Hybrid homeschooling opinions

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

Thoughts? Opinions?

Back story; we have a hybrid homeschooling program that runs two days a week and three days at home. Curriculum is set by the program, the students are given assignments to do at home. It is structured the same as a private school and is about two years old.  It is a drop off program; truthfully, it is indistinguishable from brick and mortar schooling. I have been negative about it because since it opened, the local co-ops and homeschool support groups have been decimated.  All but one of our religious private elementary schools in the area have closed in recent years, and parents seemed to choose homeschooling over sending their kids to private school, but didn’t really want to homeschool so when this opened they left the co-ops and drop their kids off here.  It’s not the hybrid programs fault, it’s just the overall flavor of homeschoolers locally. 

I’ve been a little salty about it.

But now I took a program director position at a local college, it’s a dumpster fire and we’re up for reaccreditation this year. I’m working fourteen hour days, and even if two days a week are work from home and Ds8 can come hang with me at work, I still feel like he’s not getting my ideal homeschool experience. He’s also not getting much socialization with other kids because the co-ops, support groups and playground meetups are just GONE. So I’m actually considering the hybrid program. He’s been taking art, sign language and sports electives there two afternoons a week and it’s been overwhelmingly positive. 

But I homeschool for academic reasons, not religious ones(though we are Christian and the Christian flavor of this doesn’t bother me), and I’m loathe to give up curriculum choice.  We also homeschool to avoid the developmental issues inherent in classroom structures.

Anyone else do a hybrid homeschool program? How does it work? Is it a good thing for you?

[rebcoola]

Ugh we do a hybrid but one we choose our curriculum. I wouldn't like it but I could see how in your situation it might be a net positive 

[Heartstrings]

 I think it sounds like a good option for you given the options available to you and your work situation.    All of the things you list as being more ideal or more to your preference aren’t available to you.  Even if you had a traditional co op with park meet ups and activities, it would be hard for you to participate with 14 hour work days. 
I completely understand that feeling of not wanting to use a program that you had previously not wanted to like, but it sounds like it’s a good option for you, in this stage of life, in your location.  

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

The other option is that he does school in my office and is then bored or on screens, or we are at home but I’m drowning in paperwork and Zoom meetings so can’t play games with him, or he’s at my mother in law’s, who is a fantastic homeschooling mom and Grandma but is definitely slowing down.

It would likely not be forever.  Once I get through the re-accreditation this summer and get some processes in place and more staff hired, I will be still be working but not like I am right now.

But I also feel like this program contains all the reasons we didn’t like in brick and mortar schooling.

Edited January 17 by Mrs Tiggywinkle Again

[Heartstrings]

11 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

 

But I also feel like this program contains all the reasons we didn’t like in brick and mortar schooling.

Is there a contract?  Can you try it out without a huge commitment?  

[SKL]

I would probably give it a try and see how it goes.  Hopefully that will help you get through the accreditation process.  After that, you will have lots more information to decide whether or not to continue.

For an 8-year-old, you probably still have the ability to supplement meaningfully at home / family outings (when work demands allow) if the concern is academic.  If the child were a few years older, I'd be more concerned that his "free time" is not going to cater as much to your priorities.

[*LC]

If you can enroll now for rest of the 23-24 school year, I think this is great time to see if it will work long-term. Even if you decide it isnt a good fit long-term, enrolling him for this term will get you through this busy season at work.

[ScoutTN]

I’d do it for the short run, even though it’s not your ideal sort of education for him.

[Katy]

I’d do it until at least when your accreditation is complete. 

[Kanin]

24 minutes ago, Katy said:

I’d do it until at least when your accreditation is complete. 

Me too. Put on your own oxygen mask first!

[Harriet Vane]

Neither option is ideal. And neither option is permanent. I'd probably give it a try for this season, then evaluate the next season when you get there. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Being cooped up in your office as a 8yo doesnt sound ideal either. I’d do the program—you can pick up remediation after reaccredidation is over.

[katilac]

Given your work schedule, I would simply enroll him in school. 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

12 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Being cooped up in your office as a 8yo doesnt sound ideal either. I’d do the program—you can pick up remediation after reaccredidation is over.

To be fair, there is a firehouse next door to my office and they let him come see the firetrucks and hang with the firefighters when he’s done with his school work, and his EKG interpretation skills are quite good from hanging out in my lab. He’s also getting a first rate A&P education since I’m teaching that this semester and he hangs out lol.

But I feel like he’s feral. But also he struggles in a classroom. I can’t win.

I emailed to see if there’s any options for a month to month contract or if it’s all pay by the semester. DS8 is spending today there on a shadow day so I guess I will see what he thinks when I pick him up.

Edited January 17 by Mrs Tiggywinkle Again

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

1 minute ago, katilac said:

Given your work schedule, I would simply enroll him in school. 

Public school is not an option in the district we are slated for, at least until the r superintendent is finally fired, and the district next to us is even worse.  All the elementary private schools have closed except one Catholic school, and there is a years long waiting list for that one—and they generally don’t accept kids with IEPs(he gets speech and OT even as a homeschooler).  The private school my daughter attends starts at 5th grade. We do not have charter schools.

My husband is home during the day every other week but is working construction jobs, which DS is happy to go to but spends a lot of time on his iPad playing Minecraft during Dad Work days.

[kbutton]

1 hour ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

To be fair, there is a firehouse next door to my office and they let him come see the firetrucks and hang with the firefighters when he’s done with his school work, and his EKG interpretation skills are quite good from hanging out in my lab. He’s also getting a first rate A&P education since I’m teaching that this semester and he hangs out lol.

But I feel like he’s feral. But also he struggles in a classroom. I can’t win.

This honestly doesn’t sound horrible for an 8 y.o.

If YOU are too stressed, finishing the year at the hybrid sounds reasonable. If you are just wondering if the grass is greener and feeling a little guilty because you’re busy, then you need to weigh “fit” differently in your decision.

Nothing is usually ideal. If one part works, another is a total pain. I am in a spot where my son is doing well, but there are real needs not being addressed. They won’t be addressed homeschooling either. I am not on solid ground to advocate for him for fear of angering TPTB. It stinks, but homeschooling won’t fix it in this case. We have other options that may or may not fix it, but in the other options, I can open my mouth and advocate without worrying my kid will lose his placement. I’m so over the 2e thing.

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

I pick him up from his trial day at 3:50 and we’ll see how it went. I have actually been really happy with the quality of the afternoon electives and if we tighten some things financially we can afford the two mornings a week of core classes.  I think I just bridle at paying to be told what curriculum and what and how to teach my child from “tutors” with no academic credentials while I who have zillions of academic and street teaching creds can teach my kid for free.

But I think that’s likely a me problem.

[Ellie]

3 hours ago, SKL said:

For an 8-year-old, you probably still have the ability to supplement meaningfully at home / family outings (when work demands allow) if the concern is academic.  If the child were a few years older, I'd be more concerned that his "free time" is not going to cater as much to your priorities.

The hybrid options here don't really allow for any sort of supplementing at home, because the children are working on/must complete their work from the school. Although they call themselves "homeschooling," they're not. The children are just doing school work at home.

[wintermom]

With all the co-ops and private schools closing down, where are these families going? Are they all using this hybrid school, and if so, are the class sizes really large? What are the qualifications of the 'tutors' and will there be leadership who are likely to be successful in working with your ds? I wouldn't set myself and my ds up for failure.

[kbutton]

19 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

I pick him up from his trial day at 3:50 and we’ll see how it went. I have actually been really happy with the quality of the afternoon electives and if we tighten some things financially we can afford the two mornings a week of core classes.  I think I just bridle at paying to be told what curriculum and what and how to teach my child from “tutors” with no academic credentials while I who have zillions of academic and street teaching creds can teach my kid for free.

But I think that’s likely a me problem.

That’s reasonable. It sounds worth trying.

Fit is important, but it’s okay to not have ideal every year.

I am “almost” credentialed to teach, and I found that some of the most qualified people totally missed the point with my kids because their problems were eclectic. A PhD in spec Ed with access to the psych reports identified my son’s language issue as just being his ADHD (and he had an ASD diagnosis by then). But the PhD was a good social/mentoring fit. So, you never know.

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

14 minutes ago, wintermom said:

With all the co-ops and private schools closing down, where are these families going? Are they all using this hybrid school, and if so, are the class sizes really large? What are the qualifications of the 'tutors' and will there be leadership who are likely to be successful in working with your ds? I wouldn't set myself and my ds up for failure.

Some certainly did get into the one remaining private Catholic elementary school and a minority sent their kids to public school.  None of these private schools were very big, which is why they closed.  The biggest school was Catholic and had maybe ten students per class according to a friend who taught there.  There’s a definite population drain here and fewer children, so I don’t think the hybrid schools class sizes are any larger than the 15ish students per public school classroom.  And I say “schools,” but there were only four to start with and one remains. 

For the most part though people seem to be doing some sort of homeschooling though. This hybrid is popular and two neighboring counties have hybrids of 200+ students, so it seems that’s where everyone has gone. I literally know people who send their kids to two hybrid schools in seperate counties, one M/W and one T/TH, with a drop off co-op on Friday in another town.  There’s a few micro schools that have popped up as well but are informal type things. Anything drop off is popular; most of the co-ops and nature groups were not drop off and no longer exist.  Which is part of my saltiness.

The qualifications of the “tutors” are minimal.  For us it would really just be giving him something to do other than hang out at home or in my office all day while I work.  

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

I will say that I had several big tough firefighters wandering into my office building today wondering where their buddy is lol.

Mondays he’s usually at Grandma’s, Tuesdays is a lecture day for me so he’s either with my husband or comes and sits through my lectures, and Wednesdays is office day for me so he usually hangs out there and does schoolwork then goes over to the firehouse(it’s a paid staffed 24/7 department and they just send him back over to me when they go out on calls or whatever) for an hour or two. Thursday and Fridays I usually work from home.

I’m not particularly stressed, because I knew I was being hired to fix this program and it was going to be a rough first year till I had more staff and things fixed.  But I’m afraid in 15 years he’ll be telling a therapist that his neglectful Mom let him spend too much time repairing plumbing and electric issues with his Dad or hanging out at a firehouse washing firetrucks or sitting through anatomy lectures when he was in a third grade instead of, like, learning multiplication and spelling. 

Edited January 17 by Mrs Tiggywinkle Again

[ScoutTN]

Well, on the qualifications of “tutors”, many homeschooling parents that I know do some teaching in a tutorial or other classroom format. Most do very well. The ps high school teachers my Ds had had have plenty of credentials and many still don’t teach well or handle a roomful of kids well.
 

Degrees and certifications are NOT proof of teaching capability, nor of content mastery. 

[ScoutTN]

57 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

I will say that I had several big tough firefighters wandering into my office building today wondering where their buddy is lol.

Mondays he’s usually at Grandma’s, Tuesdays is a lecture day for me so he’s either with my husband or comes and sits through my lectures, and Wednesdays is office day for me so he usually hangs out there and does schoolwork then goes over to the firehouse(it’s a paid staffed 24/7 department and they just send him back over to me when they go out on calls or whatever) for an hour or two. Thursday and Fridays I usually work from home.

I’m not particularly stressed, because I knew I was being hired to fix this program and it was going to be a rough first year till I had more staff and things fixed.  But I’m afraid in 15 years he’ll be telling a therapist that his neglectful Mom let him spend too much time repairing plumbing and electric issues with his Dad or hanging out at a firehouse washing firetrucks or sitting through anatomy lectures when he was in a third grade instead of, like, learning multiplication and spelling. 

I spent most of sixth grade skipping school, playing in the woods, helping around a horse barn, and reading. Very little academic work. Not the end of the world. A good year in many respects. 😉

[kbutton]

1 hour ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

I’m not particularly stressed, because I knew I was being hired to fix this program and it was going to be a rough first year till I had more staff and things fixed.  But I’m afraid in 15 years he’ll be telling a therapist that his neglectful Mom let him spend too much time repairing plumbing and electric issues with his Dad or hanging out at a firehouse washing firetrucks or sitting through anatomy lectures when he was in a third grade instead of, like, learning multiplication and spelling. 

Only if he really struggles with multiplication and spelling forever, and if that’s the case, it’s probably a learning issue.

This sounds like boy paradise, lol!

[MiddleCourt]

I used to work at a hybrid school. Ultimately I left and my children didn’t return because it’s not the way I wanted to homeschool. I value choosing my own curriculum and topics based on my children’s needs, so this was not the educational setting for me. However, that being said, I do think these schools meet a need and appeal to a certain niche of people- mainly, those who work but don’t want their child in a traditional 5 day a week classroom setting. The biggest hurdle is shifting your paradigm about what homeschooling is and accepting that this can be a valid form of it. Homeschooling purists (of which I was one) would call it not really homeschooling but I have come to realize- THAT’S OK! Sometimes it works out that mom isn’t a SAHM who can dedicate all her time to homeschooling but the child still needs to be out of a traditional school. If it meets the needs of your family today and works for you now, do it and reevaluate at the end of the year for the fall. 

[Mom_to3]

1 hour ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

I will say that I had several big tough firefighters wandering into my office building today wondering where their buddy is lol.

Mondays he’s usually at Grandma’s, Tuesdays is a lecture day for me so he’s either with my husband or comes and sits through my lectures, and Wednesdays is office day for me so he usually hangs out there and does schoolwork then goes over to the firehouse(it’s a paid staffed 24/7 department and they just send him back over to me when they go out on calls or whatever) for an hour or two. Thursday and Fridays I usually work from home.

I’m not particularly stressed, because I knew I was being hired to fix this program and it was going to be a rough first year till I had more staff and things fixed.  But I’m afraid in 15 years he’ll be telling a therapist that his neglectful Mom let him spend too much time repairing plumbing and electric issues with his Dad or hanging out at a firehouse washing firetrucks or sitting through anatomy lectures when he was in a third grade instead of, like, learning multiplication and spelling. 

This actually sounds like an awesome life for an active 8 year old (I also have one at home) !! If you can get in some writing and math via workbooks most days, this sounds pretty great and I am sure he is learning quite a lot, much more than he would in a typical 3rd grade classroom. Is your kid happy? If so, I'd not worry about it and wait it out until the summer when your schedule eases up. 

[MiddleCourt]

Oh, and to address the issue of having to stay on track and that’s why you pulled him to begin with….this is an inevitable negative to the hybrid model. You can’t get around it if you decide to pursue this school. However, I think the teachers at these places are more understanding (in general) and have more freedom to be flexible with expectations because they’re not a public school beholden to state standards and testing. So while the pacing and expectations are there, it could not be as impactful as at a typical al school. 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

So…..my kid loved it and wants to go.

 
However. It seems to be mostly read a paragraph, fill out a worksheet, with no learning activities or small group work mixed in.

And my cousin who actually was substitute teaching(in two of my son’s classes in fact) there said behaviors are generally bad, classroom management strategies are nonexistent and the students are unengaged and not paying attention.  So basically all my concerns.

My state does require standardized testing of homeschool students so that is taken into consideration when it comes to curriculum choices and keeping kids on track, so there is that piece as well.

Edited January 17 by Mrs Tiggywinkle Again

[Carol in Cal.]

If it were me, I would try for a little more time at Grandma's to bridge this difficult period.

Maybe another one of those days, Wednesday or Thursday.

And I'd add in some focussed time myself on the weekend, if I wasn't doing that already, on no more than one area of challenge for him, and one intentional field trip or hands on demo or participatory project (art, outdoor ed, science) of some sort over each weekend.  He is still young enough that a semester of less than ideal amounts of learning is fully recoverable without a huge amount of difficulty if necessary, and hybrid schools tend to be, from what I have seen, all the hassle of 'real school' but most of the responsibility of homeschooling--the worst of all possible worlds.

Or, if you need him to have some extraordinary learning during a focussed period when you are not there, look for a half day or one day program that enhances his education.  For instance, there is a large network of Saturday German language schools across the country.  The local one meets for 3 hours on Saturdays, and it's pretty fun--immersion oriented.  That's enough time to do a burst of work if you have to, and broadens rather than compresses his education, while providing an opportunity to make new friends.  Or we used to do an Outdoor Ed program, based on Coyote's Guide locally, which is available across the country as well--one full day per week outdoors, rain or shine or whatever.  This was absolutely fantastic.  

I would also suggest looking for high quality summer enrichment camps with a science, tech, outdoor ed, or arts focus, and sign up for a few full day ones.  Or even sports teaching or traditional outdoor parks and rec type daycamps if they are good.  Over the years these bursts of topic exposure were very helpful in getting broadening education experiences, and 1-3 weeks per summer is not an onerous amount to arrange, pay for, and provide transportation for.  That way you get some breaks where you can work in heavy bursts without feeling like you're shortchanging him.

Also, you do you, but we always continued a *bit* of skills work over the summer to take the heat off the school year when I was working fulltime.  This avoided the summer slump in math and reading as well, which was nice.  

And lastly, I always had the Story of the World CDs to fall back on as an alternative to screen time.  I used them!  DD listened to them and we discussed them, and her retention was great because she played them over and over.  That's the kind of thing where your son can listen and work with his hands at the same time, on drawings or Kapla block building or whatever.

[ktgrok]

6 hours ago, rebcoola said:

Ugh we do a hybrid but one we choose our curriculum. I wouldn't like it but I could see how in your situation it might be a net positive 

Same - we do 1-2 days a week at a STEM drop off program, but don't do a full hybrid program because we want curriculum choice. 

That said, if you are not available to actually do the teaching AND there are not other equal social outlets (we have tons...too many!) AND you think the curriculum itself is fine, I'd try it.

But I agree, it is not homeschooling, it is a university model school, where they get a lot of time with their family. 

[Carol in Cal.]

2 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

So…..my kid loved it and wants to go.

 
However. It seems to be mostly read a paragraph, fill out a worksheet, with no learning activities or small group work mixed in.

And my cousin who actually was substitute teaching(in two of my son’s classes in fact) there said behaviors are generally bad, classroom management strategies are nonexistent and the students are unengaged and not paying attention.  So basically all my concerns.

My state does require standardized testing of homeschool students so that is taken into consideration when it comes to curriculum choices and keeping kids on track, so there is that piece as well.

That sounds really awful.

Regarding the standardized testing, do they publish practice tests on the state website?  We used those once in a while to prepare for the state testing.  That was a much shorter commitment than the public schools, who started spending half a day PER WEEK from January on on test prep.  I could see what specifically to remediate if necessary but also this enabled DD to be ready for the test environment and rules, and to calm down and do well.  The purchased test prep books were not nearly as good for this as the published old tests.

And again, he's only 8.  One marginal test is not the end of the world at this age.

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

5 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

That sounds really awful.

Regarding the standardized testing, do they publish practice tests on the state website?  We used those once in a while to prepare for the state testing.  That was a much shorter commitment than the public schools, who started spending half a day PER WEEK from January on on test prep.  I could see what specifically to remediate if necessary but also this enabled DD to be ready for the test environment and rules, and to calm down and do well.  The purchased test prep books were not nearly as good for this as the published old tests.

And again, he's only 8.  One marginal test is not the end of the world at this age.

We can use anything we want. I use the online California Achievement test and that works well. This kid adores workbooks and multiple choice anything so he actually does really good on these tests.

I emailed to ask what specific curriculum they’re using.

[freesia]

Well, he doesn’t have to do the standardized tests in your state until fifth grade, right? And only has to get higher than 33%. So, I think I would try it this spring if I were in your exact shoes. A side benefit is he may make friends and connections that you could rely on if you chose to go back to fewer classes. 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

1 minute ago, freesia said:

Well, he doesn’t have to do the standardized tests in your state until fifth grade, right? And only has to get higher than 33%. So, I think I would try it this spring if I were in your exact shoes. A side benefit is he may make friends and connections that you could rely on if you chose to go back to fewer classes. 

Fourth so I do have a year, but the superintendent in my school district is an $-@:) and the reason my kids don’t go to that district, and is super picky about who is allowed to review a portfolio and write a narrative.  So to bypass that whole nonsense I’ve just done the CAT.  

DH agrees with you; if DS8 liked it just let him go the two days a week till June and we’ll all be in a much easier place come September. Our reaccreditation site visit is August and I will be busy putting out fires till then—the previous program director apparently checked out in like 2017 and left the whole program a mess.  

[freesia]

6 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

Fourth so I do have a year, but the superintendent in my school district is an $-@:) and the reason my kids don’t go to that district, and is super picky about who is allowed to review a portfolio and write a narrative.  So to bypass that whole nonsense I’ve just done the CAT.  

DH agrees with you; if DS8 liked it just let him go the two days a week till June and we’ll all be in a much easier place come September. Our reaccreditation site visit is August and I will be busy putting out fires till then—the previous program director apparently checked out in like 2017 and left the whole program a mess.  

Yeah, if he dies well on the tests, there’s no way he wouldn’t meet the threshold this year. Although I get not wanting to hand in test scores that you know are lower than they have to be!( the every other year testing for 4-8 means you can do 4,6 and 8 or 5 and 7–I know you aren’t choosing that option but just so you know.  I did 5 and 7 with my oldest with no problem.)

Edited January 17 by freesia

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

Just now, freesia said:

Yeah, if he dies well on the tests, there’s no way he wouldn’t meet the threshold this year. Although I get not wanting to hand in test scores that you know are lower than they have to be!( the every other year testing for 4-8 means you can do 4,6 and 8 or 5 and 7–I know you aren’t choosing that option but just so you know.  I did 5 and 7 with my oldest with no problem.)

This superintendent is a problem overall to the point I once filed charges against him with the police after he put his hands on me(I was at the school as a paramedic on a 911 call) and shoved me. At this point I just test because that way I don’t have to argue with him over who’s allowed to write the narrative. It’s so annoying and I wish he’d go away.  

[ktgrok]

6 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

Fourth so I do have a year, but the superintendent in my school district is an $-@:) and the reason my kids don’t go to that district, and is super picky about who is allowed to review a portfolio and write a narrative.  So to bypass that whole nonsense I’ve just done the CAT.  

DH agrees with you; if DS8 liked it just let him go the two days a week till June and we’ll all be in a much easier place come September. Our reaccreditation site visit is August and I will be busy putting out fires till then—the previous program director apparently checked out in like 2017 and left the whole program a mess.  

I think a big reason this is a good idea is that I have a feeling YOU will get a lot more done, more efficiently, if you don't have him hanging around asking questions and such. So that gives YOU more patience and time and breathing room when you ARE interacting with him. In particular, if you don't have him in the office with you on office days will you be able to get more done, so that days you work from home you can pay a bit more attention to him? Or at least go home earlier?

[freesia]

Just now, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

This superintendent is a problem overall to the point I once filed charges against him with the police after he put his hands on me(I was at the school as a paramedic on a 911 call) and shoved me. At this point I just test because that way I don’t have to argue with him over who’s allowed to write the narrative. It’s so annoying and I wish he’d go away.  

I’m so sorry. I hate that your state is so district dependent. Our district was all bark and no bite but I had friends with problem superintendent. 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

37 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

I think a big reason this is a good idea is that I have a feeling YOU will get a lot more done, more efficiently, if you don't have him hanging around asking questions and such. So that gives YOU more patience and time and breathing room when you ARE interacting with him. In particular, if you don't have him in the office with you on office days will you be able to get more done, so that days you work from home you can pay a bit more attention to him? Or at least go home earlier?

I got enough work done today while he was at the program that I left an hour early to pick him up and my work load tomorrow is pretty light because I was super effecient today so we’ll be able to focus on school and maybe take a trip to the science museum.

so there is that piece too.

Ds8 is hyperactive and needs constant interaction which definitely cuts into my working efficiency.

Edited January 17 by Mrs Tiggywinkle Again

[maize]

If you enroll him, is there anything that would prevent you from pulling him back out if it isn't working?

Trying things that *might* work often makes sense to me if there isn't a long-term commitment.

[prairiewindmomma]

3 hours ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

I pick him up from his trial day at 3:50 and we’ll see how it went. I have actually been really happy with the quality of the afternoon electives and if we tighten some things financially we can afford the two mornings a week of core classes.  I think I just bridle at paying to be told what curriculum and what and how to teach my child from “tutors” with no academic credentials while I who have zillions of academic and street teaching creds can teach my kid for free.

But I think that’s likely a me problem.

I suffer from this affliction as well. I also have the corollary problem (that I think you may also suffer from) of putting margin for me last. IOW, I tend to over schedule and overburden myself trying to optimize things for everyone else. My body has put a hard stop to this. With your long days, the decreasing availability of grandparents, a kid who liked today, and everything else going on---I'd consider the hybrid school a great option. It scores high on several things on your matrix of needs to fill, it just has a couple of drawbacks...like most things do.

He's 8. You have time. There's always the option to make other decisions in the future.

[Carol in Cal.]

Something else to consider is whether this school still leaves you doing all the least fun parts of homeschooling while taking over all the most fun parts.  Looking back on it, that's one of the reasons I never did this--I liked teaching history and literature, and the hybrids locally taught and assigned homework in those, and assigned homework in the skills subjects but didn't teach them.  So I would have needed to do the most unfun dragging through skills work, and would not have had the refreshment of talking about books and history.  That struck me as a recipe for misery.  YMMV.

[maize]

Also, do you actually have to use their curriculum at home? A couple of my kids were in a twice-a-week program last year and while they gave us curriculum to work on at home they didn't require anything from home to be turned in and I mostly just kept doing what we had been doing before. As far of the program went,  my more social kid loved it and the more introvert kid hated it.

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

1 hour ago, maize said:

Also, do you actually have to use their curriculum at home? A couple of my kids were in a twice-a-week program last year and while they gave us curriculum to work on at home they didn't require anything from home to be turned in and I mostly just kept doing what we had been doing before. As far of the program went,  my more social kid loved it and the more introvert kid hated it.

I don’t know; it’s one of the questions I have to ask. 
I just need to survive the next few months. Literally every day at work I find one more thing not done by my predecessor that no exaggeration could cost us our accreditation. Once I have this fixed and processes in place for the future, it will still be work but not this intense.  It is totally my dream job but the next few months are going to be hard.

[KungFuPanda]

I’d say use the co-op this year and reevaluate next year. You can only work so many hours a day. You’ll need some down time and none of the options are perfect so do what reduces stress in your home. 
 

I can see why so many homeschoolers need drop off tutorials. It’s getting impossible to get by on one income. Back when we started 20 years ago most of the homeschooling moms weren’t juggling employment so they could run classes and co-ops and plan play groups and park days. The norm is changing so people are scrambling for non-public-school child care and the pool of people who can run programs is shrinking. It’s just hard and people are doing the best they can.

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

14 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

I’d say use the co-op this year and reevaluate next year. You can only work so many hours a day. You’ll need some down time and none of the options are perfect so do what reduces stress in your home. 
 

I can see why so many homeschoolers need drop off tutorials. It’s getting impossible to get by on one income. Back when we started 20 years ago most of the homeschooling moms weren’t juggling employment so they could run classes and co-ops and plan play groups and park days. The norm is changing so people are scrambling for non-public-school child care and the pool of people who can run programs is shrinking. It’s just hard and people are doing the best they can.

I really kind of wonder how this will affect homeschooling overall.  I didn’t know any homeschool moms that worked in the 80s and 90s unless it was on a family farm.  Most of the homeschool moms I still know don’t work outside the home with some exceptions for bus driving, which seems to be popular.

I tried from August to November to stay home and work very part time.  My husband had a large raise so we thought we could afford it, but clearly were basing that plan on 2020 prices or something.  We couldn’t do it unless we stopped saving for retirement.  Even so I took a 50% pay cut to take this job from my last full time position, but it’s my dream job so we are trying to make it work.

But overall I wonder how homeschooling will shift.