Transitioning a child into public school 7th grade in March/April--?

[pehp]

I am eager to hear opinions/thoughts on this situation. 

The backstory: my daughter has been homeschooled her entire life. She's 13 and is in 7th grade.  She takes two online classes through WHA (we love them!) and does the other stuff with me, although I am getting less good at homeschooling the older I get (let's just say I'm tired plus I now work part-time from home ;)).  She's also a classical ballet dancer who trains 13 hours a week during non-rehearsal weeks (which is really an 18-20 hour commitment when we include the commute and some related incidentals).  She's VERY social, loves her friends, and is a quiet extrovert. 

As of a couple of months ago she expressed an interest in "trying public school."  My vision was for 9th grade.  She said she was talking about for this fall--for 8th grade. I talked to a good friend who has transitioned kids into public school from homeschool--very encouraging/helpful!  We toured the local middle school (it's pretty small, we know lots of teachers/staff there already, she has friends who attend the school, the principal is a family friend, my mom taught there 20+ years ago, etc etc etc--small town life 🙂) and she seemed on the fence, but intrigued enough to consider it. We did ask if she could "shadow" a student for a day, but that was not an option.  So we've basically been thinking in the direction of starting 8th grade there in August, and she has spent lots of time grilling her friends who go there on all aspects of What It Is Like.  I've spent lots of time trying to wrap my mind around all the changes this would bring.....every time she's discussed it with me, she has been enthusiastic, and has even said "I wish it would start sooner so I can see if I like it."

I will add that I have sensed, in the past few months, an underlying restlessness.  She buckle-fractured her foot on MLK Jr day, so having to wear a boot probably hasn't helped.  But I have sensed that she's spinning her wheels a little bit at home, and I have found it difficult to fill whatever this need is that is lacking (social time?). She has LOTS of social time with her ballet friends, but it's insufficient. I blame myself, as I've been more distracted than ever over the previous months (work), but she insists that it has nothing to do with me, or with my work--which I usually try to do during her WHA class time or ballet (but not always--today I was off and on the laptop all day to prep for a meeting tomorrow).  

Tonight she brought up a new idea: why not try it *now?*  Why not start this spring, and get two months under her belt, so she knows whether or not she really likes it enough to commit to 8th grade?  

We discussed this for a little while.  There is some logic to her thinking: it's a low-stakes year, in terms of grades/etc....she'd have a full 2ish months to "learn the ropes," and it would give her some guidance as to whether she wants to continue with public school in the fall or sign up for more WHA classes.  The only area of possible academic concern, from what I can tell, is math, but I trust that she can get caught up, and my friends who have transitioned their kids have said that it is definitely possible (my daughter is extremely bright at math, the problem has been more me, and also the year we struggled to do anything when my husband was going through cancer treatments!).   In every other subject I have no doubt that she will be just fine. Perhaps starting mid-year would actually help with that catchup process, if there needs to be one...? 

Thoughts on starting in public school with only a couple of months left?  Yay or nay, and why? If you've done this--please chime in! I appreciate experience!

Thank you!

[Rosie_0801]

I'd recommend she reads 'Queen Bees and Wannabes' first.

[HomeAgain]

In many states these are testing months.  DS14 is taking the NLE next week, and in 3 weeks or so begins state testing for core subjects (I think he has math, English, science, and civics this year to be tested on).  After testing time is wind down time.  DS is currently in the middle of a build of a Roman road that his class will be doing experiments with at the end of the month.  His engineering class is in the middle of bridge building.  His English class will be moving to a fun pick (student choice) for a novel after a year of heavier study..maths will just be starting to hit a few concepts from next year but the kids will all be divided so they're not really going to go deep into things.  Science is beginning to gather materials for a final fun project and civics is switching to community involvement.

It's really not a great time for them to have someone jump in and try school. I'd also consider the boot she's wearing and getting around from class to class.   Mostly all your daughter is going to get is testing, relax time, and possibly a field day. 

 

[pehp]

52 minutes ago, HomeAgain said:

In many states these are testing months.  DS14 is taking the NLE next week, and in 3 weeks or so begins state testing for core subjects (I think he has math, English, science, and civics this year to be tested on).  After testing time is wind down time.  DS is currently in the middle of a build of a Roman road that his class will be doing experiments with at the end of the month.  His engineering class is in the middle of bridge building.  His English class will be moving to a fun pick (student choice) for a novel after a year of heavier study..maths will just be starting to hit a few concepts from next year but the kids will all be divided so they're not really going to go deep into things.  Science is beginning to gather materials for a final fun project and civics is switching to community involvement.

It's really not a great time for them to have someone jump in and try school. I'd also consider the boot she's wearing and getting around from class to class.   Mostly all your daughter is going to get is testing, relax time, and possibly a field day. 

 

Thanks! I think she just wants to see what it’s like-an extended shadowing?!—so it may be ok (from the social/schedule perspective). Boot comes off next week so no problem there, happily! 

[HomeAgain]

1 hour ago, pehp said:

Thanks! I think she just wants to see what it’s like-an extended shadowing?!—so it may be ok (from the social/schedule perspective). Boot comes off next week so no problem there, happily! 

Whatever you do, just please factor in teacher consideration and the established classroom culture at that late point in the year.

[ScoutTN]

I would probably wait til the beginning of the year bc there is lots of support for new students then. Plus what @HomeAgain said. But I’d also consider what the school thinks.

Plus, I’d not want to just throw away the rest of the year with WHA. Their classes are pricey and ours (math) were very well taught.

School does not automatically = friends. It has taken my very extroverted Ds three semesters in to make real friends. 

[pehp]

15 hours ago, HomeAgain said:

Whatever you do, just please factor in teacher consideration and the established classroom culture at that late point in the year.

I think I understand what you mean here, but want to clarify-that it would be hard on the teacher(s)? 

[pehp]

15 hours ago, ScoutTN said:

I would probably wait til the beginning of the year bc there is lots of support for new students then. Plus what @HomeAgain said. But I’d also consider what the school thinks.

Plus, I’d not want to just throw away the rest of the year with WHA. Their classes are pricey and ours (math) were very well taught.

School does not automatically = friends. It has taken my very extroverted Ds three semesters in to make real friends. 

Yes we’d talk to the school for sure.
 

We have gotten great value from WHA and love the classes! 
 

School doesn’t automatically equal friends, but she has friends at the school already (as well as others through ballet), so in her case it is something of a built-in situation. *Making* friends would maybe happen; really she’s *joining* friends (girls she has know since toddlerhood!). 

[HomeAgain]

7 hours ago, pehp said:

I think I understand what you mean here, but want to clarify-that it would be hard on the teacher(s)? 

I know teachers deal with new students all the time, but it seems heavily disrespectful to disrupt lessons, seating, and organization so that your daughter can play at going to school because you don't want to wait for an appropriate time to join into a new term.  Your expectation is this:

-the teachers will do the appropriate initial testing, gathering materials, reiterating expectations that were done at the beginning of the year

-the teachers will take time to introduce a student to a new system of classes and make sure they are up to speed in every expectation that the students have worked on all year.

 

What you are asking, due to a whim of yours and your daughters, is that someone else picks up the pieces of a decision and then your daughter "tries out" school without having to make a commitment.  Your posts read that this is something you are going to do anyway, without regards to the negatives, but it feels very "I am the main character" and you need to be aware of the negatives for everyone and understand that this is not a positive experience for the school or the teachers as your daughter tries out school at the end of the year.  At the best, it will be a mild irritant.  It is best to do these things when there is an appropriate break in classes and your child can move in seamlessly.  Even military families will do their best to get on a June or December rotation when their kids are in school to minimize this sort of disruption to education. 

 

Also, on the social front, be aware that friends in ballet doesn't always translate to "friends in a new setting within established social groups that are functioning".  DS had neighborhood friends and sports friends.  When he went to school, they were there, in established social groups that functioned in the school setting.  DS curated a group of friends based on his class placement and interests. 

[pehp]

6 hours ago, HomeAgain said:

I know teachers deal with new students all the time, but it seems heavily disrespectful to disrupt lessons, seating, and organization so that your daughter can play at going to school because you don't want to wait for an appropriate time to join into a new term.  Your expectation is this:

-the teachers will do the appropriate initial testing, gathering materials, reiterating expectations that were done at the beginning of the year

-the teachers will take time to introduce a student to a new system of classes and make sure they are up to speed in every expectation that the students have worked on all year.

 

What you are asking, due to a whim of yours and your daughters, is that someone else picks up the pieces of a decision and then your daughter "tries out" school without having to make a commitment.  Your posts read that this is something you are going to do anyway, without regards to the negatives, but it feels very "I am the main character" and you need to be aware of the negatives for everyone and understand that this is not a positive experience for the school or the teachers as your daughter tries out school at the end of the year.  At the best, it will be a mild irritant.  It is best to do these things when there is an appropriate break in classes and your child can move in seamlessly.  Even military families will do their best to get on a June or December rotation when their kids are in school to minimize this sort of disruption to education. 

 

Also, on the social front, be aware that friends in ballet doesn't always translate to "friends in a new setting within established social groups that are functioning".  DS had neighborhood friends and sports friends.  When he went to school, they were there, in established social groups that functioned in the school setting.  DS curated a group of friends based on his class placement and interests. 

 I understand that you do not know me at all.  So I will let this unfriendly comment go. This hasn't been decided, we don't operate on whims, and we are not "I am the main character" people.  I've been talking to the principal, guidance counselor, and other parents to get their insights.  Obviously we wish to be aware of the negatives: that's why I posted here. 

Edited March 1 by pehp

[madteaparty]

OP, I’m a little bit stunned at the tone of the posts so far. And so I will throw in my 2 cents. Assuming this is public school, their raison d’etre is to accommodate the community and its idiosyncrasies. There are a ton of accommodations that public schools have to make and an eager and curious child who wants to be there is the least of them.  People move, lose or gain jobs, etc.

If it’s private school, then I trust them to be big boys and girls and always act in their interest. 
As regards your kid, I see no downside in your case. 8th grade is in fact not low stakes in my district, two of the classes end up on high school transcript and there are tests. I would also focus if I were you on any placement tests you want/school administers going into 9th. We have 3 math tracks for example and if you care to be on the top one and you don’t have 8th grade prerequisite, you’d need to arrange some testing, etc. best of luck to your DD! 

[KSera]

Do you live in a state that allows homeschoolers partial enrollment? I’d be inclined to do partial days for her to try it out so that she can continue her math class at home and not get behind/thrown off in math by switching mid year. 

[pehp]

59 minutes ago, KSera said:

Do you live in a state that allows homeschoolers partial enrollment? I’d be inclined to do partial days for her to try it out so that she can continue her math class at home and not get behind/thrown off in math by switching mid year. 

This would be amazing. I wish, wish, wish we could! No partial enrollment permitted here, but it would be great. 

[pehp]

1 hour ago, madteaparty said:

OP, I’m a little bit stunned at the tone of the posts so far. And so I will throw in my 2 cents. Assuming this is public school, their raison d’etre is to accommodate the community and its idiosyncrasies. There are a ton of accommodations that public schools have to make and an eager and curious child who wants to be there is the least of them.  People move, lose or gain jobs, etc.

If it’s private school, then I trust them to be big boys and girls and always act in their interest. 
As regards your kid, I see no downside in your case. 8th grade is in fact not low stakes in my district, two of the classes end up on high school transcript and there are tests. I would also focus if I were you on any placement tests you want/school administers going into 9th. We have 3 math tracks for example and if you care to be on the top one and you don’t have 8th grade prerequisite, you’d need to arrange some testing, etc. best of luck to your DD! 

These are good points. I *think* she’d have only one HS credit in 8th, but I’ll need to double check that. So that is a “stake” of sorts. The principal and GC have been so wonderful and helpful since we began looking at the school back in January! We (parents) are leaning in the direction of August, for the sake of the logistics & ease of assimilation, but we are still thinking things through.  

[Sneezyone]

2 hours ago, madteaparty said:

OP, I’m a little bit stunned at the tone of the posts so far. And so I will throw in my 2 cents. Assuming this is public school, their raison d’etre is to accommodate the community and its idiosyncrasies. There are a ton of accommodations that public schools have to make and an eager and curious child who wants to be there is the least of them.  People move, lose or gain jobs, etc.

If it’s private school, then I trust them to be big boys and girls and always act in their interest. 
As regards your kid, I see no downside in your case. 8th grade is in fact not low stakes in my district, two of the classes end up on high school transcript and there are tests. I would also focus if I were you on any placement tests you want/school administers going into 9th. We have 3 math tracks for example and if you care to be on the top one and you don’t have 8th grade prerequisite, you’d need to arrange some testing, etc. best of luck to your DD! 

Just to push back...they are REQUIRED to accommodate all and not turn people away but that is NOT their reason for being. It's unrealistic to think that the people operating the system (because that is how systems work) wont have feelings about a newcomer potentially sitting for exams that they're not prepared to do well on, potentially impacting their bonuses, teacher ratings/reviews, etc. We've had lots of discussions here about the importance of and reasons for starting kids at various points, depending on district tracks and norms. Having *HAD* to start my kids mid-year b/c of a military move, I can assure you it is less than ideal; they were not warmly welcomed; and the teachers were largely resentful (high-achieving district, STRONG math tracking), even before high school.

Edited March 1 by Sneezyone

[Kezia]

We put our 6th grader back into public after spring break last year. We did this suddenly because they were refusing to proctor the EOC math course he would need for entry into the advanced math track in 7th grade. Since they proctored it the year before and had placed him into advanced for 6th, they said that if we enrolled him he would be on the same path he would have been on had he started in the fall, so we did that. 
 

It was a smooth transition for him. They were in the middle of testing and did a lot of test prep, but he aced those tests. The teachers may have needlessly worried about their test scores, but I was not thinking of them when I enrolled him. I was thinking solely of the math track. They were very helpful and accommodating in every way. 
 

This is not a high performing school/district. It did give him a good idea of workload, testing, and general flow for 7th grade. 7th grade is no different than 6th (in this area) regarding the workload. 
 

I do understand some previous points about public schools prepping for testing now and it being a high stress time for teachers vs starting in the fall when everyone starts and not being that new kid. 
 

 

[pehp]

20 hours ago, Kezia said:

We put our 6th grader back into public after spring break last year. We did this suddenly because they were refusing to proctor the EOC math course he would need for entry into the advanced math track in 7th grade. Since they proctored it the year before and had placed him into advanced for 6th, they said that if we enrolled him he would be on the same path he would have been on had he started in the fall, so we did that. 
 

It was a smooth transition for him. They were in the middle of testing and did a lot of test prep, but he aced those tests. The teachers may have needlessly worried about their test scores, but I was not thinking of them when I enrolled him. I was thinking solely of the math track. They were very helpful and accommodating in every way. 
 

This is not a high performing school/district. It did give him a good idea of workload, testing, and general flow for 7th grade. 7th grade is no different than 6th (in this area) regarding the workload. 
 

I do understand some previous points about public schools prepping for testing now and it being a high stress time for teachers vs starting in the fall when everyone starts and not being that new kid. 
 

 

Yeah it probably helps to have a cohort of new kids rather being the sole new kid. I am glad your son’s transition went so well!
 

We are not in a super high-performing district (we are rural, test scores are fine but not standout, and no one seems to get worked up over them—I have been casually polling my friends with children in public schools here & teachers/admins we know). So I doubt that would be an issue at all, except to the extent that the actual test prep may not provide a clear vision of what most of the year actually looks like in reality! In other school districts in our state I’m sure the end of the year is a pressure cooker for everyone, but I’m glad we aren’t under that pressure here. 
 

In your case the late switch makes perfect sense. I don’t think I am finding that the benefits will outweigh the drawbacks for my daughter, especially the upheaval of established routines. I appreciate her enthusiasm, though! 

Edited March 2 by pehp

[Nart]

My husband teachers 7th grade in a public junior high school. He just got a new student this week who was homeschooling and had been in public school pre-pandemic. It wasn't a big deal at all. Kids move and enter the school all the time.  He got a student who just arrived from another country last month.

I think it is absolutely a great idea to try it now. Teachers and other students will know she is new and be more understanding. At the start of 8th grade teachers might not know she hasn't been in school besides homeschool and not be understanding if she doesn't understand some procedure or way of doing things. The only time my husband really dislikes getting a new student is when they are a massive behavior problem and are getting transferred into his classroom from another class or school due to a disciplinary event. 

I really don't understand why some people are being so negative. It would be so much better for you guys to figure out this spring what you will do next school year. 

[Megbo]

I'm also surprised to see the negative posts here - I think what you're considering is very reasonable. I can't imagine that it would cause an undue burden on the school/teachers unless your daughter has special needs that will require a great deal of support. Her teachers will likely just give her a copy of the notes she's missed from the current chapters and expect her ask questions if she's having any trouble. You'll likely be the one helping her get organized and caught up in the evenings.

We're lucky to live in a state that allows part-time enrolment and we decided to wait until the beginning of 8th grade to have our son start taking two classes there. He does have accommodations, but in retrospect he could have started mid-year as long as we gave the school a few weeks to sort things out.