Our homeschool curriculum this year includes a class at the public school, and I have had very mixed feelings over the first semester, but now that we have settled in a bit, I feel more comfortable with our decision to use the public school while we are homeschooling high school. Now, will I use it again for my younger kids? Likely not, but for the following reasons, it isn’t out of the question.
Homeschooling high school is expensive
It’s no secret that our choice to send Kira to the public school for science class was basically a financial one. There are fantastic resources like online classes through Currclick or Pennsylvania Homeschoolers, but with already using some online classes through Currclick and Studio Arabiya, we were starting to come up short in our homeschool budget for more.
I don’t have time to teach myself
I feel fine teaching many subjects, and I am capable of learning as we go, but I now have three kids 4 and under. I just don’t have time to teach any subject, and I definitely don’t have time to prep for a science class myself. At this season in my life, I need someone to take on the teaching role for me, but I still want the benefits of homeschooling.
Someone else does the grading
If you’re a regular reader around here, you may have pieced together how much I loathe grading work. It’s a thorn in my side, but a required evil if I’m going to homeschool. Whenever I have the opportunity for someone else to do the grading, I jump on it, especially for science where the answers are either right or wrong, and require a higher level of detail.
We lose some “fanatic” status with family
Okay, this isn’t really a reason to choose a public school class in our homeschool lineup, but it is a bonus. I think it funny how family says, “Oh, that’s great! She’ll be able to socialize with other kids!” I guess it’s just hard for people to imagine that my teen daughter has a healthy amount of social time with friends without being in a traditional school, but it at least lessens the idea that we think the public schools are evil.
I still feel like homeschooling is a better option in most cases, but when mama’s overwhelmed, and the homeschooling budget is getting tight, using the public school as a resource when you’re homeschooling high school can be a viable option.
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I am quite impressed your school district allowed your daughter to take a class without going full time. It has given me something to explore in my school district. We are on the fence about how to go about homeschooling high school and your blog provides great insight. Thank you for sharing your homeschool life