Leav97 Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 This is a spin off of a thread on the K-8 board. I'm thinking it would make a good poll. Do your children decide where they go to school? Does it matter how old they are? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Do they get to choose (at all during the K-12 process) no. Do I ask for and consider their input esp. as they get older? Very definitely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I'm the first "Other"! DD doesn't choose (she's 3, for crying out loud), but I do take her opinion into consideration. When we sent her to a couple of different summer camps last summer I saw definite preferences in what she did and didn't like (as well as very strong reactions against certain set-ups), so we've learned to take her preferences into consideration. I guess I would say I make the decision (well, DH and I), but she is and will continue to be part of the conversation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnaM Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Mine have shown no interest in going anywhere but if they did, I would say no. I will take into account their interests and goals later when choosing high school curriculum but they still will have no say in where they go to school. When they are college bound, if I am paying for it, we will make the decision together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 (edited) My answer would be K-8 I choose, and 9-12 they will have a say, but I (and dh) have veto power. So, I will make the final choice, but not without taking their feelings/opinions into account - it's not either/or. My mom never considered homeschooling, but when I begged to go to a private high school (our ps was abysmal), she listened, and I'm very glad she did. Edited March 9, 2011 by matroyshka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Toot! Hit wrong dot. Hit yes I let my ker make the decision. No, I most certainly do not.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwjx2khsmj Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Do they get to choose (at all during the K-12 process) no. Do I ask for and consider their input esp. as they get older? Very definitely. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Do they get to choose (at all during the K-12 process) no. Do I ask for and consider their input esp. as they get older? Very definitely. :iagree: I can't imagine ds every expressing a desire to go to school. We're not morning people and I think the high school bus came by at 6:50 today. I was just making coffee. His opinion would be heard and discussed, but dh and I still hold veto power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Do they get to choose (at all during the K-12 process) no. Do I ask for and consider their input esp. as they get older? Very definitely. Right. *Ultimately* the decision is mine, k-12. But their well-reasoned arguments hold more weight as they grow and mature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I voted other. We haven't faced this yet and so far my children beg to be homeschooled! My beef with letting them choose is that I don't want us to all be on different schedules right now. I don't want to have to be home at 3pm because the school bus is coming or I have to go pick up, etc..... Ultimately, I don't have a problem with our local public schools, although I would still prefer the charter school or a magnet program should my children wish to attend school. Now, we don't have high school aged kids yet, so I can't really say for sure I won't change my mind for high school, but so far, my boys are VERY involved in their homeschool activities and friends and have no desire to go to a brick and mortar school. Some days I wish they would! Then I could go back to work and we could live less frugally! I miss working. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leav97 Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 My current thought (DD is only 6) is DD can choose for high school. But, I'm thinking it will be more along the lines of we'll talk about it and try to find a consensus. I can't imagine her wanting to get out of bed though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 For K-8, no way. For high school, I would listen to them but dh and I would make the final decision. So far, all of mine have been content to school at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Ultimately the decision is for dh and me to make. That said I would consider any reasonable argument dd makes for school choice during the next 6 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Elementary and middle school is, ultimately, the parents' decision, while children may be allowed to voice some general preferences. I do believe, however, in allowing children to choose high school (grades 9-12, -13 in Italy), especially in allowing children with some definite preferences and talents doing so. I cannot replicate an artistic lycee at home, for example. Nor can I replicate a good science magnet school with fancy labs and projects. Basic classical lycee I could do at home, but I would still take into account the child's desire to have a more interactive surroundings in a good school. The only thing which would definitely make me pull the child out of a B&M high school by force are serious health and social issues (getting into a bad company, starting the path of self-destruction in some way, etc.). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I'd allow my high school-aged child to choose. The teen years are hard enough without my holding him hostage. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabrett Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 K-8... No! 9-12... I chose other. My oldest went to public school for 9 and 10. It was not a good experense, but I couldn't teacher her and take care of my littles. I felt that she would get more out of school than what I could give (I was very wrong!) She now attends a public boarding school, 4 hours away, for exceptionally talented dc. It is not like any "public" school I have ever encountered. The school is very strict. If your behavior and grades are not exceptional, you will not be allowed to attend. ALL the dc at the school study hard and behave. It is really what public school should be. When my next in line reaches high school (she is in 1st grade this year), I will have to see what the schools where we live are like. I can't answer the question until we get closer to having to make the decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 It's not a yes or no question for us. When the kids were little, the parents pretty much made the decision. But we always solicited and took into account the kids feelings and opinions. Sometimes, even when they wanted something different, we stuck to our original decision. But we always, always listened and explained. When my daughter was 12, she chose to go into a residential, early entrance college program in another state. I had concerns and would certainly have preferred to keep her home longer. But she was adamant, and we understood her position. So, we supported her choice. My son is now 13 (today!). He flirted with the idea of going to our county's performing arts magnet school next year. He felt he was ready for new horizons and very much wanted the training he thought he would get in that program. Again, we had concerns, but I understood his position. So, we agreed to do some research. We got as far as submitting the application and attending the open house before he changed his mind. So, happily, I'll be kepping him home, after all. We made it clear from the first moment we discussed the high school thing that we would support his choice as long as we felt it was working. We told him we reserved the right to pull him out of the school the minute we thought it was not working, whether our concerns were academic or social or anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 K-4, No. 5-8, No. High School....I think (for our family) it has to be a mutual decision. Ultimately, as parents, the decision is ours, but I can see allowing the kids to make the decision if we don't have strong feelings one way or the other. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Yes, she can choose, if she wants to do it in the living room, or her bedroom or the study. Its one of those days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 K-8th her father and I made the decision. When dd started highschool, we gave her the option of attending a christian highschool. For 9th grade, she chose to homeschool. When we moved to northern VA, she asked to attend a traditional highschool. She picked the christian highschool she's now attending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulubelle Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 This is funny because I'm trying to talk my 4 year old into going to preschool! She does not want to go! I really have so much to do with the 2 boys I just think it would be so much easier for me. I think I will go show her and see what she thinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 The older they get, the more imput they get. K-4? They get no choice. 5-8? I'll listen. 9-12? Much more likely to let them go where they want to unless I think it would be *bad* for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 None of the above, so I couldn't vote. I only have experience with an older child, over age 12. We decide together what will work best, and what school will work best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snickelfritz Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 When the kids were little, the parents pretty much made the decision. But we always solicited and took into account the kids feelings and opinions. Sometimes, even when they wanted something different, we stuck to our original decision. But we always, always listened and explained This Older dd is attending school next year. She really, really wanted to go. That wasn't our deciding factor, but it went on our(dh and I) list of pros and cons. But if everything else had pointed towards staying home, that's what we would have done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 My son was accepted to two magnet programs. Clearly I approve of these or he would not have applied. We did not apply to the $20,000 private school. So does he get to choose - yes, he gets to make a choice based on what I put in front of him. AND I would only present him with choices that I think are best for him and his needs. These are not the same choices that my next daughter will have for high school. Every kid is different and every kid needs their own platter (even if there is only one selection on it) - she gets to choose her summer camp options for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I gave my children the option to try school starting in middle school. One child took me up on it for one year, one did not, one went - is doing great and still there, and one went and didn't do so great. I pulled her against her will and will probably let her try again in 8th grade if she wants. The oldest dd came home in high school. SO far everyone has been pretty happy with their choices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I voted other because while the ultimate choice lies with dh and me, my daughters' input is welcome however, it depends on the reasoning. When dd9 was about 6, she said she wanted to go to school but her reason was so she could play on the playground at recess. Ah. No! However, she now has expressed sustained interest in attending a new STEM science school beginning in 6th grade. The reasons here are more sound. Science is her thing and this school has a lot of opportunities for her that she would not have at home. We are seriously weighing this option for her. DD7 currently has no desire to go to school and I can't ever see myself forcing her to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 My dc didn't go to school. :D Any Official Learning Stuff started out at the kitchen table, but learning happened all over the house (and outside the house, for that matter, since everything we did was part of their education, whether it looked like "school" or not). So I voted "other," since we didn't Do School. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Grades 9 - 12 - they have input. But Dh and I make the final decision. So far, none of my kids have wanted to go to school. They deal with those kids in other activities and can't imagine having to deal with them for hours each day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Do they get to choose (at all during the K-12 process) no. Do I ask for and consider their input esp. as they get older? Very definitely. :iagree: My husband and I consider the child's needs and wants for education as we do all other decisions we make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 (edited) I voted no for K-4 and then "other,' because my oldest is only a kindergartener and it seemed silly for me to project that far forward. I have to imagine that it would be extremely difficult to homeschool a 17yo who was dead set against it. Not that you couldn't refuse to enroll them in school, but I can't think that you'd get much done at home, either. Although come to think of it, I do remember reading one book -- I think it was Paula Penn-Nabrit's book? -- about homeschooling middle and high schoolers who hated homeschooling. In any event, I'd like to think that as everyone gets older, we'll be able to decide together. Edited March 10, 2011 by JennyD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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