scale back a lot on what I could accomplish in a given day. As a result, for the fall semester, we took a break from our usual routine of co-op classes and activities and playgroups. Each kiddo chose an activity and that was about all we got out for. DD is an extremely social child and this drove her batsh!t crazy. So she asked to try public school for a semester. This coincided with me landing in the emergency room, and my husband, doctors, and several friends lovingly pointing out that I need more rest than I'm getting and the kids need a break from my illness. So we're giving this a try, with the understanding that if she becomes truly unhappy with the experience or I miraculously hit remission, we can pull her out before the semester ends.

We knew DD would probably be trying public school some day, as she's had the intention for over a year now to try it when she turned 10 and we felt that we should respect her decision. My illness moved her timetable forward. DS will be trying preschool in a few weeks, which is more of a surprise to me. He's been adamant that he didn't want to have a teacher or sign up for classes this semester. But once DD started school, he decided it was boring at home and he'd rather try school just like his big sister. I'm actually more impressed by the preschool program we're applying to. It's set up very much like a mix of Waldorf and Montessori in terms of the tools and toys they use, the space is bright and colorful and engaging, and the teachers seem very nice. They have a rhythm to their day that incorporates two outdoor play times, the chance for kids to choose their own activities, circle time, snack times, and some quiet time.

I'd rather keep homeschooling, but right now, I'm not up to it and I have to be honest with myself about that. The kids will probably have more fun in a school setting, so we're going to give it a try, with the intention of going back to homeschooling when my health is better.

[jeteaa]

Even before our dc could walk we knew we wanted to hs them. I simply felt current public schools were a horrible place for children to have to spend so much of their childhood. Then realities we could not foresee became a truth when our dc were 3 and 5. Some were the fact that although I enjoy spending lots of time with my children, ALL the time was a bit draining. dd2 was having trouble developing into her own person with dd1 always around "leading" her life. dd1 is a very stubborn, even at age 6 she wants nothing to do with any formal learning. so we did try 3 months of dd1 in 1st grade this fall. But we are back to hsing and plan to cont' w/ hs for as long as it is the best choice for my dc and our family. My works of wisdom is that hs in NOT perfect. You will encounter challenges, and what makes hs challenges more severe IMO is that yours and your dcs will be unique to you. While when your dc are in school, you can easily identify with the 100's of other families in your school. So places like MDC are a life savor for hsing. When my dd1 was in school I did enjoy just being her mom and HW helper, not her  teacher or "education guide". Honestly is ps were had smaller class sizes, a more creative curriculum, very family friendly, classes based on skill levels and interests not just age, and about 20 hr max/week rather than the current 30 plus, we would probably still be in ps.

[Petie1104]

I don't know if ps is a success story for us yet.  Basically, it was a combination of things.  DD wasn't learning with me.  She is too oppositional with me for her to be willing to learn from me.  I would tell her that 3 + 1 is 4 and show her with counting beans and she would call me a liar and storm out of the room screaming at me.  I felt she may learn better with someone she isn't so contrary with.  DS was homeschooled the longest.  He honestly thrived in the hs'ing environment, but his social skills were deteriorating.  When we moved here and I checked the schools out, they were really good, and highly recommended.  I was already working on my degree so we went ahead and enrolled them.  DD is doing better in school, but she honestly is getting worse at home which makes me wonder if this is the best plan for her.  DS is doing good socially but seems to be stifled academically, he's losing some of his joy for learning.  DS 2 will be starting school next fall and honestly we have to stick with it because we need me to start working as soon as I get my degree, which will be in November.  I know it's not much help, but I honestly feel that every family is different, and for that matter, every child is different, so success stories or failures aren't as important as what is best for each individual.

[One_Girl]

I moved my dd to hs after Christmas break last year because she had a truly awful teacher and was miserable and I had just graduated so I had time to hs while looking for a job.  First grade is a tough time transition but that was only part of what was going on.  At first it was really hard because I wasn't used to not working and after the first week she wanted it to be all play and no work.  We found a balance of schoolwork that followed what I thought she should know (mostly math) and topics she chose for the other subjects and we were both more invested in her education. I had a mom's night out every week so I could have time to myself around other adults and we also did a lot of extracurricular stuff through the community center and the Y.  I also took some time to work out a couple times every week while dd socialized in the older kid room.  Dd made a lot of progress and enjoyed learning and writing again after we found our balance. 

I had to move dd to a school in the fall because I found a job and I chose a charter school that we are both very happy with.  Her school has art, music, pe, and french twice a week in addition to its inquiry based approach on a daily basis.  She had a bumpy transition (but that is really common when she starts a new year anyways) then she got into the swing of things and loves being there.  She isn't learning things at the pace she learned at home but she is learning at a good pace and she loves school, her teachers, and her friends.  I think in many ways her experience now is better than hs and I wouldn't move her even if I had that choice.