Sell me on your method of schooling.

[Jengerbread88]

Today at dinner, I found out that my little brother does anywhere from 12-20 worksheets every DAY in his 5th grade class. When he isn't doing worksheets, his teacher writes on the board. That's it. No real special projects, no experiments...

This scares me. I know that Zach is still several years away from school, obviously, but both my mom AND I have been talking about other ideas for school lately. Obviously my brother is in public school, but he has asked to be homeschooled once or twice... but he fights homework so much that I'm not sure he'd go for it.

I think mom's final straw was this week. Jeffrey has mono. The school called her after she told them he had mono and wouldn't be there unless he was up to it (per what the doctor said). They said "It's the week where students are counted for funding, so even if he has a fever or doesn't feel good, please bring him to school. We're asking everyone who isn't currently in the hospital to make sure they're in attendance."

Seriously? The funding count is more important than exposing everyone at the school to every illness students staying home have?

I'm just frustrated with the system. I want to start researching now, both for my mom's sake (she's expressed interest) and my own in the future.

So. What do your kids do? Do you public school? Private? Home school? If homeschooling, what sort of curriculum, if you use one? I just want to know all of our options, and you ladies always have great ideas on it! :)

[Leila]

My boys attend a virtual charter school. It's still public school, just done at home.They must meet state attendance requirements (I log hours worked daily), they have to do state testing--if they don't they cannot re-enroll for the next year. It's a BIG commitment on the part of the adult working with the child. Honestly, for me, the only advantage is that I don't have to pay for the curriculum at all, that it's laid out in a manageable way for someone as disorganized as me. Even though it's a public school, I do 95% of the teaching and all of the grunt work. And I'm doing it with two kids in two different grades. The boys do have two 'classes' per week with their teacher, but that's two hours a week vs the six hours a day I'm working with them.

ETA: That makes it sound as if I don't like the program. I do! It's actually a lot of fun for both me and the boys.

I've never heard of students being required to be in school to be counted for funding. It seems ridiculous to require someone with a serious communicable illness to be required to be in class. :huh:

[VillageJen]

I've homeschooled all along (my oldest is 16 and in college now) and I love it.

I love the ability to go at my child's pace. If he is catching on to a subject quickly, we can move forward. If it's taking a while, we can try new ways of learning the material and he never feels "behind" or not as smart as his classmates.

In the pre-high school years we follow a curriculum that I put together myself, following a scope and sequence laid out by my favorite publisher: Catholic Heritage Curricula (http://www.chcweb.com/catalog/index.html). There are so many publishers these days, both religious and completely secular.

It really only takes us about two hours of book work per day. If you can read, you can do it! You just stay one step ahead of your child. It's a natural progression from helping your child learn to walk, talk, count to ten, and eventually read.

My children are involved in community sports, dance classes, Scouts and they play with other homeschool children during field trips or with the neighbor children outside.

Best wishes with whatever you end up deciding! I'm very familiar with the student count issue. In our local district they bribe the students to attend with pizza, pop and raffles for high ticket items.

[rach3975]

Based on what your brother and his school have said, I think I'd be a little concerned, too.

My kids go to public school. Our county generally has good schools, and our school is excellent. I have been so happy with it so far. My kids are only in K and 2nd, but they do a lot of writing, reading, and hands-on math and science. Some worksheets, but a reasonable amount.

Homeschooling isn't an option for us. My 2nd grader fights me on everything schoolelated. We'd both be miserable with home schooling. I would have considered it for DS2 if the school wasn't handling his special needs well, but 3 weeks into kindy I think they're doing well with it all and that he's benefiting from the interaction with typical peers.

Before we bought our house, I researched schools and only looked at houses in districts where I thought the schools were good. My oldest was only 1 then, but it was still an important factor in our decision. Obviously that isn't an option for everyone and probably won't help your mother and brother. But it's something to keep in mind for you and Zach if you move any time before he starts school. Going a town or 2 over can make a big difference in terms of schools.

Good luck with your choice!

[joelsgirl]

I have to say that funding is a really big deal. My mom is an administrator, and she told me recently that they get $4000/student each year. So if you have even TEN students that don't get counted BUT THAT ARE USING SCHOOL RESOURCES, you've lost $40,000 and still have to provide services for those students.

I mean, I think it's crazy to say, "Send your sick kids to school," but it's crazy, too, to lose that money that a school NEEDS just because a child is absent on "counting day". That part of the system needs to get fixed pronto because schools need the funding.

I'm from Arkansas; we have great schools, and when we were there last year, I was thrilled with the quality of education Jack received in kindergarten. We're back overseas now, and we do Chinese school. I really have no idea how much he's learning, lol, but he's reading and adding, so that's good, right? Chinese school probably isn't an option where you're at, though, huh? ; )

[Joana1n]

I'm reading For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay - she talks about Charlotte Mason's education principles. You can read Charlotte Mason's works here (http://amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html). I'm leaning toward a university-model school - DD will go to school 2 days a week (3 if we choose to do extracurricular activities such as music and Spanish) and will homeschool with the school's curriculum the remaining days.

[SmallMoments]

Oh wow! Luke's in public school. He goes to the same school I teach at. That is really too bad that 5th grade isn't more fun for him. :( Would it be possible to send him to a different school in the same district? We allow transfers between the seven elementary schools here. (i.e. Luke is supposed to go to Chandler, but since I teach at Model, he was approved to attend there.)

[Jengerbread88]

I appreciate your guys' comments.

I have definitely considered school districts in the area, and if I public school, we're probably staying where we're at... compared to some other schools in the area, I like it. I just have issues sometimes with some of the ways things are done now. Hopefully, though, either things improve by the time Zach is there, OR, we find a good homeschooling option.

[MamaBee]

yikes... yeah, I understand why the school wants Jeffery to be there, so many schools are hungry for money due to a lot of budget cut backs... but at the health of Jeffery - obviously not in the best interest of the child in that case.

My son isn't in school yet... but I've been researching our schools since he was 6 months old!! We have a number of charter schools in our district... they are public, but with different method in teaching. I have two that I have my eye on, but they are run by lottery and it's really tough getting in... public schools, in general bug me... both my hubby and I went through the public school system, be it in really small districts - my hubby had 24 in his class, I had 70... we both found school a breeze, until we got to college and realized we were really small fish in a huge pond. We do not have pleasant memories of school at all... and it's making us lean toward homeschooling. J is only in preschool age so we have a few years to make our decision. And it depends on J and how he will learn will be what curriculum we choose... right now he is has a very structured mind where he LOVES worksheets and is a very visual learner.

[Jengerbread88]

public schools, in general bug me... both my hubby and I went through the public school system, be it in really small districts - my hubby had 24 in his class, I had 70... we both found school a breeze, until we got to college and realized we were really small fish in a huge pond. We do not have pleasant memories of school at all... and it's making us lean toward homeschooling.

This is what I'm going through. My class was 115 (The class I was supposed to graduate with was 131... I graduated a year early because I wanted out of there so badly I could hardly stand it).

School sucked for me. I wasn't challenged much, and in first grade, was made to sit in the hall because the teacher said "The sun is really far away," and I raised my hand and told her exactly how far away it was... after that, she basically kept me in the hallway the entire year.

Public school didn't "work" for me, but my mom wasn't able to homeschool at that time for a lot of reasons.

I know that public school works for a lot of kids. I am blessed to live in a really good school district that has awesome scores, and our elementary school is AWESOME (Jeffrey loved it, but now he's in Intermediate and isn't a fan).

I am really torn, and I am going through the whole research thing right now. I know Zach is only 2 months old, but at the same time, I want to know what I plan on doing, generally, so I know what to think about. I mean, if I'm homeschooling, I need to find a good curriculum, and I need to find out when I want to start schooling him. I know someone who started "homeschooling" preschool programs when her daughter was 2, and I know another who didn't start homeschooling work until her son was 6, skipping over preschool and everything.

I just want to know my options waaay in advance so I can look at Zach as he learns and grows and choose the best thing for him.

My heart says "homeschool," but is that because I hated public schooling? I hate to push homeschooling on him if it truly isn't the right "fit" for his personality, but at the same time, I hate to subject him to what I went through.

[Kara]

For us, it's a year-by-year decision. I am totally open to homeschooling but right now I have a first grader in a public school. We actually chose to open enroll him in a different school than the one that we're assigned to attend based on our address. We're very happy with it so far (this is his second year there.)

That said, I am doing preschool at home with my 4 yo and would love to do kindergarten with him next year, too. He is a different kid than my 6 yo and I think he could really benefit from homeschooling. I also want to try things out before deciding if homeschooling is right for us as a family before pulling my 6 yo out of a school that we're generally happy with.

[scrapweaver]

we were researching homeschooling when we found out my kids have ASD. Since they have been diagnosed (and we also relocated to another state) I am really happy with the support they receive at public school. Mind you, if they didnt have a diagnosis they would be homeschooled, as I DO NOT like the way things go generally. I hated school, was always in trouble (actually think now that I prob have ASD too so that could have been the problem at school). We are super lucky where we live, my daughters go to a school with only around 70 children. They had an excellent integration program when my daughter started high school, which made the transition a bit more painless (she went from a school of 70 to a high school of over 1000).

I HATE my kids having to do homework, and instructed the school not to give them any. They do enough at school and I believe home time is family time. Things like cooking are great activities my kids enjoy that incorporate reading, weighing, measuring etc . . I would rather my kids cook with me than stress over homework sheets! This has had to change with high school, but I try and keep it minimal.

Research is the way to go, see what's around and what policies different schools have. :)

[navaja77]

We actually chose to open enroll him in a different school than the one that we're assigned to attend based on our address. We're very happy with it so far (this is his second year there.)

That's exactly what we did for my DS. We got him into a school near us during the day (we both work full-time) and picked the one that had the highest ratings. We were fortunate that he got in and when his sister starts, she'll be able to enroll with no problem.

Homeschooling isn't an option for us since we both work full-time but in all honesty, I don't think I'm cut out for teaching. I can learn and all but have a hard time explaining, showing, etc. If I can't do that with adults, how can I do that with my own child?

Also, sometimes, it all depends on your child's personality as well when it comes to type of schooling. I went to a school on a native american reservation til 8th grade (minimal funding, not really any type of extracurricular stuff) and then public high school but somehow I managed to make it into a top college. I work as a civil engineer now. I believe what made a difference was that my mom read to me when I was a toddler and went through preschool type stuff before I even got into preschool. I loved reading and read anything that interested me. That early intervention is key! Anyway, just my two cents. Wishing you the best!

I hope you find what works for you. If not public school or homeschooling, then seek out charter school or even a co-op school where the parents basically run a school with teachers on board.