I do. My experience has been mixed. Last year, it was a nice transition into homeschooling, and overall a good experience. I had a lot of classes at the school, and liked them. This year, not so good. I basically exhausted their usual curriculum that year, and am not getting really many of the benefits of it, but having to deal with a lot of the downsides. And I'm having to deal with even more than usual, because of what I'm doing. How old are your kids? I think that would make a large difference. Also, how flexible the program is/how many resources it has.
Welcome!!!! Glad you can join us. I do not use a charter school, although a few years ago money was tight and I was thinking about it because they provide the books. Then I remembered why I homeschool. I do not want to be part of the public system in anyway. I homeschool because I want to teach Ems in a way that works for her. This way I can pick her curriculum rather then being required to teacher her in a way that doesn't work for her. The charter programs do work for some. I have had friends who have gone through charter schools and liked it. My sister has been using the charter program for many years and up until this year, she liked it. She is having trouble keeping up with all the work they require this year. Every year it seems as if they move up the requirements. She has tried a few different ones and for the most part, she said they all seem the same. Some of the teachers, or people who worked with her, were understanding and some are strict.
We aren't using the K12 charter school, but we are using their curriculum. I like it too. Although my kids were doing great in all subjects in public school (save for reading with the one child), we still had to back them up based on the K12 curriculum. I think it is pretty advanced in some ways. But I am liking that for the kids, they are catching up nicely! Except for the one with reading issues who I posted about in another thread, but I think he may have a visual problem. So we will be doing a little extra there.
We're using K12 through a charter school. My son was behind when we started last year, but has caught up since then. I love the curriculum, although I'm finding the demands of the charter school to be a bit much. Unfortunately, I can't afford the curriculum without the charter school, so I have to manage for now.
We've never been part of a Charter School. I believe it's OK for some people, but agree with totally with Em's comments. For MY family, a charter school would be a major compromise of beliefs. It would take control of their education out of my hands, and put them right back into the government's hands. I would lose the flexibility. My children would be required to take the State Profeciency Test, which iis the biggest joke the state ever came up with. Sure, money can be tight some, but God has ALWAYS provided what we need. Am I saying that they are terrible and no one should use them? NOT AT ALL!!! If you're using one and it's working for you, that's great! It's just not for me and mine.
I am glad it is working for you. The reason for homeschooling is to help our children learn to the best of their ability and it sounds like the way you are going works great for them. Patty
I do not use a charter school. I did consider it however. We have a couple of different options through the state of Florida. One is K12 and the other is called Fl. Virtual Academy. I was tempted because it appealed to my sense of self doubt, regarding my ability to teach, and whether or not I would teach the right stuff. I looked into it and realized that there would be a stiff structure. With a newborn in the house at the time, and my spouse making a forced job transition, I did not need the extra burden day to day deadlines. Week by week maybe, but not day to day. At least not for kindergarten. I started with other options instead thinking that I might to the K12 thing the next year if needed. K12 or another program would be better than PS by far, and avoiding the PS school system here is the primary goal. However, I just knew I would be setting my kid up for failure due to my inability to offer stable hours at that time. We might consider it later for High School grades as an option to private school. I am glad that things worked the way they ended up working out for us I have found many great materials that give me the help I need. I am also confident that any time we have trouble I can find the solutions with perseverance and research. I also know that the K12 is available through my state if I need it. It is reassuring to know that I have options, that I can use in case our life situation changes. If I needed to work because my spouse could not for example. I have read since many reports about the structure and what seems like alot of busy work and so forth. I have also read many good things about K12 and other charter type home education programs. They work for many. Having your kids at home with you is the primary positive of homeschooling and you can have those benifits regardless of cur. choice. Because you will be the primary teacher, you will be able to temper what ever is being taught with your influence. I believe that for the most part, any loving parent-teacher can make about any curr. work for there students. There is really no best answer for anyone.
In Ohio, charter schools tend to have a bad name, but I'm not sure it's deserved. One of my biggest complaints is something that I don't feel would apply to people here. Many times K12 are used for children who aren't making it in public high school because they refuse to get theirselves up in the morning, and are too lazy to do the work. These kids refuse to submit to any authority. So the Powers That Be have decided that these kids would be better off staying home and doing the work on their own time, etc. Many of these kids aren't "stupid" when it comes to school, they just don't bother to do the work. So tell me. If they won't do the work with someone telling them to, why do people think they'll do it on their own? I seriously doubt they'll be any more diligent without anyone breathing down their back! Now they really DON'T have any reason to get up in the morning! I know you all that are using K12 are very diligent, and make sure that your children spend the time and energy they need to get their work done. But so many of these parents are NOT taking the initiative. They expect their kids to do it all on their own while the parents are at work. And it DOESN'T work for them!
That may be why some children are put into a charter school, but I think that can also be applied to why some parents pull their kids on their own accord. I also believe that there are parents that aren't doing what they are supposed to being doing that are homeschooling outside of a charter/virtual school. One of my 'friends' pulled her child from public school to homeschool, because his teacher didn't understand him and his needs. I met her playing an online computer game. She plays that game every waking hour. Even with her child home, she hasn't quit her game. She pulled her child from school not for his benefit, but for her own. Thus I think, there are bad parts to anything that is done in this world. And often the bad isn't very hard to find. To promote homeschooling in all its forms, we really should try to focus on the good and set the best examples we can, not just for our own children, but other families that are yet to walk in our paths.
I don't see how pulling her child from school would be a benefit to her! It's easier to sit and play her computer game without him around, isn't it? Yes, of course, there are bad ps's and good ones, bad Homeschoolers and good ones....... If the schooling is used in ther right way for the benefit of the student it can be good. I don't know if I agree with the statement that a loving parent-teacher can make about any program work. It's of course just my opinion, but to me we look for something that fits the child's personality. If we do a curriculum because it's cheaper or more convenient, but it's not written in a way that comes across to the child well, then we are doing the same as school's do---making the child do a program that confuses them and doesn't really meet their needs. No matter how loving and patient and caring and helpful I was with my oldest, the Saxon Math drove him batty and he did very poorly with it. As soon as we got a different math curriculum for him that better met his needs, he did soooo much better! It's a little more work on our part, but that's one reason we homeschool, to help meet their needs! As a parent you can better judge when the child is being ornery, and when they really just don't grasp the way the subject is being taught! So if you work and work and help them, and they still get frustrated and don't do very well, TRY SOMETHING ELSE! Schools are forced to use curriculum that has been picked by the board to use in that school, but we as parents have almost unlimited choices of things to use for our children! What a blessing that is! The interesting thing is that my younger two are now using Saxon math and they love it!
The school stopped calling her every couple hours when she brought him home. I soon learned for her, it was easier to ignore him when he was home rather then having constant interruptions from the phone. If I hadn't met other homeschoolers that are similiar, I would have considered it an isolated incident. Do I think most homeschoolers are this way? Heck no. But not all are like those of us on here either. There are two sides to every coin. Dr. Phil was very good at exploiting the bad side as well. I totally agree. If we do choose something because it is easier for us, whether it is schooling, curriculum, food choices, television choices, etc. It is often not the best option for our child. I have often used this analogy. The best and safest car on the road has a price tag of about 50k (or it used to, one of the Volvos). If I was being the BEST parent, I would make sure my family was the safest in the safest car, right? Well, I can not afford that car and most people can not either. I buy a car I can afford with as many safety options as I can afford to have on it. I make sure to drive safe and put everyone in seatbelts/carseats. That IS the best I can do and it doesn't make me a bad parent, person, or my car bad, because that was all I could afford. I do the best I can with the choice options I am given. Most parents do. As I think probably all of us on here do. As in all things parenting, we should not cut on others for their choices if they really are making them with what options they are given. We hopefully can choice the best curriculum for each child. But sometimes that isn't an option. If the curriculum isn't the best, it is probably still better then leaving a child in a bad situation/school.
I agree, you can't always get the best curriculum available! There ared some good curriculums out there that I chose not to use based on price! Yet, as many of you, I have found with curriculum, that the highest priced isn't neccessarily the best! In fact, some of the stuff I printed out for free on-line was the best thing for my child or children at that point! I love being able to homeschool now-a-days when there are so many choices! There are a lot of many different kinds of curriculum available for different types of learners for low cost. You just have to find it---which in some cases has taken me years! That's one thing I've appreciated about being on this site! I've learned about so much more curriculum than what I had known before, and different ways to do things, and great ways to learn! Another way to get it is used! You can get it cheaper and see how it works with your children. It's a help to know others around you that homeschool so you can trade or sell cheaply to each other. I really don't know anyone well enough or that I feel comfortable doing that with, so it's really not an option for me, but I know some people do that.
quote I don't know if I agree with the statement that a loving parent-teacher can make about any program work. It's of course just my opinion, but to me we look for something that fits the child's personality. If we do a curriculum because it's cheaper or more convenient, but it's not written in a way that comes across to the child well, then we are doing the same as school's do---making the child do a program that confuses them and doesn't really meet their needs. No matter how loving and patient and caring and helpful I was with my oldest, the Saxon Math drove him batty and he did very poorly with it. As soon as we got a different math curriculum for him that better met his needs, he did soooo much better! It's a little more work on our part, but that's one reason we homeschool, to help meet their needs! end quote My statements were not to imply that we should do other than attempt to find the best materials and programs for our students and to put their needs first. They instead were meant as an encouragement to those whose decisions, purchases and other circumstances leave them with less than the ideal. Many here have made choices that are not optimum and are not funded well enough to simple buy something else. Others do not have the support of their spouses in making such changes. Many have spouses and families who are not on board with homeschooling. Others have families who are ready to pounce with celebration at the first signs that homeschooling is failing. They need our encouragement, not a reminder that things are not ideal. It remains my opinion that with encouragement from forums like this, and with the resources that forums and other homeschool information sites, combined with library materials and many other things, most loving parent teachers can make a success of it. They can then take what they have learned about their teaching needs and the learning needs of the students they have and make better choices the next school year. I am not sure what the public schools are like in many areas of the country, but the PS system here is not well at all. Only 40 something percent of 9nth graders exit as graduates. That does not include the perpetual 7th and 8th graders who drop prior to 9th. Homeschooling with even a mediocre curr. is an improvement. There are ways to overcome regardless of what curr. you have. For example, had you not been able to replace Saxon with another program, you could have used the scope and sequence/objectives list as a guide and found other materials for free online. You could have then used the exercises in the Saxon program only, with presentations/lessons found elsewhere, or mixed and matched internet printouts with ideas you found in the saxon program.
