Anyone start off HSing now sending your kid/s to PS?

[eco_mama]

Even though we're only 3 months into our first year homeschooling (Kindergarten) we've decided (or rather, dd has decided) that she'll be going to a public school next year. Is anyone else in this situation? I had a feeling this would happen based on my dd's personality but we really wanted to give HSing a try. She would much rather be in an actual classroom, learning around other children everyday, with a teacher that's not her mommy. (These are things she tells me.) She's also asked several times "when she was gonna go to her real school."

I'd like to think that my $1,000 purchase of HSing supplies wasn't a complete waste! And I guess it's not. I'm just glad that we know what our dd wants/needs and are able to give it to her. I'm ok with homeschooling not being her path. (It certainly is not for everyone) And..I'm actually pretty excited for her to start school! It'll be nice to see her thrive in her element.

So, since we live in a city we have 4 different schools we plan to go see. All different. 1. A Dual Language school 2. Magnet school focused environmental sustainability (they've teamed up with Fair Food Matters and have an organic garden the kids get to work in) 3. The regular Elementary school in our direct neighborhood and 4. A Montessori Magnet school (just recieved their certificate of accreditation from AMS)

[Heavenly]

We homeschooled our kids up until this year. DD is in Grade 1 and DS is in Grade 2 at a small, private Christian school. We loved many aspects of homeschooling but I just grew very tired of being "on" all the time. I felt tremendous pressure knowing I was the one who was completely in control of their learning. What finally tipped the scale is my failing health so we just made the decision and we have been SOOOOO happy with it. The kids totally love their school, I love the break and my 2 year old loves the alone time with Mommy. I love knowing that they are learning and having fun away from me and that the time spent with me I am just Mommy, not teacher. I love that they are making new friends and being exposed to new things and doing fun stuff like theme days, and plays, and sports days. My son has special needs (he has bipolar and anxiety disorder) so I was especially worried about him but the school has really worked with him to help him succeed. So my main advice is to find the right school. I know that if they were in any other school it would just not be going as good. You have to feel comfortable with the school because your children are there so many hours a day. I don't regret homeschooling them, I feel like I gave them a strong educational basis and a strong sense of self. I also don't regret the decision to now send them to school. It was the best decision for all of us.

[sunnmama]

Dd entered second grade this fall, after homeschooling for K and 1st. Her adjustment has been really smooth, and she is really thriving at school. She loves it, and the teachers/students love her. It is nice for her to have this extra source of energy/ideas/entertainment to go to 5 days a week, without me having to drive her around, arrange and pay for classes, and drag my 1 yo son along. It is a blessing to my son, too, because he is now getting the kind of one-on-one attention that dd got when she was a toddler. When dd gets home each day, we have lots to talk about together and we are super excited to see each other. It is a good balance for us, and has improved our relationship, I think.

I had some worries about sending her to school, based on reading that I've done and stories I've heard, but, really, dd's school is pretty darn good (and it isn't any kind of special school....just a small public school, and a title one school at that!). The kids are very kind for the most part, and the school promotes a caring atmosphere. It can be a little difficult to move from the "homeschool" or "unschool" mindset to the "school" mindset (in our case, more difficult for mom than for dd!), but there are very good experiences to be had in school

[Linda on the move]

My 5th grade DD, who has always been homeschooled, is getting ready to start school in the next week or two. Homeschooling was wonderful for us for a long time, but I am totally burned out. Her older sister is opting to stay home but switch to a distance learning program and be more in charge of her own education.

Depending on what homeschooling school supplies you bought they will be great fun or great resources for a long time to come.

My DD will be attending our local public school and I like it so far. The classes are small and the staff seems passionate about what they are doing. She is very excited and I think she will do well. I like that the school is diverse.

I think that school is different for kids who are there of their own free will with loving support from their families. It's just different to do something because you "get to" and doing it because you "have to."

And I have to admit that I feel like a burden has been lifted.

[moonshoes]

Just subbing....I made the very difficult decision today to place my children in school after the holiday break, for many different reasons. I am heartbroken but I know it is the best decision for all of us. It is a private school, some people call it "the best thing next to homeschooling" and hopefully it will work out. I'm just feeling a bit : but I feel deep down in my heart it's for the best.

[MamaMonica]

I put one in school last year and it was a tough emotional decision. Part of it was my local school was not good, but he adjusted well enough. Making the decision and growing through it gave me perspective and more flexibility in thinking. It was a blessing in disguise.

I did make a different educational choice this year, and my children adjusted to that as well and are happy. Good luck to all.

[mama_ani]

My oldest two children are returning to public school after 5.5 years of homeschooling. They will be in grades 7 and 8. It's a rough school they will be at but I'm fairly confident that they will do okay. It has been a heartbreaking decision but it comes down to the fact I have nothing left to give. I'm up all night with an infant and toddler and just can't get around to doing school as much as they need. It will be interesting to see how January - June goes.

[annethcz]

Yup, my kids started school in February 2008 after being homeschooled. There were several factors involved in choosing to send them to school, most of it being that I felt like I couldn't be everything for everybody. My kids attend a charter school with multi-grade classroms, and it has been fabulous. They truly love their school. This fall, I gave them the choice to stay at home or go back to school this year, and they all chose to return to school. Of course there are a few negatives to school, but overall it has been a great experience for them. The transition went pretty well- they got into the groove of school and made new friends easily. School tired them out in a way that HSing didn't, but they got used to it fairly quickly. When we HSed, my kids attended a HS co-op with more formal classes, so they were already used to following classroom rules.

We HSed for as long as it worked for our family, and I feel the same way about public school. If my kids decide that they aren't enjoying school anymore, we'd find another way to meet their needs.

[alisonbr]

Time committment for school

I'd love to hear more about the quality of life for everyone after switching to school. Do you (mom) find you really have more time? Are the afternoons and evenings stressful with homework and tired kids, or do they go fine?

I'm thinking I'd like more time to pursue my writing, and school is looking more attractive, so I'm following this thread closely!

Thanks!

[mama_ani]

Originally Posted by alisonbr

I'd love to hear more about the quality of life for everyone after switching to school. Do you (mom) find you really have more time? Are the afternoons and evenings stressful with homework and tired kids, or do they go fine?

I'm thinking I'd like more time to pursue my writing, and school is looking more attractive, so I'm following this thread closely!

Thanks!

I'll be interested to see how our life is starting next week. I said to my husband that I wonder if I should sign up for correspondence classes or something because I don't know that I'll have enough to do with just the three youngest (10yo dd, 2.75yo ds, 8 mo dd) home. He said to wait and see.

I realized today (when we were visiting with dh's grandparents & planning a trip up to see them) that we can't just go places anymore. Every trip will have to be planned around the school schedule and homework etc I honestly hadn't even thought of that before.

[MamaMonica]

Originally Posted by mama_ani

I realized today (when we were visiting with dh's grandparents & planning a trip up to see them) that we can't just go places anymore. Every trip will have to be planned around the school schedule and homework etc I honestly hadn't even thought of that before.

That was the drawback I experienced with having just one in school. It's a trade off.

[lorrielink]

i am really appriciating this thread. i hope more people will respond or come back and give more detail. weve been homeschooling this time for the last two years and for the most part its been wonderful.
however
my son whos almost 10 and i are discussing the possibility of him going to school next year for 5th grade. we are going to see how the next two months go and probably go to several of the open houses the schools do around here during febuary and march and see what we think. at this point im not sure at all what either of us want to do or exactly how we feel about it. sometimes i feel like if i send him to school, even if its his choice i would feel like i failed and other times it seems like it would be the best choice ever for this period of time at least. i just dont know yet. we are both excited to visit the schools. well just have to keep an open mind and ask really good questions i guess.
thanks everyone so far, i think it can be a really hard subject to be open about.
lorrie

[annethcz]

Originally Posted by alisonbr

I'd love to hear more about the quality of life for everyone after switching to school. Do you (mom) find you really have more time? Are the afternoons and evenings stressful with homework and tired kids, or do they go fine?

As I mom, I definitely have more time. I have the opportunity to do the things I want to do. I can be alone without resorting to spending 2 hours at the grocery store at night just so I could hear myself think. That said, my time to myself *is* limited to the amount of time my kids are in school. And right now I have children attending two different school programs, so the ending times are different and I need to adjust my schedule accordingly.

Our afternoons and evenings are just as busy now as they were when we were homeschooling. My kids have always participated in sports and other extracurriculars in the afternoons/evenings, so nothing has changed there.

As for your question about the kids being stressed out, it really depends. When my kids first started school, school tired them out. They were a little grouchy. But they adjusted really quickly. Homework is occasionally an issue, but not often. My kids have a pretty flexible homework policy. They do have weekly assignments, but the kids often get to choose the assignments. For example, for spelling practice, my kids get to choose 2 or 3 of about 10 different options to complete by the end of the week.

Originally Posted by mama_ani

I realized today (when we were visiting with dh's grandparents & planning a trip up to see them) that we can't just go places anymore. Every trip will have to be planned around the school schedule and homework etc I honestly hadn't even thought of that before.

I agree that it can be difficult to work around different schedules. But I'll also admit that homeschooling wasn't nearly as flexible as I thought it would be. Because my kids have always played sports and we participated in different HS groups and a HS co-op, we've always had to work around something. When we first started homeschooling, I was so excited that we'd be able to go on vacation when everyone else was in school, but it never really worked out that way. Going on vacation in October meant that we missed soccer games and I had to find a sub at the HS co-op. I know that a lot of homeschooling families don't have as many commitments as we did, but we would've gone crazy without something to fill up our days.

[Fuamami]

Yay for this thread! I'm so glad to hear that people have had positive experiences. I was thinking for awhile that I'd have to send dd starting this winter, but I think we'll be able to make it to the summer at least, but probably until fall. I started working part time in March, and I feel like it's crazy to pay for daycare so I can work and then try to fit in hsing and meanwhile neglect my two little boys. So I'm definitely thinking we'll go next year.

[mommystinch]

I've been home with my daughter since before she was born. We are half way through K, and we are visiting the public K this coming week. It is very likely that dd will be enrolled and start going right after our visit. I have really mixed feelings and deffinitely feel like I have failed in some way. But, I think this might be good for all of us. I'll be back to see what others say and to share our experience!

[Periwinkle]

subbing.. just reading at this point

[muse]

we homeschooled till 1st grade then ds started in waldorf. that has not been a good fit, so he just did day 2 at our local public school. so far so good, and i think we'll find much more flexibility with this than with private school; less commute time, it's FREE! all of which means we can get back to some of the cool stuff we did when we homeschooled; crafts, music, drama and dance classes..

the exciting thing is seeing how much ds benefited from that time out of the schools system and how much he is going in with. we never did any academics at home but he was teaching himself to read and write. when he started in waldorf he lost it all again. but as soon as he was in an environment that encouraged it it came back to him right away and he's so excited to learn.

on day one in PS his teacher asked me for hs-ing info because some day he might take a sabbatical and hs his children. he said he'd like to learn more about thte philosophy of hs anyway because isn't that how teaching should be a approached in a school anyway?! ds said today, "if this school doesn't work out then maybe my teacher will stop working there and can hs me"

[JessasMilkMama]

We HSed last year for Kindergarten. The social part was fun (dance class, park day, girl scouts) but the learning part was tiring, esp since I had a new baby and a toddler. And she didnt enjoy sitting down to do any work. I know a lot of HSers wouldnt make their 5yos do anything other than play, but I wanted her to learn stuff in case she did enter school and wouldnt be behind. It was actually good, she learned to read and a lot of other basics.

But she wanted to go to school and we were able to get her into a great public school. It has defied any stereotype I had of public school. DD LOVES, totally adores school. Her teachers, her friends. Most parents are in the PTA. The teachers are caring. They have music and art and PE and recess in large quantities. We are SOOOO happy with it.

It might be different if she were struggling, or didnt like school, or if we still lived in a bad neighborhood where the schools sucked. And one day that might be the case again, who knows? HS can remain an option, and I like to keep my options open and take it year by year

[mommystinch]

My daughter and I visited the public K today. She was a part of the class all day while I sat there since she wasn't actually enrolled. It was a loonnnnggggg day! But, it wasn't so bad for her since she wasn't just sitting there. She actually got upset when it was time to go, begged me to enroll her, and asked when she would go back. So, we are going through with registration on Mon and she will start on Tues.

I am full of mixed feelings and I certainly wasn't thrilled with some of the behavior of a few of the kids. But, dd is not the sort of kid that will bother with the kids who aren't generally behaving okay. She was thrilled with being around other kids, going to PE, getting to raise her hand to answer all sorts of questions, etc. Not to mention, there was no younger brother yelling at her, taking her papers, crawling over her work, and just generally making things hard for her.

We'll see how she does on her own....

[eco_mama]

Well I'm glad to see this thread is still going. We've decided to go with our Dual-Language School. It's a great school and nice and small --and only a mile away from our house! (Only 150 kids total - it goes to 4th grade.) 50% English/50% Spanish. Dd will be starting 1st in the fall and she's really excited. She was bummed that she couldn't start now! Good luck to everyone finding the right schools. We consider ourselves lucky to have the option of a Dual-Language school. Oh, and they're starting weekly classes for parents to learn English/Spanish if they so choose to. So I'm definitely going to take advantage of that!
And for the time being we're going to finish out our Kinder year while working on some things she'll need to know for 1st grade.