Sue G in PA Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 So, 3 of my dc went back to ps today...my ds9 for the first time since PreK. All 3 had a great time (first day, who doesn't right? It's the "honeymoon period", lol). I'm speaking with the testing coordinator who tested ds11 and she informs me of all the "holes" in his knowledge base. :glare: First of all, they tested him after a 3 month vacation from schoolwork. :glare::glare: I think he'll catch up and on very quickly. BUT, I find that we'll have to do remedial reading for fluency, MUS to keep up his math confidence (The school uses Everyday Math...need I say more?), not to mention the history I wanted to get in. Ds9 is weak in writing according to the school. I couldn't care less, but I do want to keep up the copywork and dictation with him. Dd12 is too overwhelmed right now for me to even mention afterschooling. BUT...they placed her in their second level of Pre-Algebra instead of Alg. 1 and won't switch her right now. :glare: So....if they don't eventually switch her, I want her doing some higher level math b/c SHE ALREADY DID SAXON PRE-ALGEBRA LAST YEAR! Grrrrr.....So dd12 understands that we might be doing a bit of Saxon Alg. 1 mixed in or MUS Alg. 1...whichever she chooses. Anyone else find that afterschooling is just as time-consuming and stressful if not more so than normal hsing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
workingmom Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 this same thing happened to me but at a lower eleme level. its was too much to keep up both and we made the decision to hs full time which has worked out great for us. no more jamming in things. at least for know its working we'll see next year when we plan to put ds back in private school Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 I really think afterschooling only works if you are generally happy with your school. If you need to re-teach the basics, then I agree it's easier just to homeschool. BTW, we've been overall very happy with Everyday Math, and my kids consistently test on or above grade level in the Singapore placement tests. (We don't afterschool math generally, but I do test the kids about once a year just to make sure they are keeping up and aren't developing holes.) So you might get lucky and have teachers that really know how to implement it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesa Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 I looked into sending my kids to PS... but then I realized I would have to afterschool my children in Math, Grammar, Writing, and Science just to keep them on grade level. It's just not worth it to me. I'd be spending just as much time on their homework and afterschooling as I do homeschooling full time. Plus my kids dont have to deal with all the negatives of our local public schools. One of my big issues is following the schools rules. They have so many rules here it isnt funny. It's like they are trying to take away my "rights" as a parent. I am not handing over my children for them to parent.. nope, no way. Good luck Mama. If your kids stay in school, be in the schools face. Make calls do what you have to do to make sure your childrens needs are met. Call the Super Intendant and tell him about the issues you are having. I had to call our Super Intendant several times, but he did get back to me... and he actually helped me see that homeschooling is a better option for my family. (He suggested I start a Family School in our town, because the schools aren't doing so well. Ummm, no thanks lol.) I hope you get things straightened out quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 My daughter (12) got off the school van at 4pm and by the time we got home it was 4:30. One day a week she had skating practice at 5 and one night a week her therapist. So by the time she got home, unwound for about 30 minutes, she had to start on homework. She could be doing homework till at least 10pm. There was no chance of afterschooling. Hello homeschooling! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iluvmy4blessings Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 (edited) So, 3 of my dc went back to ps today...my ds9 for the first time since PreK. All 3 had a great time (first day, who doesn't right? It's the "honeymoon period", lol). I'm speaking with the testing coordinator who tested ds11 and she informs me of all the "holes" in his knowledge base. :glare: First of all, they tested him after a 3 month vacation from schoolwork. :glare::glare: I think he'll catch up and on very quickly. BUT, I find that we'll have to do remedial reading for fluency, MUS to keep up his math confidence (The school uses Everyday Math...need I say more?), not to mention the history I wanted to get in. Ds9 is weak in writing according to the school. I couldn't care less, but I do want to keep up the copywork and dictation with him. Dd12 is too overwhelmed right now for me to even mention afterschooling. BUT...they placed her in their second level of Pre-Algebra instead of Alg. 1 and won't switch her right now. :glare: So....if they don't eventually switch her, I want her doing some higher level math b/c SHE ALREADY DID SAXON PRE-ALGEBRA LAST YEAR! Grrrrr.....So dd12 understands that we might be doing a bit of Saxon Alg. 1 mixed in or MUS Alg. 1...whichever she chooses. Anyone else find that afterschooling is just as time-consuming and stressful if not more so than normal hsing? I had the same exact problem with math. My daughter was ahead in math until she went to public school. They automatically placed her in regular math. I appealed to them to put her in the advanced math, and they said it was up to the teacher and not me. The teacher has to sign a paper recommending her. She had between an A and a high B all year but the teacher never would move her even though I requested it. Of course at some point it becomes too late b/c they have missed the opportunity. I found myself at the mercy of the teacher either signing or not signing off on the form. Once they hit about 6th grade, the teachers start referring kids to GT and advanced programs based almost solely on the state standardized testing. They did not look at prior grades, history or parent/student desire to be in advanced classes. It was 100% based on the teacher looking at the scores and signing a form. As a result my daughter was not placed in these programs. I really feel that this is wrong. I think that if a student has the ability, desire and motivation to succeed they should be at the very least allowed the opportunity. My daughter was not even allowed that opportunity. To me this is not providing a "free and appropriate" education as the law says students have a right. By the time my daughter was in 7th grade she was at a huge disadvantage. They did not allow her to take Pre Algebra in 7th and therefore she already is on track to NOT have all the math necessary to have a crack at qualifying for the National Merit Scholarship Program on the PSAT. Students have to have had a certain level of math to have a real stab at it. IMHO, they were trying to keep my daughter from reaching her potential. Also, my dd began to believe this nonsense that she wasn't capable and that must be why she wasn't in those classes. Even though I know her capabilities, she began to believe what the school was telling her. Her motivation dropped and by end of 7th grade so had her grades as she no longer cared. She decided to stop caring about academics altogether since she now believed what the teacher was telling her . She even decided she wasn't that smart so why bother. She started hanging out with kids who also could care less about their education. She was tired of feeling "not good enough". This led to all kinds of focus on other things like boys, boys and oh yeah..boys!! LOL...I know that is what all 13 y.o. kids do at some point but my daughter took a fast spiral downward. This teacher judging her based solely on ONE standardized test score had a huge effect on her self esteem. I am homeschooling her this year and we will be focusing on getting her back up to speed. She is excited to once again have the opportunity to advance herself based on her own merit, and not some random teacher's decision based on ONE state test score. This was too long. Sorry! I just get a bit riled up thinking about certain teachers just randomly deciding to exclude students from opportunities and possibly affecting their future as a result! Edited August 27, 2009 by iluvmy4blessings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BabyBre Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 Anyone else find that afterschooling is just as time-consuming and stressful if not more so than normal hsing? It's far more stressful for us. On top of spending 6 hours a day in the overstimulating, underacademic social environment of public school, we spend 2 hours at home "beforeschooling" to make up for what the ps lacks, and then a brief time after school doing homework. If I didn't keep the extracurriculars heavily limited, we'd be running around like crazy every single night of the week, constantly dining on the go and/or seperately. As it is, one of my greatest challenges is making sure we're all together at some point during the day. I'd take endless hours learning at home together over this any day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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