I enrolled DD in 8th grade in PS today

[RoughCollie]

The school is huge and like a maze. The schedule is on a 6-day rotation. The lunch hour is 5th period, but whether it is 1st, 2nd or 3rd lunch varies according to the day. The building smells musty.

The school does not need or want parent volunteers, except maybe for school dances.

I wonder what they expect. Do they think parents are to provide food, clothing, and shelter, and they will do the parenting otherwise? Apparently they expect me to drop my DD off and pick her up after school, and butt out otherwise. (I will drive DD because the school bus costs $580 a year.)

I asked which curricula they use and they couldn't (wouldn't) tell me, saying they didn't remember. I asked this with the guidance counselor, principal, school secretary, and one of the 8th grade teachers sitting right there! I am going to call the superintendent and find out exactly what the curricula is for each subject.

My DD has to go to a regular school. She hates homeschool. I think it is because she is an extrovert and is not happy unless she is around lots of people, especially kids her age.

Last year we sent her to a parochial school, but we can't afford to pay for it this year.

Our school system is a good one. I'm just so nervous sending my DD to public school. The parochial school had 36 students in its middle school, and the PS has 200 in 8th grade alone.

I am so anxious about this. I am worried about indoctrination, bullying, cliques, sex, drugs, alcohol, bombs, school shootings ... you name it, I'm worried about it. Tell me it will be okay.

(OTOH, I went over to the high school today and talked to the principal and looked around, preparatory to enrolling one DS in 9th grade next week. I didn't have anxiety over it. We have a beautiful brand new high school -- could my anxiety over the middle school be building-related?)

Wringing her hands,
RC

[Jennifer3141]

I'm so sorry for your anxieties. :grouphug:
But I still think that with good parenting (and your kids obviously have that!) that your kids will be great in PS.

Jen

[Elaine]

:grouphug: Rough Collie :grouphug:

I am so sorry, you poor thing. It will be OK. I wish I had some comforting words for you.

[keroro]

I think it is perfectly natural for you to be experiencing anxiety. You obviously care a great deal about your children's education. In time that anxiety will dissipate. I am sure your kids will be fine.

[betty]

If you are set on needing to send your dd to the ps, then I'm not sure how it will help you to know the curriculum before your dd brings home the books next week. You won't be able to change it.

However, you may be able to go to your school systems website and find it. I just enrolled my ds in high school. I have to search, but I can find all the approved texts for his subjects on the school systems website. Some classes have 3 approved texts. I suspect there is a tiny bit of flexibility for each school to choose among the 3 texts. I found this last year, because I knew I'd be enrolling ds this year and wanted to make sure his math lined up with the texts he would get this year.

It's my understanding that there isn't a lot of volunteering at the secondary level. However, if you really want to find something wait until after school starts. You may stumble onto something. If you can get involved in the PTA, they have projects that sometimes put you in the building during the school day--if that's what you are after. Or there may be a job like helping the librarian reshelve books or answering the phone in the front office.

Everything will probably go just fine for your dd. 200 isn't such a bad size. my ds's entering class at the high school is 500. The kids will be divided into groups by themselves and by the school. Kids tend to get to know the kids in their own classes first and often they stay in those groups somewhat based on similar interests. In other words students in honors classes don't tend to hang out with students in the vo-tech track. So, really, there may be 200 kids in 8th grade but your dd may only be interacting with 50.

Good luck!

[Julie in Austin]

"I asked which curricula they use and they couldn't (wouldn't) tell me, saying they didn't remember."

I realize that from a homeschooler's perspective, this sounds as if they are completely incompetent, but I've taught in public schools and it may not be as bad as it sounds.

First, the textbooks were probably selected on a district level. The teachers didn't pick them--they just showed up one day and the teachers (sometimes) have no say in the matter. So they tend not to be aware of the name of the publisher.

Second, not all teachers have "a curriculum." When I taught speech and theater, I was on my own and just found things I liked and taught them. Truth be told, I did the same thing for English even as a student teacher.

[Chris in CA]

:grouphug:

[RoughCollie]

I want to know the curricula they use so I can purchase a set of used textbooks to keep here at home.

They definitely use curricula -- this is an exam-driven school and the district is just our small town.

The website has no information, just the same old blank web page it has had for years.

Thank you for your reassurances.

RC

[LizzyBee]

I asked which curricula they use and they couldn't (wouldn't) tell me, saying they didn't remember. I asked this with the guidance counselor, principal, school secretary, and one of the 8th grade teachers sitting right there!
RC

I wouldn't like that either. At my dd's high school, they have an open house twice a year where the curriculum is set out on tables for everyone to look at. The teachers are glad to answer questions and they encourage parents to email them with any questions or concerns.

[Amy in Orlando]

:grouphug::grouphug:RC :grouphug::grouphug:

[Diana in OR]

I would encourage you to get to know your dd's teachers if you can. When my ds took choir and played football in middle school I had a hard time dealing with the administration. Ime,if you can get past them, the teachers are usually great.

[Doran]

I am so anxious about this. I am worried about indoctrination, bullying, cliques, sex, drugs, alcohol, bombs, school shootings ... you name it, I'm worried about it. Tell me it will be okay.

(OTOH, I went over to the high school today and talked to the principal and looked around, preparatory to enrolling one DS in 9th grade next week. I didn't have anxiety over it. We have a beautiful brand new high school -- could my anxiety over the middle school be building-related?)

Wringing her hands,
RC


Having just enrolled my two in public school also (interestingly, we too have homeschooled for eight years!), I completely understand your worries. While mine are not over all the same things, I am very anxious about this transition. Others here at WTM have wisely suggested that the worry is worse than the real deal. So, I'll pass that along to you. Try to breathe deeply. Try to sleep (better than I am, I hope! :001_rolleyes:). Try to remember that everything you've done for the past eight years can't be undone in the first week of school, and that you have time to find the answers to some of your questions. Try to remain positive, just as you would for a homeschooling challenge. Hopefully, we'll both find creative ways to be involved (one mother told me field trips were the best option for taking part in the activities of older children in school). Remember that you're doing this for reasons that you've thought through quite carefully, but you already know how to do the alternative. So, if this year (or semester, or whatever you give it) doesn't work out, you can go back to what you know.

Wanna know one of my worries -- one I can do nothing about? My oldest dd's lunch is scheduled for 10:32 am! How crazy is that?! :willy_nilly: We're calling it second breakfast!

[RoughCollie]

I know what you mean. I wonder why some school systems today can't get seem to get a handle on scheduling. In my day, we ate lunch at the regular lunch hour, had classes in a 5-day rotation instead of a 6-day or 7-day one, wore gym uniforms and showered after PE, started school later than 7:30 a.m., got out of school at 3:30 p.m. instead of 1:30 or 2, did not have to pay a $580 bus fee for the privilege of riding the school bus, and did not have to pay a $150 activity fee to join the chess club (or any other club) after school.

I don't like these things, and I especially don't like it when the people in charge cannot tell me the reasons that supposedly back up why they do things. I absolutely hate it when the folks in charge just stare at me when I ask a question and do not answer me. I wonder why these folks are struck dumb. I figure maybe they are dumb.



Wanna know one of my worries -- one I can do nothing about? My oldest dd's lunch is scheduled for 10:32 am! How crazy is that?! :willy_nilly: We're calling it second breakfast!

[valkett]

Hi,

If the school is unable to show you their curriculum, someone at the Board of Ed should be able to. As a parent, you have a right to see what they're using. Our Board of Ed has a specialist for each subject area. I would consider calling them.

Middle School is hard - the definitely don't seem to want the parents in as much as elementary. Having said that, I bet if you spoke directly with the principal or reading specialist for the school and said that you would be willing to read with students that are struggling, you would be able to volunteer (I'm sure there are some state tests they're being pressured to pass). Talk to some other parents and see what they've been able to do.

I've been able to volunteer much more at my son's high school than I have at my other guys' middle school - but there are some inroads to be had in middle school.

Best of luck with this year.

Valerie