Time to get serious...is homeschooling necessary to be successful?

[Azgymmiemom]

At age 6, it is not necessary to choose home school for your dd JUST as a way to ease her schedule for gymnastics. I home school my kids, and we love it-works great for us, and yes, it helps our crazy schedule, but we did not choose to home school for any sport...there were many other factors in play. It is a lifestyle choice and the entire burden of whether your kids succeed or fail rests on your shoulders alone. Again- not for everyone. It's a great option, but please don't choose it solely for gym. One of our HC's was a national team member/Olympic team member back in the day, and she went to public school the whole time she was training elite, so it's entirely do-able.

HS is state regulated, and every state has different guidelines. We probably live in one of the most HS friendly states- but lots of states have tough regulations, including mandated testing, so this is probably why you see gyms in certain states offering it more than others.

 

[wallinbl]

I really believed that the OP was going to be blasted with:"Get some perspective ,she's only 6!Its her sport,don't project your personal ambitions onto your kid.Let her enjoy it,you'll ruin it for her" I was getting the popcorn ready for the drama....instead I just found a bunch of mature responsible tolerant folks exchanging ideas....

I'm a little shocked as well. There's probably a better than 50/50 shot any given 6 year old will be out of gymnastics by the time they're 9.

 

[gym law mom]

Great advice from everyone. At this point, the goal should be to have your dd in a gym that you are comfortable with and will continue to move your dd ahead in the sport safely. You said right now you're at a rec gym so many of the competitive gyms may look overwhelming. Look at all the gyms in the area and then choose the one best for you.

 

[bookworm]

In a nutshell, the answer to your question is no, you do not need to homeschool. My daughter is heading off to compete D1 in college , has done a stint in elite, 7 years of Level 10 and we never homeschooled...

 

[MaryA]

Yes, Bookworm... when are you going to spill the beans? Where is she headed???

 

[GymBee97]

No its not necessary. My DD is there 20 hours a week is a straight A honor roll student in High school and in the Advance level classes. But that doesn't mean that will work for every kid. Every kid is different. What works for my kid may be a disaster for yours.

Choosing to homeschool or not shouldn't be about if they are in a sport like gymnastics or not but more about what education process is going to be the best for your child to get the education they need for a Lifetime. when your child no longer does gymnastics (and that day will come) will the education they have help them throughout their life?

Your child is young and For my family when we thought about should we homeschool we decided that the staying in a standard school setting would be better for her academicly and socially. Her life wouldn't just be about gymnastic, gymnastic friends and homeschooling but give her the opportunity to experinece other children and environments and other sports and interests other than those revolved around gymnastics.

Your DD is 6yo alot can happen over the next few years. Let her be 6 and enjoy that school and her friends. She might get to 8yo and decide she wants to play piano instead of gymnasts. She might get to 12 yo and be burned out from all the gymnastics (a very real possibility that is the age I see so many decided to quit and try new things), She might go all the way through High School and when she goes to college never see a block of chalk again. She might be so awsome we do see her in the Olympics!!! You just never know with this sport.

Being a parent and knowing what is the right thing to do is just so hard. All we can do is make decisions based on where we are this moment and hope its the right one down the line.

Start with her in regualr school and choosing a gym that you and she like and seems to have a great gymnastic program and great opportunities for moving forward. Listen to that little voice inside you and you will know what the right fit is.

But again with her just being 6yo I would opt to stay in regular school and let her experience that going to school experience and do gymnastics with the goal of having fun first. As she prgresses in the sport and as she gets older keep revisiting the idea of homeschool and see if where she is at academicly is working or not.

 

[jmad122]

I just wanted to quickly come back and say thank you. And, yes, thank you for not "blasting" me for asking this. I guess that never occured to me. I absolutely know that she is really young and may want to quit tomorrow. I'm very glad to hear from all sides. And, I was very glad to hear the success stories from those that stayed in public school. She loves school and we are in a great area. I don't want her to give it up, and that is best for our family. School is our priority.

I was mainly concerned because in my search for a new gym I noticed many that my top 3 choices have the homeschooling program. And, so, I guess I was asking if that is the only way to excel in this sport. Is that what "ALL" the upper levels do? I'm glad to hear that there are many paths to take if she wants to continue to the upper levels.

Thanks again for everyone's time.