Hi everyone,
We have decided to take the homeschool route after being in APS family school and are interested seeing if there are any homeschoolers in our area. We have 2 sons, an eight year old and a twelve year old. We would love to hear from you.
Thanks,
Marlene

Hi Marlene,

I also attended family school last year and decided to homeschool my two boys (Alex 9 and Michael 7) this year. I have a feeling we've met.  I have found some groups and activities that have boys within the age span of your boys.  Please let me know if you are interested my personal email is voulapross@yahoo.com.  

Voula

Welcome Marlene,
We are here in Ventana Ranch and we homeschool after being in the APS system as well.  Our oldest is still in APS but is a senior and very happy there.  Our two at home with us are a 6 1/2 year old girl and a 4 year old boy. Let me know if you need anything.  I'd be happy to lend an ear.

Amy

Katy 17, Mari 6 and Michael 4

We also did Family School last year and are glad to be doing it on our own this year.  I used to live in Paradise Hills, but we are now enjoying being in the Midtown Albuquerque area.  Welcome to the board.

Hello ex- Family schoolers...... I hope it is ok if I ask why you decided to opt out of the program? I have a Homeschooled 11th grader who has been wanting to go back to school her senior year. We are thinking of the family school option, or private school for her when we get to New Mexico. Also, are you allowed to choose what theyt ake ins chool and what you teach at home? My other 3 children will continue to be Homeschooled.

Thanks for any advice.
Tina

Personally, I found it to be twice the work with half the benefits.  Yes, the child spends half the time in public school, but by my experience I found that the homeschooling time was filled with the homework sent home by the teacher.  There was not the benefit of having the control since the teacher dictated what should be done and when.  I always seemed to feel that we were barely keeping our heads above water so to speak.  The expectations at time seemed unreasonable and looking back at this point, I realize that my daughter made little to no improvement over the last year.  Everything I have looked at shows her at the same level at the end of the school year that she was at when she started last year.  In many respects, I feel that family school actually set her back some.  The teacher was so concerned with moving into the next concept, like in math  that she did not work with my daughter  to master the neccessafy underlying concepts.

For us, what it all boiled down to was public school with tons of homework.  We are already enjoying this year so much more and already seeing some improvements.  If nothing else, my daughter is enjoying "school" and does not dread the work.  She is looking forward to furthering her education without a teacher breathing down her neck.  Things are much more relaxed around our house and believe it or not, we seem to have more time in our day compared to last year in Family School.

This is just my veiw on our experience in Family School and I know that there are many on the other side that find it to be the best option for their family.  Every family has to find what works best for them and in our case that is not family school.

Just FYI... As far as I know there is not a family school program for your child's grade level.  I know that there are many alternative options for that age, but the only family school that I am aware of is only for K - 8.  After that students would enroll in a public high school, charter school or homeschool esclusively.

Hope this helps.  Best wishes to you no matter what you decide.

Tina, there is a charter school in Albq that allows for a lot of independent work.  It is very computer based.  The school is Southwest Secondary Learning Center, and it is in the NE Heights.  I've heard very good things about this program.

Here is their website:  http://www.sslc-nm.com/home.html

It is a very popular program and there is a waiting list, so you may want to apply now and get on the list for next year.  When my niece signed up, she was told there were 40 students ahead of her on the list.  I don't know if that was just for her grade level (7th) or for the entire school.

Thank you Jess and Julie i truly appreciate your advice. I was hoping that might be a nice compromise, for a Mom who enjoys having her kids home, and a daughter who is begging to go back. I am still unsure of exactly where we will be living in ALB, so that might be an issue as well. I am hoping now that sheis driving and once she gets a part time job she won't want to go back to school!

Thanks again
Tina

Thanks everyone for all the great advice and encouragement. Leaving Family school was hard but now we are really looking foward to Homeschooling.Voula you have been a great source of info and support. Thank you.
Marlene