Does anyone else' kiddo want to go to school?

[MomOfOneFunOne]

I interpreted at our Performing Arts Center today. It was an Imagination Series production. One of the schools that attended contacted me to visit their classroom to talk about private practivce/community interpreting, interpret a story, how I b/c an interpreter, et c. Yes . . . I took my daughter.

 

So now my koddo wants to go to school. It isn't the school or the education et c., itls the vast quantity of children. For my only child it's like a famished man walking into The Super China Buffet!

 

Now I'm wrestling with this feeling . . . well, school was fun for me. I liked it and had a good time. I'm feeling some . . . is it guilt? I'm feeling as if I'm robbing her of something. Not a good education or safety or . . .that stuff but . . .

 

I don't know. Do you know?

[Chris in VA]

I think I know. We want our children to be happy. When we see children at their best in a group, playing happily, getting along, it makes us want that warm fuzzy for our kiddos.

It's when we see the flip side, the nasty, icky side of children's behaviour, that our rush to protect comes into play.

 

I loved school. I was the youngest of three, the only girl, and 5-6 years younger than my brothers, who basically ignored me most of the time. I had a mom who did not play, a dad who did, but was not home alot--so I read. I read all the time, because I was too shy and insecure to play with the neighborhood kids on a regular basis (did, sometimes, but always felt odd). I had dear, sweet friends, one or two at a time, but school was where I could shine--I was obedient, smart, and a "teacher pleaser."

 

I now have a dd who has 2 brothers--she's the youngest, and they are 8 and 10 years older than her. She reads. Alot. I play, but not much. Her dad does, but works hard and isn't home on the weekends as much as some.

She will go to school next year. I'm only half glad.

 

It's hard to have so much choice, isn't it? We want the best for dc, but can't see the future, and can't always know what that best is. So, I guess we take what good we can, and surrender the rest. You can't have the peanut butter sandwich AND the turkey sub. So you choose the turkey--you can't have the pb, but you've got a great turkey sub!

 

Homeschooling requires giving up some things--sometimes it's scads of happy kids on the playground, sometimes it's great group discussions, sometimes it's prom. But you have to look at the great things you do have ( and the yuckies you don't!) and be ok with that.

[DianeJM]

My 9yods keeps begging me to put him in school. I don't think it would be best for him, but sometimes I do wonder. It's such a temptation, but I wonder if for me it represents the myth of "the greener grass". There are a lot of things about school I don't like; our older kids did a year here and there in Christian school. But I really believe dh and I are called to home school, I can't escape from that feeling no matter how hard I might want to. When I look at the cold hard facts, I believe home schooling is better for us, and ideally I don't think there can be a better education (now in practice that might not be the case, but in theory).

 

But at this point in my life and circumstances, I am very low on energy and motivation and have lots of distractions with my extended family. I had better get that straightened out pronto, or I'll be behinder than ever. There are lots of days we don't even get to school. Things have to get better in that department, or we might just have to put him somewhere by default.

 

I can totally relate with your struggle; it's every family's personal decision.

Blessings!

[OneRoomHomeSchool]

My 6 year old used to always say he would love to go to a 'real' school, then after we brought dd12, ds11, and dd9 home, and they told him the *real* scoop, well...he has decided he wouldn't like it afterall. :001_smile:

[Sue G in PA]

We took him out after 1st grade so he never really had too much of a ps experience...but enough to know he liked it! He made one good friend whom he still sees daily (after school!). His reasons? He said he liked riding the bus and like recess and lunch b/c of the choices! Ummm..sorry kid...NOT a good enough reason to convince ME to send you back! The friend issue bugs me from time to time w/ my dc b/c my dd11's best friend (also hsed) moved away to DE and she hardly sees her. She lost contact w/ her ps friends and doesn't really have anybody else nearby. Ds8 doesn't make friends readily (has never been to ps) but doesn't seem bothered by it. He does NOT want to go to ps and interestingly enough, neither does dd11 despite the friend issue. She did have a bad, bullying experience in 3rd grade (the reason we pulled her out...straw that broke the camel's back sort of thing!) so that has tainted her view of ps. She knows from talking to other girls her age that it is only that much worse in middle school.

 

We just tell our kids that mom and dad think hsing is best for them. Obviously if one of them had a very strong argument for going back to school, we would consider it and they know that. But, for right now, they know that hsing is what we do and they also know the benefits!

[Rhonda in TX]

She was in school from K - half of 2nd grade. She's wanted to go back for over a year now. Several things contribute to this.

 

- a lack of friends

- watching TV shows that "romanticize" school

- boredom at home (something we need to work on)

 

It's not going to happen anytime soon, though. We are her parents. We know what is best. For a myriad of reasons, going to school is NOT it. We are, however, looking into a homeschool enrichment class that meets one day a week, 9:30 - 2:30. It will be a social outlet for her and enough like "school" that it will satisfy her.

[melissel]

Mine does because she wants to ride the bus, and she's very social, so she misses the instant sociability. But she's completely aware that she would be very unhappy getting up at 7:00 a.m. every day, so she's realistic about the "greener grass." Whew!

[Jenny in Atl]

Yes, dd12 wants to go... ugh.

[Elisabeth in IL]

My very social 8 yods has wanted to go to "real" school for a long time now. The problem is that he is technically 2nd grade age but doing 3rd grade work but not where the 3rd graders are at by this time in the year. He'd be bored with his age but behind, a bit, of the next grade up.

 

Also I don't want him to go!!! :)

[TengoFive]

My social butterfly has wanted to go to school since she was a preschooler. She loves the bus, she loves the people, she loves the idea of it. We moved 2 years ago to an area where the schools are horrid, horrid, horrid. When she found out how the schools were here, she did a 180 and is now quite happy at home. We do go to our homeschool co-op though, to allow her a social outlet. Of course, I have 4 other kids, so she has plenty of playmates.

[MIch elle]

and he's going for his first time this fall for 9th grade! Yippe, we're all thrilled for him and the opportunities available to him for academics, sports, clubs, and social life (they have formal dances).

 

Good Luck with your decision!

[Julie in GA]

i.e., "You don't want me to send you to public school, do you?" :)

 

Just realized -- this should be on the general board.