Veteran Homeschoolers please offer your wisdom to:

[lynn]

Staying with hsing, because you know it's good for your family no matter how much the ps has to offers.

 

How to get through the days that seem a bit lonely for a child you have brought home from ps.

 

Anything else you want to add.

 

I have everything set to bring my 10 year old home next year but these are issues I am dealing with. I know the reasons I am bringing him home but have trouble sorting out the above in my head. (Does this even make sense). TIA for sharing.

[Veritaserum]

Well, we've always homeschooled, but I make sure my kids have friends in the neighborhood. My oldest turns ten in a few weeks and she plays with friends at least once a week. She enjoys that she has a lot of free time. For a long time she'd ask, "Are the public school kids home, yet?" and marvel that they could still be doing school at 2 in the afternoon. :)

 

As for staying with homeschool even when it's hard, it helps to have a vision for why you're homeschooling to begin with. When I get discouraged and overwhelmed and start thinking of the school down the street, I remind myself of what we're hoping to accomplish and that keeps me going. :)

 

Hopefully others can chime in on the transition from school to homeschool.

[Night Elf]

Staying with hsing, because you know it's good for your family no matter how much the ps has to offers.

 

I started homeschooling because it was good for my children and allowed me to meet their needs that weren't being met in the schools. I can't think of anything the schools offer that I either cannot provide to them myself, or that I don't care about in the least.

 

Then again, I have spent the last few days seriously contemplating a public charter school because the curriculum is free. I can take nearly all of the limitations and restrictions except for one. My ds13 really needs to set his own timeframe for learning, and the ps charter is no different than the brick and mortar school on that point. So, once again, we have chosen homeschool over public school. As enticing as FREE is, it's still too great a price to pay.

 

How to get through the days that seem a bit lonely for a child you have brought home from ps.

 

Oh I wish I had a super concise answer for this one. But honestly, we went through the bad days just like the good days, one by one. Lack of friends was the *only* reason my dd12 has repeatedly tried going to school, and it has never been a workable solution. There are opportunities outside of school to make friends, and opportunities to keep us busy. I honestly believe my children experience much more with homeschooling than if they attended school.

 

I love homeschooling. It's definitely not easy, but then again, I didn't find having a child in school to be easy either. I guess I've homeschooled long enough that I just don't see any value or point in putting my children back into school as long as we have the means to continue homeschooling. Our overall experience has been very positive.

[Night Elf]

I have everything set to bring my 10 year old home next year but these are issues I am dealing with. I know the reasons I am bringing him home but have trouble sorting out the above in my head. (Does this even make sense). TIA for sharing.

 

BTW, you have nearly 3,000 posts. Do you homeschool some of your other children, or will this be the first time you're homeschooling? Your note can be interpreted as a first-timer note, but I recognized your name and then saw the number of posts. :)

[hillfarm]

Regarding all that the ps has to offer, keep in mind the fruit of all these offerings. Are those graduates truly well educated? Are they enjoying the benefits of being trained how to think rigorously, solve complex problems, and manage distraction? IMO, much of what they have to offer is flashy but not substantive. Check to see how many of the participants in the programs that really interest you are still using that information a few years later.

 

Regarding the lonliness factor, as has been discussed on multiple threads lately, you can feel just as alone in the middle of a crowded classroom. Perhaps even more miserable. Also, learning how to deal with being by yourself is a skill that will serve you well in adulthood. Almost all adults experience feelings of lonliness at some point in their lives. I don't want my child growing up with the need to always have a crowd of people around. I hope she will learn how to be just as happy with her own company as she is with the company of others.

 

And finally, the thing that the ps teacher who does our portfolio review often tells me, the way the local ps looks on paper and in theory is often quite different from the way it is in real life. Participation in the chess club may mark a child for ridicule by peers instead of being the fun, mentally challenging activity we would think. Classes that have fantastic descriptions might have deadly dull texts or teachers. And while they have the great stated scope and sequence (or benchmarks and indicators in my state), most teachers do not get all of that covered and most students do not master all that is presented.

 

HTH!;)

[lynn]

BTW, you have nearly 3,000 posts. Do you homeschool some of your other children, or will this be the first time you're homeschooling? Your note can be interpreted as a first-timer note, but I recognized your name and then saw the number of posts. :)

 

 

I hs'd my oldest, who graduates next year, through 7th grade for various reasons and my middle son 1-2grade and 6th grade. We've moved several times and had different schooling situations. The need and reasons are very different for ds #3. With the age spread of my children, 17,14, 10, 4) it's been different needs for different times as time goes by.

Edited May 5, 2010 by lynn

[lllll]

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