Choosing a Schooling Option {Poll Discussion}

 

While “homeschool vs. public school” is an example of a very hot button topic in the online mom world, I have found it to be a subject Babywise moms are able to talk about rationally and with respect. When parents come to the point to make hard schooling decisions, it is nice to have information available that is respectful and applicable in their lives. I thought this would be an interesting poll for the month of August when many people are starting a new school year. I know this isn’t really necessary with this group, but please keep your comments considerate. Saying, “We chose to homeschool because all public school kids are heathens” isn’t really helpful nor kind. 

 

Please take a moment to answer the questions below. Doing so will help other parents now and in the future. It is very helpful for me when compiling answers if you at least number the answers you give. You can also copy the questions and answer them. If the question does not apply to you, simply put “N/A.”

 

1. Do you plan to (or are you currently) homeschool, public school, charter school, private school, etc?

2. What is the main reason you chose this option?

3. What are the best perks of the options you chose?

4. What are the hardest challenges, or cons, of the option you chose? 

5. Any words of advic to add?

 

Thank you for participating! Mwah!

4 thoughts on “Choosing a Schooling Option {Poll Discussion}”

  1. 1. Do you plan to (or are you currently) homeschool, public school, charter school, private school, etc?We currently send our oldest to public school, the others are too young still for school. 2. What is the main reason you chose this option?I am a public school teacher in the same district and get to see first hand how WONDERFUL our schools are. I think there are great educational opportunities and like the idea of my kids having a traditional schooling experience. 3. What are the best perks of the options you chose?It is free, and I get to see my kids during the day. Also- they get to be involved with the larger community and get really fun experiences they might not otherwise have. 4. What are the hardest challenges, or cons, of the option you chose? I think the main thing I am concerned about is my children picking up values and behaviors that go against our values. Our community is very conservative and generally homogeneous, but I worry that as my kids get older I will have to do more correcting of behavior that we deem unacceptable. 5. Any words of advice to add?Get to know your community schools before you make a blanket judgement about "public schools" in general. Every state is different and every school is different. Our teachers are all a part of our churches and community organizations, not simply state employees. Our schools reflect the best of our community and our democracy as a whole.

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  2. 1). We send our kids to public school2). We picked this option because we applied to several charter schools and our son didn't get accepted in kindergarten so we sent him to our neighborhood public school and fell in love. Our daughter started there a year later and we are starting our seventh year in a few weeks. I prayed about homeschooling and the answer I got was no. I am totally open to the idea and may end up homeschooling at some point. 3). The perks are my kids get to exposed to different ideas. My kids are exposed to different kids with different values. This may sound selfish but another perk is time to myself and the children get to have their own identity. 4) the cons are I miss my kids being gone all day. They are exposed to different values and kids thst may open up things like drugs and I worry my kids won't be strong enough not to cave to pressure. Yes this is a pro and con. 5) You can make a decision and change it later. Do what is best for you and your kids.

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  3. 1. Do you plan to (or are you currently) homeschool, public school, charter school, private school, etc? Plan to public school2. What is the main reason you chose this option? My husband and I were public schooled. We feel like we like the opportunity for our kid to mix with a more diverse crowd. Economically and socially. Also, more opportunity to shine a light in a potential darker place. 3. What are the best perks of the options you chose? Cheaper 4. What are the hardest challenges, or cons, of the option you chose? I feel you must really make a more concerted effort to be involved in the kids lives and what they are doing, who they're friends are as it would be easy to be disengaged. This disengagement is not really an option for homeschool as that would happen naturally. Also fears of them being exposed to influences you don't want them to be. 5. Any words of advic to add? Talk to many people and I think it would be good for kids to be exposed to public school, private school and homeschooled kids also. This could happen through church groups as well as sports or just local neighborhoods.

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  4. 1) Currently I am homeschooling our oldest (she is about to start kindergarten).2) I homeschooled her for preschool simply because the preschool schedules never worked out with my part time job. And I found that I loved it! Teaching her to read was so rewarding and the time spent really brought us closer together. She has a lot of outside activities with church and sports (as in, opportunities to learn to take turns and listen to an authority figure other than us), so we weren't worried about the social aspect. My husband and I were both homeschooled so we weren't afraid of it. We both went on to higher education and careers without a hitch. We live in a great school district but we thought – why change what's working 🙂 3) Perks: *no morning rush to get everyone out the door! *logistically easier to plan family trips *many opportunities to present the gospel and character development4) Cons: *curriculums and testing are expensive 🙁 *not getting as many breaks as a mom (that doesn't sound nice but I trust moms will know what I am taking about!) *not being as on top of the housework and cooking as I would like5) It is such an individual decision. Your experience with homeschool (and homeschooled kids!), your school district, and the dynamics between you and your children are unique. Remember, you can always change your mind! I have promised to take it on a year by year basis 🙂

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