As you guys know I am pretty new to the HS thing. We are doing stuff this summer and going so so. The kids are with their dad in the middle of the week due to his work and it throws everything off so trying to get on a new schedule.(he wont make them do anything) I am unemployed right now. The kids Dad is giving me such a horrible time with wanting to HS them in the fall. I get sooooooo mad at him when we talk because he has not a clue. He will not research or educate himself on HS and I tell him until he does I will not discuss the issue with him. He throws up that he has a say in the kids education. I say no, not until he educates himself and we can discuss it.(I know I don't have grounds to say that but I can not stand to discuss HSing with someone that has backward ideas about it!!!) The school the kids went to is a good school but its all the other stuff they learn and stuff that they lack. I feel all they learn is what is on the MAP test so the school can look good and get funding. I have issues with that too. Anyway, My daughter doesn't want to be HS'd and even though its not her decision my ex supports her in going to PS. He talks about how social she is and the group of friends she has are pretty good girls. She has come full circle since the divorce but she is much older too . aaaahhh! :cry::cry: He talks up PS so they will give me a hard time thinking I will cave. My dd will be in 4th and my ds in 1st. My ds wants to be HS'd. He missed about 36 days last year due to strep 4 times, the H1N1 (which was not at all what they made it out to be), regular old flu and then days with Mommy (he is still little and all day K was a huge adjustment ) When I try to discuss with ex about MAYBE letting dd go to ps and hs ds he was so condescending. My biggest grip is that he doesn't understand HS, not one little bit!!! Any advice????? (sorry the spelling and gramme is off...trying to get morning going but when I am upset my whole day is off)
(((hugs))) I don't have any advice, but maybe look into free virtual schools. I don't care for them much, but they at least get your kids at home, out of the institution, and you can always add to what they are learning.
Have you found any homeschool groups or co-ops in your area to be part of? Perhaps if your daughter could find a group of homeschool friends she could see regularly and if she could see all the cool things she could be doing instead of sitting in a classroom, then she could be brought around to your way of thinking. I suspect your ex is being this way as a way of exerting control over you. Perhaps the two of you could come to some sort of compromise. You could try homeschooling both for 'x' amount of time. If, at the end of it, either child wants to go back to school, then they will; however, if either child wants to stay in homeschooling, they will. I wouldn't suggest this if it sounded like you had major issues with the school your daughter has been in, but it sounds like you don't have any serious ones. You can use that time to get your daughter actively involved in homeschool groups and extracurriculars she couldn't do if she were in school. Take them on fun field trips. If your daughter is really sociable, try to arrange frequent play dates and outings with friends. Show her that homeschooling doesn't mean that she won't be around people.
I think you two need to research both options together, sit down and discuss them, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the kids, and make a decision based on that. If you're going to put the stipulation on him that he needs to research homeschooling, you need to show effort in research public schooling. Can you do that objectively, as you're asking him to do? Humility begets humility. I have to wonder how much of this has nothing to do with homeschooling. Is your daughter trying to please her dad, win his approval? Have you spoken to your daughter with an open heart and mind and listened to everything that is in her heart? I also think that if her heart is set on public schooling, and she has her dad on her side, your efforts to homeschool her are going to be miserable, and it's going to drive a wedge between you. If your son is set on homeschooling, you might want to consider the possibility of homeschooling him, and let your daughter go to school. Would that compromise satisfy their father? Over time, dd will watch ds homeschool, and may decide that it looks pretty appealing. Most ps kids i've come across would give their eye teeth to homeschool. LOL
