Thinking of homeschooling...opinions and advice please?

[ajh88]

Hi all...I don't post here on the family forum too often, but I know about the homeschool threads (and I promise I'll be making my way through them eventually!) here.

A little background...DD has been in public school since kindergarten and she is finishing 4th grade this year. She is not a super gifted child - she works hard and gets decent grades (A/B student) although she does struggle in math. She typically tests around average - with some highs and lows mixed in depending on the subject matter. I have always liked her teachers and I do think she gets help in areas where she needs it.

Now for my complaints...she is much more "artistic" in nature...art and science are her two favorite subjects and the two that she doesn't get on a regular basis in school. They have no formal art program at all and science is done a couple days a week for a semester (it alternates with social studies I believe). Her school district currently has 3 elementary schools (K-8) and one unified high school - they are considering re-aligning to make a unified middle school as well and this would be in place before DD reaches 6th grade (so we are looking at a school switch coming up in another year). The principal at a different elementary school just retired..so they have decided (due to budget restraints), to take the principal from DD's elementary school and make him principal over both schools. I'm not sure how they think that will work (the schools are about 5 miles apart) - but the bottom line is that there will be no prinicpal on site for about half the time. There are no assistant principals either. They are increasing enrollment fees from $12 to $100 and tacking on an additional $80 technology fee per year. They are taking away all field trips to the educational co-op (which are mainly science-focused). In addition, I get frustrated that the teachers have to teach to the test for standardized exams...there seems to be so little leeway for "elective" activities.

DH and I have tossed around the idea of homeschooling for awhile...I have always felt like DD doesn't fit in the mold of a standard student (whatever that may be..I guess someone who learns best by the traditional classroom methods). But I'm scared and nervous about whether or not this would be the right thing. I think we could enrich her knowledge far more than traditional public school ever could...but I also know that she will miss her friends.

I'd love to hear advice from people who have made the switch and the ups and downs I should expect. I'm not 100% committed to this yet, but it is becoming more of an option every day. TIA!

 

[Wendy31]

I don't have much advice because we just made the switch a year ago & are finishing up our 1st year.

DD finished 4th grade & DS finished 3rd grade last year - both were enrolled in the same private school & had been there since kindergarten.

We are doing 5th grade (DD) & 4th grade (DS) this year.

I wish we had done it earlier so that we could have gotten involved with local co-op groups when they were younger.

We are enjoying it, but are looking for more outreach programs & experiences for next year. Both my kids are missing the "friend" connection. (However, the "clique-y" friend scene & them having to learn to be "mean" in order to fit in was one of our reasons for homeschooling.)

We're using the Abeka accredited DVD program for curriculum.

 

[Nanu57v]

Where do you live that you have to pay for public school? I didn't know that was legal!

We are considering (strongly, as in I'm about to buy our curriculum) next year. My DD is in K and bored. She says she can't wait until she is 8 so she can do hard work. Plus, they are realigning our schools and taking her from her nice small school of 150 and putting 3 schools into an old high school of 550. Doubling class sizes from 13 this year to 25 next year.

We are planning on buying Sonlight curriculum. Its a literature based curriculum (meaning you learn from books instead of a textbook for everything but math). Lots of reading for both the parent and the student...which sounds fun to me!

 

[sahmoftwo]

We are in our first official year of homeschooling. I can't speak about making the switch b/c we decided to homeschool before my dd began kindergarten, but I can tell you that my friends who have children in p.s. always tell me that I made a great decision. My dd is also very artistic and creative and would have struggled in p.s.
The "s" word (socialization) is something that a lot of new homeschooling parents think about. My dd is in church, girl scouts, an art class, and a homeschool playgroup. We are always busy! As far as the friends your dd has already made, she can continue to see them outside of school hours (this is what my dd does with her p.s. friends).
We also use a literature based curriculum. My dd is a bit younger so we use five in a row. There is a lot to think about and I wish you luck. It was a great decision for us and I hope you make the best choice for your family!

 

[melissaga]

We are just finishing our second year of homeschooling. Dd went to a traditional school through 6th grade. We use an online private school, Laurel Springs School (www.laurelsprings.com). It was easier for us to go this route instead of researching and purchasing various individual courses. When we started, I was working a crazy schedule and this made it work. I did look into various other online schools. K12 is very popular because they've partnered with many states to be a virtual charter school for them, so it can be free if you live in the right place. For multiple reasons, we've decided to continue this way.

When we started, I would have described my dd as a slightly above average math student. She's now gone so far above that, it's almost unbelievable. What a huge difference moving at her own pace has made! If she understands something, there's no need to do 100s of problems to reinforce it. If she doesn't, she can take as much time as she needs to understand it. I am so proud of how far she has come in such a short time. (If I can brag for one more second, my 8th grader just finished Algebra 2). Just one of many academic benefits for her.

We all love the flexibility. Last year, we went to WDW the week after Labor Day. What a blast that was! I also love the flexibility of the curriculum. There are times when she was given the option to write a paper, draw illustrations, or create a scrapbook for a project. Her teachers are always willing to come up with an optional idea or approve dd's own ideas for projects. They also have a non-traditional project based curriculum for elementary school, which is something I would have considered for dd had we started sooner. Instead of individual subjects, you pull all the subjects from one on-going project that lasts a few weeks.

My dd is very involved in dance and art classes, both of which have become the focus of her social life. We tried a local homeschool group once a week too, but it was hard to fit it in and she was getting enough social activity through her other extracurriculars.

Anyway, changing to homeschooling was one of the best things we have done for dd and for our family in general. It's not for everyone, but the first year is quite a learning curve for anyone. I was given that warning and it was quite true. Year 2 has been a breeze, relatively speaking.

 

[princesspwrhr]

The first thing you will want to do is look at and understand your state homeschool laws. They vary from state to state. Do not call the district and ask them - typically the PS people try hard to be helpful but don't really understand the HS laws and will give you bad advice. I also don't reccomend taking what HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Agency) has on their website for state laws as gospel. They have "overviews" based on their interpretation. While they can be immensley helpful, this is one area they fall short. For the two states I have lived in and homeschooled in, the HSLDA website has really skewed the perception of what the laws are. (disclaimer, I haven't checked the website in at least 4 years, so they could have better interpretations now) Go straight to the actual law. Most states will have a state group (or several) that have links to the actual law. Many Department of Ed state websites also have links to the actual law.

Once you are sure you understand the law, find local groups (online and IRL) and ask them about HSing in your district. How does the district interpret the laws? Do they follow them to a T, are they lenient or do they not have a clue? How many enrichment activities are available - in your case, particularly for art (art theory, art history, fine arts etc), are there enough homeschoolers in a reasonable driving distance for park gatherings and other social events? Is the general homeschool community helpful and supportive or are they pretty much a 'do-your-own-thing' type of group? Are there co-ops for subjects that maybe aren't your strong suit? What about later down the road if you homeschool through middle and high school? You will need the support of not only your family, but of other homeschoolers also (who else will understand when your MIL says you are crazy and she doesn't know why you aren't letting your dd be normal? lol - only the people who have delat with it also!)

Now that you've got the law and the community thing figured out -what and how are you going to teach? Do you want a boxed curriculum where everything comes from the same publisher and has printed teacher guides? This *can* have the same downfall as public school. Most kids do not learn everything on the same level. They are usually on one level for this subject another level for that subject and somewhere in between for these subjects. Other kids do great with everything on the same level. Do you want to use peices of boxed curriculum? (A for Math, B for LA, C for science) so that you have everything laid out but pick and choose your levels? Do you want to completely make up your curriculum from scratch? Do you want teacher support? There are several well known homeschool curriculum companies that offer teacher support. Budget comes into play here.

There are also a few homeschool curriculums that are being used by the public schools as virtual academies (K12 is the biggest one - they also have an independant option which is traditional homeschooling). Depending on the state, will depend on if it's free or not as well as how much flexibility there is in levels. You will not legally be homeschooling since this option is a public school option - but you will be doing all of the teaching at home and facilitating the education.

Don't expect everything to be perfect or easy immediately. The general rule of thumb is to give it the first year as a test. If you feel it went well, go for a second. Take it one year at a time. Life changes, things happen, you have to be flexible. It has it's wonderful aspects, but it also has it's difficulties. My oldest is in 8th grade and with the exception of PreK, half of Kindy and half of 5th grade, she's been homeschooled the entire time. My younger two are in 1st grade and have never been in PS. There are days I question my sanity. There are days I wouldn't trade for the world. The good days outweigh the bad, but what you have to realize is you are not making an educational change. You are making a LIFEstyle change.

ugh - apologies for any spelling errors. Apperantly I need to download something for the spell check to work. Annoying!

 

[ajh88]

Thanks so much for all of the replies so far...I appreciate the perspectives, advice, and information!

I will start doing some more research on my state specific laws (Kansas, BTW, in case anyone knows anything off-hand!).

Thanks again...and please keep the info coming if you have something to add!

 

[mermaidblue!]

Reading your story, I'd be concerned too.

I know many homeschoolers (I have one child in public and my youngest in a home school co-op) and I've noticed most families decide from year to year whether they'll continue homeschooling or enroll in a traditional school. At first it can be very scary to switch to homeschooling, but remember it doesn't have to be a lifetime commitment.

Wishing you all the best!

 

[mickmse]

I homeschooled my son for the 6th grade then he decided in 7th he wanted to go back to school. He had major problems back at school in the 7th grade with bullying and other things. So I pulled him out and homeschooled for the 8th grade. He has since decided that he would like to attend PS for high school. But we have moved and he will go to a different high school than most of the others we left behind.

You can try it and see how it goes. We never got into any coops or anything as he was older and already had the friends he still hung out with anyways. I loved homeschooling as we could go at his pace and do more of the things he enjoyed doing and less of what he didn't like. I would love to be able to homeschool my youngest but I am in college to become a teacher so she will start in the ps in the fall.

 

[chris31997]

If your child is artistic and really excels in that area than homeschooling maybe a good fit for you.

My DD started ballet at the age of 3 and loved it. After 10 years she still does, and is quite good at it. She assist in teaching some classes, takes private lessons, competes, and preforms. She has discovered that she is good at teaching little girls to dance, and she wants to preform. All of the dance that she does, I count towards her schooling, about 15 hours a week. None of this would be possible without homeschooling her.

I do recommend HSLDA. I find that their laws summations are in "plain English". They also have groups that you can contact. Keep in mind that this is a Christian organization. You can find groups and co-ops that will allow your DD to make new friends. She may even find ones that she has alot in common with.

My second piece of advice is to have both you and hubby full on board with this. You will have some days that are great and some days not so great. But all in all, it is totally worth it

 

[scrapbookingmanda]

Where in Kansas are you? I'm in the Wichita area and we have a ton of great resources here. I don't have the website saved on this computer,but if you google the Teaching Parents Association in Wichita that website will answer all your Kansas homeschool questions. They put on the homeschool convention the first week in June as well as offering "starting homeschooling" workshops a few times a year. I did this workshop when I first decided to homeschool two years ago and it was definitly worth the money and time. Even if you aren't in the wichita area, that website will get you started. Feel free to pm me if you want more info. By the way, Kansas is one of the easiest states to homeschool in, they require virtually nothing more than registering once and keeping some form of records.

Amanda

 

[Leajess99]

Thanks so much for all of the replies so far...I appreciate the perspectives, advice, and information!

I will start doing some more research on my state specific laws (Kansas, BTW, in case anyone knows anything off-hand!).

Thanks again...and please keep the info coming if you have something to add!

Kansas does have virtual school through K12. If my kids lived there (their dad does) than we could do virtual school for free but here in Kentucky there is no free virtual school. I would love to pull my 7th grader but she does not want to.

My youngest is in a very awesome school out of district so I won't pull her until middle school.

 

[StuckInKS]

Where do you live that you have to pay for public school? I didn't know that was legal!

We are in KS and my kids are technically in public school (they are in the public program through K12 mentioned by a pp) and are charged $100 per year for various fees, including a "technology fee."

OP, if you look into the K12 program mentioned by a pp (the only one I know of is through Lawrence Virtual School) then there will be a fee unless you child qualifies for financial assistance.

There are also some Connections (through Elkhart and a few others) programs and Andover eCademy offers Lincoln-based curriculum. Bashor-Linwood have their own program. You can be anywhere in KS to qualify for these programs and all are free, aside from the fees.

If your child is enrolled in a public school program, then you don't need to do anything else legally. If you homeschool on your own then I think you have to register with your name and address.

 

[CLR4321]

Wow, I also had not heard of the fees you described. I lived in KS for a year, but my DS had not started school yet at that point. I would definitely give homeschooling a try in your situation, especially since art & science are important to you and your child! If you have the patience and are comfortable and prepared to teach your child, by all means, do it. I wish I had the ability to homeschool my DS. The public school system is such a shame these days.