I live in a small, rural area. I mean, REALLY small! We have a church and a K-8 school and that is it! Everything else is 20 min. away. This means all sports and dance lessons are 20 minutes away....luckily my music teacher comes to us.
This year I have been struggling with the question of whether or not I should homeschool. Like I said, our school is very small. 76-ish kids in K-8. The student/teacher ratio is great. The grades are blended (K/1, 2/3, 4/5/6 & 7/8). My two kids that are in school are very advanced. I have no issues with the school as I think they are doing a great job. But, I still have this nagging question in the back of my mind of whether I am doing the right thing sending them to school or if I should homeschool.
Has anyone had their kids established in a public school and then pulled them out? Did they do well? My kids have a ton of friends so I do worry about this but at the same time, they do so many extra-curricular activities that I know they will have no problems with social skills or being lonely.
When I was growing up there was a certain stigma with homeschooled children. They were weird, had no social skills, etc., etc. but as I look back now as an adult, there were plenty of "weird" kids with no social skills in publick schools as well. Is there still that stigma in general?
I'm just debating this issue so much. We have quite a few friends who homeschool and love it! I don't want to be limited by being in a public school. I want my kids to have religion in their lessons but obviously don't get that at school. I get tired of all the politics in a public school not to mention what my kids come home saying or doing that they learned from other kids.
So, I'm looking for advice out there! I would love to hear your opinions on homeschooling, what curriculum(s) you use, the pros and cons, etc.
Have you ever visited http://laughingstars.net? It's a great book blog, but the woman who writes it is also big into homeschooling or unschooling or something like that. You should check it out. Might give you some ideas.
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Thanks for the suggestion Susan! I will be checking out the site now!
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I have sooo many thoughts about this. At this very moment, Harmony is on kind of a "trial period" at school. I hate hearing things that she hears and sees. She is verrry shy and so it is hard for her to make friends. She is also a lot more "innocent" than other girls her age. I think homeschooling has changed a lot since we were in middle school. These are our kids and we have the right to protect them, however we see fit. I could seriously write a novel, but I will stop now! (:
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