For those of you who have put your kids into public school, for any reason, did you regret your decision later? Did your kids have a good experience or a hard time? Would you do it again if you could go back in time? Did you go back to homeschooling? Please tell me your experiences.
My kids were in ps from K-3rd and 4th grade. They "loved" ps and begged me not to take them out. Which is a joke. My children didn't thrive in ps at all. They thought they would loose all their "friends" which for the most part they did. But most of them weren't worth keeping anyway. Horrible influences.... They have been home for 2 years now. I was considering putting them into a private school. The school I was looking at had a hefty price tag and I didn't know how in the world we would pay for it. But i thought it would be a fantastic fit for them. My kids HATED it.... It finally all came out. They begged me not to go back. To please keep us home we are so happy and the we have made real friends. For us the system just doesn't work. Maybe others have a different story....
I put my kids in ps at the beginning of this year and so far all 4 of them asked to come home during the year. I actually liked the school and the teachers were great, but my kids didn't like the schedule and how long school was. They all felt it was a waste of time. My oldest ds came home 2 days ago and even though he cried and was so sad about missing his friends he knew it was the right thing for him to come home. I don't regret putting them in school at all. I think it opened their eyes to the differences between hs and ps. Of course, if the school had been horrible, I may have regretted my decision.
My kids were in ps for a couple years while we built our house (Ds was 6th grade and Dd was in 3rd at the time). They liked it at first, sorta. Then Ds went into "just get through the day" mode followed shortly by "just get me outa here!". We brought him back home for 8th grade. Dd was doing well and wanted to stay in, but after a few months of dealing with obscene music being played during art, Dd asked to come home, too. I'm glad they both experienced ps for a time. We would have brought them both back home anyway, but it seemed to be their choice at the time and they have never regretted wanting to come back home. They still have friends from ps...and most of them wish they could homeschool.
When we were hs'ing a couple of years ago and we accepted 2 older foster children who were in PS, my kids asked to go back the next year. I agreed they could go after much discussion and my kids went into 5th & 8th. First - DS (8th) we enrolled in Algebra, he had already completed it at home so we figured it would be easy.... WRONG.... so we put him in 8th grade math. Reason? Not because he didn't get the problems right, but because he didn't do them the way THEY wanted him to (something about an upside down triangle and he was lost). He did complete 8th and went into 9th to play football. Mid-year 9th grade - he came back home. Bad influences plus grades getting worse and just bad situations made life he** for all of us. He's a completely different kid now - much happier, and back to his normal self. Now - DD (5th grade) did fine. Had some issues with "mean-girls" but made it through the year without any major issues. Moved onto 6th grade (middle school)... A-B honor roll...good grades... pretty happy.... then the bullying really started to bother her. Again different personality, different kid.... depressed kid.... she's finishing out this year at school and asked over spring break to come home next year. She feels she's wasting a lot of time at school and honestly just doesn't understand the "mean-girl" thing, she's over it and will last remaining 1 1/2 months of school (most of which is testing and if she doesn't do that she won't get "credit" for 6th grade which would make HS'ing next year a little more difficult and I just don't need more paperwork rigt now - LOL) Regret? Nope.... it let them see "the other side" more clearly (they had memories from 1-3rd grade) and they appreciate me a little more (just not every day like I honestly believe they should - and they should kiss my feet more often - but that's a tangent isn't it <G>)
Oldest dd (18) only wanted to homeschool for 8th grade. She was then accepted into her first choice high school - one for journalism - and did very well. She's now a freshman in college. Youngest dd (15) homeschooled from 3rd-8th grade. In about 7th grade, she decided she'd like to audition for several performing arts high schools. She was accepted to her first choice (the best in the country). She's currently a sophomore and is doing great. Ds (11) has been homeschooling since Kindergarten and will most likely go to public high school like his sisters. He'll apply for various schools depending upon his interests - math & science, performing arts, film, etc. It's been a great decision for the kids, no regrets at all, and I would certainly do it again. There has been no negative experiences. It's always been their choice - I think that's why they do well. Also, they only choose the "exceptional" schools (there are a couple dozen excellent schools to choose from out of a total of over 400 high schools within a 12 mile radius), which makes me much more comfortable with the idea of public high school.
That's a cool concept of applying for schools.....especially with them specializing in what the kids want to do. We don't have that option here - but if we did I would definitely look into it!
My oldest went to ps for 2 years. He didn't thrive at all. He is a quiet kid and was just constantly overlooked. Now that I have a teen daughter, I cannot imagine her being in school. The "mean girl" thing is just out of control. She also has a visual perception deficit that causes learning struggles. If's just not worth it to see if the system supports or fails her. Some kids do great in ps. I'm very thankful that God has provided a way for mine to be home.
I should also mention that when my Dd came back home in the middle of 5th grade, she continued to participate in band. After a few weeks she asked about quitting because the kids were mean. I asked, "They are being mean to you?" She said, "No. They are mean to each other." When you are not accustomed to that form of socialization, it really does a number on our unsocialized homeschooled children.
I love it, but the process is definitely stressful. Here's what we all do in NYC: Almost all the high schools have an Open House in the Fall so students and parents can get a tour and presentation of the schools they're interested in. There are 8 amazing "specialized" high schools for the super-smart and admission is based on one big test (the SHSAT) given in October. Performing Arts schools auditions are in November and December. All final applications are due in December. On it, you put your top 12 public high school choices, your top 3 Specialized High School Choices, and whether or not you've auditioned for LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts (the ninth "specialized" high school - it doesn't rely on the big October test, just grueling auditions. It is the best PA school anywhere and last year 17,000 kids auditioned for 650 spots). Then comes the nail-biting 3 month wait for the results. 10% of kids will not get accepted anywhere and they go on to a "Round 2".
Wow. Where I live, there is a math and science academy for gifted students about 4 hours away. I applied, but as an English major I didn't get in. I can't imagine having so many awesome option available.
