What happens when you REschool? Anyone ever had to do it?

[daekini]

I've read a lot about de-schooling, but since I intend to start off homeschooling I just have one question - and it's the same question I despise hearing from the dissenting voices (regarding homeschooling) in my family.

What happens if you homeschool for a few years, and for whatever reason, you need to enroll the kids in school again?

One person in my neighborhood (a K-5 art teacher) gave me a nasty look when I told her I was planning to homeschool and said, "well, you need to hear my horror stories about the screwed-up homeschool kids that try to get back into public school!"

I didn't know what to say. And I certainly did NOT want to hear her stories, so I'd like to hear yours.

Has anyone here ever placed their kids back into ps? Was it a disaster?

TIA
~alison

[rebeccalizzie]

I can't give you personal experience with my DD, but she has two friends who were hs'd and then went to ps and did fine. One is in 4th grade and was hs'd for 3 years, and one is a freshman in high school abd was hs'd until this year. I'm friends with the freshman's mom, and she is doing great--she really loved hs'ing, but wanted to go to regular high school. She loves it and had no trouble at all adjusting or fitting in, or doing the school work.

You know, I have heard horror stories of public school kids who can't read, and horror stories of homeschooled kids who really don't have any social skills, and horror stories of messed up kids coming from every style of parenting I've ever heard of. There are horror stories for everything, your neighbor is full of it and your choice to hs is none of her business

[Cajunmomma]

I haven't had any of my own children start school, but I have several friends who have put their children in both public and private schools after homeschooling them for years. None of them have had any problems. Not one. Sometimes the schools have tried to make it hard, and required a lot of testing and all, but the kids have passed them all with flying colors.

I didn't go into homeschooling with the idea of ever putting my kids in school. I went into it with the idea that I would do it one day at a time. That was 14 years ago. Don't let someone who doesn't homeschool scare you. They don't have any idea what they're talking about.

[Linda on the move]

Our kids are home and always have been, but we've had friends put their kids in school. It has gone just fine. One family started with a private school and then ended up switching to public because the work load at the private school was just too much, and other family started with public and then switched to private because of discipline problems at the public school. Both families saw it as trying to find the right fight for their child, rather than trying to make their child fit the situation.

One child we know really struggled with spelling tests at school, but I always struggled with spelling tests and I never homeschooled, so that may have more to do with the person than the method of education

[mrsfatty]

Here's my personal experience:

I was hs-ed from 3rd grade through 7th grade...during that time I was VERY sheltered (and living in an abusive home)...my transition to public school was rough at times (I was very nervous and self-conscious) and I was COMPLETLY unaware of social norms...but I was able to transition by making friends (friends who thought it was funny I didn't know certain things...like stupid junior high sex jokes or things like that)...I had a difficult time taking tests (I'd never really been good at taking tests...great at the regular work...but extreme anxiety related to test (I think that comes from my mom being abusive while I was a child)...but other than that...it worked out great...to be honest...I didn't learn anything until my junior year of high school...but I learned a lot socially (and musically)...but had different circumstances...

...so if you are extremely overprotective and abusive...yes, your kids will have an interesting/difficult transition...but they'll make it...if you're not...then it'll just be an adjustment...just like any other life-changing circumstance...hth!!!

[mama_kass]

I have a friend who teaches 5th grade public school. He hs his kids BTW! He has had some issues with children just entering school for the first time. HSers tend to be at higher levels in some areas and "behind" in others when they enter school. He said within months they catch up and fit in pretty well with everyone else.

[EFmom]

My dh teaches science in a public high school. He's had many kids who have been homeschooled over the years. The difficulty of adjustment varies with the child. Some do have a hard time but some have no trouble at all.