Homeschooling part II
A few years ago I posted the reasoning that went into our decision to homeschool our son here: http://slacker990.livejournal.com/1364.html
Upon going back and reading that entry, I haven't changed my mind on any of those points, but I have to admit that things and times change, as have we. This past week S got a phone call from a charter school in our area that had an opening in the 4th grade class and our name had filtered to the top of their list. It was our seat if we wanted it, we could come by and see the school whenever we wanted.
S put our name on the list this past summer for a charter school in our area when we were discussing options for Jb. Homeschooling may be the best option for us, and all of the reasons that I stated in my previous missive still apply, but sometimes you have to do what is best for the child, and some kids need more than what can be had in a homeschool environment. AND I am not talking about socialization. That is the usual reason that most critics have against homeschooling. Jb gets plenty of socialization, with scouts, hs-groups and trips and activities. What is lacking and what he needs to have is the structure that comes with being in a school room environment. There are a few topic areas that S has been worrying about (social studies and grammar to be specific) and had also noted that she hasn't been able to address the topics that she was able to in a manner that she was happy with. And my being in school and basically unavailable to aid in this, doesn't help.
In my previous comments, I stated that we couldn't do this without S and all the work that she needs to put into this, and this is coming true. With both kids, and the house without much help from me, the workload was becoming too much, and Jb was getting the short end of the stick.
So our options as we saw them, were to do nothing different, let Jb slide until we can spend the time required to make it up. This was doable, and Jb would be up to the task, but it didn't seem fair to him and what he needs.
We could enroll him in the public school, there is one RIGHT next door to our apartments. This also didn't seem fair. The school in question is small, but still it is a public school and suffers from all the inherit weaknesses that come from that form of education. This particular school was not the best, nor the worst, but it wasn't good enough for us to seriously consider.
There is a school nearby that is a public school, but is not typical. It is close to my school, so it would be convenient, but it is still public in nature and though better than most, not our first choice.
There is a homeschool-coop that meets near here. This seemed to be a good match for us, but we have been waiting to hear from them for longer than we have been on the list for this school. They don't have the room, and there would still be a significant amount that S would need to do to keep Jb up to speed.
Then there is this charter school, The Arthur Academy, (http://www.arthuracademy.org/) that seemed to fit our requirements. It is a free, charter school. They have a dress code. The teach the core material required without bias or frills. (reading, writing, and math) They are small, less than 20 students in his class. And they are nearby.
In any educational option that isn't homeschooling, we recognize that the input of the parents in the education of the child is still paramount, and this school relies on that involvement. This seemed to us to be a good match for this point in our lives.
More importantly Jb seems to like the idea. It took him a bit to warm up to the idea. He doesn't like to deal with change or shifting situations. He was very anxious at the first mention of this option. But the visit to the class changed his outlook.
When we first went into the classroom, almost in unison, the class turned and said "Is that a new student, yeah!" They seemed to be very open to having a new student join them in class. We stayed in the back of the class for a few minutes and watched the class interact with the teacher, and several times Jb turned to me and whispered the answer to the question to me, and said "that is easy..". He seemed to realize that these kids were at the same level as himself in math and reading, which apparently was a concern for him.
After the survey of the classroom, Jb's concerns changed from anxiety about whether he could do this or not, to what is it going to be like in a classroom. He has asked both S and myself many times over the ensuing day "do you have any advice for me, about going to class" and what about this or what about that. He seems to be embracing the idea that he will be going to a classroom on a daily basis. His only lament now is that he will have to get up before 9 am, as class starts at 8:15. Oh how I share that particular problem. I will lament the flexibility of being able to take our family and go where ever, when ever without concern about Jb's school schedule. That will be a change.
In the end S and I see this as a step on the path to Jb's education. We don't know how long we will keep him in a classroom. I will be finishing school myself next winter, and we will very likely be moving somewhere else, so his staying in this particular school will be at most be less than two years. Whether we continue to send him to a school will very much depend on him and the availability of finding a suitable school environment. This doesn't mean that we will not homeschool MM. That decision hasn't been made.
Upon going back and reading that entry, I haven't changed my mind on any of those points, but I have to admit that things and times change, as have we. This past week S got a phone call from a charter school in our area that had an opening in the 4th grade class and our name had filtered to the top of their list. It was our seat if we wanted it, we could come by and see the school whenever we wanted.
S put our name on the list this past summer for a charter school in our area when we were discussing options for Jb. Homeschooling may be the best option for us, and all of the reasons that I stated in my previous missive still apply, but sometimes you have to do what is best for the child, and some kids need more than what can be had in a homeschool environment. AND I am not talking about socialization. That is the usual reason that most critics have against homeschooling. Jb gets plenty of socialization, with scouts, hs-groups and trips and activities. What is lacking and what he needs to have is the structure that comes with being in a school room environment. There are a few topic areas that S has been worrying about (social studies and grammar to be specific) and had also noted that she hasn't been able to address the topics that she was able to in a manner that she was happy with. And my being in school and basically unavailable to aid in this, doesn't help.
In my previous comments, I stated that we couldn't do this without S and all the work that she needs to put into this, and this is coming true. With both kids, and the house without much help from me, the workload was becoming too much, and Jb was getting the short end of the stick.
So our options as we saw them, were to do nothing different, let Jb slide until we can spend the time required to make it up. This was doable, and Jb would be up to the task, but it didn't seem fair to him and what he needs.
We could enroll him in the public school, there is one RIGHT next door to our apartments. This also didn't seem fair. The school in question is small, but still it is a public school and suffers from all the inherit weaknesses that come from that form of education. This particular school was not the best, nor the worst, but it wasn't good enough for us to seriously consider.
There is a school nearby that is a public school, but is not typical. It is close to my school, so it would be convenient, but it is still public in nature and though better than most, not our first choice.
There is a homeschool-coop that meets near here. This seemed to be a good match for us, but we have been waiting to hear from them for longer than we have been on the list for this school. They don't have the room, and there would still be a significant amount that S would need to do to keep Jb up to speed.
Then there is this charter school, The Arthur Academy, (http://www.arthuracademy.org/) that seemed to fit our requirements. It is a free, charter school. They have a dress code. The teach the core material required without bias or frills. (reading, writing, and math) They are small, less than 20 students in his class. And they are nearby.
In any educational option that isn't homeschooling, we recognize that the input of the parents in the education of the child is still paramount, and this school relies on that involvement. This seemed to us to be a good match for this point in our lives.
More importantly Jb seems to like the idea. It took him a bit to warm up to the idea. He doesn't like to deal with change or shifting situations. He was very anxious at the first mention of this option. But the visit to the class changed his outlook.
When we first went into the classroom, almost in unison, the class turned and said "Is that a new student, yeah!" They seemed to be very open to having a new student join them in class. We stayed in the back of the class for a few minutes and watched the class interact with the teacher, and several times Jb turned to me and whispered the answer to the question to me, and said "that is easy..". He seemed to realize that these kids were at the same level as himself in math and reading, which apparently was a concern for him.
After the survey of the classroom, Jb's concerns changed from anxiety about whether he could do this or not, to what is it going to be like in a classroom. He has asked both S and myself many times over the ensuing day "do you have any advice for me, about going to class" and what about this or what about that. He seems to be embracing the idea that he will be going to a classroom on a daily basis. His only lament now is that he will have to get up before 9 am, as class starts at 8:15. Oh how I share that particular problem. I will lament the flexibility of being able to take our family and go where ever, when ever without concern about Jb's school schedule. That will be a change.
In the end S and I see this as a step on the path to Jb's education. We don't know how long we will keep him in a classroom. I will be finishing school myself next winter, and we will very likely be moving somewhere else, so his staying in this particular school will be at most be less than two years. Whether we continue to send him to a school will very much depend on him and the availability of finding a suitable school environment. This doesn't mean that we will not homeschool MM. That decision hasn't been made.