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Public school is never an option-- is that true for anyone else?


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*snip*

 

Regarding moving kids in and out of school, I ran across this article the other day explaining how that can affect children.

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140218110525.htm

 

I attending 7 different schools from K-12 (including 3 different high schools). I would have had more school moves than that if it wasn't for the fact that I was bussed to a self-enclosed gifted program from 2nd-8th, which gave me some stability (I could be bussed to the program no matter where we lived).

 

I would suggest that frequent school moves are generally accompanied by (or caused by) severe family instability. I'm not saying that school moves aren't stressful on their own, but I have a hard time believing that they are psychosis inducing on their own. I would guess that the family instability underlying the school moves is probably the greater factor here. It would be interesting to look at military families with frequent school moves compared to non-military families with frequent school moves. I would bet that the rate of psychotic symptoms is much lower among the adolescents in military families.

 

I'm not sure how much can be generalized from this study. I think the effect of frequently moving kids between homeschooling and public school would greatly depend on the general stability of the family environment, the reasons for moving the children back and forth, and whether the children were able to maintain a stable support network throughout the transitions (perhaps always having the stability of the same neighborhood or the same church home). Moving kids back and forth between homeschooling and public school isn't something I would do, but I wouldn't automatically assume that it's going to have a negative impact.

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I never intended for my younger girls to attend public school.  I just didn't think it would happen.  

 

Last spring/summer my 15yo let me know that she felt she should attend public school.  She was so scared she cried but she felt she needed the structure.  She is an awesome kid but the truth is she was not working for me.  She needed outside motivation.

 

There are definitely things I dislike - the language for one.  School work is not easy for her but she is making the most of school.  She is responsible and organized so public school is working.

 

I really hope 12yo and I can make homeschool work.  I think the peer pressure would be too much for her personality.

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Thanks to those with kind words.  For the 'never say never' group-- our city has more than 300 private schools.  I can absolutely say never.  We have funds set aside for private schooling should it become a necessity for educational reasons or in the event of my death.   Public school is literally never an option. Private school is an option, but not public school.


Well bully for you. I pray that your life circumstances never change (and sadly in this economy that can happen seemingly in the blink of an eye).
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Where do you live?  That is not the norm to have that many within reasonable driving distance.  Even for the ones near me that are 1-2 hours away, the waitlists are long.


There are a number of them within driving distance of me- they're just extraordinarily expensive. Perhaps the OP is wealthy enough that he/she has $50k per year per child in savings to pay for SN private school. That would explain his/her smug attitude...
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I'm not American and I'm a bit confused about the idea that public school would never be okay but private school would.

Is this because of religious reasons? so one would chose a private school according to one's religion, or is there also a big academic difference?

 

(In the Netherlands, there are almost no private schools, almost all schools are government funded, including the protestant (several different denominations) and catholic schools.)

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itisheresomewhere.....I live in the same general area as Crimson Wife, and I can assure you, there are areas of the country where there are private schools quite literally, one for every square mile.  We live within easy driving distance of probably 50, all of them high caliber, excellent schools...some more than others of course.  As she said, however, they can run an easy 17k for the cheapest (usually the Catholic schools subsidized by the parishes) to 40k for the highest caliber rich-kids highly academics, all in one schools (ie the school offers literally everything you could ever need from water polo to music to art...etc.)  BUT still...I cannot really imagine how much money I'd have to have to get to the point where I would use that word never.  (I don't think ever, is what I am getting at lol)

 

I think it's important to say, that you really never know what life will bring you.  As I said before, I would not say never.

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I'm not American and I'm a bit confused about the idea that public school would never be okay but private school would.

Is this because of religious reasons? so one would chose a private school according to one's religion, or is there also a big academic difference?

 

(In the Netherlands, there are almost no private schools, almost all schools are government funded, including the protestant (several different denominations) and catholic schools.)

 

Tress:

 

Here are 3 possible scenarios:

 

Libertarian Beliefs- that socialism is destructive and socialized schooling is teaching the children to rely on the government, which gives the government more power, which raises another generation that relies on the government, which gives the government more power, creating a cycle wherein the government will eventually be God and people will continually lose more and more personal liberty (which isn't that far off from where we already are in some respects.)

 

OR

 

Religious Beliefs- the government schools teach socialism, and humanism, that MAN is the center of all and the purpose of all, rather than God- this is directly opposed to Christian beliefs and any Christian utilizing public schools will have to work hard against this to develop a Christian worldview in their children.

 

OR 

 

Family Beliefs- that children don't belong in a one-size-fits-all, institutionalized setting, learning to be one of the many drones that do the same and accomplish the same as anyone else.

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Tress:

 

Here are 3 possible scenarios:

 

Libertarian Beliefs- that socialism is destructive and socialized schooling is teaching the children to rely on the government, which gives the government more power, which raises another generation that relies on the government, which gives the government more power, creating a cycle wherein the government will eventually be God and people will continually lose more and more personal liberty (which isn't that far off from where we already are in some respects.)

 

OR

 

Religious Beliefs- the government schools teach socialism, and humanism, that MAN is the center of all and the purpose of all, rather than God- this is directly opposed to Christian beliefs and any Christian utilizing public schools will have to work hard against this to develop a Christian worldview in their children.

 

OR 

 

Family Beliefs- that children don't belong in a one-size-fits-all, institutionalized setting, learning to be one of the many drones that do the same and accomplish the same as anyone else.

 

Thanks, Calming Tea! That helps.

 

I think I always assumed that when American homeschooling parents said that school would never be an option, they were speaking of *all* schools. I see now that for parents with Libertarian or Religious beliefs, the right private school would be okay, while public school never would.

 

 

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I attending 7 different schools from K-12 (including 3 different high schools). I would have had more school moves than that if it wasn't for the fact that I was bussed to a self-enclosed gifted program from 2nd-8th, which gave me some stability (I could be bussed to the program no matter where we lived).

 

I would suggest that frequent school moves are generally accompanied by (or caused by) severe family instability. I'm not saying that school moves aren't stressful on their own, but I have a hard time believing that they are psychosis inducing on their own. I would guess that the family instability underlying the school moves is probably the greater factor here. It would be interesting to look at military families with frequent school moves compared to non-military families with frequent school moves. I would bet that the rate of psychotic symptoms is much lower among the adolescents in military families.

 

I'm not sure how much can be generalized from this study. I think the effect of frequently moving kids between homeschooling and public school would greatly depend on the general stability of the family environment, the reasons for moving the children back and forth, and whether the children were able to maintain a stable support network throughout the transitions (perhaps always having the stability of the same neighborhood or the same church home). Moving kids back and forth between homeschooling and public school isn't something I would do, but I wouldn't automatically assume that it's going to have a negative impact.

 

I agree with much of what you're saying, but I think the findings from the study are worth considering (and studying even more).

 

They are not saying that moving will automatically and most definitely cause problems but that in about 60% of the individuals they studied, it did cause significant, often long-lasting problems independent of other factors.

 

What they go on to suggest in the article is that schools should take more of a role in helping these kids transition into the schools. Be sympathetic to the problems they are facing and help them build a positive network of support. It's not always easy for a new student to make friends when other kids already have their established groups in place. My first bit of advice to people moving their child into a school is to find ways to help your child make buddies. IMO, when students feel socially and emotionally well, connected to and accepted by others, the academics tend to fall into place.

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We would choose private school for none of the above reasons. The best private schools in my area are simply better than almost all the public schools. The only exception would be where the pubic schools are in areas where the price of housing to move into the school's zone would exceed the cost of private school. So, I can either pay 30k per year for private school or move into a 3 million dollar home to attend a good public school. I'd still choose the private school because of smaller class size.

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There are three private schools in the area I would consider sending my kids to.  One is private, one is Quaker and one is Catholic.

 

The others . . . no way, no how, never. Mostly because they're all well known for their sub-par academics, and we disagree with the religious stance of most of them.  Drugs and bullying are well known problems, too.

 

That is one "never" I can say, since from everything I can tell our public school options are much better than the vast majority of private schools in the area.  And a lot less expensive.

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I'm not American and I'm a bit confused about the idea that public school would never be okay but private school would.

Is this because of religious reasons? so one would chose a private school according to one's religion, or is there also a big academic difference?

 

(In the Netherlands, there are almost no private schools, almost all schools are government funded, including the protestant (several different denominations) and catholic schools.)

Besides Calming Tea's explanation  I did want to add that at least where I live many times parents choose a private school, even if religiously based in a religion that is not your own, because  of the assumption that the (usually) smaller classes and potential for more one on one instruction can help a child more.  There is also the frequent assumption that students will be held to a higher standard of conduct, parents will have more direct influence since the school NEEDS paying parents and that the school may have more rigorous academics than a public school.  There are some parents who may not have any religious belief system at all that still send their child to a private, religiously based school instead of public school for these reasons.  

 

Unfortunately, these assumptions are not always true, so your child may end up in a school with NO one on one attention, teachers with poor classroom management skills, teachers who do not actually know the subject they end up teaching, academics that are poorly implemented or not rigorous enough, teachers and administrators that are not trained to handle children with any learning differences including gifted, and often the school ends up with a lot of kids that were put there because they got in with the wrong crowd in public school, do not want to be there, have a bad attitude, can create a bad influence. etc.  

 

Obviously not all private schools have these issues running rampant, but assuming that ALL private schools are better than ALL public schools seems rather naive to me.  Nevertheless, there are those that make that assumption, at least in my area.

 

I guess because private schools in the past were frequently of very high standards these assumptions still exist?  Even though it seems there are a LOT of substandard private schools, too, just like there are lots of substandard public schools?  I don't know.

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I'm not American and I'm a bit confused about the idea that public school would never be okay but private school would.
Is this because of religious reasons? so one would chose a private school according to one's religion, or is there also a big academic difference?


Private schools have selective admissions and can kick out any child who is disruptive to the classroom. Plus the hefty tuition and "volunteering" requirements (which are mandatory) mean that only parents who really care about their children's education choose private schools. They also tend to have a much higher level of academic rigor (our zoned district only offers honors coursework for the final 2 years of high school).
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Thanks, Calming Tea! That helps.

 

I think I always assumed that when American homeschooling parents said that school would never be an option, they were speaking of *all* schools. I see now that for parents with Libertarian or Religious beliefs, the right private school would be okay, while public school never would.

 

I think a fourth scenario that you could add is that in some areas, the public schools are of very poor academic quality, but there are academically strong private schools.

 

In my area, the public schools are decent academically and outperform all but two of the private schools within an hours drive. In some, areas, that would be reversed and academics would be the reason public schools would be off the table for some families.

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There are a number of them within driving distance of me- they're just extraordinarily expensive. Perhaps the OP is wealthy enough that he/she has $50k per year per child in savings to pay for SN private school. That would explain his/her smug attitude...

 

I used to live around the corner from a very small, extremely well-regarded school for children with autism.  $70K per year. [ETA: I just checked the cost again.  Actually, it was 85K per year.]

 

We have no specific plans to send our kids to public K-12 school, and private school would be our default backup, at least until high school age, but definitely put me in the never-say-never camp.

 

 

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There are a number of them within driving distance of me- they're just extraordinarily expensive. Perhaps the OP is wealthy enough that he/she has $50k per year per child in savings to pay for SN private school. That would explain his/her smug attitude...

 

Smug?  Seriously?  Having firm beliefs about the welfare of my children is smug?

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Smug? Seriously? Having firm beliefs about the welfare of my children is smug?


I'm not sure that it's the firm beliefs about public school or the ostentatious statements about having the luxury to afford private school on a board where many people struggle financially. JMHO.
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We would choose private school for none of the above reasons. The best private schools in my area are simply better than almost all the public schools. The only exception would be where the pubic schools are in areas where the price of housing to move into the school's zone would exceed the cost of private school. So, I can either pay 30k per year for private school or move into a 3 million dollar home to attend a good public school. I'd still choose the private school because of smaller class size.

 

We are actually lucky enough to live in a school district of the "3 million dollar home" type.  Our town has a send-receive relationship with a town that has a high school that is considered superior to many of the private schools in the area.  They get excellent teachers because they get the pick of applicants because employees children can attend tuition free (and yes, this public school has tuition students every year).  Our house happens to be one of the smallest in the sending town and my husband purchased it many years ago, but we'd have a hard time buying in this district if we tried to do it now.

 

 

Private schools have selective admissions and can kick out any child who is disruptive to the classroom. Plus the hefty tuition and "volunteering" requirements (which are mandatory) mean that only parents who really care about their children's education choose private schools. They also tend to have a much higher level of academic rigor (our zoned district only offers honors coursework for the final 2 years of high school).

 

Unfortunately, around here the private schools are often the ones that get the kids that were kicked out of public school.   

 

A lot don't have any volunteering requirement (maybe because it would take two incomes to afford the tuition?) and the academics tend to vary greatly.  Most of the people I know who send their kids to the private schools (and my oldest did go to Catholic school for K/1st) do it because of the full-day kindergarten/longer days in the younger grades, for religious reasons in the older grades, or because they live in a very struggling school district.

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I'm not American and I'm a bit confused about the idea that public school would never be okay but private school would.

Is this because of religious reasons? so one would chose a private school according to one's religion, or is there also a big academic difference?

 

(In the Netherlands, there are almost no private schools, almost all schools are government funded, including the protestant (several different denominations) and catholic schools.)

 

I don't agree with the academic scope and sequence of any public schools in my state, and likely the U.S. .  There are not any Charlotte Mason-esque early elemetary public schools nor any Classically modeled middle or high schools that are publically funded.   Additionally, public schools are not allowed to use bible based curriculum.   There are however, dozens of such private schools readily available in my area that offer all of those options.  While some private schools are decidedly better than others, there are several Classical model schools with a biblical foundation that are less than $9K a year. 

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Thanks, OneStepAtATime, Crimson Wife, Momto2Ns! The situation in the Netherlands is so different, that I sometimes not even realise how different and only later realise that something I thought I understood, I didn't understand at all. (Ugh, I probably got all verb tenses mixed up, I'm tired and then my English grammar slips. Sorry.)

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I'm not sure that it's the firm beliefs about public school or the ostentatious statements about having the luxury to afford private school on a board where many people struggle financially. JMHO.

 

We can afford it because we have lived on next to nothing and put back every cent to be able to support our children in a way that we believe.  We literally put our money where our mouth is.  We don't believe in public education, therefore we have made sure that our kids will not ever have to access it for any reason.   That doesn't make me smug and it was incredibly rude to say that. 

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Smug- contentedly confident of one's ability, superiority, or correctness..  kind of fits actually.  You feel sure that you are sure that you are sure that you will never ever ever ever have to send your kids to public school, in any circumstances whatsoever, and you feel totally content that you are correct.

 

Smug.  

 

Again- I agree with your sentiments,  because I myself really cannot conceive of too many scenarios in which my children would go to a public school.  But really, I just can't say never because they always might.  And, as a practical note, we in our family have always tried to explain why we would almost never choose that option, but teaching our kids to soar, to make wise choices, to make wise friends and to be cheerful in all circumstances, so that, if it ever came to pass, they would rise to the challenge faithfully, rather than being afraid.  

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Thanks, OneStepAtATime, Crimson Wife, Momto2Ns! The situation in the Netherlands is so different, that I sometimes not even realise how different and only later realise that something I thought I understood, I didn't understand at all. (Ugh, I probably got all verb tenses mixed up, I'm tired and then my English grammar slips. Sorry.)

Chuckle...you did great!   And you are welcome...  :)

 

Best wishes.

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When Dh is working the right job, we are actually very well off financially, and that little dinky house in a good school district is part of the reason why.

 

But, after going through a divorce, the unexpected loss of what should have been a very secure job (1 year into a 3 year contract!), and having to return to work when I didn't think I would ever HAVE to....I would never say never.  And we haven't even dealt with unexpected or severe medical expenses.

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We can afford it because we have lived on next to nothing and put back every cent to be able to support our children in a way that we believe. We literally put our money where our mouth is. We don't believe in public education, therefore we have made sure that our kids will not ever have to access it for any reason. That doesn't make me smug and it was incredibly rude to say that.


And that's admirable. Truly. But, please recognize that job loss or severe illness could wipe that out in a heartbeat. I say this as someone who never thought she'd be diagnosed with a chronic, debilitating illness in her 30s while living the life of the 1%. Life can change in an instant; I pray everything goes according to your plan.
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And that's admirable. Truly. But, please recognize that job loss or severe illness could wipe that out in a heartbeat. I say this as someone who never thought she'd be diagnosed with a chronic, debilitating illness in her 30s while living the life of the 1%. Life can change in an instant; I pray everything goes according to your plan.

 

Absolutely, which is why schooling funds are tucked into a special account that can only be accessed for educational purposes.  Same for their college funds that we are slowly accumulating.    Also, I am very fortunate to have a high demand degree -- I get job offers weekly.  If DH lost his job, I could have a job by end of the week.  I totally realize that other people don't have such a skill set.  I purposely pick such a degree and it has been very useful.

 

 

 

 

 

In general....

If someone had posted that Catholic School was the only option for their family, no one would be bashing them.  A family choosing a school that integrates their faith is acceptable.   I find it astounding that on a homeschooling board I am bashed for holding the same type of belief about not utilizing publicly funded schools.
 

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Smug?  Seriously?  Having firm beliefs about the welfare of my children is smug?


Assuming that your financial situation is the norm rather than the exception is smug. Most HSers don't have the money for private school tuition to see out all of their kids through 12th grade just lying around in their savings accounts given how lousy the economy has been over the past 6-7 years.
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Private schools have selective admissions and can kick out any child who is disruptive to the classroom. Plus the hefty tuition and "volunteering" requirements (which are mandatory) mean that only parents who really care about their children's education choose private schools. They also tend to have a much higher level of academic rigor (our zoned district only offers honors coursework for the final 2 years of high school).

 

For the vast majority of private schools around here it's exactly the opposite.  None have volunteer requirements that I'm aware of, and the only admission requirement--beyond the ones that require signing a statement of faith--is being able to pay the tuition.  I guess the best way to sum up the private school situation here is to say it's very much a "buyer beware" situation, and that a high price tag doesn't necessarily equate to a superior experience.

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Absolutely, which is why schooling funds are tucked into a special account that can only be accessed for educational purposes.  Same for their college funds that we are slowly accumulating.


I pray that you never find yourself in a situation where you need to re-direct the money that you've saved towards keeping a roof over your head and food on the table.

Back before the economy tanked, we had money saved for our kids to attend private high school. Thank God we had that cushion because it meant we were able to keep our house during a rough patch rather than losing it to short sale or foreclosure like so many other families.

Instead of your smugness and judgmental attitude, you should say, "There but the grace of God go I".
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Assuming that your financial situation is the norm rather than the exception is smug. Most HSers don't have the money for private school tuition to see out all of their kids through 12th grade just lying around in their savings accounts given how lousy the economy has been over the past 6-7 years.

 

How have I assumed this is the norm?

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I pray that you never find yourself in a situation where you need to re-direct the money that you've saved towards keeping a roof over your head and food on the table.

Back before the economy tanked, we had money saved for our kids to attend private high school. Thank God we had that cushion because it meant we were able to keep our house during a rough patch rather than losing it to short sale or foreclosure like so many other families.

Instead of your smugness and judgmental attitude, you should say, "There but the grace of God go I".

 

I seriously doubt you have or will pray for me.

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I purposely pick such a degree and it has been very useful.


Someone can pick a marketable degree and STILL wind up downsized when the company decides to reorganize and get rid of an entire department. Someone can be formally recognized by a company as a "rising star" and be told in April that, "if you're in this room, your job is safe" but still wind up pink-slipped in July.

Making good life decisions is no guarantee against bad things happening to a person. If you'll pardon the vulgarity, $#*+ happens.
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I seriously doubt you have or will pray for me.


Actually, I do. I wouldn't wish the roller-coaster that my family has been on for the past 7 years on ANYONE. I pray that the economy recovers fully and that neither you nor any other family has the kind of reversal of financial fortune that we've had.
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Someone can pick a marketable degree and STILL wind up downsized when the company decides to reorganize and get rid of an entire department. Someone can be formally recognized by a company as a "rising star" and be told in April that, "if you're in this room, your job is safe" but still wind up pink-slipped in July.

Making good life decisions is no guarantee against bad things happening to a person. If you'll pardon the vulgarity, $#*+ happens.

 

Indeed, it does happen.  And if the entire field of rehabilitative health care tanks, I would have trouble finding a job.

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Sheldon, I don't think you assumed that your careful financial management and excellent situation is the norm.  It sounds like you've definitely worked hard to save, plan, and even sacrifice to make it that way.

 

Said gently....But Crimson Wife is right in her overall assessment....based on this thread (and remember, we don't really know you IRL...all we have to go on is this forum)...you really do have an attitude that is unhealthy in your degree of expectations of how effective planning can be.  

 

Even the best laid plans may go astray.....I mean...this is stuff from Shakespeare, the Bible, the Jewish Torah, even secular literature cautions people against such kinds of thinking.

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Sheldon, I don't think your philosophical choice to only homeschool your children no matter what (or only private school if forced into it) is at issue. A lot of people would agree with you (and have).  I think some find it upsetting or insensitive of you to make statements that sound like you are judging others as poor parents for choosing anything else, no matter what their circumstances.  Perhaps you did not mean to sound that way.  You seem like a very caring mother who only wants what is best for her children.  I think many agree with you that they would much prefer homeschooling to any other choice and private school if they absolutely had to (and could afford it) over public school.  I don't think that is the issue.  And I think many have found this thread interesting to read.  

 

I think some people are feeling, though, as if you are saying everyone who didn't pick your skill set so they can have a job within a week of needing one and anyone who doesn't have your same financial situation to cover possible issues in the future and anyone who has not made the exact same choices you have has kind of failed their kids and made poor choices in life no matter what choices they made or what circumstance they have found themselves in.    Again, you probably do not mean it to come across that way, you are only speaking for yourself and your philosophy and particular circumstances but that is how some of your posts appear to be sounding to others.  It is that which I think is causing the stress in this thread, not your personal choice to only homeschool no matter what.  But maybe I am misinterpreting...

 

Best wishes.

 

Edited to add that I was posting at the same time as Calming Tea.  She brings a bit different interpretation to this so I guess I was misinterpreting, at least for some.  Sorry if I am putting words in other's mouths.

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Our family is 100% opposed to public school for our children.  Many of our local homeschooling friends have been putting their kids into public schools because mom is burned out/tired.  (which I get!)  They always try to convince that I should do the same and are offended when I tell them that public school is not an option for us.  Ever.   If it became necessary, we have a local private school we would use.   Anyone else feel the same?  I kinda feel like the lone homeschool hold out here.

 

I feel exactly the same as you do.  Homeschooling is a choice that we have made for our family, and when it gets rough, we dig in, put our shoulder to the harness and plow through with humor and LOTS of prayers. 

 

I'm personally convicted that the paradigm of public education as it stands is not palatable to our family, and I see little if no evidence that it will ever change. 

 

ETA That I will add this caveat: Every year at the end of the school year, we re-evaluate where we have come, where we are, and where we will go next year. If it ever comes to home education not working for the family or my daughter, we will of course find a way. I'm not hard heartedly going my own way for my own personal convictions. If home education is NOT the best for our daughter, we will then evaluate our choices at that moment. For the foreseeable future, we plan on home education all the way. 

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Public school is not an option for us. We are philosophically opposed to public school. I am usually very careful about the never say never thing...but barring huge catastrophic changes -- job loss or even one parent or two parent death would not put my kids in public school, it would put them in private school...both dh and I and my parents would have to die and someone mishandle the inheritance for them to have to go to public school. ;)

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For me it is a 100 percent thing. No public school. Since my son was 7 we have been working on him understanding expectations, budgeting his time, making lists, and following through so that if anything happened to me he could school himself until Dh got home from work. Now at 9, we are solidifying making himself meals, starting and tending the fire, doing household chores that I do, slowly but surely just in case. I have even purchased curriculum for years ahead with long range planning so that no one has to even think about it. My hope is that if something catastrophic happened, Ds would be old enough to self advocate (he is 100% also). By 14, I am confident that he will be able to.

Dh, however is a public school teacher. I do not trust that he wouldn't dump our son into school immediately and not think twice regardless of how it affected Ds.

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It saddens me to come back to this post and see so many people gang up on Sheldon.  I find its very admirable that Sheldon is convicted in the decision that public school is never an option.  And honestly anyone saying don't play the never game is out of line in my mind. There are many things I can say will NEVER happen in my life. I will NEVER cheat on my dh,  I will NEVER leave the Catholic Church, I will NEVER disown a family member, I will NEVER be that mil who everyone always complains about.  I can say never to these things because I know who I am, what I believe in, and don't question myself or my ability to discern what it right/ best for me or my family.   I  will NEVER enroll my children in public school because I know that the options available to us make that possible.  And if those options ever started to dwindle away I would find new options. I know dh and I will always be capable of keeping them out of public school because that is what we know to be best for them and will sacrifice everything to make it happen.  Most private schools are not even an option. 

 

I'm the product of a part private school part public school education in my area.  Its not good.  Thankfully I am the offspring of 2 highly intelligent people so when I realized I was robbed of a proper education I was able to give myself a proper education by teaching myself in a way that my teachers would/could not. 

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It saddens me to come back to this post and see so many people gang up on Sheldon.  I find its very admirable that Sheldon is convicted in the decision that public school is never an option.  And honestly anyone saying don't play the never game is out of line in my mind. There are many things I can say will NEVER happen in my life. I will NEVER cheat on my dh,  I will NEVER leave the Catholic Church, I will NEVER disown a family member, I will NEVER be that mil who everyone always complains about.  I can say never to these things because I know who I am, what I believe in, and don't question myself or my ability to discern what it right/ best for me or my family.   I  will NEVER enroll my children in public school because I know that the options available to us make that possible.  And if those options ever started to dwindle away I would find new options. I know dh and I will always be capable of keeping them out of public school because that is what we know to be best for them and will sacrifice everything to make it happen.  Most private schools are not even an option. 

 

 

 

Perfectly said. The idea that we should not say "never" to things about which we are completely philosophically opposed, that saying "never" should be considered smug, is ludicrous to me.

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Perfectly said. The idea that we should not say "never" to things about which we are completely philosophically opposed, that saying "never" should be considered smug, is ludicrous to me.


The smugness comes from assuming that an unusually fortunate financial circumstances is (or should be) the norm and that parents who find themselves forced to stop HSing were just uncommitted to HSing or poor planners or otherwise did something wrong. Instead of the "holier than thou" attitude, the OP should be saying, "there but the grace of God go I."

I do pray that the OP continues his/her good fortune and is never forced to eat his/her smug words. I'm not a believer in <i>Schadenfreude</i>.
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I was opposed to public schools, and then I sent my oldest dd (adopted as a pre-teen) to public school because it was the best option for her and our family. I realized that I had read way too much anti-public school propaganda and, frankly, had a skewed perspective on public schools. Are there terrible ones? Of course. Are there great ones? Of course. Are most somewhere in the middle? Of course. Do I want my younger two going to public school? No. But I have lived long enough to know better than to make grand pronouncements. You never know what your future circumstances will be.

 

Personally, I am more opposed to school as a concept than I am to public schools in specific.

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