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View Full Version : how do you now or plan on schooling?



bcky2
09-25-2006, 12:05 PM
i was just wondering what everyone does or is planning on doing for schooling. it has been a very hot topic in our house for the past few weeks. my older ds goes to preschool at church. my younger ds will probably go to. we had to decide between homeschooling and private and we finally came to our decision that we are going to homeschool for now. when the boys are older they may choose to go to school but it wont be public. public schools by us are horrible and that is an understatement. so i just wondered what other mamas are going to do :)

MegND95
09-25-2006, 12:19 PM
For now, my kids will attend the public schools. My oldest is in first grade, and I am very happy with the system. We thought about private (catholic) school, which is what I did all the way through college. But, finacially, it's just not in the picture. Maybe for one kid, but not all three!

When we moved to the Chicago burbs from NC, we specifically chose this district, as the schools are pretty good, and the homes were fairly affordable. We pay so much in property tax, the schools better be decent!

Depending on what happens over the years, I think we will consider private high school, though.

elliput
09-25-2006, 12:23 PM
I plan on dropping DD off in the woods and letting her run wild with a pack of wolves. :+

Unless something major happens between now and the time DD starts elementary school (other than relocation, which is already planned), we intend on having our children attend public schools.

lisams
09-25-2006, 12:29 PM
I voted other, I'm not sure where charter schools would fall in the survey. Years ago there's no way I would ever consider a charter school, but there are some in the area that have a great repuation.

pb&j
09-25-2006, 12:31 PM
We have great public schools where we are, so public school it is. I also like the idea that DS is going to go a school full of diverse kids and have a lot of social interaction.


-Ry,
mom to Emma, stillborn 11/04/04
and Max, 01/05/06

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JBaxter
09-25-2006, 12:39 PM
We bought our home 2 yrs ago because of the schools. ( ok and we really liked the home too) The elementary is the highest scoring in the county and Logan & Connor didnt have to change middle schools. The high school offers alot and has a great college entry record.

Lynnie
09-25-2006, 12:48 PM
I voted public, but if DS doesn't get into the public magnet commuter elementary school for kindergarten next year (which is selected by lottery) we will probably have to do private because the one right by my house is AWFUL. It'll be a very large financial sacrifice, but I figure, its like continuing to pay for a more expensive day care, and there is just no way I will allow him to go to the school by our house.

The magnet one would be so great. It is very diverse, and is a dual language program with the international baccalaureate (sp) program, and has an orchestra, and very involved parents and dedicated teachers. Its only five minutes from my work, and has aftercare with activities.

KBecks
09-25-2006, 01:04 PM
I don't know, so I voted other. I'd like to try homeschooling for pre-school, although not real school but just teaching the kids the basics that they'll need. It seems school is so many years and I don't think I want to add on to that.

I like the idea of homeschooling to give the boys a customized experience matched to their needs, and more practical / applied knowledge, and more downtime (I remember being bored in school a lot.)

But, our public schools seem to be good and DH is pushing for a basic public education. He's hung up on socialization, but there are enough organized activities that I could enroll our son in many things that they'd have an active social life -- karate, soccer, music groups, religious ed,etc. etc. etc. etc.

cmdunn1972
09-25-2006, 01:04 PM
We're trying to decide between an independent private school in our town and our parochial (Catholic) school. I think funding will be the deciding factor, and we'll send DS to the independent school assuming we can afford it, since their matriculation rates are stellar.

Public schools in our area aren't anything to write home about, so we didn't seriously consider that option for DS.

bcky2
09-25-2006, 01:49 PM
>I plan on dropping DD off in the woods and letting her run
>wild with a pack of wolves. :+
>

omg, roflmao :)

bcky2
09-25-2006, 01:54 PM
we were also hung up on the social interaction part but we looked into it and are very lucky that our city has a wonderful network for homeschooling and plenty of groups and activities. also when they are older they can participate in a homeschool "elective" corses at the lutheran academy. stuff like band and woodworking and stuff like that. that was the deal maker right there, all the wonderful options we had open for homeschooling.

icunurse
09-25-2006, 02:22 PM
We, fortunately, live in a very good school district, so I am planning to send DS to a public school. But we are thinking of sending him to a private preschool and maybe kindergarten - the preschool is run through our park district, which isn't the greatest, though I haven't heard any parents complain about the preschool program. I also just found out that, as of right now, (with residency divisions being what they are), DS would only be able to attend kindergarten in the afternoon, so we'll see how that fits into our lives when we get to it and if we can't do it, we have the option of a private kindergarten (though first choice would be to send him to the public school).
Traci
~Connor's Mom 02/2004~
Agency paperwork completed - waiting (and waiting) for another baby!

lilycat88
09-25-2006, 02:54 PM
Most likely private. Unless something dramatically changes. We've been doing the local private school circuit in the fall for the last couple of years and so far, we're leaning toward a school that is one of the only ones in the country to offer a multilingual program beginning in 6th grade. They do total language immersion in PreK starting at age 3 in either French or Spanish and by 6th grade, they add a second language. Students follow the International Baccalaureate program and are tri-lingual when they graduate from high school.

megs4413
09-25-2006, 03:52 PM
I HAVE NO IDEA. at some point....i will have to figure it out *sigh*

hez
09-25-2006, 06:57 PM
Public schools-- we bought a house in one of the best school districts in the area, and it's a big part of why we won't move, even though our commute doubled when they moved our offices.

It helps our decision that both DH and I did well in public schools. My dad went to Catholic schools and did great, so I consider it an option should we decide to change our minds later on.

aguinn
09-25-2006, 08:04 PM
since DH and i both work at a private independent school (it's a family business), it's kinda a no-brainer. that is unless one of our boys has more specialized needs, and then they'd still be going to private school, just not ours.

i went to private school my whole life, mostly because we lived over-seas for many years and i went to various international schools and a DoD HS. i didn't go to public school until college!

DH went to the elementary school where we now work, and then private HS. he also went to private college, a conservatory in CA.

i'd be afraid to send our boys to our local public elementary schools. we hear nightmare stories from the families that apply at our school about how their children are poorly treated and hardly educated, as it seems the only way kids learn anything here in MA is on their own - teachers teach to "the test" (MCAS) here. and our local public HS has not been accredited for nearly 8 years!

;)amy
momma to DS#1 "Big Brother" (BB) and, finally, DS#2 "Little Brother" (LB)

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ellies mom
09-25-2006, 08:18 PM
Our most recent move has us in an excellent school district so we will most likely end up going with the public schools. If we move back to the area where we really want to live, we will probably go the private Catholic route because the public schools aren't as good as we would like.

pittsburghgirl
09-25-2006, 08:47 PM
DS goes to preschool at our church, but then will go to public school. The main reason we bought our house in our suburb is the quality of the schools. We have some friends who live in fantastic houses in the city, but they will be playing the magnet school lottery game when the time comes - if they don't get into the magnet, their kids will go to a Catholic school.

Marilee
mommy to James
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maestramommy
09-25-2006, 08:56 PM
Assuming we send DD to preschool AND pre-K it will be private, not necessarily religious, but could be. After that we want her to go to public school. So we are looking at regions that have good K-12 school districts.

mommyoftwo
09-25-2006, 08:57 PM
Well, it will depend on where we end up after DH is done with residency. I was homeschooled through fifth grade and while my parents did try to involve us in other things and the public school system by us was terrible, it was incredibly difficult for me when I started going to a real school. I think it is nearly impossible to homeschool all the way through high and still get a good education. Both my parents have teaching degrees so I got a fairly good education but I know they couldn't have taught me all of the math and science that I learned in high school. Unless I have absolutely no other choice, we will not be homeschooling. I had so many gaps in my knowledge base and had some many problems fitting in. No matter what kind of network you have set up for homeschooling, it's just not the same thing as actually attending school whether it is private or public. I'm not saying that homeschooling is wrong, but I do think that my parent's choice caused me a great deal of problems growing up.

ETA: I also attended a private Christian school and a public school and the public school was by far the best experience for me. I had the advantage of attending a school that was in a good school district though.

bcky2
09-25-2006, 09:14 PM
we are in a school district where the boys will most likely not get to go to the same school every year so they will have to start over in a new school every year. and then to top it off there is a good chance they wont be in the same school as each other. then to top that off there are cops in the schools they are so bad. i cant in any way justify sending my boys there. we also dont have a large income to spend on private school, maybe for one but not for both. the homeschooling network is thru a private religious school and by the time they are in high school we are in hopes that we can afford to send them to this school for their high school education.

mommyoftwo
09-25-2006, 09:19 PM
Oh I wasn't criticizing. I hope you didn't take it that way. I was simply stating my experience. My parents were in a similar situation. I grew up on the south side of Chicago and the public schools there were pretty bad even 20 years ago. There was one private luthran school and one private catholic school and for whatever reason they didn't feel comfortable sending us there. I wish they had looked into it more. I think they just discounted it altother for whatever reason. There are times when homeschooling is the best option and in those cases a homeschooling network definitely helps. I would encourage you to keep it as structured as possible, follow a curriculum and involve your boys in as many activities as possible. That will help a lot.

ETA: I was enrolled in multiple ballet and gymnastics classes, but I was never really involved in a group that focused on socialization like brownies or girlscouts. I think that would have helped a LOT. I just didn't have the necessary skills to socialize or fit in when I started attending a regular school.

bcky2
09-25-2006, 09:45 PM
oh no, i didnt think so. i was just trying to elaborate on what my situation is. the hs group that i would get them involved in is thru the lutheran church. they have a private school that also caters to the hs children. they even offer "elective" courses that they can come in for. and then at an older age they offer classes that you can come in for like advanced math and science and so forth. i think that i am going to follow the "school in a box" type education. it is the same things that they are teaching at school bascially and it has schedules with it and everything. i will keep my boys tested to make sure they are not falling behind and i am going to look into 4h for them, i think that they would love it. thanks for your view and alot of what you said is what alot of my concerns were for home schooling. ugh why does it seem like i am always scared that i am going to screw my boys up one way or another.x(

brittone2
09-25-2006, 11:08 PM
Obviously you have personal experience from the other side, but I just wanted to chime in and say homeschooling has changed a LOT in the past few years/decades.

There are a lot of "co op" groups where parents share teaching duties or their expertise in a given area. So an "artsy" friend might run a homeschool art group, and my chemist DH might teach high school chemistry to a few homeschoolers as part of a co-op program, kwim?

Also as the popularity of homeschooling grows/has grown, there are a lot more groups/activities (I know in the two different states I've lived in since having DS, there are YMCA or gym programs for homeschoolers, etc.). There are mentorship opportunities as well...working with college professors, local professionals in a given field, doing internships in high school, for example.

Just sharing those thoughts. I think homeschooling *can* be limiting, but doesn't have to be. There are lots of really enriching opportunities available that weren't always there in the past.

traciann
09-25-2006, 11:35 PM
public. my DH is a high school band director and I am going to school now to be a teacher, so public it is. I grew up in public school, and we currently live in one of the best districts in the state. I never really considered private or homeschooling. My DH's experience with homeschoolers that have come in to his band program, is that they have a hard time relating to the other students.

Traci

kijip
09-26-2006, 12:37 AM
Whatever works. My old motto.

That will mean starting with public, a decision I reached after over a year of intensive research of my local area schools. I start volunteering and attending a community steering committee in just a few months, even though he will not start till September 2008. If what i see over the next 2 years changes my mind, so be it. I am flexible. If I decide to not do the public program, I would start with Catholic school and work out from their till something worked.

dogmom
09-26-2006, 02:03 AM
If I'm goning to a private school or home school I'm first going to move to a place with cheaper property taxes. 'Cause I ain't paying this much in freakin' taxes and paying for school! ;)

Jeanne
Mom to Harvey
1/16/03
& Eve 6/18/06

dogmom
09-26-2006, 02:05 AM
>I plan on dropping DD off in the woods and letting her run
>wild with a pack of wolves. :+
>

LOL. Well, we always said of our DS son he was going to be "raised by Labs" of the retriever kind. I guess my DD is going to be "raised by a lab and a hound dog."

Jeanne
Mom to Harvey
1/16/03
& Eve 6/18/06

ribbit1019
09-26-2006, 02:58 AM
Well the school DH and I want for DD is out of our price range.

We will not doing public unless we move. Our school systems, Becky, sound sadly alike. They sent out the flier and only one elementary school (out of 8) is performing at par according to the state. The two middle schools and high schools have the lowest rating the state gives out. :(

Dh is against homeschooling, which was my plan so who knows.

Christy
My Waterbabies
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denna
09-26-2006, 04:26 AM
I voted for private school. I dont have any problem w/ public schools, I was in great public schools my entire life. However DH was the opposite. He was in some of the best private schools and he loved it. I have seen the schools in the area he grew up in and since that is where we will be living I would have to agree they are really nice schools. So we are planning on sending our DCs there.

Sillygirl
09-26-2006, 05:51 AM
I've only just started thinking about this. I went to a public school in DC up until ninth grade. Elementary school was fine, but junior high was just awful and my parents have always really regretted sending me there. I went to a small private high school that was wonderful.

I worry about the impact of No Child Left Behind. I read a lot about how science and art and recess are being pushed aside so the teachers can teach endlessly to the test. Also how gifted and talented programs are getting cut back because all the funding goes to keeping everyone at grade level. Of course, there are no guarantees that G&T is something Jonathan would benefit from or even qualify for, but I'm assuming my kids are going to be smart. :P

Anyway, those articles might be written with a particular political axe to grind, and I haven't got direct experience yet. We'll be moving in a year and I will definitely investigate the public school system wherever we go. But so far I have been thinking about a Montessori approach for the first few years.

Raised by wolves sounds good, too. Would have been a lot better than my junior high experience.

AngelaS
09-26-2006, 07:22 AM
We homeschool and will continue to as long as it still works. I went thru public schools and got to college with huge gaps in my education. I'm working hard to make sure that my girls don't have the same gaps.

Homeschooling is recognized in ALL states as "real" school: transcrips, diploma and all.

I think the whole fear that 'homeschool kids aren't socialized' is a bit of a crock. It's not like we sit at home 8 hours out of every day, just talking to each other. My girls are not just spending time with kids who are within a year of themselves in age. We have playdates with kids both older and younger than my girls and kids of all ages can get along great. We also go out and talk to people who are older than the girls: they are not afraid to talk to grownups. I would consider them BETTER socialized than kids that only spend time with their immediate peers, personally.

:stepping off soapbox:

bcky2
09-26-2006, 08:18 AM
it does sound like we live in the same town, sadly. my dh was against homeschooling untill i showed him that i could also have the support of the private lutheran school. once he looked at all the options then he was all for it. not saying that your dh would be ;) isnt it sad what can pass for an education in some areas.

bcky2
09-26-2006, 08:20 AM
yes i forgot to mention that high school is mostly half days around here because of the overpopulation so there would be no elective courses. just the basic stuff. they would only do half a day in the morning or afternoon. i thought that was for kindergarten.

kboyle
09-26-2006, 09:41 AM
i voted public because that's most likely what we'll choose. while the school system here is ok, it's the racial issues right now that are really concerning me. from middle school on i know it's pretty rough, not really gangs, just rougher than the surrounding cities, and how it was when i was in hs here.

i'd love to send the boys to the private catholic school 3 minutes away, but i heard that their curriculum the school in general isn't that great, but it only started a few years ago, so i'm hoping to hear better things about them by the time charlie starts kinder.

the lady i work with and the owners of the company are in a HUGE homeschooling network. the lady that i work with hs her daughter thru hs.

my best friend decided to be "dark & anti-social" our junior year of highschool, and her mom homeschooled her for the year. she loved it. she's decided that when she has kids that for her, it will be the way to go. i know that for charlie right now hs isn't the way to go, he has excelled in preschool soo much and is doing great. i know that they don't teach kids to "read" in preschool, more of a pre-k/kinder thing, but he's gotten sooo good with his letters that he's starting to put 3 letter words together and can recognize simple words (mom dad cat, pig) max on the other hand already seems more of a montessori type learner, more of his own pace, and not like he's doing anything academic yet, but i can tell that it's not going to be as big of a focus or draw as it is for charlie...this one just LOVES to learn academic stuff.

i'm sure that both boys will end up going to public highschool, from k-8 though, i'd like for them to be in the private school near us. but, $$ is the problem. :( if we only have these two little guys, it'll probably be more of an option, but if another cutie comes along we'll probably stick to the public school system. plus, all of our friends kids will be there, so all their friends will be there too.

punkrockmama
09-26-2006, 09:45 AM
>yes i forgot to mention that high school is mostly half days
>around here because of the overpopulation so there would be no
>elective courses. just the basic stuff. they would only do
>half a day in the morning or afternoon. i thought that was for
>kindergarten.


REally Wow! That sucks, huh?

We'll do the public school route as we live in a place with good schools. However, I think if we lived somewhere where the schools weren't that great we would do private school instead of moving or something.

egoldber
09-26-2006, 09:56 AM
I voted public schools, although to date DD has been enrolled in a private, vaguely religious based preschool (through the JCC) and now a private, secular K program. But as of next school year, our plan is to send her to our local public elementary (still debating K again vs 1st grade).

But I will see how DD is doing at the end of the school year to make further decisions. I am concerned, as other posters have mentioned, about the negative effects of NCLB on the public school system. There is a private school affiliated with the JCC that offers extremely low class sizes and language immersion starting in K, so I am considering that option as well although it is an expensive option. I personally wouldn't consider many of the private schools around here because I think they are too intense. But I do like the idea of her being in a class of 10 vs a class of 28.