The end of the line...

[Gooblink]

It had, until recently, been our intention to homeschool the boys until high-school. Then, I started researching and getting more excited about hsing through high-school. But...

 

My 12 year-old would like to go to public school. Honestly, I think it might be really good for him. He's diligent, outgoing, talented, smart, hard-working, and has greater maturity and moral integrity than I see in many adults - including his mother. :) He's a natural born leader, but I think he's not going to be able to develop those skills effectively under my tutelage.

 

I'm inclined to let him go. And that makes me sad. Where did the time go? It seems like yesterday I was researching Kinder curriculum for him.

 

Have you let go?

[anissa]

Yes. The first day I cried....he was fine. I still have three at home with me, but I do miss seeing my oldest. I know what you are going through:grouphug:

[Mommyfaithe]

No, I haven't let go. I know it is really hard to homeschool...do all the household stuff, run a business and then try to not listen while others go on and on and on and on about their positive experiences with putting their kiddoes in school. Know what? I don't buy it. High School is actually the best part of homeschooling IF you allow it to be. IF you are willing to take it head on...working side by side with a really cool teen-ager....:001_smile:

 

I have homeschooled 3 all the way through and I have another half way finished...with a few more to go...and while it isn't easy....don't give up when you are getting to the good part.

 

Faithe

[Gwenhwyfar]

if you'd asked me last year, i'd have said we were in it until the end....

 

now though...dd13 has her heart set on attending the public high school next year and we've decided to let her go if sept 2011 comes around and that's still what she wants.

 

(high school - gah! yeah where did the time go?!)

[Home'scool]

My two went back last year. It was hard to let go of what had defined me, and my family, for 8 years.

 

And I can honestly say it took me a while to decompress and find a new path for myself. For so long I had thrown myself heart and soul into doing homeschooling. I had a harder time adjusting to not homeschooling then I thought I would, although I was always happy for my girls and they adjusted quite well.

 

We have just started our second year of public school and now THAT seems like our norm. I guess that's just the way it goes!

 

Oh, and I finally landed a job after months of looking. Being at home with no job and no homeschool responsibilities was making me crazy. I am going to work as an assistant at a law firm. The ONLY reason I got the interview was because one of the lawyers at the firm is also the attorney coach for my daughter's Mock Trial team at the high school. During my interview he said that anyone who could homeschool their child with such great results must have a great skill set under their hat. Very poetic ending to my homeschool journey!

[Gwenhwyfar]

No, I haven't let go. I know it is really hard to homeschool...do all the household stuff, run a business and then try to not listen while others go on and on and on and on about their positive experiences with putting their kiddoes in school. Know what? I don't buy it. High School is actually the best part of homeschooling IF you allow it to be. IF you are willing to take it head on...working side by side with a really cool teen-ager....:001_smile:

 

I have homeschooled 3 all the way through and I have another half way finished...with a few more to go...and while it isn't easy....don't give up when you are getting to the good part.

 

Faithe

 

it's awesome that you've had a great experience with your kids :D

 

..at the same time though, every family is different and 'the best choice' for each child from each family isn't always the same thing. ;)

[bettyandbob]

My oldest went to high school 2 years ago. dd started middle school this year. It was the right time for both and the right thing for our family. You make the decision about what is right for your child and your family. I can say my son's public high school experience has been very good. My son has found positive social outlets (model UN) he wouldn't have if he'd been home and the courses he is taking are more rigorous than I could have come up with or found in a local coop. My son is young for his grade and our cc doesn't permit anyone under 16 in dual enrollment so cc wouldn't be available until senior year. I know some homeschool all the way through kids who do amazing, exciting things that they would not be able to do if they went to a traditional school.

 

It's about doing the best thing for each kid.

[littlebug42]

When we first started homeschooling 4 years ago, we always said that we would take it as it came and make our decisions yearly although, with no really viable options, I was committed to homeschooling all through high school. Now, this really excellent school for science, engineering, technology and math has opened near us. It is a regional public school affiliated with the university dh works for. My dd8 really wants to attend in two years beginning in 6th grade (youngest the school will take). We have decided to let her go if that is still where her heart lies in 2 years. Our options changed and I feel I cannot deny her that opportunity since science is where her passion lies and I just can't give her what she needs in that area. I am saddened by the prospect but excited for what she will be able to get from it all. I will still have dd6 at home but we are open to possibilities if an opportunity opens elsewhere for her.

[Home'scool]

..at the same time though, every family is different and 'the best choice' for each child from each family isn't always the same thing.

 

This is very true :001_smile:

 

And if your daughter wants to go to high school, and the school is one that you are comfortable with, then it can be a very good thing for your family.

 

I have posted before about our positive experience with putting my kids in school (I won't go into it again because the thread took some detours and eventually got deleted :tongue_smilie:) but just know that if it is right for your family, then going back to school can be just as positive an experience as any other choice you make when you know it is the right thing to do!

[Just Another Jen]

My oldest 2 were homeschooled all the way through high school. My third son chose to go to public high school. He's only been going a few weeks but he likes it. He is diligent and checks his grades online everyday. We went to the open house and it seems like a good school- if you like the "school system" I don't imagine sending my younger two. My daughter just plain doesn't want to go and my youngest has special needs.

I'm not thrilled with him going and its created a weird dynamic in the house with him gone- but in the end I let him go. Maybe because I had already schooled two through high school it was easier.

[Pink Fairy]

No, I haven't let go. My dh teaches in a public hs. The truth is, I wouldn't let my dog go there, let alone my child. That's what works for us.

[ColoradoMom]

I guess it depends on the reason you homeschooled in the first place. For me, DS wanting to go to PS isn't even something I care about. I homeschool because I know I can educate him better and give him the truth about history and science and not have him indoctrinated with crap like "The Story of Stuff" when he's in their care.

 

So, if you were homeschooling for reasons other than that - then PS would always be an option. But unless the schools do a complete 180 we will never step foot in there again.

 

(And I would add - that after 8 years homeschooling is so easy it is almost criminal. Why would I quit when I just got my groove a few years ago?) :001_smile:

[Audrey]

It had, until recently, been our intention to homeschool the boys until high-school. Then, I started researching and getting more excited about hsing through high-school. But...

 

My 12 year-old would like to go to public school. Honestly, I think it might be really good for him. He's diligent, outgoing, talented, smart, hard-working, and has greater maturity and moral integrity than I see in many adults - including his mother. :) He's a natural born leader, but I think he's not going to be able to develop those skills effectively under my tutelage.

 

I'm inclined to let him go. And that makes me sad. Where did the time go? It seems like yesterday I was researching Kinder curriculum for him.

 

Have you let go?

 

 

No, and I wouldn't consider it at all during the middle school grades. Middle school is completely brutal. I plan to homeschool all the way through, but I'm open to listening to my son if he wanted to attend public school for high school. If he wanted to go to middle school? Honestly, I'd probably laugh at the suggestion, and then get serious and let him know just how atrocious middle school and middle schoolers can be.

[MomsintheGarden]

We didn't let our oldest two go until college. We found homeschooling in high school full of challenges, but intensely rewarding. I wouldn't have changed it for the world. We also plan to enjoy the high school years with our younger children.

 

Someone said, "whatever works." Keeping them home for high school worked well for us.

 

GardenMom

[freetobeme]

my oldest (a senior this year) asked to go to high school three weeks before school started the year she was a freshman. for her, it has been okay. i can't say that she would have been satisfied with home school. i think she wishes she had stayed home, but she is 5th in her class and taking 4 AP classes this year. i think we both would have struggled had i insisted she stay home.

because we allowed her the choice, i realized that i might have to let go again. my second is in her sophomore year and thriving at home. my third in 8th grade has no plans to leave home. the other two are still too young to say.

i think the decision making process is complicated. for our family, i just could not forbid "high school" as society experiences it in general. that may not be the right choice for every family, but it has been for ours. she still loves to learn and sees the pros and cons of public school vs. home school. and, altho i can see the effects of allowing her to choose, i love and respect who she is and who she is becoming.

you will make the right decision for your child and your family. only you can.

:grouphug:

[mcconnellboys]

I probably will be after next year (sigh)..... My youngest wants to do whatever the oldest does and since he went back into high school as a sophomore the youngest wants to go, too. I think it would be an easier transition for all if he went as a freshman rather than a sophomore.... Also, he has some friends who are going and they're encouraging him to go, as well....

 

Now I've got to start to regroup and decide what I'm going to do with *me* when he goes....

[Deb in NZ]

Ds#2 wants to go to highschool next year (Feb 2011). Neither dd nor ds#1 went to highschool. They began taking classes at polytech at age 16 & that worked out well for them. That was our plan for ds#2, but circumstances have changed for us (dh lost his job 31 August) & highschool may be a good option for ds#2. Having only 1dc hs/ing is much different. We have had a good year this year, but ds#2 is ready for more than I am able to provide at home. He's really enjoyed the few homeschool classes he's taken this year. The group learning really works for him. We've told him he can go to highschool next year IF he does well enough on his entrance exam to place in the top 2/3s of the class AND he gets into his first choice electives. Now we only have to find the $$$ to afford PS for him as we won't get the allowance the gov't gives us currently for hs/ing & we'll need to pay school fees, course fees, stationary fees, uniforms, etc. PS is NOT free. :sad: Hs/ing would be much cheaper for us, as I have majority of what I'd need for the next couple years anyway.

 

Hs/ing gives us the opportunity to give each dc the best style of education for them individually & that might be PS ;) I've done a bit of grieving that my days hs/ing after over 9 years may be coming to an end, but what helped was to remind myself that hs/ing could NOT be about what I wanted, but instead needed to be what was best for that dc.

 

Blessings,

[SonshineLearner]

I HATE the thought of my child in public school. When I go visit, I feel like I'm crawling with roaches, the halls make me feel just freaked. BUT, she has started back part time, and because of the fact that she's only doing electives... she's loving it. She's also doing part time the hs group that I'm in charge of... She really doesn't like it, and doesn't want this type of education. As my older step daughter says, "no one goes to school because of the education; they like friends". I have to say, that our homeschool friends just don't let their children do things that my daughter can do. Most don't spend nights, never get to go anywhere without parents staying with them. She felt sad, lonely, and not able to do "friend activities" with them. Not that you can't get together with families, not that she doesn't like the kids in her group, but the relationships were always "co-op dependent". Perhaps because we have older children, we're just not as protective. (Although inside I'm paranoid like all the other mother hens)

Anyway, just in the first couple of weeks, she's been able to go to our local festival with her new "friends" and also been invited to spend the night... (which I couldn't go for until I could meet them a bit more...)

And the education... Well, I know our schools are as decent as other "decent schools".

So, while it's not the highest education she can get, while I don't like a "government worldview/anti-Christian", I do like the fact that she can jump in and make herself happy. We'll see how it goes...

Still hanging on for my son... (7yrs old) can at least stay with me through high-school...

 

:)

[FO4UR]

No, I haven't let go. I know it is really hard to homeschool...do all the household stuff, run a business and then try to not listen while others go on and on and on and on about their positive experiences with putting their kiddoes in school. Know what? I don't buy it. High School is actually the best part of homeschooling IF you allow it to be. IF you are willing to take it head on...working side by side with a really cool teen-ager....:001_smile:

 

I have homeschooled 3 all the way through and I have another half way finished...with a few more to go...and while it isn't easy....don't give up when you are getting to the good part.

 

Faithe

 

Thanks for this post!

 

It's funny that you say "don't give up when you are getting to the good part." That's exactly the advice I was given about HSing my first Ker. It rang true then...I need to print out your post and tape it somewhere that I will find it in 7 years when I'm contemplating highschool.:001_smile:

[Gooblink]

Thank you all for sharing your encouragement and honesty. I DO think we're just getting to the good part. I was kinda counting on those highschool years to redo my own education. :)

 

The only reason we'd consider it for our boys is because the middle and high-schools in our district are really pretty good. I know many teachers where he would go to school, as well as some dear friends who have their kids in ps, and they all share similar famiy values with us and are, if not pleased, at least not unhappy with their kids' education and school experiences.

 

So...we'll see. A few days ago he said he'll do whatever dh and I feel is best. That's just the kind of kid he is. :) We've got time to sort it out.

[Mejane]

Sort of. Son is doing high school online this year. He's still home, but he rarely asks for my help.

 

If ps is right for *your* child, that's all that matters. I hope he has a great experience. :001_smile: