Do you have kids who go to school part time?

[plain jane]

If you have kids who homeschool but also do enrichment classes in the local PS or private school what does this look like for you?  Which classes does your child take and how often do they go?  How well is your child received by the teachers and also by their peers?  Do the kids poke fun at them for only being "part time" and not really fitting in with them or has it been a very positive experience?

[NancyNellen]

My oldest two (junior and sophomore) are part-time students at the local public classical charter school. They each take three classes every afternoon - my dd15 takes Speech/Debate, conceptual chemistry and physics, and theater. She participates in Key Club, Forensics (speech & debate) and id on the Yearbook Committee. My ds17 takes AP Lang. & Comp, Physics, and Robotics. He also participates in Key Club, robotics team, cross country, and track & field.

 

They have both been very well-received. No one has made fun of them -just asking honest questions about what homeschooling is like. It has been a really, really great experience for both if them.

[Joshin]

Our situation is different. Our school district has an alternative learning program specifically designed for homeschoolers wanting enrichment from the public school. The kids go two days a week and can take up to six classes a semester. The student body is made up completely of homeschooled kids. My youngest goes for music, a cool Lego science class and an art class. My older son takes music, math and Chinese. Most classes aren't grade/age specific and they allow the kids to get high school credits early if they can handle the work, which is good because DS1 is  planning on starting university two years early. It's also a good thing for us, because outside classes/tutoring to this extent isn't in our budget and this is already paid for via our school tax dollars.

[Ravin]

A couple of districts here have enrichment programs just for homeschoolers. DD's program offers classes much like a co-op might. She currently attends Monday, other semesters she's attended Tu-Th.

 

She's done art, drama, science (usually focused on group work around a theme), reading and math reinforcement classes, creative writing, poetry, band, history and geography classes (also with themes and group-project models), sign language, Spanish, P.E., dance, and show choir.

[Ali in OR]

My 8th grader has been taking a few classes at our local middle school for 3 years. Our plan has always been to put the kids into our local high school at 9th grade. This child is not into sports, so we thought taking band would give her an activity and a peer group when she transitions to high school. She started in 6th grade and loves it. In 7th grade we also added science because the 7th grade science class is fantastic--a lab science class with labs/activities most days. Great teacher. She's also doing 8th grade science now which isn't as good a class (earth science), but it does get her the recommendation to go into biology in 9th instead of the general survey course. She has had a very good experience--no problems with either students or staff. The hardest thing is the driving there every day and the time it takes from our home school schedule. She has more trouble getting everything done than her younger sister. But I think it's been worth it and we'll follow the same plan for our youngest except she'll take band and science all three years.

[Lieutenant Stranger]

No...but my kids will takes classes here and there from schools when they are older. (Right now ages 8 and 9.) They are both on OM (Odyssey of the Mind) teams at a local public school and there has never been any issues with anyone about them homeschooling.

 

Some of the parents gave me the old "I don't know how you do it blah blah blah blah blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah" song and dance, but the kids were all nice to my kids. It wasn't that big a deal.

[SeaConquest]

We are enrolling my son in a charter school with a homeschool program for K in the fall. You can take up to three days of enrichment classes on site (which is what we plan to do), homeschooling the rest of the time. His classes will include math games, unit studies, science, literature, Spanish, Legos, gardening, art, music, and musical theatre. There is no issue of fitting in because all the kids at the charter school are homeschooled.

[angela in ohio]

My oldest took a calculus class at the local public school last year, and they paid for her dual enrollment last year and the first half of this year.

 

My middle is just finishing her sophomore year, and she has taken a few classes at the public school this year and last. Last year, she took calculus, honors chemistry, Spanish 2, and band all year, and gym for a semester. This year she has Spanish 3, band, drafting, and two college classes per semester: computer science and calc I first semester, English comp and calc II second semester. The school pays for her dual enrollment courses. We aren't sure if we are continuing next year, as the school has become increasingly difficult to deal with and she doesn't have much left to take there. It has been great for her, because she thrives on the competition with other students. She has the highest grade in every class, pushed to do more than she would on her own. The quality has been varied, but overall it has been helpful. She really wanted the school experience, and she has been well-received by the students and made many friends. She is funny and outgoing, though, which helps (my older had no interest in making friends when she attended, and she didn't.) Being part-time hasn't been much of a problem, because there are many dual enrolled students, so people are coming and going a lot. She has been to dances, on the quiz bowl, played softball last year, etc.