School - Silver Spring,MD

You are a prime candidate for homeschooling, lol! This is one of the many reasons I've always homeschooled my kids, even as a single mom. I started at Kindergarten and never looked backed, and I've never once regretted it.
I suggest you begin here:
http://www.hslda.org/ Read the page "You Can Homeschool."
Then, see this:
http://www.moorefoundation.com/ The Moores pioneered the "better late than early" method, based on years of extensive research about how children develop and learn. Their approach, though is only one of many. I prefer this:
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/ and my kids are excelling with it.
You can also use a public charter school, but you have less control over what they learn and how that way.
There are a million approaches and methods to homeschool. If you investigate, you will no doubt find what would work best for your family.
Hope all goes well!
L.

2 moms found this helpful

In year round school (some districts call it a balanced school year), the number of days is the same as the traditional calendar, 180 days of school. My niece and nephew have the month of July off every year. They also have breaks throughout the year that are a week or two long. It breaks up the year so that they don't simply go to school for 9 months straight.

My sister loves it! A month off in the summer is more than enough for her kids. It does give them time to travel as a family. The kids can do a week or two of summer camps. One summer she did not sign them up for anything, and they were bored after a few days at home.

At their school during the breaks (but not the summer break) the school offers intersessions. These are optional (and I do believe there is a cost), but very helpful for families where both parents work or single parent families. It gives the kids some down time from their regular classroom experience and time to learn about something not generally taught in school. Sometimes these involve field trips, parents often lead them. My sister was a science major, and she would like to lead an intersession some time.

My sister likes it because the breaks throughout the school year help so that her kids are not so burnt out in May and June. They're ready for a break, but they aren't nearly as mentally exhausted as we were at their age. Also, the summer can be very long, too long for most kids unless you sign them up for a lot of camps. She finds it to be a nice balance.

2 moms found this helpful

Don't discount year round school. I wish we had it here! It's great for the kids and teachers, they get regular, much needed breaks without that long summer lull.
People in year round school also have the option of traveling during the off peak season, which is a great perk!
I know a lot of us (me included) have fond memories of carefree summer days, but we have to remember there were plenty of boring days in front of the TV as well :)
The homework thing is all about test scores. The teachers must teach to the test, that is how they are evaluated. I worked for three years at our local elementary school and it was so frustrating to see all the wonderful, professionally trained and experienced teachers forced to interrupt their teaching schedule to perform so many assessments and evaluations. They would rather be working in small groups, helping individual kids who need extra attention and support than getting a sub to come in for a week to basically babysit while they give and score assessments. I think you can blame "no child left behind" for that one.

2 moms found this helpful

We got fed up with all the garbage too, Sooooo - We opted for private schools.
I understand the homework situation and the need to practice / understand the materials. But the last public school my daughter was in - 4 of her classes stated that she would need anywhere between 1 - 1.5 hours a night of homework...which would mean from the time she got home until she went to bed...But for THAT many hours? Really?!
At their school now, on average, they are given about 30 min class time to work on assignments...IF they don't finish, they bring it home. There is NEVER homework on Wednesdays (most of the student body goes to Youth Group or Awanas). IF we need time off for travel, we are allowed up to 15 days a year, provided we let the school know in advance and the students come back with all their assignments completed (as though they didn't miss any class). These are days in addition to sick / appointment days. Again, a lot of our students go on Mission Trips or College Visits.
Check in your area for a private school?! There are many out there that are non-denominational (if that's what you prefer). Who knows? Maybe that's what will work for you.
PS: I totally believe in homeschooling also - Personally, I just don't think I could teach my girls to the extent that they are capable of.

1 mom found this helpful

The term "year round" is a little misleading. Most year round schools get 2-3 weeks off in October, December, March/April and then the whole month of July. I'm pretty sure you have the same number of days in school as a regular calendar. I personally would LOVE year round schools! Then we could travel to expensive places like Disney World in October, when it's a lot cheaper and less crowded. Try to just focus on the positives. I bet eventually you'll grow to love year round schools. As far as rules go, I agree with you and a lot of your posters here. My kids are supposed to be silent (or at least VERY quiet) during lunch and I think that's crazy. They need that 30 minute break to chit chat with friends so that they can be quiet and pay attention when the teacher is teaching them! Oh well. No one asked me!

1 mom found this helpful

We are not in year round school, but from what I understand the theory is that kids are losing ground over the summer, and then spending the first months of the new school year reviewing last year's material. And while some families are able to take vacations and do day camps during summer there are many others who cannot and their kids end up just vegging. You should take a look at the school schedule too- while it may be year round, they are likely to have longer breaks at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other times of the year.
Hopefully you can find a good fit for you and yours.

1 mom found this helpful

No, year round school is pretty much the opposite of summer school. Instead of cramming in a certain amount of information into a few months, they spread it out over a year. I would rather them go to school in a normal school year and have summers off!

1 mom found this helpful

your childs school cant keep you from traveling with your child when school is out, any more then they can sit in your living room and tell you what the child can eat. rules on school grounds are one thing.. i dont have a problem with that as long as joe football is held to the same standards of conduct that the average student is. if joe football isnt going to be held to the same standards, i want to know why..NOW.more later, toddler
K. h.

I agree with you, it is frustrating and honestly, they are no better off being academic and missing out on the social, physical, emotional and the other "als" of life!

One of the benefits of year round school is you can travel when other kids are in school and it is less crowded. You still get the same amount of time off you just have longer breaks throughout the year. Also, studies show children retain more in year round school because the break aren't as long. Good luck to you!!

with year round school you can travel year round and cheaper usually sense most places are more expensive in the summer. they have i think 4 breaks that consist of at least 3 weeks each i believe. so one is spring break the other is winter break and then one at the end of october i think it was. then of course summer and its a tad shorter than the normal you are used to. so the same number of days per school year but with mini breaks. and if you look it up there is a chart on how many hours of homework a child should have per night per grade level. make sure that your child doesnt go over this time frame and if she still isnt done send in a note explaining why (because the teacher gave too much for her to complete in the proper amount of time). although i'd make sure it wasnt due to lack of concentration and goofing off. and if she's just plain not getting it then she needs to ask teacher or you if you can to help explain it better.

The rule at my kids school that I HATE is the no talking during lunch! Seriously, they are forced to sit there and swollow down their food in 15 min and not say a word. At lunch! RIDICULOUS!

It sounds like it's time to consider homeschooling or private school if there's anything in the budget for it. Seems like if you can afford to travel, you can afford a better alternative for your child's education.

I think the schools are doing their best to try and keep thing safe and productive. Every problem they encounter more than a few times turns into a new rule. It's the same in the licensing and regulation of daycare. Any problem what-so-ever turns into a new rule and often they are dumb rules. I know it's the same in the animal breeding industry too. Because some people mistreat animals, they are regulating the business to the point of ridiculous. I can only imagine how many other fields that this over regulation and over ruling to death is hitting.

I see people putting their kids into so many activities they don't have a life and I totally agree with you. There shouldn't be very much homework, if any at all. There's no reason that they can't hammer enough info into their brains in 6 hours per day!

I have a girlfriend in South Caroline who has 3 kids but only 1 goes to school year round. I think it is easier on some parents not to have to arrange for day camps for 2+ months in the summer. But I am sooo glad we do not do that here. My kids are worn out come end May and June that they actually start paying less attention. They are on that home stretch to summer vacation. And while I continue to work part time now that they are 11 and 14, they sleep late, play games, eat 2 meals a day, have sleep overs or vacations with friends, and basically have that lazy summer I remember from my youth. By end of summer they are getting sick of each other and looking forward to seeing friends every day again.
Can you see if there are other schools that have the normal school year calender?

I have to agree with Lisa S. You have the perfect recipe for home schooling. I am in Mont. County and I took my child out 2 yrs. ago and both of us are happier for it. There are over 900 families home schooling in the Balt. D.C. area in all different ways shapes and forms. I know people that do this well who work full time and those who work part time. There are plenty of sports, arts, social activities and groups that you can join. Kids can do distance learning as well.
Feel free to contact me if you have any thoughts or questions about this path.