Such good help! Thanks all! grin grin grin

Originally Posted by EandCmom
But if you considered how much you would be saving by not doing the GT school, maybe you could feel more justified in getting a babysitter more often?

Good point! Yes, I am already getting a sitter more often than I was a few weeks ago when I was stressed out, and I am MUCH happier. I even got time to work on the book this week, so I feel more together about the whole HSing thing. Why, oh why, didn't I think of having more than one sitter before? Now even if one is sick or busy, I get time with the other. SOOOOO sensible!

This sitter arrangement would continue next year, and is the biggest reason why HSing full-time is seeming appealing now, where it did not seem like a great idea a couple of months ago.

Originally Posted by Lorel
While in theory the half and half is appealing, in practice, it is very difficult, at least for the (few) families I know who have tried it.
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Can you pay for just one month or one quarter?

What does DS think about the school?


I worry about the "neither/nor" aspect of it. We'll miss out on a lot of fun HS stuff because DS6 is in school, but we won't be 100% part of the school.

There is a 30-day pull-out clause, so if he's not happy in the first 30 days, we can part ways without further cost. But I'm not sure 30 days is really enough time for him to settle in and tell much. He's the sort of kid who adapts slowly. I don't think we can count on getting enough info in 30 days to make a good decision. And having started HSing late this year, I don't love semi-planning to start late next year, as well as potentially burning bridges at a school that might not be right for DS6 now, but may be his best option for 7th grade+.

Oh, and DS6 doesn't love the school, though he seemed to have some fun while he was there. I wouldn't say it's ideal for him. My worry is that it would be close-enough-to-good that he would learn to underachieve, but not so bad a fit that he would act out and show us that he needed more.

Originally Posted by Cathy A
Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? And if it doesn't work out you can use full-time HS as a plan B.

Thanks for this, Cathy. I appreciate your perspective here, and it made me think hard, because it doesn't sit right for me, and I had to figure out why not. Imagining taking your advice and "trying it on" was a good exercise, because it felt wrong to me, though I'm not really sure I can articulate why. I think your comment hit me in my "rampant emotionalism" ( wink ), and got me past the overthinking. If it feels wrong, it might be wrong. Useful!

Originally Posted by kimck
I think the only 6 kids in the class can be difficult? You know they will be highly GT, right?

No. The IQ cut-off is 130, so it's not necessarily an HG+ group. I know one of the boys has some behavioral problems, and having seen him "in action," I doubt he's likely to be a good match for my rule-oriented DS6. 3 of the kids are girls, and while DS is not a girl-hater, they're not usually the best match friend-wise with his interest in Transformers and vehicles. That means that the pool for serious friendships in the school is probably down to 2 boys. Not great odds there...

HSing has much more unlimited friendship potential, assuming I'm willing to put out the effort to get him with kids. I can name at least 4 boys off the top of my head whom I know he likes and who would be available for playdates, and there are lots of other potenials in the HS group that we haven't made the effort with yet...but he wouldn't see them as often as he'd get to see the kids at the school. So is once a week playdates with more choices for friends a better pick, or is 3 days a week with only 2 possibilities for friends better?

I must admit, I'm leaning toward HSing there.

Originally Posted by kimck
Is there any way you could lay down the law on getting help to make homeschooling work?
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Are there any GT homeschooling groups around that might be good additional resources for activities and/or playdates?

I think that if I teach DS6 every afternoon when DS3 is in preschool, it will be pretty painless. This year, our easiest and most productive days are easily W-F, when DS3 is in preschool. If I get 3-4 mornings per week to myself next year to write and/or run errands, then I can be happy with that.

Actually, the place I hope to double up is not the teaching, but the social time/babysitter time. If I can have the sitter take the kids to something social or keep an eye on a playdate (even if I stay in the house to write in order to enable this scenario), that would be great! Then the kids get to be social and I don't have to manage it.

I don't know of any GT HS groups. He has two GT friends, with potential for another couple if we can arrange some driving to cultivate them. There's one GT group that's possibly forming, but if it happens it will be pretty far away. I'm not sure it's worth it. There are a number of GT kids in the HS group I'm a part of, but I don't know if they're vanilla GT or HG+ or what. To tell you the truth, I'm hoping that once I get access to the DYS website, maybe we'll find someone nearby! I hope, I hope...

Originally Posted by OHGrandma
Your cons jump out at me.
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You are worried you are not giving DS3 enough time, will sending DS6 to school give you more time with DS3, or will it just cut back on time with DS6 and relieve guilt for not being 'fair'?

OHG, your post rang a lot of bells with me! I think you're right that the cons are the key. The pros are too wishy-washy. The cons are a known quantity. Least-worst option, right?

I think you are also right about the guilt factor re: DS3, though I hadn't realized that might be what was going on (and why school didn't seem to sit quite right with me) until I read your post. I had a bit of an "aha" moment, so I think you hit on something there. Hmmm... Nice head-shrinking! Is our time almost up? Do I pay you by the hour for that good work? laugh

Originally Posted by OHGrandma
You enjoy homeschooling, your DS6 is doing well with it and wants to continue. I think your major concerns are getting enough time for yourself and with DS3. What about a home daycare provider for both boys half days, several days/week, so you can get free time, and DS3 continue preschool another year half days?

This is pretty much the solution we've worked out with the sitters, and it does seem to make the most sense.

DH and I just talked about our options, and between the conversation here and the talk with him, I think HSing full-time is seeming to be the logical choice. I'm still nervous, mainly because this was not an easy year for me, so choosing to try HSing again is a little scary. But I KNOW I have a much better idea about what our/his needs are and what our/my limits are than I had this year. I was utterly unprepared at the start of this year--it was truly emergency HSing!--but I won't be unprepared at the start of next year. I have lots of time to plan. We can arrange weekly standing playdates at the start of the year so that the friendship question is not so daunting.

I'm babbling now, but basically I think we've made the decision to HS full-time, and I think it's the right choice.

Thank you!!! laugh laugh laugh laugh

Thanks for all the input and thought-provoking questions. The comments helped SO MUCH!


Kriston