Have I just drunk the homeschool Koolaid?

[bethben]

My dd is going to public school 4th grade after being homeschooled. We needed a break from each other and I was maxed out. I knew it would not be custom made for her and I would give up autonomy. I was perfectly fine with it. My standard was that she learn math and language arts at least minimally. Everything else was gravy to me.

 

It’s horrible. I asked another mom who thought the math was “goofyâ€. But she was ok that her dd wasn’t learning math as she would have liked because, “they have to know this stuff for the standardized test. They have to know all the goofy ways so they can do well on the test.†They put pictures on Facebook of kids learning how write succinct questions to answers in computers so they can do well on tests. Everyone applauds them. My neighbors love this school. I feel like the year is a total wash for my dd. The spelling is what she did in 2nd and beginning of 3rd grade (according to AAS 2nd and 3rd grade books), writing instruction consists of “we have a standard of a 5 paragraph research paper, so here’s an outline —go!†Math is Singapore style in that they took a great program and made it look like Cinderella’s ugly step-sister. I am still teaching her writing skills and math almost nightly. She’s was on the “A†honor roll first quarter despite getting “C’s†and one “D†on most of her tests. I asked the teacher how that could be and he said he counts participation—she’s a mostly obedient student.

 

My question is why can’t I just let my dd get what I consider to be a substandard education like every other kid in the neighborhood? Why does everyone else think this is such a great school when all I can see is that my dd is basically learning no real educational skills other than learning how to take

tests on computers?

 

She’s making friends and I’m regrouping to figure out how to homeschool so I don’t burn out immediately. I would prefer she goes to school but at this point, I feel like her education would suffer.

 

Have I just drunk the homeschool Koolaid and nothing will be good enough?

 

 

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Edited November 26, 2017 by bethben

[Jean in Newcastle]

You understand what real education is all about.  They are the ones who have drunk the public school koolaid. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I imagine it going down much the same way for me.  I'm in too deep.... :laugh:

[Selkie]

My question is why can’t I just let my dd get what I consider to be a substandard education like every other kid in the neighborhood? Why does everyone else think this is such a great school when all I can see is that my dd is basically learning no real educational skills other than learning how to take

tests on computers?

 

We took our kids out of a so-called "excellent" public school for the same reason. I couldn't stand it that they were basically stagnating.

[HomeAgain]

:lol:

Yep.

 

We have a new homeschool liason in our town who gave me a hard time last summer after I complied with the law. "But he may want to go to school."  "If you goes to school you're going to have to fill out the forms you objected to."  "You should prepare just in case he goes to school..."

 

I'm very tempted to turn over his file this summer in person with my own response, "look, when you think you can give him the same quality of education he gets at home, call me and we'll talk."  They aren't even coming close - there's a lot of gibberish for language arts and they use Everyday Math.  Nope.

[bethben]

Maybe I’ve just been doing this too long—13 years...On the flip side, I found a classical co-op where every bit of curriculum they are using is exactly what I would use if I could. It’s amazing.

 

 

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[wintermom]

Enough PS parents are satisfied with "free" daycare of their children in schools and they don't dare scratch the surface to find out what their children really understand academically.

 

The lack of academic preparation gets pushed up to the post-secondary education and work environments. 

[Guinevere]

Yep. Sometimes I worry that I'm not giving my kids enough. Then I hear someone's 6th grade history project is to make a timeline with 6 dates added. 4 dates were given to the students. By that standard, I'm totally rocking history.

[Annie G]

Last month I was tutoring some 8th grade kids from a local private school because they had no idea what they were doing in math. It's Eureka math and it's all available online so I could look at their tests and see that the teacher wasn't marking answers wrong even though they were completely wrong. One test had 12 questions and each of the girls answered three sort of right. And they both made a 96. He just didn't mark them wrong!

 

So anyway I was tutoring them and teaching them how to do the math and they both complained to their moms that they didn't see a need to be tutored when they are making an A in math. And their moms finally agreed because 'the girls refused to attend tutoring'.  The moms both know the teacher isn't marking answers wrong when they are incorrect (I gave them the website that has the test answers on it so they can see their kid is not doing it right) but to them it's all about the grade. The teacher is an administrator who just teaches this class because they have no other 8th grade math teacher. 

 

All this to say...just because other people are ok with substandard education doesn't mean you're the one who's crazy. 

[nixpix5]

You understand what real education is all about. They are the ones who have drunk the public school koolaid.

Yep. This.

[Bluegoat]

They are crazy, not you.

I'm kind of curious what they are thinking that they are so fixated on the test?  It's an elementary school test.  

 

Anyway - I think it's the result of years of schools on a downward trajectory, so that the parents actually have no concept about what it might mean to be educated.

 

[justasque]

To be fair, it's not about public school vs. homeschool (vs. private school).  It's about a good fit for  particular child.  And you have found, based on the background you now have in both education in general and educating your child in particular (thanks to homeschooling), that this school is NOT a good fit for your child, and very possibly not  a good fit for many other children.  So you've drunk the "good education is important, and I know what my local public school is dishing out won't result in a good education for my child" kool-ade.  (And now you know why people pay millions of dollars for a house in  a "good" school district, or tens of thousands in private school tuition.  Because "one size fits all" never really does.)  Hugs, OP,  It's not easy.  

[Xahm]

In our area, schools are very focused on the test because that's what people look at when deciding which neighborhood to buy in/where to send their kids to school. 

If a school is seen as "bad" (based almost 100% on standardized test scores), parents with the means to do so will send their children to private school or drive them to one of the many charter or magnet schools in the area. This, in turn, causes scores to drop farther, leading families to avoid buying in that neighborhood, reach deeper into pockets to afford some other option, and so on. Things can spiral in just a few years.

 

They are crazy, not you.

I'm kind of curious what they are thinking that they are so fixated on the test?  It's an elementary school test.  

 

Anyway - I think it's the result of years of schools on a downward trajectory, so that the parents actually have no concept about what it might mean to be educated.

 

[DawnM]

My kids are in a good school and I am thankful.  I don't agree with everything, but they are well prepared for college, and that is all I ask right now.

 

Mostly I am thankful to not be homeschooling anymore.  I was DONE.  

[LarlaB]

i don’t know if it’s homeschool kooks is or knowing what a quality education should look like. What you’re describing is not a quality education at all.

 

When my DD transitioned to school her entire first year and a half were a wash, academically speaking. It was an easy, group environment school. But mostly it was my kiddos being way ahead of the curve, academically. That’s sometimes a common issue with HS to B&M schools- grade level etc.

 

Now my kids are in a rigorous school and frankly I would love some ease. LOL. They are 5 & 8 grade and in honors work in a tough school so their responsibilities and workload are far beyond what their peers in other schools experience or frankly, what I would have expected from them at home. I would love some teachers to phone it in LOL. And I’m not sure why I need to be as such a pace and level.

[Seeking Squirrels]

This was me last year when I sent DD to PS 3rd grade. I was unsettled the whole time and just got more and more annoyed at how very little she was learning. They didn't do history at all. Science was a MSB episode about once a month with no additions. Math, spelling, and grammar were all what we'd done the prior year (or in some cases in 1st). Writing was about the only thing she progressed in and that's only because she went in behind in that area due to fine motor issues. She pushed herself harder for the teacher than she did for me so she was able to put more words to paper. At one point in the year she kept getting sick so she missed 11 days of school in a 3 week period (one day being a holiday so she only attended 3). The teacher did not send home any make up work and responded to my email that she hadn't missed anything that she felt she needed to work on. I couldn't believe that it didn't matter at all that she'd missed 11 out of 14 days of school. 

 

I pulled her out with two months of the year left to go. We did very little structured school time those last two months She was starved for science, it being her passion so we did a lot of interest led in that department. We did math most days and spent a lot of time on the couch reading. That's pretty much it, but I still felt she was getting so much more than she would have preparing for the end of year testing at school. 

 

If it's the kool aid then apparently I had some. 

[Zebra]

I think it's drinking the "I'm ultimately responsible for my dc's education" kool-aid.

 

A lot of people do not feel that their child's education is their problem.  I've seen kids in public, private and homeschool with parents like this.  Once you have the revelation that the child's education IS in fact your responsibility, even if you outsource subjects, pay for fancy curriculum or send them to public school, it is hard to ignore the negatives.

 

There are a million different ways for things for a child to be educated properly, and you just have to find what is best for your situation.   You said you needed a year off, so IMHO you should just take this year and regroup and then be ready to do something else for next year.

[fralala]

Well, people rave about our public school; it's highly rated and the kids get top-notch test scores.

 

However, the neighborhood families I know with kids there augment their kids' education with after-school math enrichment, weekend writing tutors, foreign language and arts and music classes, and so forth. It sounds like a different situation from yours, but I've just come to feel that probably when my friends tell me how much they and their kids love the school, they must be referring to the general culture of the school. It's kind of like how I love my neighborhood even though frankly I would prefer there to be more forested walking trails, perhaps a lake, more common spaces, and a nice cafe and bakery and independent bookstore within walking distance!

 

When you take for granted that your kids are going to school, I think there's a substantial psychological incentive to turn a blind eye to the negative things about school when you feel you can't change them. (And I can understand that. I started homeschooling because I feared that even if we could affect a significant change on our local schools, it would not occur within my children's time there.)

[Bluegoat]

In our area, schools are very focused on the test because that's what people look at when deciding which neighborhood to buy in/where to send their kids to school. 

If a school is seen as "bad" (based almost 100% on standardized test scores), parents with the means to do so will send their children to private school or drive them to one of the many charter or magnet schools in the area. This, in turn, causes scores to drop farther, leading families to avoid buying in that neighborhood, reach deeper into pockets to afford some other option, and so on. Things can spiral in just a few years.

 

But I am asking why the parents are focused on

 

If the parents are focused on doing well on the test, because the test is how they see if the kids are doing well - that's a rather circular situation!

 

What struck me is that the parents seem to know that what the kids are doing is "goofy" but they like it because it helps them o the test...  the test that tests them on goofy math....

[bethben]

This is a “good†school that she is going to. 8 out of 10 on the ratings. The standardized test scores are in the very good place. I have a friend who moved to the “great†school district around here. She was dismayed to find that the “great†schools are either way too academic (she called them dictatorships) or so focused on the social aspect that academics are secondary.

 

I’m fine with the fact that we did take this year so I could regroup and figure out alternatives. Unfortunately, we will have to repeat what I consider to be a good fourth grade experience. I always thought I was doing as well as the public school—that I was at least keeping up with the academics. I had no idea that just using grade level homeschool materials with an average learner that we would be ahead of the game in so many ways.

 

Also, one thing that stuck out when I went to teacher conferences is that every other kid had their “one†free reading book on their desk. My daughters teacher gave her a small bin to keep the vast number of books she wanted to read because they were so interesting to her. At least she’s retained that. I really wanted to like this public school thing.

 

 

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[bethben]

What struck me is that the parents seem to know that what the kids are doing is "goofy" but they like it because it helps them o the test... the test that tests them on goofy math....

I know!!! I keep thinking that this is a charter school!! Why would parents just accept things they hate? Why does the school insist on following common core when they don’t need to?!?! This school could be so much better and maybe people are just happy enough so why rock the boat?

 

I asked around to get an idea of what happens in the older grades. It gets worse. I’m starting to understand why my son who is dual enrolled is finding so many of his older peers struggling in college classes he finds easy.

 

 

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Edited November 26, 2017 by bethben

[SparklyUnicorn]

I do meet people who care quite a bit and complain often about their children's school.  I often hear teachers complaining.  When they held a lot of informational/questioning sessions for CC, people attended and were mad and that was quickly shut down because the powers that be couldn't handle the anger.

 

I have no clue what it is like though.  My kids have never gone to school.  One of mine is almost done.  The other has a few years and I have toyed with the idea of sending him to school (because I'm so fried), but I just can't bring myself to actually do it because I feel like I've ruined him (in a good way).

 

 

[Lecka]

We are having the opposite with my 7th grader in Eureka math. The teacher gives no partial credit on quizzes or tests, and my son is getting 50% on things where he understands but is missing a sign or something like that.

 

My husband and I both think he would have gotten a 75% with partial credit, when we were in school.

 

This is some good perspective for me though, at least they aren't passing kids on to the next grade, and at least we know from his grades to check up on him.

 

If he had an A I wouldn't be checking up on him in the same way.

 

As it is -- I am checking up on him and helping him a lot, and going over every quiz and test with him to make sure he understands.

 

Edit: and on the topic of math, I am satisfied overall, but I also expect to have to help with math for my kids, and I would rather just help with math than homeschool everything. I can see resenting the need to spend evenings on something that could/should be done in the day, but it is a better choice for us. And really I don't have to help every day or teach from scratch or re-teach everything, so it is less work overall in our case for my two kids.... I have one that I do more but it is a different situation.

Edited November 26, 2017 by Lecka

[eternalsummer]

I don't think you've drunk the homeschool kool-aid; I think you've drunk the educating your child kool-aid.  It's just that in your experience, homeschool did a much better job of this than your kid's public school.  Like you said, there are other options that could educate her as well, and in fact you'd be happy to take a hit on the education front in favor of friendships and etc. - just not this big a hit.

[SparklyUnicorn]

We are having the opposite with my 7th grader in Eureka math. The teacher gives no partial credit on quizzes or tests, and my son is getting 50% on things where he understands but is missing a sign or something like that.

 

My husband and I both think he would have gotten a 75% with partial credit, when we were in school.

 

This is some good perspective for me though, at least they aren't passing kids on to the next grade, and at least we know from his grades to check up on him.

 

If he had an A I wouldn't be checking up on him in the same way.

 

As it is -- I am checking up on him and helping him a lot, and going over every quiz and test with him to make sure he understands.

 

Edit: and on the topic of math, I am satisfied overall, but I also expect to have to help with math for my kids, and I would rather just help with math than homeschool everything. I can see resenting the need to spend evenings on something that could/should be done in the day, but it is a better choice for us. And really I don't have to help every day or teach from scratch or re-teach everything, so it is less work overall in our case for my two kids.... I have one that I do more but it is a different situation.

 

On another note...I know nothing about Eureka math, but I noticed that Kahn Academy has videos titled Eureka Math.  No clue if you'd find that helpful...just putting that out there. 

[bethben]

When the year started and I was spending almost an hour every night reteaching math, I thought that the trade off wasn’t horrible. Then I started questioning writing. For the first two months, they were writing “interesting†sentences. Basically IEW dress ups that I taught her at the end of second grade. Fine—whatever because the teacher explained that eventually they would have reports to write. Fine. They assigned the report and told parents the kids would complete it at school. It was due in two weeks. 1 1/2 weeks later, dd comes Home frustrated because she doesn’t know how to organize her research, no one is helping her and it’s taking forever to type the thing up (the school doesn’t teach typing and I usually taught typing in fourth grade). So, we whip out a paper in three nights with research with me teaching her IEW style how to organize and write it herself. It’s a horrible paper IMO and she’ll probably get an “Aâ€. If it was only math, I could deal with it. It’s just every core subject that she would need to succeed. The school day is really long also so after school teaching is not going to happen. She’s already fried. I’ve honestly thought about just giving her the math answers so we could do a program that will actually teach her something.

 

 

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[DawnM]

This is a “good†school that she is going to. 8 out of 10 on the ratings. The standardized test scores are in the very good place. I have a friend who moved to the “great†school district around here. She was dismayed to find that the “great†schools are either way too academic (she called them dictatorships) or so focused on the social aspect that academics are secondary.

 

I’m fine with the fact that we did take this year so I could regroup and figure out alternatives. Unfortunately, we will have to repeat what I consider to be a good fourth grade experience. I always thought I was doing as well as the public school—that I was at least keeping up with the academics. I had no idea that just using grade level homeschool materials with an average learner that we would be ahead of the game in so many ways.

 

Also, one thing that stuck out when I went to teacher conferences is that every other kid had their “one†free reading book on their desk. My daughters teacher gave her a small bin to keep the vast number of books she wanted to read because they were so interesting to her. At least she’s retained that. I really wanted to like this public school thing.

 

 

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Well, the one I work in is 8 out of 10 and I wouldn't put my kids there unless I had to.  The one my kids go to is 10 out of 10.

 

But that is somewhat irrelevant.  They still have to follow the same curriculum.

 

I am still ok with it.  It IS very academic, has an IB program, loads of AP available, and my middle son has not done either!  HA!  He is making it his own, honors is as high as he cares to do since he also had a job and was in the men's chorus, the drama team, and the improv team.  

 

My point I guess is that you can still make it what you want.

 

However, public school is not for everyone.  It certainly was NOT for my oldest, who homeschooled until he started doing dual enrollment.  It would never have worked for him.  But my other two are thriving.

 

I don't like using the term "drink the koolaid" because my mind goes to a whole lot of dead people who died in a horrific way.....and to me it implies you did something without clear thought, just following along.

 

But you certainly can have strong preferences and there is nothing wrong with that.

[bethben]

Edited-just a math rant...I understand how to teach it-it’s twisted badly Singapore math. It’s just not taught well. So disappointing.

 

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Edited November 26, 2017 by bethben

[bethben]

I guess what all this has taught me is that if we go the public school route again, I have to research it a lot more carefully and not go by good ratings and a general school love by people I know.

 

 

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[Annie G]

We are having the opposite with my 7th grader in Eureka math. The teacher gives no partial credit on quizzes or tests, and my son is getting 50% on things where he understands but is missing a sign or something like that.

 

My husband and I both think he would have gotten a 75% with partial credit, when we were in school.

 

This is some good perspective for me though, at least they aren't passing kids on to the next grade, and at least we know from his grades to check up on him.

 

If he had an A I wouldn't be checking up on him in the same way.

 

As it is -- I am checking up on him and helping him a lot, and going over every quiz and test with him to make sure he understands.

 

Edit: and on the topic of math, I am satisfied overall, but I also expect to have to help with math for my kids, and I would rather just help with math than homeschool everything. I can see resenting the need to spend evenings on something that could/should be done in the day, but it is a better choice for us. And really I don't have to help every day or teach from scratch or re-teach everything, so it is less work overall in our case for my two kids.... I have one that I do more but it is a different situation.

There is supposed to be partial credit!  The website shows the rubric. 

[Lecka]

I didn't know that, interesting.

 

He got a low B overall for his first trimester grade, so it's fine.

 

I went to parent-teacher conferences intending to ask about it, and I got feedback from 3-4 teachers saying my son is rushing through his work and a science teacher said he had an attitude with her (she didn't say that exactly but in so many words) when she suggested he go over his work, so I am more concerned he make some changes on his side.

 

But it is disappointing for him to get such low grades on stuff, and then it is all small careless errors!

[Lecka]

And adding -- I am sure it is an issue of how long she will spend grading.

 

She does go over things that a lot of students miss, and she didn't move on after most of the class failed a quiz -- so that is positive.

 

But yeah, she doesn't circle his errors or anything.

 

My dad used to be a math teacher and he would circle errors, write notes, write out a correct solution, etc, when he graded.

[Xahm]

But I am asking why the parents are focused on

 

If the parents are focused on doing well on the test, because the test is how they see if the kids are doing well - that's a rather circular situation!

 

What struck me is that the parents seem to know that what the kids are doing is "goofy" but they like it because it helps them o the test...  the test that tests them on goofy math....

 

That is a good question. haha

 

My only guess is that, since generally parents are given very little tangible information about what their kids are doing in school all day, they focus on what they are given: test scores. My K-er is in school right now, coming home at Christmas. I think it's a basically good school, and they aren't super focused on testing. For my kid it's not at all a good fit, but even if it were I'd be frustrated at how very little information comes home. 

 

The other option, of course, is that people are weird.

[momacacia]

My question is why can’t I just let my dd get what I consider to be a substandard education like every other kid in the neighborhood?

 

I ask myself this all.the.time! Why, why, why!? I went to private school, we could afford private school around here, I didn't turn out badly (in fact I'm brilliant! :laugh:), so why can't B&M school be good enough for my kids? I chalk it up to being controlling and just wanting them to have "more."  I (the parent) would probably get kicked out of school...especially a private one I was paying tuition to. :glare: Public, I'd just chalk it up as, "Meh, you get what you pay for!"

[Crimson Wife]

Edited-just a math rant...I understand how to teach it-it’s twisted badly Singapore math. It’s just not taught well. So disappointing.

 

Welcome to Common Core math. I didn't have a super-high opinion of the pre-CCSS math our district was using but it was adequate. A million times better than what they're using now. It's like the designer saw Singapore but didn't actually understand it so they came up with something that was superficially similar but that makes ZERO sense. :glare:

[Jaybee]

Our youngest ds is in b&m school this year (8th). I struggle with it, because my other kids did really well homeschooling, and got a lot out of it. But he just didn't. It came to the point that I did not know how to motivate him, and he wasn't interested in stretching himself for me. He also has a learning disability, and I was concerned over how that would turn out. He seems a lot happier. Academically, he is motivated to research things mentioned in class. He is much more motivated to get that pat on the head from teachers outside our home than from me. That makes me sad. But I am glad he is happy and not so bored. It seemed that no matter what I did with him, he was bored. His learning disability does not seem to be holding him back too much; I don't know if their standards are just not as strict (well, I know they aren't as strict) or if their methods are allowing him to slide by, or what. It isn't what I had hoped for, but it seems to be what I am going to have to adjust to. And I have to admit that it is a relief in that I don't have that tension in our relationship of trying to figure out what he needs that I couldn't supply.

[blondeviolin]

If I stuck my kids in school, I'd be THAT parent. I'd want to know what curricula they're using, the scope and sequence, the plans for addressing missed concepts, etc. it's better for my kids, other schools, and my children that I just don't take on that mess. :lol:

[LMD]

If I stuck my kids in school, I'd be THAT parent. I'd want to know what curricula they're using, the scope and sequence, the plans for addressing missed concepts, etc. it's better for my kids, other schools, and my children that I just don't take on that mess. :lol:

I agree! The education department should be kissing my feet for homeschooling, they don't know the thorn in their side that they're currently avoiding... ;) :lol:

[bethben]

I knew it would be hard for me. I knew I wouldn’t agree with all the curriculum choices. I knew I wouldn’t like the emphasis on computer learning. I let that all go and decided if at minimum she learned math and writing (any instruction would be good right now), I would be satisfied. She’s not even getting my bare minimum. I’m honestly pretty disappointed.

 

 

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[Guest]

Homeschool koolaid. Mmmmm. Delicious! ðŸ»

[fraidycat]

My kids are in PS. I really struggle to not lose my mind over their stagnating math education, but I’m mostly happy with the rest of it. The school is doing a better job than me on literature, history, art, etc - simply because they will do it for their teachers, when every day was a fight with me. When it comes to math, I’m still the “homework helperâ€, so I can make sure they understand math thinking and not just plug and chug formulas, and I thank goodness for the foundation I was able to give them with Math Mammoth, c-rods, Lial’s, and whatever else I used. I also still have it all so I can pull it out to help solidify a concept when necessary.

 

I also have the option to after-school math with my chosen curricula if I feel it is necessary.

Edited November 27, 2017 by fraidycat

[bethben]

If it was just math, I could deal with it. It’s everything. Social studies—read an article on the computer, take a test. Science is “Science Fusion†which is a good program, but they’ve been on the same chapter for almost two months. Writing is not taught or corrected most of the time. In language arts, they send Home a packet to be completed at home during the week (which is basically homeschooling that subject). PE is great. Art is one hour a week. Spanish is one hour a week. It’s a wash of a year.

 

 

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[Bluegoat]

When the year started and I was spending almost an hour every night reteaching math, I thought that the trade off wasn’t horrible. Then I started questioning writing. For the first two months, they were writing “interesting†sentences. Basically IEW dress ups that I taught her at the end of second grade. Fine—whatever because the teacher explained that eventually they would have reports to write. Fine. They assigned the report and told parents the kids would complete it at school. It was due in two weeks. 1 1/2 weeks later, dd comes Home frustrated because she doesn’t know how to organize her research, no one is helping her and it’s taking forever to type the thing up (the school doesn’t teach typing and I usually taught typing in fourth grade). So, we whip out a paper in three nights with research with me teaching her IEW style how to organize and write it herself. It’s a horrible paper IMO and she’ll probably get an “Aâ€. If it was only math, I could deal with it. It’s just every core subject that she would need to succeed. The school day is really long also so after school teaching is not going to happen. She’s already fried. I’ve honestly thought about just giving her the math answers so we could do a program that will actually teach her something.

 

 

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I've really wondered about this typing thing.

 

My dd12 has been in ps two years - grade 6 and 7.  They do more computer stuff than I'd like in some ways - but the one thing they don't do is teach them how to type - one thing that would be a really useful basic skill that would carry them through their whole lives.

 

Instead they fool around with programs that won't be around when they graduate.  And word processing, which takes forever because they can't type.

[MaeFlowers]

If it was just math, I could deal with it. It’s everything. Social studies—read an article on the computer, take a test. Science is “Science Fusion†which is a good program, but they’ve been on the same chapter for almost two months. Writing is not taught or corrected most of the time. In language arts, they send Home a packet to be completed at home during the week (which is basically homeschooling that subject). PE is great. Art is one hour a week. Spanish is one hour a week. It’s a wash of a year.

 

 

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I understand. This is why we homeschool. I didnt want to. Dh really didnt want me to. When we saw what was happening in our ds's school, we felt as though there just wasn't a choice. I won't go into details as the rant would be long but it sounds very much like the school you describe. I was already having to reteach math in 2nd grade because, as the teacher told me, she had no idea how to teach it. (This was pre common core.)

 

When he was there, the school was considered the best in the county and rated an 8/10 on great schools. Now it is a 7/10. Forty percent are scoring at grade level. My dd wants to go there next year. I wish I was okay with that but I just can't.

Edited November 27, 2017 by MaeFlowers

[Bluegoat]

If it was just math, I could deal with it. It’s everything. Social studies—read an article on the computer, take a test. Science is “Science Fusion†which is a good program, but they’ve been on the same chapter for almost two months. Writing is not taught or corrected most of the time. In language arts, they send Home a packet to be completed at home during the week (which is basically homeschooling that subject). PE is great. Art is one hour a week. Spanish is one hour a week. It’s a wash of a year.

 

 

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One thing with some of those things, like history - I think reading can make for a great history education.  I'm encouraging my dd to read non-fiction and even fictional books about history, we also watch documentaries and historical dramas.  It doesn't seem like I am taking up her free time with school, but it does make up somewhat for the fact that the school is not interested in that.

[bethben]

That's where this school is - 36% pass the proficiency math test and 59% pass the proficiency in english.  Which according to the site is great because it beats the state average of 32% for math and 43% for english.  They also say the student teacher ratio is 15:1.  Not in the main classroom.  More like 30:1.  Dismal.  So, great school!  We're doing better than average for the state!  The problem with these stats is that this school is a neighborhood school with most of the students coming from a very solid middle class, two parents, and very involved parent demographic.  With those type of foundations, the scores "should" be higher just due to the fact that most of these kids have a somewhat stable home life and could theoretically do very well.  I'm just confused.  If a school with all the "right" foundations for strong academic students doesn't do well, then really, what hope does education have in this country?  I wish I could be one of those parents who could change things for the better, but I would have to sacrifice my dd's education and I'm not sure I have that much energy and cheerleader "go schools!" attitude.  I admit, I'm not invested enough.  

 

I'm pretty sure that I will homeschool dd again next year.  I was happy for this year and it helped me rethink how best to homeschool her without me going into stress breakdowns.  It was a good break.  But, I just can't continue knowing what I know.  I never thought that the difference would be so dramatic.  I can't even express the disappointment I feel with all of this.  

[MaeFlowers]

Our area is pretty middle class, too. From my experience in the school, so much is wrong that I wouldn't know where to start. I don't know how to make a difference and it so saddens me that this is what our kids are getting.

 

I also don't understand great school ratings. Our local es gets 7/10 with 40% testing at grade level while the es I went to gets 7/10 with 70% scoring at grade level. What is that about?

[Sneezyone]

Our area is pretty middle class, too. From my experience in the school, so much is wrong that I wouldn't know where to start. I don't know how to make a difference and it so saddens me that this is what our kids are getting.

 

I also don't understand great school ratings. Our local es gets 7/10 with 40% testing at grade level while the es I went to gets 7/10 with 70% scoring at grade level. What is that about?

GS ratings are relative to other schools in the state and district. They aren’t useful for determining quality beyond performance on state tests. State tests may be easy or challenging. The state standards themselves may be high or low relative to other states. When we go looking for duty stations and retirement locations we look first for a state with strong performance metrics and then for a district and school within that already strong state. A 7/10 GS ranking in, say, MA might well outperform a 10/10 school in MS.

[prairiewindmomma]

Ditto on the great school ratings being skewed. It is REALLY eye opening to look at state proficiency test scores.  In my dd's current school, we're lucky in that it's all in the mid-90s....but in other areas, schools where 30% of the students are proficient in math are highly rated. I have no idea why people aren't carrying torches and pitchforks to the school and demanding change.

[scrapbookbuzz]

You understand what real education is all about.  They are the ones who have drunk the public school koolaid. 

 

:iagree:  THIS. So much this! Maybe you could bring your daughter home and let her be mostly self-directed for the rest of this year?   You can focus on teaching the math and writing and let her pick and do the other subjects. That way it's a good balance for you and her: you won't get burnt out and she can feel like she has some freedom in her schooling.