Moxie Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 How did your life change?? In 2 weeks, 3 of my kids will be in school all day (7th grader and 3yo still at home). My mind is racing with what a change this will be for our family and for myself. I imagine oodles of free time to do what I want (not realistic, I know). So, how did your life change?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I'm watching with interest. The of my kids are going to one day a week camp this year. I'll have just the 4yo and the baby. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almondbutterandjelly Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 My dd went to school for 8th grade last year. The biggest changes were that evenings and weekends were filled with homework. And I had to do a lot of helping (I believe they call it tutoring unless the parent does it) so my brain had to stay alert at the end of the day when I was tired. I hated it, and we are back to homeschooling, but ymmv. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I've never done it but I have known people who did and their biggest complaint is that the rush of the morning getting the school kids off is exhausting. One friend let her HSer sleep in till after the others left. She had her coffee, got everything set up before she hot him up. I don't know how that would work with a 7th grader and a 3 y.o. Also I would think making sure all of HSer's work is done prior to PSers getting home would be a good idea. That way you can focus on them and their Homework. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthwestMom Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 It was QUIET. In our case, we knew our high schooler was going to ps in the fall, but then my youngest decided she wanted to go be with her neighborhood friends in elementary school, which left me with one middle schooler at home. It was a shock at first. I definitely had a lot more time to think coherent, strung-together thoughts. I was able to read books in the light of day. The hard part for me was going to the places we had gone for years, and feeling like I was missing some very important people. :sad: The one homeschooler who was left was my middle child, and she LOVED being the only one home with me. She absolutely thrived. I have one more year left with her and then she too is going to high school. The morning rush was not bad, since the high schooler was up and out before any other kid had to get up. I only had to focus on the youngest, who is pretty self-motivated. It was a drag that my public schoolers had to do homework in the late afternoons and evenings. Good luck Moxie! I hope you end up being happy with this new plan. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink and Green Mom Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I have one at school and one homeschooled. It is sometimes hard to have "one foot in, one foot out." I can't volunteer at school, because I have one home. We sometimes miss out on homeschool field trip opportunities, etc. because I have to pick up my son from school. Know what you are going to do on school teacher work days and snow days. My homeschooler would howl with the injustice of it all if his brother had no school for a teacher work day and he still had to "do school." It did not matter that he was done by noon most days, or there were plenty of days he had fun while brother had to go off to school. Homework. Ugh, the homework. Be prepared to think weekly/daily/hourly "why am I sending my kid to school when he comes home and has to do several hours of work." I did as much teaching/supervising of my schooled son as my homeschooled one. Be prepared to be less than thrilled with the school curriculum, teachers, methods, assignments, drama etc. Be prepared for schooled children to not like that idea of having to do homework while homeschooled siblings are playing/relaxing/not working. Be prepared for every bump in the road your child has to be attributed to homeschooling. Be prepared to receive absolutely no credit for anything positive. With all that said, the homeschool hours will be much easier. I found it so much easier to homeschool one than 2. I would imagine the change will be even greater for you. We also would get done with our work much faster with just one as opposed to having to switch back and forth. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I don't have any info for you, Moxie, but I just wanted to say that I hope your kids enjoy their new school, and that you have a great year at home with your other two children. :) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Well, I sent only my oldest to school last year. I've talked about it on here several times so sorry if this is repetitive. It was very much her choice to go and overall it was a good experience. Be prepared to be frustrated with all the bad parts of public school though. Pick up and drop off was annoying with some people holding everyone up because the pick up rules just don't apply to them for some reason. :glare: Sooo much paperwork you feel like you're drowning in it. Rules that don't make much sense, teachers that don't mesh with your kid. Some negative influences that we were able to weed out while homeschooling. But she chose her friends well and has some great kids she hangs out with. She struggled to keep up with deadlines so I'm very glad we started public school in eight grade instead of high school. And she and I are in MUCH less conflict now. We just don't work well in a teacher/student relationship. And those negative things happening at school actually brought up some really good conversations I'm glad we were able to have. The main thing for me was seeing how much happier she was. Every day when I picked her up from school, she was energetic and laughing and telling stories about her day. Every day I knew she was in the right place. As for me, I still have one I'm homeschooling, so I don't have piles of free time, but I am able to actually devote attention to the middle child who kind of got lost when oldest was around sucking so much energy. It was our best year homeschooling. It gets tiresome knowing I have to leave to get her every afternoon, but it's just part of the routine. During the school year, I literally have no day during a typical week where I don't have to leave the house, sometimes four or five times a day. Even on weekends. For a homebody, it does get tiring. I get some weird looks from homeschoolers for whom homeschooling is a moral imperative and not simply one of many acceptable educational options and I find myself explaining that yes, this is the right choice for each of my children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PIE! Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Watching this because my big three will be in school full time this year, and my preschooler will be gone three half days a week. I think my toddler will love having me to himself for a year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 To clarify, you mean if you put kids in school after homeschooling, right? I have kids in school. Basically, they got potty trained, learned a few sentences, and went off with the herd and I started making more money. Every year from 2010 my salary's gone up. Also, I stopped crying of despair during the day, but that might have been due to the fact that sleeping through the night coincided with school, age-wise. Public school is just a big group of people. You end up with forms and rules because some people have zero common sense and you just go with the flow. It helps to let go and remember that positive learning can come from not having everything exactly the way you want it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthwestMom Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Public school is just a big group of people. You end up with forms and rules because some people have zero common sense and you just go with the flow. It helps to let go and remember that positive learning can come from not having everything exactly the way you want it. LOL. For me, this was way worse in some of the the homeschool groups. "9 year old Johnny has decided that he will no longer wear shoes, as evolution did not intend that for his feet... WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE CAN'T ENTER THE RESTAURANT WITHOUT SHOES ON?!?" :lol: :lol: :lol: People be crazy everywhere. It doesn't matter what kind of schooling they're choosing. :) 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I've had one child in school on and off for years. My life didn't change. I still had one other at home but his schoolwork was always minimal. Mostly I just missed my schooled child. I was bored without her because we always did so much together. I didn't mind waking up early to get her to school or pick her up. But I didn't have toddlers at home so I can't say what life would have been like. But school didn't require a lot from me, just drop off and pick up. She didn't have homework, really, until high school and she does that on her own. I still miss her though, even if she is a teenager who doesn't need me as much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I had to go to work, so I didn't like the changes. I felt disconnected from my child, since she was off having experiences that now had nothing to do with me, and didn't always go into detail about them when she got home. I got her at her less energetic time, too. Not to be discouraging, but...In your case, I suppose you will have less children to entertain your littlest while you work with your sevvie. Your evenings are going to be filled with the homework your kids bring home. So, I am not really sure how you think you will have more free time--it seems to me it'd be less time. I don't mean to be a downer--just because things are going to be different doesn't mean they can't still be good. You won't have to plan anything for your 3 in school, so that may free some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I'm watching with interest. The of my kids are going to one day a week camp this year. I'll have just the 4yo and the baby. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. IME, you'll spend a lot of time just taking care of the littles. When I have just the two little guys, i have to be the only one keeping the toddler out of mischief. They're also used to following the big kids around and such, which entertains them. We don't cater to littles in terms of me being their only source of entertainment, but there's a lot of subtle help that the big kids give without realizing it. Like, the big kids go running around outside, and the littles follow. If the big kids aren't here, I have to take the littles outside. Nobody else to cut a slice of cheese, wipe a hand, or buckle a car seat. My big ones certainly don't do everything for the littles, but they help in a lot of small ways. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I imagine oodles of free time to do what I want (not realistic, I know). Nope! On days when I'm working from home and the kids are at school, I'm always surprised by how quickly the day goes by. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scholastica Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 With littles at home, you really won't have oodles of time. Before we started homeschooling I had the two oldest in school and two youngers at home. I was busy at home and running up to school for this or that event or happening. Plus there was the twice a day drive that interrupted the day. You will probably be busy for a long time to come simply because you have a larger family. With more kids come more demands on your time, even at school. I have a dear friend with four kids similar ages to mine. (High school down to early elementary.) She is very busy and runs around a lot, most of it having to do with school and school activities. You may have a little more quiet space in your head and maybe a little time at naptime, but overall it will probably be about the same. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithful_Steward Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Nevermind. TMI :) :) Good luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 When Geezle started school, I could focus more on Trinqueta. She made a ton of progress in a short time and our school days were so peaceful. Geezle does have homework, but it's completely his job. I don't help him at all other than to ask if he has hw and if he's done it. This may not be the case for gen pop, but in special ed, I want the teacher to see what he's understood and what he hasn't. It wouldn't be helpful for me to help him with his homework and give the impression that he could independently do something that he can't. You'll have to check with your kids' teachers to see how they want you to handle hw. Good luck with your new schedule! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 My kids came out of school recently, so I think I can offer something here. You will have quite a bit of time during the day that will be less hectic because you will only have one child to deal with, you will have a relatively strict school schedule that you need to abide by along with the number of days in school, your evenings will not be free and relaxed because once the kids get home they will need to attend to homework-dinner-showers routine before bed, there will be next to no time for family time/free time during the week because of the previously mentioned schedule, your every waking moment won't consumed by curriculum thoughts, you will be surprised at how much the school expects in terms of financial contributions/donations/school supplies, and you will be appalled at the behavioral stories your kids tell you happened during the day. How did your life change?? In 2 weeks, 3 of my kids will be in school all day (7th grader and 3yo still at home). My mind is racing with what a change this will be for our family and for myself. I imagine oodles of free time to do what I want (not realistic, I know). So, how did your life change?? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okra Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Well, all of my kids have decided to go to public school. I found that 1) life became less stressful. 2) It was seriously quiet at my house. 3) I ended up going grocery shopping in the middle of the day, not when I was tired at night!!! I found that I was really great at teaching elementary and middle school. I am particularly happy with our public high school. There are some great teachers that are experts in their field. I have loved the history and math teachers. While I could have managed and enjoyed the History courses, I am not an expert, so it was particularly nice to have someone who had quite an excellent knowledge base and could easily connect things together. I would have had to outsource the math classes. The AP English teacher is excellent. So, the kids were happy to head on out to high school, and I was happy with the quality of their education. I think you will be happy how much extra time you have with your "baby" Sometimes things like that are really nice. ETA: As far a all of the "bad" kids at school. Every school has kids that are discipline problems. These are the ones that everyone likes to talk about. But, every school also has kids that are well-behaved, they just aren't as exciting to talk about. Your kids just need to find the right kids to hang out with, they are there at school. Your kids will find them! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLMom Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 when all of mine went to school last year, it was very quiet. But I so needed a break that it was refreshing. We were already used to a school schedule because dh is a public high school teacher so we were already chained to that. Homework wasn't much of an issue once I taught them how to study for tests. They had plenty of homework, but I am very hands off in that area. They are learning to be organized and responsible. If you want more info on how it may impact you emotionally, I have lots of posts on my blog (see signature) on some of the things I have experienced and friends who homeschooled but have sent kids to school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apple Bean Tripod School Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 When my two were in school (one is now homeschooled) and I happened to have a day off from work, I would imagine all of the "me" stuff I'd do. In reality, I sat on the couch in a stupor, eating hummus with a spoon, having no idea what to do without someone demanding that I do something. I had zero natural motivation LOL 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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