New Homeschoolers Who Pulled Kids Out of Public School

[HSchoolmom]

I am wondering how many of the people on the forum, have pulled their kids out of public school, since it wasn't going well.

[Starr]

I took kids out of ps and it was going well.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

We are finishing our second year of homeschooling. They originally attended ps. I didn't pull them out mid-year, though. I waited for the end of the year, even though things were going pretty badly for ds1.

[snowbeltmom]

I am wondering how many of the people on the forum, have pulled their kids out of public school, since it wasn't going well.

 

After two long years of following the classroom teachers' advice and "advocating for my child" with the administration and getting nowhere :banghead:, I finally threw in the towel.

 

We will soon begin our 5th year of homeschooling. My only regret is that we didn't start sooner.

[Mandylubug]

Pulled my kiddos out because they weren't doing "well." They had all a's and b's. They cried daily. They befriended the wrong crowd. They didn't flourish nor fit. Academically they were fine, though!

[mandymom]

We pulled ours out of public school this last year. There was nothing majorly wrong, but I knew we could do better at home. My oldest was starting high school and my youngest was starting kindergarten.

[The Girls' Mom]

Pulled my kiddos out because they weren't doing "well." They had all a's and b's. They cried daily. They befriended the wrong crowd. They didn't flourish nor fit. Academically they were fine, though!

 

This! My girls were in the 6th and 3rd grades when we pulled them out. It was October, so about 6 weeks into the year? I was tired of the drama, daily stomach aches, tears, and witnessing things they shouldn't have to see.

 

Their grades were great. (although I discovered that they didn't mean much considering my honor roll student couldn't do grade level math!)

[Twilight Woods]

I just did. :) Academically they were doing fine. Oldest DD was having issues with mean girls and her anxiety, my youngest DD was bored.

[swellmomma]

I am wondering how many of the people on the forum, have pulled their kids out of public school, since it wasn't going well.

 

I did after my oldest finished gr 2 and 2nd born finished 1st

[Alicia64]

I took my Kinders out at Christmas when there was one red flag after another. Initally dh was all for regular school and when he saw the red flags he pushed the homeschooling button. I was scared but decided to "mom-up."

 

And we were in an excellent charter school that we had to get into by lottery luck.

 

Alley

[gingersmom]

I pulled my son out after first grade. I wish I had never sent him. We are going strong and about to start year 7.

[Cassy]

We've been homeschooling for almost three years. DS11 was 8 yo at the time, and his teacher seemed to be having problems coping with him, although this had never been the case previously with other teachers. I was also told that he was making no progress in his learning, and in fact, seemed to be going backwards. This teacher drove both DS and I crazy. DS7 was 5 at the time, and had just completed one year at school, apparently having learned nothing at all. I was so frustrated I made a decision on impulse, having only researched homeschooling for about a month, and they never went back. DS13 did continue at the same school for another year. Originally it was just a year long experiment, DH described it as a year of 'intensive parenting' for DS11. Now I wish we'd homeschooled from the start. I also wish I'd had a little longer to research and organise before actually starting homeschooling.

 

Cassy

[stansclan89]

I pulled mine out because school wasn't "going well". I tried to work with the school (and work with them, and work with them).

 

The straw that broke the camels back came when oldest ds was 6th grade, second ds was 4th grade, oldest dd was 2nd grade and third ds was K--that was 9 years ago.

 

We decided to try out hsing together as a family with the kids involved in the decision. None of them has ever wanted to go back. And they tell their younger siblings how awful it was, so they don't want to go either.

 

ETA

It was nothing academic--more because what the adults needed was more important than what my son needed. And if we were going to start hsing, we were going to do it together.

Edited May 27, 2012 by stansclan89

[Tasia]

I pulled my oldest out last fall because things weren't going well. He had just started middle school and bullying was the main issue.

 

I'm pulling my other three out after this year and things have been going alright. DS11 and DS9 are doing great but aren't really being challenged. DS8 is struggling with some things and was just diagnosed with dyslexia, but all three are doing great socially and have lots of friends.

[Rjmakmom]

After two long years of following the classroom teachers' advice and "advocating for my child" with the administration and getting nowhere :banghead:, I finally threw in the towel.

 

We will soon begin our 5th year of homeschooling. My only regret is that we didn't start sooner.

 

 

yup. This is us too.

[alisonf3]

After two long years of following the classroom teachers' advice and "advocating for my child" with the administration and getting nowhere :banghead:, I finally threw in the towel.

 

This was what happened with us, too. I just finished my first full year with all three of our kids at home. I pulled DD12 out in December of 2010 and DS10 and DS7 for this school year. It has been fantastic and none of them want to go back! I am actually a little surprised as this is the only thing they have ever all agreed about. :tongue_smilie:

[awisha.]

DD was in Prep/Kinder from Jan-June of 2011 but I pulled her out due to physical, verbal and emotional bullying by boys in her class and another. I had never even considered homeschooling until I came across it while googling. I am so very grateful now that I can HS my children.

[ErinE]

When I pulled him, my son was doing well, but I had spent almost three years volunteering in the school. I assisted all grade levels, so I saw the amount of worksheets, busy work, and general time wasting activities the children were subjected to. Although I "afterschooled" my son throughout his PS experience, I wasn't confident in my abilities as a full time teacher until I saw exactly what the teachers were doing.

 

Plus, I didn't want to subject my son to the pressurce-cooker of standardized testing. In January, all learning shut down; I spent the remaining school year copying worksheet after worksheet of test prep. Teacher after teacher talked about how they only had a few months in the fall to really teach whereas the rest of the year was focused on the May tests. It wasn't a learning experience I wanted for my child.

 

I pulled him mid-March. Regrettably, I tried to jump into home schooling right away, which every HS parent will say is a big no-no. Within a few weeks, I reversed course and let him de-school for a while, only requiring a bit of math and interest led activities for everything else.

[QuirkyKidAcademy]

We left public school one month into 3rd grade because DS was falling further and further behind.

[mamajag]

I pulled DD1 out of school after 2 months of kindergarten. She was depressed, crying, and stressed out. Perfection issues combined with a teacher who made it a point to make it a class announcement that DD1 had GI issues to attend to whenever she had a problem meant public school did not last long.

 

The younger 2? I figure if I'm HSing one, I might as well HS them all. They've never been a part of a regular school.

[AK_Mom4]

I pulled DS (now 16yo) out mid-way thru 5th grade because he was doing poorly. Homeschooled him thru 8th grade then he went back to public school for high school. In the meantime, DD (now 11yo) had started homeschooling in 2nd grade and we are still going strong.

 

DD18 decided to homeschool for her senior year (just finished) so she could concentrate on her music.

[jenangelcat]

We homeschooled from the start but here in Nova Scotia, problems with public school seems to be the number one reason for homeschooling. It's either bullying issues or the kids have learning disabilities and weren't getting enough help at school.

[magnificent_baby]

.

[mom4praise]

I pulled my ds11 out in March. I found it very interesting that his Algebra teacher and his gifted liaison both called and told me I was making the very best decision for him. My ds4 will not be attending ps. I still may be pulling my dd15 out in the fall, but trying not to since she really doesn't want to come home.

[houseofkids&pets]

I removed ds from second grade in October, 2010, due to academic concerns and his anxiety. I really felt that something was "off" and he was falling further behind. After watching him struggle the first couple of weeks in second grade and hearing him cry and call himself stupid, I made the decision to take him out of ps. I didn't know ANYONE who homeschooled, my mom is a retired ps teacher, and there are many teachers on my husband's side of the family. However, our family and friends have all supported our decision.

 

BTW, ds has since been diagnosed with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. He has made incredible gains academically with the one-on-one support. I don't regret my decision one bit. It was the best thing for him and I only wish that I had done it sooner.

[kengjw]

We didn't pull my dd out of the private christian school but the school decided that my dd wasn't suitable for their school. We were only there for 3 months and that was the hardest and longest 3 months of my life. It was such a relief for me that they let her go as my husband would not pull her out. That was a long story in itself but I am so glad I took the leap of faith to start homeschooling her. We are finishing our 4th year of home schooling and I am happy with where we are right now.

 

Julia

[mom2scouts]

I pulled mine from PS after first grade because it wasn't going well.

[LittleIzumi]

I was planning to homeschool, but tried out a charter school first since it sounded good on paper. It turned out to be a bit of a nightmare, and I pulled her within 2 weeks (plus the entire summer of trying to work things out beforehand with teachers/administrators).

[kewb]

I pulled mine out because of a bullying issue that I spent 2 years trying to resolve with the school. Academically my kids were doing great.

[Heidi]

My daughter was supposedly going to a good school, and she thoroughly enjoyed both days of Kindergarten, when I pulled her out. Disney's Little Mermaid book was on the free reading shelf along with other dumb reading material, there was a tv, and a computer center. :glare: I just couldn't handle it. All of those items scream Waste of Time to me.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I'm pulling the three (though if we stay in our town, the boys may well go to Kindy as I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the kindergarten teachers where we are). My daughter made good progress at home and school. The teacher seemed capable enough at addressing the wide ability differences in the classroom. The children learned a number of things I think interesting and intriguing including things many people may not consider teaching to a kindergartener. A lot of the stuff was more exposure for kids not ready for it, of course. It has been a GREAT experience for ME as a first time public school mom (I'm speaking ONLY of my experience with HER school, not both schools unfortunately).

 

However, I really believe in homeschooling. I want more than public school can always provide.

 

BTW, my older children only attended school for 8 weeks (back in 2001). My daughter's experience was about what I expected (not great, but not awful). My son's was horrendous (not the school or teacher's fault).

[Pamela H in Texas]

I'm pulling the three (though if we stay in our town, the boys may well go to Kindy as I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the kindergarten teachers where we are). My daughter made good progress at home and school. The teacher seemed capable enough at addressing the wide ability differences in the classroom. The children learned a number of things I think interesting and intriguing including things many people may not consider teaching to a kindergartener. A lot of the stuff was more exposure for kids not ready for it, of course. It has been a GREAT experience for ME as a first time public school mom (I'm speaking ONLY of my experience with HER school, not both schools unfortunately).

 

However, I really believe in homeschooling. I want more than public school can always provide.

 

BTW, my older children only attended school for 8 weeks (back in 2001). My daughter's experience was about what I expected (not great, but not awful). My son's was horrendous (not the school or teacher's fault).

[ThisIsTheDay]

I took kids out of ps and it was going well.

 

Same here.

[jar7709]

We've been homeschooling for just over a year. Pulled DS out of kindergarten last year because it was a disaster. Our local district schools could not recognize or accomodate his "giftedness"...they'd say things like, "yes, we know you can read, but since you can't stand in line today, I guess you're not ready to be a kindergartener!" in a babytalk way. Because he does not suffer fools gladly, he lashed out in anger and was becoming a discipline problem. After a year of homeschool he's a sunny, happy, pleasant child again (most of the time). No plans to return.

[jentancalann]

I took kids out of ps and it was going well.

 

Ditto. No complaints with the school at all. 'Cept I'm not new. But I was at one point. ;-)

[raceNzanesmom]

Our oldest came home after 6th. It wasn't necessarily because it wasn't going well. We just felt called to do it.

[Shellers]

DD16 - I pulled out of high school in March 2011.

DD14 - Still attends public high school.

DS12 - I pulled out of school November 2011.

[Dory]

Took my son out of ps after Christmas. He was being bullied and I was tired of fighting with the school over his apd. I'll be pulling my dd out for next year as I'm tired of seeing a 7 year old curled up in a ball in the corner of her room crying cause she's stressed out. My youngest will never go to the ps. I grew up homeschooled so I'm not completely sure if I classify as new to homeschooling, but I'm new to being back. :D

[rocketgirl]

i did both, took one out midyear & continued the younger two in ps the following school year, since they were fine, then took my 2nd out midyear (although it should've been right away - we tried to "fix" and stay that course). both due to situations that could not wait & both due to situations that were totally different. never regretted either, the only thing i regret is making my 1st grader wait til christmas break to take her out when the signs began the 2nd week of school. But i didn't know & tried really hard to make the system work & fix it for her.

 

my 3rd finished out her year & started hsling in the fall of the next year

[~Amanda~]

me. last year was our first year; they went back to ps this year but pulled them back out after xmas

[readinmom]

Pulled ds out 1/2 way through 7th grade. Got tired of stress, constant test prep, test prep, test prep, test prep, test prep, test prep...you get the picture. One teacher was a little off on the humanitarian side...my dad died, and ds was very close to him. He watched something in class that made him sad and teacher yelled at him to "get over it" :confused:

 

That was it...he had asked for a long time to come home.

[Trez]

I pulled my ds at the end of grade 6. The school was overcrowded and unable to offer him any challenging work to keep him engaged. The one conversation that stands out in my mind from a parent/teacher interview was that when he raises his hand, we just don't ask him anymore because what he wants to talk about is beyond what we are doing. I also found, after having a daughter go through grade 8, that the upper level teachers were not great role models for the kids.

 

My second ds came home last year after grade 4. He wanted to be home (with his brother).

 

Next year, my older son will be going off to a high school which offers a challenging program. My youngest may have some adjustment to a much quieter house but he says he doesn't want to go back to ps.

[mom24cuties]

I pulled my kids out of public school the first time becasue it was really bad. It was a inner city school in Chicago and my kids were so boerd in the classroom because they knew everything that they taught in school. My dd was in K at the time and half of the kids came to the school not being able to speak english at all (a lot of hispanics) and hardly any of the kids knew their abc's and my dd was reading by the time she entered k. My ds was in 2nd grade and once again he was above grade level in his subjects so he started getting in trouble all the time because he said that school was boering and all they did was baby stuff. So I pulled them out and hs'd them until we moved to VA and I thought the schools here would be better, and they are but they teach to the test and I want my kids to learn more than what is on the test for the year. So they are finishing the school year (5 more days!!!) then they will be back home for the long run.

[Chris in PA]

I pulled both my dds out of PS at the end of 3rd and 5th grades. My decision was made after I went to parent visitation during their final years. Oldest dd was in the once a week science class. The teacher was boring and down right nasty. I remember they were studying sea life. He had some very old specimens he was passing around the room. They were in old discolored ziploc bags so you couldn't really see anything and he told they students they were not permitted to open the bags. Really???? No wonder kids dislike science! I sat in on my younger dds math class. They were studying Roman numerals. Most of the kids already knew the material but the teacher didn't move on because a few students weren't understanding. I walked out that day knowing we can do so much better than this at home! And this is one of the best school districts in the county. That was 9 years ago. My oldest has graduated and is in college studying psychology. Our younger dd is getting ready to start her senior year. My ds was never in PS and will be starting high school at home this fall. It isn't always easy but it is the best thing we can do for our dc. It is a great adventure with many ups and downs but in the end totally worth it!

[TheApprentice]

Four years ago, when we began, I pulled my youngest out of K after being in their for 2 weeks and by middle out of 3rd grade. A year later, I pulled my oldest out after he finished 5th grade.

[Quiver0f10]

We pulled our kids out 12 years ago and haven't looked back.

[terrijo]

Just finishing our 3rd year of HS. Took my kids out for 4th/2nd/K grades. Both my older kids had IEPs for math and reading respectively. It was frustrating because when I started noticing the math issues and crying with dd I contacted the teacher who never called me back. Should have seen the sign. Took me 2 more years to finally pull them. I wish I had homeschooled from the beginning or at least pulled them mid-year when we finally made the choice to HS.

[smile.its.me]

This was our first year of homeschooling (2011-2012). I pulled out DD6 after Kinder, and DD9 after 3rd. They were up for the challenge, but the beginning was VERY hard. Neither one had bad experiences...they loved their teachers, had great friends, DH was PTO president, but I was sick of the test prep at such a young age. I would encourage anyone in the area to go to the school...but for us, I pulled them out based on principle, not past experience.

 

I refuse to let them go to middle school...it is a waste of time not to mention the awkward teen years.

 

It is their choice if they want to go back (in high school).

[Dmmetler]

I pulled DD after K because she wasn't being challenged academically and was starting to play dumb to fit in. Even her K teacher said that she was concerned that if DD went to a new classroom with a teacher who didn't realize this was an act, that eventually the act would become reality.

 

Even one of the girls DD dances with, who's mother has been most questioning about HSing, commented that she thinks DD is doing better since we pulled her out-because she's known DD since she was in PS K, and has seen just how much better DD is emotionally now.

[Susann]

I just want to say I admire the strength and determination it took all of you to pull your kiddos out and do what was right for your families!!