TX Home Schooling

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AggieKatie2
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7:54a, 2/25/25
AG
No real good board for this topic.

I've been talking with my spouse about potentially homeschooling our 5th grade kiddo starting next year.

She's been attending a charter school since Kindergarten.

She performs adequately on state testing, but I have longer term concerns about her success. (Academically and as a person)

I like the idea of being able to teach her to mastery on a subject and not at the speed of lowest common dominator in class.

She does competitive gymnastics, so she gets 3-4 hours of athletic and social interaction 4 days a week.

Anyone have insight with homeschooling? Pros/Cons?
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AggielandPoultry
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7:56a, 2/25/25
AG
Best decision we ever made. 100%
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Jeeper79
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7:58a, 2/25/25
AG
My older kid's best friend is home schooled. She's mostly unplugged from other kids even though she's around them all the time for extracurriculars.

Do you at least have a church youth group that she's closely tied into?

ETA They're exploring putting her back into a regular school - probably private.
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Phatbob
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7:59a, 2/25/25
AG
Best thing you can do for your kid if you have the patience and the ability to do it.
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akm91
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In reply to AggieKatie2 • 8:01a, 2/25/25
AG
Quote:
I like the idea of being able to teach her to mastery on a subject and not at the speed of lowest common dominator in class.
The charter school doesn't provide differentiated curriculum?
"And liberals, being liberals, will double down on failure." - dedgod
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evestor1
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8:02a, 2/25/25
I have heard of many folks that do school via gymnastics. is that a real thing?



School had been PERFECT for us until 5th grade. The school we are in split the GT program kids into equal parts of each class ... and there is almost no time during any day that my kid is learning.

We were unsure if it was the age level where puberty starts or if it was the classes being shuffled from previous years. Recently, we had the exact same conversations about homeschooling.

In my area, it is very common for mormons to take kids out of public school at 6th grade and return them to public school in 9th. Maybe we are finding out why.
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coolerguy12
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8:02a, 2/25/25
AG
We started this year and love it. My wife said it's the best kept secret. Our daughter did 2 years in public school and didn't thrive. Now there is no stress getting on the bus and getting lunches made. Don't have to deal with all the stupid parties and events outside of school hours. Vacation while others are in school. It's fantastic
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AggieKatie2
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In reply to akm91 • 8:02a, 2/25/25
AG
akm91 said:
Quote:
I like the idea of being able to teach her to mastery on a subject and not at the speed of lowest common dominator in class.
The charter school doesn't provide differentiated curriculum?


She does GT, but it's mostly a special project every month or 2 it seems.
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aTmAg
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8:03a, 2/25/25
AG
I can hook you up with mathematics teaching supplies.
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Im Gipper
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8:04a, 2/25/25
I have no advice or tips to give, but applaud your decision!

Best of luck to you and your daughter! I have no doubt she will thrive!

I'm Gipper
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akm91
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In reply to AggieKatie2 • 8:07a, 2/25/25
AG
Oh that's interesting. Some charter schools operate more like high schools where you attend classes at your level not at your grade.
"And liberals, being liberals, will double down on failure." - dedgod
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AggieKatie2
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In reply to evestor1 • 8:09a, 2/25/25
AG
evestor1 said:
I have heard of many folks that do school via gymnastics. is that a real thing?



School had been PERFECT for us until 5th grade. The school we are in split the GT program kids into equal parts of each class ... and there is almost no time during any day that my kid is learning.

We were unsure if it was the age level where puberty starts or if it was the classes being shuffled from previous years. Recently, we had the exact same conversations about homeschooling.

In my area, it is very common for mormons to take kids out of public school at 6th grade and return them to public school in 9th. Maybe we are finding out why.


I think it's a good bit stressful right now for current setup with us.

Up at 630
School by 745
School til 4
Gymnastics 4-8/830 (MTTrF)
Eat/Relax for hour
Bed by 930

We don't get a ton of time with her during week and on weekends we are usually all exhausted and time isn't always quality (if no gym meets)
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Martin Q. Blank
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8:09a, 2/25/25
Who is going to be teaching her? Biggest concern with transitioning to home schooling is discipline to actually do the work.

How does your daughter feel about it? That age she has developed "best friends" that she will not see every day anymore.
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AggieKatie2
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In reply to Martin Q. Blank • 8:12a, 2/25/25
AG
Martin Q. Blank said:
Who is going to be teaching her? Biggest concern with transitioning to home schooling is discipline to actually do the work.

How does your daughter feel about it? That age she has developed "best friends" that she will not see every day anymore.


It's likely to be me. I have a bit of flexibility with schedule.

Definitely agree DISCIPLINE is my concern number one for all parties involved.

My daughter LOVES the idea at the moment and is begging me to do it, but I also think it's a "grass is greener" thing with her. She comments she doesn't have friends in her class, but from what I see I think that's preteen angst.

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Kunkle for Congress TX-34
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8:14a, 2/25/25
Do It 100%
"Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself."
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AggieKatie2
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8:16a, 2/25/25
AG
Thinking a test run over the summer months with a program and schedule may be the best way to feel things out.
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Jeeper79
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In reply to AggieKatie2 • 8:21a, 2/25/25
AG
AggieKatie2 said:
evestor1 said:
I have heard of many folks that do school via gymnastics. is that a real thing?



School had been PERFECT for us until 5th grade. The school we are in split the GT program kids into equal parts of each class ... and there is almost no time during any day that my kid is learning.

We were unsure if it was the age level where puberty starts or if it was the classes being shuffled from previous years. Recently, we had the exact same conversations about homeschooling.

In my area, it is very common for mormons to take kids out of public school at 6th grade and return them to public school in 9th. Maybe we are finding out why.


I think it's a good bit stressful right now for current setup with us.

Up at 630
School by 745
School til 4
Gymnastics 4-8/830 (MTTrF)
Eat/Relax for hour
Bed by 930

We don't get a ton of time with her during week and on weekends we are usually all exhausted and time isn't always quality (if no gym meets)
This sounds a lot like my daughter's friend that I mentioned. You've got more extracurriculars than her, but she's still got 2-3 hours per day. They've never said it explicitly but I think one of the biggest reasons they went with home school was to make it easier to do the extracurriculars.

It's tricky. Most careers don't require such an early head start in life. You can just go take a certain major in college and go do that career.

But especially with sports and performing arts (dance, music, acting, etc.), you mostly have to start training early and be near pro level by the time you graduate high school. And if you're not pro level by the time you graduate college, your whole career in that field evaporates instantly before it even starts.
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BCO07
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8:21a, 2/25/25
AG
We pulled our kids out 2 years ago and will likely not be going back. My kids (7th, 5th and 3rd) are all objectively high achievers and school was just baby sitting. They would give the kids a practice staar in August and my 2 older ones (younger wasn't in a testing grade yet) would master so they would just get ignored the rest of the year while being exposed to who knows what. In my career I work with lots of school aged kids from all demographics/ses and I can tell you for certain I don't want them to be "normal." they are happier and being pushed academically. What hit me hard about 6 months into it was my kids finally started playing and acting like kids again. The push to be cool messes kids up big time.
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Martin Q. Blank
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In reply to AggieKatie2 • 8:22a, 2/25/25
AggieKatie2 said:
Martin Q. Blank said:
Who is going to be teaching her? Biggest concern with transitioning to home schooling is discipline to actually do the work.

How does your daughter feel about it? That age she has developed "best friends" that she will not see every day anymore.
It's likely to be me. I have a bit of flexibility with schedule.

Definitely agree DISCIPLINE is my concern number one for all parties involved.

My daughter LOVES the idea at the moment and is begging me to do it, but I also think it's a "grass is greener" thing with her. She comments she doesn't have friends in her class, but from what I see I think that's preteen angst.
The work on your shoulders is double hers. Because you have to research what content you want to use (daunting in itself), learn it, develop a lesson plan, and THEN sit down and teach it. It can be overwhelming and does require discipline. She may only sit down with you from 9a - 3p, but you're researching, grading, and preparing for the next day is on you. People can easily slip into only teaching what's easy or "important" instead of a well rounded education.

Maybe try it this summer and see how it goes for both of you. Definitely join a co-op. Or look into "hybrid" home schools which is essentially a 1/2 price private school. They provide the lesson plan and materials and teach her 2-3 days a week and you do the other days at home.
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Jeeper79
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In reply to AggieKatie2 • 8:23a, 2/25/25
AG
AggieKatie2 said:
Martin Q. Blank said:
Who is going to be teaching her? Biggest concern with transitioning to home schooling is discipline to actually do the work.

How does your daughter feel about it? That age she has developed "best friends" that she will not see every day anymore.


It's likely to be me. I have a bit of flexibility with schedule.

Definitely agree DISCIPLINE is my concern number one for all parties involved.

My daughter LOVES the idea at the moment and is begging me to do it, but I also think it's a "grass is greener" thing with her. She comments she doesn't have friends in her class, but from what I see I think that's preteen angst.

Ive never home schooled, but if your kid is ADHD or neurodivergent, I'd think long and hard before removing them from a structured environment. If they're none of that then disregard.
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MasonB
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8:23a, 2/25/25
AG
You'll get plenty of critics. Mostly from people whose concept of homeschooling is 20 years old. The rest from people tied in with the public school system, despite them often being the biggest critics of public schools.

I never tell anyone it's a no brainer. Everyone's situation is different.

But the freedom, resources, and ability to customize and adapt are tough to beat.

We make use of a local coop one day a week and have been big fans of it.

We also incorporate a lot of "adventures" - field trips to see how things are done in the real world. That has been huge for us as it lets my son see the value of what he is learning and how it gets applied. It also fuels his natural curiosity.

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Teslag
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8:24a, 2/25/25
AG
I can't imagine not having the daily social circle I had every day growing up in school. Academics is important but there's also a social element to school that's hard to replicate on a daily basis.
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Jt1220
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8:28a, 2/25/25
Highly recommend. Homeschooling has come a long way over the last 10-15 years….it's no longer mom teaching kids at home on the prairie in isolation. There are tremendous resources available to help build structure/discipline, ensure your kids receive a distinctive education, and get exposure to develop socially. Classical Conversations is a great example…if you plug in with them they can get you connected to folks in your area and help with curriculum, schedules, extra curriculars, etc. CC is a national organization and their leadership is very supportive.

I would also look at university model classical schools. Kids go 2-3 days a week and parents teach at home the other days. Still get the exposure to traditional class structure with all the benefits of homeschooling as well. If you search society of classical learning you can use their search feature to find a local school. There are other accrediting organizations as well that can help you find a school but SCL is a great start.

Hope this helps.
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Ag In Ok
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8:28a, 2/25/25
AG
Daughter homeschooled now in college and son is about to do the same.

It takes both parents
Our program has a heavy, heavy emphasis on literature. For example when they studied physics they were reading The Bomb and other similar books. We really love that they had an education in sync.
Homeschool coops for the lab stuff like chemistry and biology that can get expensive.
They finish school on half the time each day, more time to delve into what interests them which is very good
Like others have said, pace is determined by uptake and interests.
They are active volunteers at food pantries and resale stores for the needy. They got to see a much better range of the community than just those their age and *ability*
Be patient with you and your spouse relearning what you forgot in high school. And brush up on your polynomials.
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MasonB
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8:29a, 2/25/25
AG
Quote:
Ive never home schooled, but if your kid is ADHD or neurodivergent, I'd think long and hard before removing them from a structured environment. If they're none of that then disregard.


My son is level 2 autism and has an ADHD diagnosis, too. In a public school he had more structure, but it was structure based on group needs, not his.

Homeschool - we can take breaks when he needs, we spend less time on things he has mastered and spend more time on things that call for it.

I can push his bounds when needed and I can protect him when needed.

Everyone's situation is different, but for us homeschooling him has been a huge positive
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flashplayer
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In reply to evestor1 • 8:30a, 2/25/25
AG
evestor1 said:
I have heard of many folks that do school via gymnastics. is that a real thing?



School had been PERFECT for us until 5th grade. The school we are in split the GT program kids into equal parts of each class ... and there is almost no time during any day that my kid is learning.

We were unsure if it was the age level where puberty starts or if it was the classes being shuffled from previous years. Recently, we had the exact same conversations about homeschooling.

In my area, it is very common for mormons to take kids out of public school at 6th grade and return them to public school in 9th. Maybe we are finding out why.


Yes, this is a thing. We have some friends who have a daughter in competitive gymnastics with a goal to make it into college on a gymnastics scholarship. Their daughter homeschools along with many of the other girls at their gym.
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BCO07
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In reply to Teslag • 8:34a, 2/25/25
AG
School socialization is not consistent with real life. At what point are you locked up with 20-30 people for 8 hours with the only thing in common being your age as an adult? My experience with current generation home school kids is that they are far more articulate and able to interact than their peers in school. The standard school kid cannot look you in the eye and have a conversation, whereas homeschool kids are seem to be much more comfortable interacting with adults and kids of a wide range of ages. My kids still have a group of friends that they hang out with regularly outside of school no different than when I was a kid
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wreckncrew
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8:35a, 2/25/25
AG
We have been homeschooling for over 11 years, and we have 4 kids. All four are currently doing CC. I'll try and be as concise as I can because we are in the middle of it we 4 different kids, with different personalities and different ways of learning.

To start, I will say that this was the best thing we could have done. There is no one that will care more for your kids education than you. We know our kids individually, and we know how they learn.

Was it easy / has it been easy? Nope, not in the slightest. It would be so much easier to drop off the kids at school, do some homework at night then off to bed. With the responsibility of teaching our kids, it isn't easy. This isn't an easy life because you will have bad days. You will see their frustration and they will be verbal about it. There are lots of tears. There are lots if discussions. There are lots of doors slamming.

But, we wouldn't have it any other way because it is those moments when they do figure it out that makes it worth while. It's the time my wife gets to spend with them and have some very in depth conversations about life that makes it worth it.

My daughter is about to graduate and there were some straight up battles between the ages of 13-16. But just the other day, my daughter told my wife "mom, thank you for being my teacher. I see now why you did it." She is one of the most amazing kids I have known. I have no worries about her going off and doing anything because she will be a life long learner. There's nothing she won't be able to do because of the character, hard work, integrity, heart, and love she has. I couldn't be more proud.

I could go on but here are my pros and cons

Cons: it's hard, there are long days, their education is on you and your kids, you do deal with their worst days, household work on top of homeschooling

Pros: you spend those most formidable years with your kids, the conversations, time with your kids you can't measure, you are there for the light bulb, there's no greater love than that of someone who gives of themselves for their kids, when they recognize what you have given up for them,

I really could go on and on, but you are making the right choice. Don't give up. Some days will be hard but remember it will be worth it.
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Teslag
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In reply to BCO07 • 8:38a, 2/25/25
AG
Quote:
School socialization is not consistent with real life. At what point are you locked up with 20-30 people for 8 hours with the only thing in common being your age as an adult?


You think age is the only common factor among social circles in high school?

Quote:
The standard school kid cannot look you in the eye and have a conversation, whereas homeschool kids are seem to be much more comfortable interacting with adults and kids of a wide range of ages.


I don't find this true at all. And I'm probably around more 18 to 23 year olds from diverse backgrounds than anyone here.
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flashplayer
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In reply to AggieKatie2 • 8:39a, 2/25/25
AG
There's not much harm to be done in trying it, that I can tell you with confidence. Many of our friends home school and we have done it on and off with our kids with a good deal of success. Find people in your area that homeschool and have similar values and interests as your family. There will be a group of them unless you are really out in BFE nowhere. Ask them what has worked well and what they are willing to collaborate with you on if that's something you're interested in. Most projects that homeschool are happy to share their methods and resources. I'd be shocked if some of her gym friends are not homeschooling - probably the place to start.
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schwabbin
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8:40a, 2/25/25
AG
Home schooling sounds very isolating to me. I enjoyed public school as a kid and you meet people from all walks of life.
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Tanya 93
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8:41a, 2/25/25
I think a big problem will be actually teaching the GT.
It isn't just going up a grade, but an entirely different curriculum. That is what the Demon Spawn has for his AP classes this year.

Everyone thinks their kids need GT, but I couldn't even get an IEP for it. We literally had to wait until it was obvious what he needed.

Flexibility is not useful. You need to be there full time for it and then deal with the rants when she wants to go back to her friends because her classes aren't necessarily teaching her but just doing a different grade level.


Good luck
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fightingfarmer09
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In reply to AggieKatie2 • 8:41a, 2/25/25
AggieKatie2 said:
evestor1 said:
I have heard of many folks that do school via gymnastics. is that a real thing?



School had been PERFECT for us until 5th grade. The school we are in split the GT program kids into equal parts of each class ... and there is almost no time during any day that my kid is learning.

We were unsure if it was the age level where puberty starts or if it was the classes being shuffled from previous years. Recently, we had the exact same conversations about homeschooling.

In my area, it is very common for mormons to take kids out of public school at 6th grade and return them to public school in 9th. Maybe we are finding out why.


I think it's a good bit stressful right now for current setup with us.

Up at 630
School by 745
School til 4
Gymnastics 4-8/830 (MTTrF)
Eat/Relax for hour
Bed by 930

We don't get a ton of time with her during week and on weekends we are usually all exhausted and time isn't always quality (if no gym meets)


Disclaimer: my wife teaches at a public high school and we are blessed to be in a great rural ISD.

Been around a lot of select and elite baseball and soccer kids and parents in my life. If you are concerned about your kids schooling and having no time with her there is one place I would start, but you probably won't like it.

And you think becoming your kids teacher in your "flexible" time will make things less stressful?
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4the_Record
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8:41a, 2/25/25
We homeschooled all three of our children using the "Classical Conversation" community model.
I wouldn't change a thing and, more telling, neither would they.

Our oldest graduated from A&M
Our middle child decided to go into the trades and is a welder and will be working towards being a diesel mechanic.
Our youngest graduated from CC last year and is enrolled in Berry College in Georgia. She received significant scholarship assistance as it is somewhat expensive.

The two boys played Football through their high school years with the Wilco Falcons.
They all had access to Homecoming events, Proms and tons of social activities.

Beyond the academic and social success though, They remained true to their values and our family remains close. The older two are married, actively involved in their local churches and looking for ways to help their communities.

I'd be happy to give you more information about Classical Conversations if you like or you can look them up as they have community campus across the nation and overseas.

How ever you choose to Home School, I believe it was absolutely the best choice for our family.

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flashplayer
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In reply to schwabbin • 8:42a, 2/25/25
AG
schwabbin said:
Home schooling sounds very isolating to me. I enjoyed public school as a kid and you meet people from all walks of life.


Guarantee you my homeschool kids met more people in public than you ever did at public schools. And they get mature adult interaction, not the genpop prison population of public schools.

Edit to say I have taught in public schools very recently so I have perspective on both sides.
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