Any other homeschoolers sending kids to school next year?

[chrissy]

I have 4 kids, with another one due on Halloween.  We've homeschooled off and on, but everybody has been home for the past 2 years. 

Next fall, 2 of my kids, my 2nd grader and Kindergartener are going to school.  I'll have my 5th grader, 3 year old, and then new baby at home. 

We applied to a few charter schools, and my Kindy boy got into a really good one.  The older 2 are each around 100 on the waitlist, so there is really no chance of them getting in for next year.  However, after Rowan has been there for a year, siblings get pushed to the top of the waitlist, so the hope is that all 3 will be there for the following year (it is K-12).  Lilah, my 2nd grader, will go to our neighborhood school because she really wants to try school.  Noah, my 5th grader is very very anxious about school, so he is going to stay home one more year, and we are going to work with his counselor to get him used to the idea.

I am both very excited and very nervous.  I really love having my kids around all the time, so I know I am going to miss that.  I will also miss our relaxed lifestyle.  I will not miss the teaching part of homeschooling though, which is the reason they are going to school.  Education is very important to me, and my husband, and while I do want to be involved in my kids' learning, I don't want to be fully responsible for it.  I like cooking, gardening, traveling with my kids and just hanging out with them, but I don't like teaching them reading, spelling, and math.  And, unschooling just isn't my thing. 

In an ideal world, I'd be able to send my kids to school for language arts (reading, writing, grammar, etc) and math, maybe science at some point, and have them home the rest of the time.  That doesn't seem possible here though, so we are giving this a go.

Anybody else in a similar position?

[Leersia]

Chrissy,

Me!!  I've been HSing my 9-year-olds since K, but in our town there is a new Waldorf charter school opening this fall.  I applied on a total whim on the last possible day and my kids were admitted based on a lottery.  I've been on the fence about it for a while, but I'm just now really starting to warm up to the idea and have starting bringing my kids into the discussion.  They have been up and down about it as well, but we're all thinking it might be something fun to try.  One of my sons with ADD tendencies is flourishing so much in a Waldorf drawing class, that I wonder if the structure and environment might not be a better fit for him than a distracted mother and a busy small farm. 

I've loved HSing them for these years, and also disliked many aspects, for reasons almost identical to yours.

Nice to "talk" with someone else about this!

[Neldavi]

I am sending my 8 year old to 3rd grade next year after homeschooling since the beginning.  He's just going to our local public school as we have no alternative schooling options for older kids in our rural area.  My 5 and 2 year old already go to an awesome Montessori preschool two days a week, and they will go 3 days a week next year. 

We're sending my oldest to school mostly because dh and I are both in school ourselves (dh only part-time, but I'm in nursing school, which is fairly intense) and it's just gotten too crazy to try and homeschool ds at the same time.  We've kept him away from the bad things that school has to offer but I don't feel like we've added anything this year ... we've just been too busy. 

I think he'll be fine, though maybe bored.  He's a little apprehensive about having to be there for 6 hours a day, as am I.  I guess we'll just see how it goes. 

I also don't particularly want to teach my kids spelling and math and writing ... I just want to hang out with them.  I'm honestly looking forward to not having to coordinate his education anymore.  We do a good bit of fighting about school, (which I feel horrible about, especially since he's only 8) and that's one more reason to change something.

We're thinking about this as a temporary change .. we'll reevaluate next year.  Here's hoping school will be a positive experience for all of our kids!
 

[moominmamma]

I'm hoping to avoid sending my 9yo to school next fall, but I sent my 12- and 14-year-olds off last fall, and they've done beautifully. My 14-year-old went part-time, my 12-year-old full-time. Their older sister also attended part-time for three years before them. We have a lovely school full of truly good people, and that really makes it work. It was a big lifestyle change for my kids in terms of being up early and out of the home all day, but academically and socially they've done very well.

Miranda

[Attila the Honey]

We are!

I live with my husband and our 8yo dd, my friend and her 3 kids aged 13, 11 and 8.  The 13 and 11 year old are going to school next year, the two 8 year olds will be doing a cyber charter school.

We are all really excited!

The 13 year old is going to an awesome school - it's focused on maritime studies (we live on Lake Erie) and the school collectively builds a boat each year.  There's a lot of emphasis on learning through the lake, with time spent on the water and lots of outdoor time.  Since his goal in life is to build a boat and explore the world, this is an incredible opportunity for him.

The 11 year old is lonely for kids her age to play with, so I think going to the public school in our neighborhood is going to be awesome for her.

[chrissy]

I'm glad to know I'm not alone!

Leersia, I wish we had a Waldorf charter school!  I really love the Waldorf curriculum and we have done a lot of it in our homeschool. 

Neldavi, I am also looking forward to not having to coordinate curriculum for my kids!

Miranda, That is good to hear that your older kids have done well and enjoyed school.  I always enjoyed school as a kid, so it is really kind of funny that I am so hesitant about it for my own kids.

Attila, my 7 year old is also lonely for kids to play with, and we are hoping school will help with that as well.

So, I have been feeling increasingly panicked about sending my 2 next year.  I really don't know why.  I know I am going to miss them and they will miss home.  They are both really unique, innocent, sweet kids, and I worry that peer pressure is going to zap that out of them.  I know that is kind of crazy, but so far they just are so happy to be themselves.  I'm afraid my 2nd grader will start wanting to wear hootchie girl clothes and my Kindy boy will be too embarrassed to play all the cool imaginary games he plays now.  I'm scared that I won't know everything going on with them.  Sigh. 

Last night I met somebody whose daughter goes to the school Rowan (Kindy) will go to.  Her daughter was in Kindergarten last year and she raved about it.  She told me that once they assign classes, the teacher will come over to our house to meet all of us!  I love that!  So, that has me feeling good.  Of course, this woman is also thinking of homeschooling her dd, but not because of anything negative about the school.  Ugh.

My husband does not understand why this is driving me so nuts.  Honestly, neither do I!

[ERue]

Mine would be going into k and pre-k, so it's not that much of a change, but we have homeschooled for a year now, and I'm starting to evaluate next year. We don't live in the greatest school district, but it's not terrible. I am burnt out, though. Having three kids 5 and under with me at all times is exhausting.

I have a concern with the date of starting school, though. My brother is getting married out of state the weekend after school starts, and my kids would be out for a week and a half (travel to Michigan from Florida is taking 4 days of that alone), and I don't want to get a huge hassle for that right from the get go.

I want to enjoy my kids, at least some of the time. I don't feel as though I'm ever able to since I am constantly 'working.' DD is doing well, though. She's way beyond K level with most subjects. DS1 is starting to read (he's almost 4), but he has no interest in learning from me, really. He just goofs off most of the time. I totally understand that's normal for this age, but I just feel as though he would learn better from some one else.

It's tough, though, since I have been all gungho about HSing this past year, and now I feel like I am failing since I am losing steam with it.