Monday, August 30, 2010

Homeschool Kids Going (Back) to Public School (And Public School Kids Becoming Homeschoolers)


I’m not sure what the statistics are, but I do know that it happens. For some students, homeschooling is a way of life. For others, it's a temporary situation (due to medical conditions, special circumstances, etc).

I always found it amusing when people asked me if Becca was going to be homeschooled “forever,” or if I was going to send her back to public school when she reached high school age.

I guess there are people out there who pull their kids for the very volatile “middle school” years, then re-enroll them when they reach high school.

But just like people (like us) pull their kids out of public school and start homeschooling, there are situations where a homeschool child must return to public school.

The situations can be economic (mom or dad has to go back to work), personal (divorce, change in family situation), or the child may just WANT to go to school.

I have friends in each of these situations (not to mention others that I probably haven’t mentioned here).

And the report from each one of them?

“My child is thriving.”

“He/she fits right in.”

“She’s at the top of her class.”

“He tested off the charts, and will be taking classes with the older kids.”

These are kids that have come from structured homeschool environments…and less-structured environments (like unschooling families).

All of the kids in our homeschool community, who’ve gone “back” to school, have THRIVED in their new learning environment.

That’s not to say that some don’t come back to homeschooling. (But it’s not because the child can’t handle the work. Again, like homeschooling, public/private school isn’t everybody’s cup of tea.)

But I’m proud to say that the homeschooling parents I know have done a wonderful job educating their children. And if the time comes when one of these kids must enter the school system, they are well equipped to handle whatever comes their way…

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