Any one use a University model school?

[Samiam]

I found out that the town we are moving to this summer has a private school that offers the "university model" for 7th-12th. That means they offer some classes on M/W/Fr, and others on T/Th. You can pick and choose classes. They welcome HS'ers will open arms. It is pretty economical, $52 per month for each class for the school year. So he could go for two classes and just over $100 a month.

 

I am thinking I would love to do this with DS12. While he is progessing nicely at home, and an great student, this school may solve some of my worries about DS socially. He is shy and reserved. He has gradually gotten better as he has gotten older and we've "worked" with him on it. But it still an issue. He normally does fine in a setting where he sees the same people often. He will warm up and gradually get comfortable. When we moved here last year, our street had about 5 boys his age, all around us. He was out constantly with them, once they came to the door for him (he would have never went to get them first). But now we have moved to a more isolated neighborhood and doesn't seem to be anyone his age so far. He still visits with his old friends in our old neighbhorhood, but the his main friend there is moving next week to a different state. So that connection will probably be lost . He seems fine with it not really having any real friends, but honestly, I don't see how a 12 year old boy could be fine with that, truly (he's not a "talker" so he would not say anything even if I asked). But the problem I have found is that the activities are really lacking for middle school age Homeschoolers. Either everything is for highschoolers, ie socials, dances, etc, or for the young elementary, ie park days, field trips to places DS12 has NO interest in, etc. I think this would give him some good interaction with other children his age, in a setting that he would be comfortable in because it is not necessarily a social setting, and that might shoot off into "making friends" that get together outside of class.

 

Anyway, my question is if anyone else does this. How disruptive is it in your regular schooling day? Is there alot of homework? I am planning on doing MFW ECC next year as a family, so trying to figure out how he could do this with us and be going 2 days a week (thinking he would do the T/Th classes), for at least half days.

[Tap]

We did, for 5th-9th grade. Ds liked it. He liked the fewer subjects/longer classes. We only went 2/3 days a week, not all 5. (Our program had k-6 alternate days with 7-12). It was hard for some people to get the homework done on the homeschool days, it wasn't a problem for us. I don't know if that was the class load or just kids complaining. But, honestly that is just what it is like in a public school format. You pretty much have to do homework in the evenings, many homeschoolers I know don't like to give up the evenings, so they didn't do the homework.

 

Ds went to a traditional format magnet ps highschool for 10th grade. Liked the 6 class/1 hour a day format at first. Over time, he missed the university format. He recognized the lost class time and got annoyed at larger topics being broken into many small pieces.

 

He is in college now and definitely prefers the format and is happy to be back at it.