Looking ahead a few years

[gratefulmother]

I am hoping to get some advice on how to sort something out in my own mind. My dd7 and ds5 attend a 2-day a week school for homeschoolers which we love. It has been a good thing for us all around- socially, academically and as a break for me. The problem is that in 6th-8th grade this program is still 2-days a week, but all of their classes are taken at the school. They are given assignments for the rest of the week that from what I hear take up most of the day on MWF at home. A lot of people really love the program, but right now I am thinking I will still be wanting to do some of the teaching and making curriculum choices at that point. I am just thinking about how hard it is going to be to pull the kids out of the program at that point because of friends and other relationships they have made there. By our involvement there now, are we setting ourselves up to feel compelled to participate in middle school? Of course, no one will be making us feel compelled, it will just be us not wanting to pull the kids out of an environment that has been really good for them and they have really enjoyed. Any thoughts? Thanks so much!

[Ellie]

*I* would probably not be doing the two-day-a-week program now, but apparently I am in a minority in today's hs community. At any rate, if you're wanting to be more personally involved in your dc's education when they're older, then I would tend to agree that it's better to get out sooner than later.

[AnnetteB]

These programs offered to "help" homeschoolers seem more like traps to me. We don't participate. I keep humming Julie Andrew's "I Have Confidence in Me" from The Sound of Music. my $.02

[HappyGrace]

already at upper elementary I am starting to feel like you said-the course load is such that it's cutting out time for some of the things I had wanted to hs for. So I'm no help, just wanted to say I commiserate with you! I'm not sure what we will do as time goes on, because on the whole, this program is incredible and dd is thriving and loves it and is improving academically by leaps and bounds.

[momsquared]

If you were going to do this why not just send them to school? Isn't that what school really does? Take their time and your choices? Can you participate and not "do the work" or are there still informal get togethers with this group that do not revolve around school?

[SonshineLearner]

Is it the type of education choices that you would make, but just not the particular programs? Have your children made true blue friends? To me, that'd be worth alot! Since we moved around when I was young, I only have one friend from childhood, that I don't often see, so in a way, we've been....penpals for 20 years. Not the same as having real friends (although I am glad that I have her!)

While family is MOST important, friends are, too!

Of course, we're in a once a week program, and my daughter was so sweet the other day. She said, "I finally have real friends." It just made me want to cry. And so, I guess I couldn't think of pulling her out. I'll find time for the other school I want us to do. Ours is 24 weeks a year, so we still have half of the time to do the other stuff.

Carrie:-)

[Stacy in NJ]

Your dc are only 7 and 5. At this point I think it would be pretty difficult to determine what will or won't work for you when your kids are approaching middle school. If it works for you now do it, if not, don't.

 

Don't borrow trouble. :001_smile:

[Lori D.]

Agreeing with Stacey... Your children, schooling, and life circumstances will all most likely have changed dramatically by the time you reach middle school.

 

Also, realize there will most likely be other options to fill those supplement/social needs (doing sports through city league or with a public or private school; taking art lessons with children of similar age; joining community youth theater group or orchestra; etc.). AND, by the time your children are in middle school, you'll be such an "old hand" at homeschooling, you'll be able to organize whatever co-op or other situation you'd like to have your children in, and I imagine a lot of other homeschooling families with middle schoolers will be right there with you, willing and able to help make it happen!

 

Enjoy each year of your homeschooling journey for the special and unique experience it is. BEST of luck to your family. Warmly, Lori D.

Edited December 29, 2008 by Lori D.
fixed punctuation

[Carol in Cal.]

When children's longterm friendships are tethered to a school, even if it's a two day per week school, then the school becomes very difficult to leave even if it is no longer a good fit academically.

 

Also, at least around here, most of the two day per week and even some of the one day per week programs are not completely self-contained--they assign homework in the skills, history, science, and sometimes foreign languages, and so it's really almost like a substitute for homeschooling rather than much of a supplement. That is not always the case, but at the upper grammar through middle school level I would say that it is more common than not.

 

I suggest that you think about the structure of your program and then decide what you want to do.

 

I have always avoided programs of this kind because I did feel that they get too invasive. But DD has really benefitted from self-contained programs over the years--a Saturday morning German school was great for quite a while (but the homework did become onerous at about the 4th grade level, and we had to drop this); a one day per week social studies unit study-type class was great for a while, with a little homework but nothing that would dominate her time. We were in a parent coop for quite a few years that offered Junior Great Books and art--both things that work best with a group and don't dominate our homeschooling time. It was not that hard to set these up, and I encourage you to look into doing something like that if you want group experiences for your kids. There is also a local Christian Friday school that offers classes on a one of basis--you can sign up for as few or as many as you want, and each is self-contained. That is a more attractive model to me.

[gratefulmother]

Thank you for the input. The difficulty is that this program has been so good for our family in several ways. If it wasn't a good program that we didn't see definite benefits of, it would be a no-brainer - take them out. I guess we will reevaluate at 6th grade, and maybe, like someone said, their friends will be more diverse at that point than just at school/church like they are now. Thanks for your thoughts!!

[mcconnellboys]

We have some cottage schools here, too, but that's not what I intended when *I* set out to homeschool. If there are other coops in your area you can join that won't work into a cottage school type situation later, maybe it might be better to explore them now so that your children can make some new friends for later.

[G5052]

We're in a one-day-a-week program that becomes a one-day-a-week school for 7th and up. I always thought that we'd leave at that point, but circumstances have changed, and I need that now because I'm working more and DH's mobility has significantly decreased to the point that I do virtually all of the house and yard work. I need the hybrid in order to keep homeschooling through high school. This is so much better than sending them to public school, and I cannot afford a 5-day-a-week private school.

 

When the time comes, you may decide that it's a blessing!