If you transitioned from homeschooling to sending dc to public school. . .

[gandpsmommy]

can you tell me about that transition? What thinks were most challenging or difficult? Did your children adjust well to the structure and schedule? Were there social issues? Was it hard for them to get used to having to go everyday, having to get up early, having homework, not having the flexibility of homeschooling? Did they make friends easily or have a hard time breaking into the social circles? What things do you wish you had known before they went back? Did it end up being a positive experience? Thanks for any input.

[Shasta Mom]

I have to say, overwhelmingly, it's gone really well. His teacher told me he needed to adjust socially in the beginning of the year. He did come home one day in tears (not like him at all) because a group science project didn't work out.

I think he's a pretty bright kid, so the academics haven't been an issue at all. Also, the required homework has gone pretty smoothly because he has an outside authority figure who he respects. Deadlines are deadlines, and he meets them. He also had to do a presentation in front of the class, something that wouldn't have happened at home. This caused him anxiety and nervousness. It was a great experience. And, also, ironically, it went so well, that he was asked to give the presentation again to another class, so he got to go through the whole nervousness cycle twice. He learned that you get through it. I'm told that a good index of how children are doing socially, is how they like recess. Recess can be hard for kids. He loves recess, so that's good.

Realizing that life is compromise, we're accepting the lower academic level of public school, and supplementing on our own during the summer. Given my work situation now, it's impossible to home school, so he will continue there next year.....

[Bee]

Younger dd chose to go to school recently. She loves it there. She cried when school was cancelled because of the weather. She loves the bus ride, the socialization, even the math program the school uses. She seems to be having no difficulty fitting in but she has always been the child who loves to socialize. Because of other commitments (karate), we don't afterschool right now but she has no trouble finding time to do her homework.

We have found that she can be quite grumpy when she gets home. Those of us still home (the rest of the family) find it highly irritating that we have to adjust our schedule around the school's. I've always know what my children are learning and been involved in making the decisions about my childrens' educations and it's not always easy to let go and let someone else do it instead- for better or worse. We've seen some good changes in her behavior and some bad ones. The bad ones have been minor, mostly the use of certain irritating slang words.

 

I'd love to think that she will choose to hs again someday but there is a good possibility that won't happen.

[mchel210]

I have had a difficult time with my son in 8th grade. He is having trouble not having someone on top of him! I am trying as hard as I can to stay out of his work and make him take charge...but he just thinks if he skips it...then it is ok...but it is not! He is learning the hard way.

 

My son went back Feb 1 this year. He is finally realizing his work load is much more being in school all day then working on HW after school! I do still help with math and I use my TT books to keep him up to what he was working on at home. It is a huge help that I am working with him as I know how to help him in class. I dont get much help from teachers in any subject...that is one issue I cant stand.

 

AS far as socially...he has no problem. He loves being in school for "friends"

 

My son has gotten into a couple fights...I think one wasn't his fault...just a kid that was a bully. The other..a kid told him go ahead slap me...so he did. Ughh. The cop said most kids go back and forth for minutes saying that to each other like a dare...but no one ever really does it. My son didn't understand that dumb "social" part....so he skipped it all and just slapped the kid when he asked. I had to do a big eye roll!@!!!! Anyways...he sat down with the kid and the principal and all is well now! No more issues. :tongue_smilie:

 

My girls went back to PS for a year without any problems. They just did to much work. The teachers didnt know what to do. Now they are in Private School. I love it.

[Mom2Two]

Our biggest transition was socially. Both of my dc are shy and the loudness, kids, activity going on at school freaked them out. Eventually they got used to it. Academically, they were bored at first, they actually said we worked harder at home! Now, it is 3 years later and they still ask to homeschool from time to time, but economically it isn't feasible.

[Mandamom]

Mine transitioned after 5 years of homeschooling. He didn't have a good experience academically in 1-4 grades so I brought him home. After 5 years, due to family issues and some homeschooling issues he had to go back to school. Towards the end of homeschooling I realized how little he had remembered of his elementary schools so for him to go to public school was going to be a bit of an eye opener.

 

He had to take a placement test at the school (he went into 8th grade) and didn't do well on the math portion. After 1.5 months at school, he, unknowing to me, approached the teacher and requested that he move to a harder class because that class was too easy. With her approval it happened. I was so proud of him for advocating for himself. He didn't have any other social or academic issues and he fit in well.

 

Regarding the transition, he had a good friend down the street who was on the bus with him and helped him transition in school. He didn't have any problems finding friends and he did pretty well that year. At the end of that year he moved in with his mom.

 

Currently, he's a junior at a local private high school, living with his mom and stepdad and doing REALLY well. He's now making honor roll, writing books, comics and movie scripts. He is very involved in his church and has a group of really good friends.

 

He's happy and we're thrilled with who he has become. Homeschooling allowed him to gain the confidence, socially and academically, that the needed.

[TracyR]

Its interesting to read this post. My girls will be going to private school this fall. This will be their first time in school since they were preschoolers. I think the transition will be harder for me then it will be for them! I am so used to knowing what it is they are learning and picking out the curriculum to use.

I am hoping I will be at least be able to afterschool them, maybe something on the weekends, days off and such.

I know I will truly miss them, and I will miss being their main teacher.

[novagirl]

Its interesting to read this post. My girls will be going to private school this fall. This will be their first time in school since they were preschoolers. I think the transition will be harder for me then it will be for them! I am so used to knowing what it is they are learning and picking out the curriculum to use.

I am hoping I will be at least be able to afterschool them, maybe something on the weekends, days off and such.

I know I will truly miss them, and I will miss being their main teacher.

:iagree: This is me too, except we have done preschool at home. In the fall DD will be going to a very small christian school with a whopping 9 classmates!! I'm a little nervous....but I think she is going to have lots of fun. Plus parents are encouraged to be there as much as they can or want to help out. I really like that.

[higginszoo]

My older two children went out to school for third and fourth grades after being home before. For third grade, they both went to a public school magnet program. The teacher was prepared for adjustment issues with each of them (there were no services for my children below the third grade, so she knew why I'd kept them home), but with each of them, she commented that they did very well in the classroom environment, and if she hadn't known their background, she would not have guessed that they hadn't been in the classroom before.

 

The biggest adjustment for my oldest was the whole lunchroom routine -- they had numbers that they had to remember to punch in if they had hot lunch accounts, balancing everything on the tray (he has gross motor delays). Other than that, he mostly missed being with our co-op and his homeschooled friends. My dd's transition was pretty seamless, though she quickly learned that she didn't have to work as hard because with 28 children to keep track of, it was difficult for the teacher to know when to nudge her. She could also get away with not answering in class because the same teacher had had her brother and knew of his social anxiety, and though the teacher was generally good about it, impressions of siblings DO carry over. In 4th grade, she went to a Catholic school that her brother hadn't gone to (he came home that year after 2 years at the magnet school), and she learned all about cliques and girl games, and continued to perfect the art of putting out the least amount of effort to get straight As, though it was tempting to get some Bs, just so she wouldn't have to deal with the label of being one of the smart kids.

The other big thing for them that got tedious after a while was the fact that the class usually moved at the pace of the slowest student. They were both with their academic peers, but there was still a LOT of waiting around, which is what both of them cite in their enthusiasm for being back home for now.

Edited April 11, 2010 by higginszoo

[Laura Corin]

Long time no see. It's interesting to read of your children's adventures in school. 'Calvin' and 'Hobbes' have both decided to go to school this August, so I'm keen on transition stories. They will both attend an academic private school, with Calvin entering high school there one year early. We are all looking forward to it but expect the first few months to be rocky.

 

Regards

 

Laura

[bettyandbob]

Oldest child entered ps in ninth grade a year ago. He really wanted to go. He is immature, has ADHD, disorganized and a few other issues. I have been pleasantly surprised by the social transition for him. He actively participates in clubs (Model UN, guitar, chess). He hasn't made any close buddies, but he feels connected and a part of "school". The academics have been right on target --he is in an IB school and the course work is challenging. I'm impressed with the level of writing he is producing now. He does remain disorganized and this affects his grades. However, at home he would be disorganized and I think in the school environment he is taking baby steps to work on this problem. I do not think transition to school could have been positive for ds prior to ninth grade. Because of his social awkwardness he would have been a real target for middle school taunting. When he started high school he was in classes with ninth graders for only honors English, honors Biology and PE. Every other class he placed into he was with sophomores and juniors. I believe that since his classmates were a little more mature, he didn't endure some of the behavior that could be elicited from classmates after meeting and observing ds .

 

dd decided to go to ps this year (6th). It has been good for her as well. At first she had trouble organizing herself to complete homework and longterm assignments. Now, however, everything is getting done. I do not help her. She now often does much of her homework while waiting for the bus (hers is last to leave the school) and on the bus. She will tell me if she can't go to an activity because her work is not done. So, she is becoming responsible and managing her time. She wanted to go for social reasons. She seems to be fitting in. At first I think she thought she have a bff right away and that hasn't happened. But she does have a group of friends. She has been invited to parties and has had friends over. She tried a couple of clubs at school too.

[TracyR]

:iagree: This is me too, except we have done preschool at home. In the fall DD will be going to a very small christian school with a whopping 9 classmates!! I'm a little nervous....but I think she is going to have lots of fun. Plus parents are encouraged to be there as much as they can or want to help out. I really like that.

 

 

Same for us. The private school my girls are going to is a small one. There are 65 students from prek-8th grade and they combine the grade levels , and encourage parents to help out :D I think my older three will enjoy it. Not so sure about my younger daughter though.

[higginszoo]

Long time no see. It's interesting to read of your children's adventures in school. 'Calvin' and 'Hobbes' have both decided to go to school this August, so I'm keen on transition stories. They will both attend an academic private school, with Calvin entering high school there one year early. We are all looking forward to it but expect the first few months to be rocky.

 

Overall, mine liked school, but they had difficulty with the wasted time. After two years, each of them made the decision to come back home again. The oldest has no desire to go back out to school until university. Dd is thinking that she'll go back for high school.

We've discussed the possibility of sending them to a small public charter school -- a science academy - if circumstances were to change. There's a campus down near where dh works that has K-12 all in one spot. If we needed it, I think it would be a good option for all of them, but for now, it's easier to have them home.

[BabyBre]

can you tell me about that transition? What thinks were most challenging or difficult? Did your children adjust well to the structure and schedule? Were there social issues?

 

Ds7 had the hardest time. Kindergarten (half days) was OK, but 1st grade was excrutiating for him. He's advanced in math, so he was bored waiting for the class to catch up. He's average or below average in writing, so he was frustrated by the excessive amount of writing that was required of him. He hated it, but this year (2nd grade) is better. His teacher is better at challenging him in math, and his writing ability has improved.

 

The most challenging social issues have been in learning appropriate responses to the social issues of other kids. There are those that act out in class, hit and kick the teachers, run away from school with the principal chasing them down the street, the ones who curse and say inappropriate things, and so on, and so on, and so on. Ironically, this has been one of the best things about public school for us. My kids have become very tolerant of others who are different than they, and by necessity we've spent a lot of time talking about how to react when this or that happens. I have to say that it really helps that I work the lunch hour at the school and volunteer in their classrooms. I know the other kids, their specific issues, and how best to advise my kids with regard to them.

 

Was it hard for them to get used to having to go everyday, having to get up early, having homework, not having the flexibility of homeschooling?

 

This is still hard. They hate getting up in the morning, and the days are long and tiring. Homework has to be forced and, although it's just busywork, it's often hard for ds7 to get through because he's mentally spent. I miss the flexibility more than they realize that it's gone.

 

Did they make friends easily or have a hard time breaking into the social circles?

 

Mine made friends easily, but they also entered very young (K and 1st grade).

 

What things do you wish you had known before they went back? Did it end up being a positive experience?

 

I wish I had had the confidence to fight for them in the beginning. Our first two years were wasted with near academic idleness because I was afraid to "make waves", or that I would insult their teachers by standing firm as my dc's advocate.

 

It's been a positive experience for them. For me, it's been excruciating because I never wanted them to enter ps to begin with, and I constantly feel I'm banging my head against a wall trying to fight the system. That aside, we've met some amazing people and kids, made what will likely be lifelong friendships, and I've learned A LOT about the public school system that may give me a new direction in life when dc get older.

[homes-cooler]

Our daughter, now grown (and homeschooling her own kids) was home schooled through 3rd grade. Zero problem transitioning, because we had been diligent in maintaining her activities with other children from the beginning. YMCA activities, Campfire Girls ... whatever is working well in your own community. The only caveat: She was noticeably ahead of her peers in all subjects, and ended up skipping 5th grade.

[clane]

My DS returned to school last year and DD1 enrolled for the first time; he went into 5th, her into 1st. I enrolled them in November, then they had Thanksgiving break, back to school for a bit before winter break. I thought it was a good transition. DD has to learn to keep her shoes on all day, and she didnt choose the order of events/subjects/etc. DS had no difficulties (whew).

[rlowetx]

G is going to a private school this coming academic year - he's excited and I'm scared. This is a great post to see others have gone through this and survived. I wonder how the parents let go or do they? That is our concern - we received our summer reading list and we all just kinda looked at each other dumbfounded.. how do I have him read books 2-3 grade levels below his interest or reading ability, what if that is what they read all year? Do I continue Latin at home? How do you balance after schooling with homework? Do I continue requiring 1 hr. personal/assigned reading at his reading level - again, how do you balance this out with now a limited number of hours after school?

 

I think he will transition relatively fine, as he's looking forward mostly to "friends" - but he's a wiggler and we do a lot of his work standing up or walking around, so I don't know how the teachers are going to help him sit and focus at the same time.

 

It's an experiment, we'll take it year by year - I have a feeling we will be back to homeschooling (I hope).

[Laura Corin]

I wonder how the parents let go or do they? That is our concern - we received our summer reading list and we all just kinda looked at each other dumbfounded.. how do I have him read books 2-3 grade levels below his interest or reading ability, what if that is what they read all year? Do I continue Latin at home? How do you balance after schooling with homework? Do I continue requiring 1 hr. personal/assigned reading at his reading level - again, how do you balance this out with now a limited number of hours after school?

 

 

My boys are going to an academic private school at the end of August. I plan on giving them a book a week to read, but if they are too busy I'll drop that and just have them read in the holidays. I feel, for me personally, that we have chosen a school that we feel happy about and have to put the children's education into the school's hands. We will be very involved in making sure that the school is living up to its promises, but the boys won't have extra work to do beyond a bit of reading.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

[Beth in SW WA]

Ds attended private Christian high school last year. Great experience academically, socially & spiritually. He played football, soccer & lacrosse. He was on the school worship team and was committed to academic excellence. He learned to navigate relationships with kids who are jerks (putting it bluntly). All-in-all it was a fantastic year.

 

I received this note from his teacher recently:

 

 

I want you to know that Andrew has been a pleasure to know and to teach. This year at *** he has shown himself to be a good student, a good friend to classmates, a good influence on others, and a good representative of your family.

 

May God bless you and your family with a wonderful summer.

 

***

[budeb]

I love reading the responses as both my sons are heading to school this fall after being homeschooled since the get go. My oldest is heading into grade three, my youngest is heading into grade one.

 

I am going to miss being their teacher but do plan on afterschooling and still am right now. I am continuing with ETC for my youngest and Horizons math and will always continue with SONLIGHT. Currently am doing Core 1 with the boys and they LOVE it. I also plan on continuing with the Exploring Creation Science series. We have completed Astronomy and are working on Zoology 1. I will always be involved in their education but have peace this is the right move . . . for now.

 

:)

[Nayner]

I have enjoyed reading these posts also. I experienced so much guilt last year for "giving up" homeschooling my son and enrolling him in a christian school for 3rd grade. The first couple weeks were difficult for him, but he did transition and had a wonderful year! I was concerned about homework being an issue because I had a very hard time getting him to complete work at home. Much to my surprise, he was very disiplined about getting it done after his afternoon snack. He loved the structure of school. (I had a difficult time with keeping school structured while caring for little ones, keeping up with house work, and dealing with migraines and battling depression.) His class size was small and the instruction was excellent.

 

The morning rush isn't fun, but I consider it one of the trade offs. We will be sending all three of our children to school next year. I still feel guilt sometimes, but I feel it is the best for them at this time. I will still be involved in their education and will volunteer at school. I am enjoying the summer reading and learning with them.

[Mom2GirlsTX]

My 2 went off to public school for part of this past school year and did absolutely wonderful! My oldest was the one who I was most worried about as she had been homeschooled for most of her life and was going to join school for middle school. Her father and I made an appt with the school counselor who looked blankly at us as we explained how smart she was. When we provided her with her Standardized Test scores we did every year and examples of her school work, she put her in the G/T classes. She did very well, but the school was not challenging enough so we did after school her on weekends.

 

The youngest spent her first 3 years in one public school and it was a disaster. I pulled her out, spent 8 months homeschooling her intensely and put her in a different public school when her older sister returned to school. She thrived and did very well.

 

This year both girls will be attending a charter school that runs on a prep school model. We will see how it goes.

 

So my two girls, who have such different personalities, one is a bookworm, the other a social butterfly and they both smoothly went from homeschooling to public school.

 

The one who took it the hardest was their father, he really was the one who misses the homeschooling the most.:001_smile:

 

Children are flexible, so returning to school is usually harder for the parent. Although my kids schools were far from perfect, we made the best of it and they had a great year.