My children are going to PS...

[Eleni]

Afterschooling can be pretty gentle too and fit into life without a big production.

Our school is excellent with math and the mechanics of grammar, so for me that isn't where we need to focus. I work on the areas they aren't able to do in depth in school.

I have to run and make dinner but I wrote a blog post on it the other day

http://journey-of-eleni.blogspot.com/2011/02/homeschoolers-dont-quitthey-evolve.html

 

My kids have TONS of free time to play and for our activities.

Edited February 10, 2011 by Eleni

[HeidiKC]

I think the whole ps thing really depends on the district (and probably school) you're in. There is so much publicity about how terrible our schools are, and many of them are terrible. But many of them are also wonderful. We live in a terrible district, and the child I'm not homeschooling goes to a Catholic school that just won a blue ribbon award. But they aren't good at differentiated instruction and my son was not challenged (and so hated school). Meanwhile, I have a friend a couple of miles away in an excellent district with an awesome ps gifted program and it sounds like they are pretty good at DI. My SIL lives in another state but they are so happy with the district/school her kids go to that she works (instead of staying home) so that they can afford to live in the neighborhood. When I hear what the kids are doing (and their gifted program), I am very jealous!

 

Good luck with your decision. If ps doesn't end up working out, at least you will probably be glad you tried (and will get a break)!

[urban mama]

we just sent our second son to school with his big brother so we have two in and one still at home for many of the same reasons you have mentioned. We were blessed to find a school that's not too bad in terms of teachers, the kids don't get too bored, they love the interaction with the other kids, we still lightly afterschool history, geography, math and Bible as time allows and I have time now to focus on my dd who has some learning disabilities. It is amazing how much less stress I have. This is what is right for our family in this season of our life. Will school look like this next year? Who knows?!? We'll re-evaluate at the end of the year and see what lies ahead! That's the beauty of the journey! So don't worry! Your kids will do fine! They will enjoy the adventure of navigating a classroom, they probably won't learn much academically the first few months but that's okay, they will be challenged in other ways and you will be freed up to be the mommy you need to be!

[siloam]

(((Hugs)))

 

Do what you have to do.

 

I too am an introvert. I love people, but they drain me. Dh and I still put the kids to bed at 8. Just so that we get down time. The kids play quietly (or quiet enough) till 11 then go to bed.

 

Back when I had a 2yo my ds like to dump everything in the room while I hsed. Crayons, books, pencils, paper, anything he could get his hands on. I could feel the stress crawling up the back of my neck and I would finally call it quits and have everyone help pick up. It took 6 months to train him out of it and in that 6 months I barely got reading and math done.

 

I am also convinced that something about diapers, and having to watch a child constantly sucks all brain power out of your head. Seriously as hard as it is to get everything done now it was much worse back then. Now they are at least on my side most of the time, instead of fighting them.

 

To me it sounds like you are doing fine, but that you need to back your expectations up a little and set some boundaries so that you get your down time. PS will give you down time, but according to my SIL it has just as many academic requirements. She spends as much time helping the kids with their hs and I do teaching mine, when we do it is just different. I adore our family time after dinner then my down time at night.

 

Heather

[boscopup]

Oh, one thing to think about when evaluating what grade to put them in (if you have any choice)... writing. How much writing are your kids capable of doing? Public schools often have kids writing a LOT more than most WTM-inspired homeschoolers do. For example, my first grader's class at school was writing paragraphs shortly after Christmas break. They also do a lot of journaling. So if your kids are at all writing phobic or aren't in to journaling, putting them in higher grades could be an issue. I know when I first brought up the issue of my son being bored in class, many of my friends (including classmates' parents) suggested bumping him up a grade, but that wasn't possible. He couldn't handle the writing requirement of the next grade up. He was reading and doing math one or more grade levels ahead, but writing was pretty much at grade-level. So I chose to keep him at his grade level so as not to exacerbate him in the writing department.

 

Just something to keep in mind. The schools usually don't follow SWB's writing recommendations. :lol:

[mandymom]

Mine are in public school right now (except for the 4 year old) and we are pulling them out next year to start homeschooling (partly because of your concerns about ps).

 

Everyone has to do what is best for their family, and I do believe that ps can be a good option. It has mostly worked for our family until now.

 

I will say this....I am looking forward to homeschooling next year partly because I think it will be a big relief for me. This year, between the 4 in school, I have NINETEEN teachers to deal with (even in elementary school, they had multiple teachers). Next year, I would have 24 teachers between my kids. Between all the drop-off/pick-up times, school volunteer meetings, teacher conferences and meet the teacher nights, school programs, parties and field trips, homework assignments, and extra-curricular activities, I feel like I'm running in circles. I honestly can't wait till next year when I can actually control the schedule more. :001_smile:

 

I know that it won't be as much of an issue (at least the number of teachers involved) since your children are younger, but just be aware that there is still a lot that goes into having multiple children in school, esp as they get older but you have less control over it all.

Edited February 9, 2011 by mandymom

[NanceXToo]

Even so I realize it is not one on one but as someone mentioned they need to learn social skills , be in a group and have someone else teaching them , other than mom while I relax drinking a coffee in peace. When they will come home, I will be a happier mom and give them the quality time and love they need , while when they will be at school , I can focus on my younger ones . Right now no one has a quality time , it's just too much to do ...Well , I hope HS will work for each one of you ! I will be back if PS does not work. :)

 

Trying to say this gently, but I think you've got a bad case of the "grass is greener" syndrome. I agree with the others who say that you sound burned out and in need of a temporary break from HS.

 

Not to point out the obvious, but you'll still be at home all day with a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old who suddenly have no big siblings to play with them?

 

And you really think you'll have time for a cup of coffee? Not without the assistance of PBS, lol. My oldest goes to a enrichment program once a week, and that is the LONGEST day of the week for me. Her siblings are lost without her.

 

Since you're not going to get child-free days anyway, why not just "unschool" for awhile and just be Mommy? They won't stagnate academically any more than they would in an inappropriate grade level in PS.

 

I guess I just don't see where this is a win for you, and it's definitely a loss for your older kids.

 

:iagree:

 

Just to throw it out there, I'm coming at this from the other side, where my daughter WAS in public school for K through most of 3rd grade before I pulled her out to start homeschooling.

 

I was still home with my younger son, who was a baby when she started K. Being home all day with a baby (who then became a toddler and then a preschooler) wasn't what I'd call "relaxing"- in fact, it was easier on the days the older ones were home to help entertain and occupy him some :D

 

And as for a happier mommy at the end of the day just because my olders were in school- that wasn't the case with me. I was tired from being with a baby/toddler all day, and then when my daughter came home from school, I had to play enforcer for the school, making her do an hour or more worth of homework that she didn't want to do at the end of a long day, and from there it was dinner time, and everything had to revolve around "it's a school night" and doing an earlier chores and bedtime routine and catching up on whatever had to be done for school and so on.

 

And of course, my daughter wanted a little time to herself, which was soooo limited. And family time? What was that? At the end of a long day everyone was just cranky, and revolving everything around the school's schedule was stressful, and it seemed like nobody had time for themselves, and the family time we had wasn't what I would call peaceful or relaxing or even particularly enjoyable. It was a constant: "Not now, do your homework! Do your chores! Not now, I have to make dinner. Eat your dinner! Fine, play for a little while, but you need to shower and be ready for school tomorrow. You have to start getting ready for bed, it's a school night! Go to sleep, it's a school night! Get up, you have to get the bus. I know you're tired, get up anyway. Okay, bye." And then she'd be gone for hours, stuck at a desk all day being taught what was on the test and nothing else. And then she'd come home and we'd start all over with "Not now, do your homework!" and so on. Rinse and repeat. And repeat. And repeat. And repeat. Every once in a while throw in studying for a test, buying supplies, signing notes, filling in forms, parent teacher conferences, fundraisers, having to get "permission" to take a vacation, having to prove she was sick with a doctor's note, getting some form letter in the mail about how lice or MRSA was going around, and so on and so forth. Blah!!!

 

Once I pulled my daughter out of public school toward the end of third grade, everything became SO much more relaxing and peaceful for me. We began to enjoy each other more, and didn't feel like we were constantly jumping through hoops to meet someone else's schedule and so on. I would definitely say it's been less stressful instead of more. That's been a constant in the just shy of two years I've now been homeschooling.

 

Maybe things will be different for you guys. Either way, I hope it works out how you want it to. But if you decide public school just isn't for you, then I hope you take some of the advice here and just relax more with your homeschooling. Maybe you're spending too many hours a day on schoolwork or something. Maybe you can go with a more relaxed approach (which has worked great for me!), even unschool for a while, learn to just have FUN together and enjoy each other again. :grouphug:

[....]

Once I pulled my daughter out of public school toward the end of third grade, everything became SO much more relaxing and peaceful for me. We began to enjoy each other more, and didn't feel like we were constantly jumping through hoops to meet someone else's schedule and so on. I would definitely say it's been less stressful instead of more. That's been a constant in the just shy of two years I've now been homeschooling.

 

 

This was our experience, too. My daughter went to K and 1st. It seemed like all morning was screaming to get dressed, pack lunches, pack snack, finish homework (because they are tired), sign consent forms, fill out fundraiser &^%%$, etc. It was a madhouse.

 

It seemed like the school was constantly calling the house for something, too. :confused:

 

When I pulled my son out at the end of his K year, he still didn't know his letter sounds and he hated school. Absolutely hated it. I don't know what the heck they were doing up there all day.

 

FWIW, it sounds like you are doing an excellent job homeschooling your children. Good luck with whatever you end up doing! I second the option of taking the rest of the school year off!

[delaney]

we just sent our second son to school with his big brother so we have two in and one still at home for many of the same reasons you have mentioned. We were blessed to find a school that's not too bad in terms of teachers, the kids don't get too bored, they love the interaction with the other kids, we still lightly afterschool history, geography, math and Bible as time allows and I have time now to focus on my dd who has some learning disabilities. It is amazing how much less stress I have. This is what is right for our family in this season of our life. Will school look like this next year? Who knows?!? We'll re-evaluate at the end of the year and see what lies ahead! That's the beauty of the journey! So don't worry! Your kids will do fine! They will enjoy the adventure of navigating a classroom, they probably won't learn much academically the first few months but that's okay, they will be challenged in other ways and you will be freed up to be the mommy you need to be!

That is unsettling for me. I look around and see this attitude more and more. Parents think taking the lesser of the evils is a good thing. I am sorry but if you can do better than the PS than do it. I used to teach in PS and ran from that career screaming. I worked my butt off and can honestly tell you that you just can't meet the needs of 20 kids. Everyone ends up with "par" and middle of the road. Yes it is stressful and I have no problem saying that 20mg of prozac daily keep me levelheaded. I live in a school district where most of the schools are good, as are the teachers. The ones that stink REALLY stink and are unavoidable. That is not okay with me. Sorry if that was harsh but I like to think I am an honest person.;)

[Trish]

Have you considered after schooling? That would keep them going forward since their ps classrooms will probably not be able to provide them with any challenging materials.

 

One more thought, have you considered taking the rest of the year off? Require 60-90 minutes of "quiet time" each day where the only appropriate activity is reading, writing or coloring. Do this during naptime and it would give you some time to yourself. Let dc do math drills on the computer several times a week. You will be amazed at what they will learn. I know your mind is probably made up I just wanted to throw it out there.

 

:grouphug:Good luck with whatever is best for your family.

 

Honestly, with where these kids seem to be, they could probably get further ahead than PS classes simply by doing this type of more relaxed schedule! Have them do reading on their own, maybe read aloud when you are able, and do a couple of math lessons per week. That's it! School will just give them below their level busy work, AND you will have to monitor their homework etc. (I found having them in school to have its own stresses!)

 

Anyway just something to consider, they may end up further ahead with a relaxed homeschooling schedule. Good luck either way!

[urban mama]

That is unsettling for me. I look around and see this attitude more and more. Parents think taking the lesser of the evils is a good thing. I am sorry but if you can do better than the PS than do it. I used to teach in PS and ran from that career screaming. I worked my butt off and can honestly tell you that you just can't meet the needs of 20 kids. Everyone ends up with "par" and middle of the road. Yes it is stressful and I have no problem saying that 20mg of prozac daily keep me levelheaded. I live in a school district where most of the schools are good, as are the teachers. The ones that stink REALLY stink and are unavoidable. That is not okay with me. Sorry if that was harsh but I like to think I am an honest person.;)

 

I agree with you in terms of academics, however I have left out a lot of personal details that also led to the choices we made, diagnosis of chronic illness, hospitalizations, needing to go back to work most days of the week...I could go one but I won't. Schooling decisions are never ones that are easy. I recognize that more than ever now.

 

My heart breaks for other parents who also clearly recognize that, in an ideal world, their children would be best served if they were educated at home, but find themselves in the unenviable position of having to make a choice about alternative educational options. However I also see that we do not live in an ideal world and, given the choices that we have, Dh and I praise God for the schooling options that he provided for us. We praise God for the Christian teachers that he placed in the charter schools at our childrens' grade level, for the school's 'outside the box' thinking that lets us do some creative educational things with our sons so they still feel connected with their sister who is homeschooled. Again, I could go on but I won't. Is this charter school the best purely academic situation for each of our sons? No. We know this for sure. They would be more challenged at home where they could progress more quickly through the material. However, is this schooling option the best choice for our family as a whole in this season of our life? Absolutely. Sometimes choices are just not as straightforward as we would like them to be.

[Chris in VA]

You need to do what you need to do.

 

I don't think it's particularly helpful to tell you of other solutions. But I will, anyway.

LOL--and I hope that isn't disrespectful.

 

Could you put the 2yo in a half-day preschool 3 times a week, and then enforce a two-hour quiet time in the afternoons? Switching to a 4 day schedule would just give you one day to have all 4 kiddos there for the am.

 

I wonder what you are using for curriculum? Could you par down to just reading and math for the rest of the year?

 

You need time to recharge--that is clear. And I don't fault you for it. At. All.

I simply wonder what you've tried.

 

As far as your actual question, yes, they can differentiate somewhat. It depends on the school, but if you submit test scores and examples of work, they may be able to send your kids to the next grade for work in math or reading or both. They may have an enrichment gifted program (but if it's like ours for that age, it's not worth it). If they've already told you where your kids will be placed AFTER they've seen what your kids are capable of, then they have indicated they won't give your kids what they need.

 

My own went to 3rd grade, after schooling K-2 at home, and then to 5th grade this year (4th at home last year). I notice the changes, but it is ok with me. She is getting more in some areas and less in others. She has been placed a grade level ahead in math, but about 45% of her class has also skipped 5th grade math and gone to 6th, which tells me they know the math program is weak. Anyway, see what you can advocate for.

 

Good luck--I'm sorry you are feeling so depressed.

Edited February 12, 2011 by Chris in VA

[sweetbaby]

:grouphug:

 

Do what you feel is best. This doesn't have to be a permanent decision, unless you want it to be. If PS doesn't work out, you can always pull them out again. Or you may be blessed with a great school and good teachers. You just never know!

 

Best wishes to your and your DC :D

 

I totally agree. I had experienced "burn out" last fall and placed my children in private school. It lasted four months until I brought them home. The one on one instruction wasn't there. When a concept wasn't grasped, the teacher told my son "We have to move on." and my son remained clueless. Many things were memorized and not learned. The teachers were very nice but I know my children and expected more than what the school had offered. Thankfully, some veteran hs moms came to the rescue when I brought my children home. It makes such a difference when the support is there and the time away from hsing really gave me time to focus and prioritize some things. Best wishes in whatever route you choose.

[BabyBre]

I heard negative comments about the PS here in US but I want to experiment it myself. I cannot believe it's that bad . I was schooled in Europe and loved it! It cannot be that different here in the richest country in the world, right?

 

 

There's a reason the US ranks at the bottom of the list for Educational Score Performance of developed nations. I don't know where in Europe you were educated, but many European nations are currently yeilding better results than the US.

http://www.geographic.org/country_ranks/educational_score_performance_country_ranks_2009_oecd.html#maths

 

This may or may not be "the richest country in the world," but education money is poorly directed in this country with a significant portion of dollars spent on things that do not directly affect student learning. The rhetoric machines are very effective, however, in producing a perception that money solves problems in America.

 

 

The problem is that my 7 yo is doing 3rd grade work , my 6 yo almost finished 1st grade and my 4 1/2 is finishing K work now. They are all reading many grades above ( the oldest reading at 8th gr) . They told me that my 7yo will be in 1st grade because of his age( born after the cut off in Sept. 1st) and my 6yo will be in K. My concern is that they won't be challenged at all if they do not go one grade ahead and they won't enjoy school. I wonder if the teacher will give them at least appropriate work to do, not just 2+2 .Otherwise they will forget everything they have learned and will be terribly bored !

 

Is it possible to do that? Anyone who experienced a similar situation?

 

 

This is our situation currently, and I can tell you from experience with good, well-intentioned teachers that it will still fall on you to challenge your kids sufficiently. Teachers are often overwhelmed with the impossible task of meeting the unique educational needs of 25-30 students and taking each individual to their fullest potential. This must include providing oportunities for high-achievers to grow as well as meeting the high pressure requirements of the school, district, and state to bring low-achievers up to standard.

 

That achievement gap between low and high is the crack your advanced kids will likely fall through. When schools do their jobs and ensure each student is performing to potential, by the nature of the human condition there will be a gap between low and high scores, low and high performers. Therefore, there is no way to close the achievement gap other than to lower the standard, bringing high-achievers down, or at least not pushing them much higher. That may sound counterproductive, but due to the pressure many teachers feel to bring everyone to standard, taking already achieving kids beyond what they came to school knowing is low on the priority list, and that's generally supported by the establishment. This, unfortunately, leaves bright kids bored, idle, unchallenged, definitely not working to their greatest potential for six hours a day, and parents who are frustrated resort to putting even more pressure on teachers who are already charged with an impossible task.

 

I initially began volunteering in dc's classrooms as a way to try to ensure that they were being challenged sufficiently (and, of course, be helpful to the teachers at the same time). Not only were they not challenged without my directly requesting it of their teachers, but when I did make the request and get a positive reaction from teachers, any "system" of challenging higher-achievers (often only my kids and not others in the classroom) eventually got forgotten or just petered out over time because our teachers are so overwhelmed with those school, district, and state mandates.

 

For this reason, we still homeschool for 1.5-2 hours every day. Being in our school and being witness to the students' reality is what's caused me to spend many hours at the school working with both low and high-achieving students (including my own) during class time. I'm far busier now and have far less time and flexibility than when we homeschooled full-time. Whatever you do, don't leave them entirely at the mercy of the US educational system.

 

Effective learning is hampered by many factors, another of which is inferior curricula and excessive micromanaging imposed on teachers by administrators. Teachers in many districts are not allowed to teach certain math methods. In our district, cursive writing and English grammar are no longer taught. I could go on and on. Here's an article about what I've directly seen and learned in our time in public schools. http://betrayed-whyeducationisfailing.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-i-see-parent-volunteer-tells.html

Edited February 12, 2011 by BabyBre