Wannabe Hippie

My kiddos (7&9) both go to our local public school and they love it. I'm not opposed to homeschooling and my 17yr old foster lovey is unschooled, but if Eden didn't go to an actual classroom with teachers and curriculum and loot her info-hungry mind and socializing-hungry spirit would get anorexia. I think the key is to be flexible, using different schooling methods for each kid and noticing how those schooling needs change with their developmental changes.

We hope to be moving to Denmark soon and then our kids will go to private english-speaking school -- something I swore I'd never do as my own private schooling was an exercise in caste vanity. Still, we'll only be in the country temporarily and the thought of Danish emmersion would put the kids into major shock.

Trust Lily's intuition...she'll tell you what she needs.

Good Mama! Good Mama!

heart,

Magpie (Rachelle)

De-lurking to say . . .
I once taught at a charter high school. I think the reason for the interview process is just to make sure everyone understands the mission of the school and is in agreement with it. Most charter schools have their own unique approach, and they're not for everyone. This is to say, I doubt they want an interview so they can scope out you or your kid; I think it's probably more so they can see if you really understand what the school is all about, and whether you're on board with that.

Good luck in this process! I really want to homeschool someday, and I think I will be heartbroken if that turns out not to be the right choice for us.

I wonder myself how they'd know Lil was a good fit... with Big G he had grades and teacher recommendations to go on. Maybe they just need to see what level she's at. When I did volunteer reading with first graders it was really easy to tell who was at the right level, who exceeded their grade level and who needed help. It wasn't a matter of confidence or shyness... you just knew. Hard to 'splain but I think you know what I mean.

I don't have kids in school yet (3 more years before that), but I'm terrified of the US education system. I think it's failing so many and is entirely outdated. There is so much more to say on this topic, but this is not the space for it.

Good luck on your search.

We started homeschooling this year for kindergarten. We are using Dehesa's charter. I'm liking it a lot so far. We see the educational facilitator once a month. We hand in some samples and she asks Isaac a few questions. That's it. I'm not sure I'll always want to be involved in a charter but for now I like using their resources and money (we get $700 a year) I thought it was a nice way to get my feet under me.

I know that there are other charters where you kid can be in a classroom 2-3 days a week. You just have to look around. Even with ours there are things you can sign up for. Half day classes and such.

Good luck.

OMG, this is the same dilemma I've pondered since even before my baby days. So I have no answers. Just more questions. So, like, I'll be watchin' what you do, chica, and learnin'. (Do you know anything about that music charter school in my neighborhood, which is not far from yours? I've been wondering if it'd be any good for my kiddo, but who knows if it'll even still be around by the time she's ready for school [specific geographic details omitted -- we can talk details offline]...)

Elaine, you don't say whether you can afford a private school, but if you can, you might look around and find that they're really not all the same. My daughter has been in the same small private school since she was 3 and it's the most unsnobby kid-centered joyful place I know. Yes, some of the other parents may be a bit on the rich side, but the staff at the school are great down to earth folks. I've always been opposed to private schools, but they really aren't all the same. Just a thought!

I'm ready to move back to Canada after some of the horror stories I have heard about the schools. I'm in watch and learn mode right now, I still can't get over how expensive pre-school is!!

Also de-lurking here... Same problem, bad schools in neighborhood, kid much too social to tolerate homeschooling. The only possible solution for us was to move - which we did 2 weeks ago. We are trying to rent out our old house b/c the market's not good to sell right now. And we're renters ourselves again - feels weird. But our little girl will be able to go to a decent preschool next year, and isn't that the important thing? So yeah, don't rule out moving, drastic though it may seem.

I never thought I'd go with a private school for my son, but after watching him get lost in a sea of kids in a town I moved to specifically for the 'great public schools', I started looking for something better. Go figure, the school that fit what I was most looking for, small classes, creative programs, well rounded education, was the top notch private school in the area with a pricetag to match (this year's tuition is 22k - thank god for financial aid!). There just happened to be an opening the following year - had to wait for not only a spot in the grade to open up, but also a boy spot, as the classes are evenly balanced. I almost fell over as I found myself filling out student loan forms for 2nd grade as I was in the midst of still paying off my own college bills.

He's in his sixth year there now, and I've come to appreciate that school more and more as time has gone by. When a learning disability started to surface in fourth grade, the school was right there looking to find out what the problem was (inherited thing that's been running through the boys in my family for at least three generations). And unlike my aunts who had to constantly fight with the public school system to get their boys the help and support they needed, my son's teachers and school were right there identifying his struggles before they became full-blown problems. It's the benefit you get from having only 8-10 kids in a class vs. 32. The extensive tutoring, learning services and more that they offer, the way they all seem to be involved and driven to find ways to help my son succeed, make the financial strain worthwhile. I'm getting everything I'm paying for and far more.

I figure one of the best things you can give a child is a great education, it sets them up for life. My choice to put him in this school has been a killer financially as a single mom, but every time I'm broke and watching money fly out the window to that school, I just keep reminding myself why I'm doing it. He's learning all the tools he'll need to be successful throughout his school career and life afterward. It's easy for me to forget this when the car breaks down, when I stare longingly at houses for sale knowing that without that school bill I'd be years into home ownership by now rather than still renting, but eventually I come around to remembering why I continue to struggle to pay that school bill. For my son, this is what he needs, we always manage to scrape by, and when we look back at this time when he's getting his college degree, it'll all have been worth it.

I was personally homeschooled when I was a kid. My mom pulled me out in 9th grade. Part of me wishes I hadn't have been because I feel like I missed out on learning how to deal with other people, and now I am just a bit of a hermit. But, my mother made the best choice possible considering I grew up in Ft Lauderdale where girls were being attacked in the stairwells in school.
I don't want to homeschool Porter, but I WILL NOT send him to any sort of school that I had to go to. We live in Savannah, GA now where the majority of public schools are on probation because they are that horrible. He is 2 1/2 now. We moved to an area where there is a wonderful elementary school for him to go to that is partnered with the University my husband is with to better the math and science programs. But the middle and high schools aren't so great. My husband and I just had a talk two nights ago and came up with a 3-5 year plan. We decided we would like to leave this area for a safer, smaller, more ideal place before Porter leaves elem. school. We also have issues with paying for something that our taxes should already be paying for. We never thought we would be making these decisions ... parenting is funny that way. Good luck.

I can't offer any insight. My kid goes to the School of Toddler. AKA, home.

Maybe if you found a homeschooling group in your area, or started one up. I have 4 children, the oldest is 15 and the youngest is 4, the 3 older ones went through a school faze when they were around 8-10 and all are back home. They were old enough to lok at the school and all the kids ( there were 23 in my 8 year olds class) and know it wasn't for them. My 4 year old is very adamant that he is NOT going to school ever, and wants to grow up to be a bee so he will always have honey.

We don't have charter here. You either choose public, private or homeschool. Private is either Really Entitled Rich Kid school or Really Religous School.

I think that no child left behind is pathetic and, while that is still in place, my kids will not be going to public schools.

Elaine, I have so many thoughts on so many of your entries lately, but I cannot formulate any coherant thoughts these days. But I wanted you to know I'm not ignoring you on purpose. Perhaps tomorrow if it doesn't rain and if you and the girls go, we can chat then. ;)

My very social son (first grade) goes to the local public school and he loves it. I really like the atmosphere there and the parents are pretty darned awesome. The class sizes are half the size of those at the private elementary schools I attended, and I feel my son gets plenty of individual attention and he's doing extremely well. His biggest challenges were getting the hang of the social thing (I didn't send him to preschool) and having a structured day, and he's done very well with these. I was biased toward private schools when we first started looking for a kindergarten for him, but I've found that his public school is just as good. Also, FWIW, the private schools near us cost about $3-5K (not $22K -- I'm very curious about where Kate's school is). Perhaps something like that would be more manageable for you? It wasn't manageable for me as a single mom at the time, but if I wind up teaching at a private school, I may transfer my son there so we can commute together. Still love the public school, though. The faculty are great, the kids are great, the vibe is great -- all great.

This is when I really wish we did live in a yurt in your backyard and could do the co-op thing.

Sigh.

As a parent of two school aged children in the UK the situation is very different. I have five schools in walking distance and all of them are free, all vary in reputation and in performance. I find that it's the child that makes out of school what it can - both of my children have had very different experiences in the same school, so as other bloggers comments have said it is best to go from what your daugher is saying - and it seems you don't have a problem with changing her education when a problem arrises which is admirable indeed.

All of my 3 children were born in SoCal. I was raised in WA. I was so nervous about sending my son to public school, and he was slotted for the worst one in the county. I feel really blessed that we moved when we did, and now live in a rural area in WA state where we know everyone by name. My eldest loves his school and is flourishing. I can't imagine how his education would suffer if we decided to stay where we did. I love Cali, I miss the sun, and surf, but I don't miss those problems.
Good luck!