Parents POLL: What type of school does your gymnast attend?

[SkiBumGymMom]

All three of my kids have gone through public school. Well my oldest son went to a private college but that's different I think, he even stayed in public school when he lived with his dad in inner city DC for 2 years.

My 17 y/o daughter who's been a level 10 gymnast since middle school used to practice 15-20 hours a week (depending on how much I can drive her) now practices 25. She took sophomore and junior year off gymnastics to do varsity cheer and was always bored and looking for something to do. Being in school full day and then having gym has taught her great time management.

My youngest 15 y/o daughter is a very competitive ballet dancer, in the highest level at her studio. She's exactly like my other daughter, in that if she doesn't have practice after school, she doesn't know what to do. They're both very good at getting homework done, keeping their grades up and still maintaining their social schedules.

I worked as an educational interpreter and now as a special education teacher and coordinator at public school so that might have something to do with it. The time crunch and driving to practices can be stressful at times (less so now that my oldest daughter can drive but still hectic) we still manage to keep things together and have free time throughout the week and family time every Sunday.

I could never homeschool as a single mom and the only private school in our county is a christian school and not quite the style of education I want for my girls. Even as a teacher it's great to read about all the different styles of schooling I'm not familiar with. It's so important to find out what works for you and your family!

 

[JBS]

This is a great thread from awhile back. If you are a new parent here, I'd love to have your input on this one.

I have three kids of my own. The two that are old enough to attend school, attend public school.

 

[clrmom]

I have 2 kids in public school. My dd gymnast is new to competitive gymnastics and so it isn't really difficult to maneuver school and gym right now. Also, currently it would not work for us financially to do a private school or to homeschool.

In our state there is a virtual school that you can attend full time or part time. I do know some gymnasts that go to school part of the day and then do their electives on virtual school so that they can go to earlier practices at gym. The school schedules the elective for 6th period so they can leave early.

 

[Krystan]

We homeschool, but it has nothing to do with gymnastics. It is very convenient not to have to worry about homework or getting on the school bus early though! We started homeschooling mostly because of dd's anxiety issues, but now continue with the whole family because we love the lifestyle. We go to museums, on hikes, do co-ops with other homeschool families, special projects like lego league, etc, and whatever really interests us. Actual desk-work is usually finished in the mornings and we usually go out in the afternoons. I'm not sure I would want to do a cyber-school because I really like to choose what we do and when we do it, and if my kids have interest in something specific, I like the freedom to pursue it. They're each in a different grade in each subject and need to be pushed in different areas. I also work part-time in the evenings, so juggling that with gym can be tough, but at least dd gets plenty of free (imaginative play, reading, rest, talking, running around) time. Anyway, it's nothing I planned on doing when I originally had kids, but it's been great!

 

[my4buffaloes]

My dd is in 5th grade and in public school. It is difficult to get her to gym on time because she doesn't get out of school until 3:40. it will get easier in middle school and high school as they get out an hour earlier. We have homeschooled in the past for 4 years and if things got too difficult to continue with public school and gymnastics training (I don't see this happening) I wouldn't hesitate to homeschool her again.

 

[Azgymmiemom]

We, also, homeschool...and started for reasons other than gymnastics. My only regret with it is that we didn't start it sooner. We have had a marvelous experience with it, and it suits our family's schedule...AND my dh's crazy work schedule. I think it has made my kids love gym more-just because they still have the free time to pursue other interests, play, etc. My dd's & ds's "bestest-buddies" aren't even kids from the gym...they live in the neighborhood. They have great friends at the gym and our gym team is very close and they do lots of "out of the gym" activities together, but I like that they have friends that aren't gymnasts, too.

I attended public school throughout my school career and also showed western pleasure with my horse, was in all the school plays/musicals, marching band, show choir, piano lessons AND danced 12 plus hours a week in a competitive dance program. I always managed to get schoolwork done and stay on the honor roll. I think-if kids want it, they will find a way to make it work!!

 

[lhmom]

DD and her brother attend a small private elementary school, mainly for my son. I like their schedule and the principal has been understanding the few times we took the kids out early to travel to a competition (principal's daughter also competes. ). My DD has mentioned homeschooling because some of her teammates are, but we are just going to stay with private for now.

 

[Neelysmom]

My DD will start public school this year, Kindergarten. She will get out at 3:10 and have to be at the gym from 4-7 on W-F (level 4). Level 3 goes M-W-F (9hr) and level 6 and above go 12hrs M-T-Th-F. Our coaches work hard to make it work for both parents and students and even work with some so they can cheer at school. It will be harder on me juggling gym and my work schedule than on her probably.

 

[AGM78910]

Interesting post. Our gym has 50+ girls on team at all levels and is equally divided between the after school group that trains 24 hours a week and the home school/private school day group that trains 29 hours a week and goes twice a day.

At the past competition season, the afterschool group out-performed the home school/private school group and has had fewer girls drop out of gymnastics.

IMHO, the after school group has more balance in their lives and this keeps them interested in gymnastics. As I have posted before we are fortunate to live in a state that allows gymnasts to do off campus PE and gives them PE credit. They get out of school for one or two periods a day from middle school onward to participate in an approved (USAG) program.

My DS is applying to the Air Force Academy they have information about applicants who do home schooling. They advise the students to get into public school for high school so they can be ready for the discipline of the Academy.

 

[gymgal]

We have homeschooled since kindergarten and have really enjoyed it. We placed them in school for 1 yr to try it (3rd) and they were bored out of their minds. They were in the gifted program but it wasn't enough for them. They aren't super gifted but with homeschooling, they were allowed to move faster than average so they were way beyond their actual grade level. homeschooling has really helped with gym and with 2 ds's sports as well. we don't have to worry about homework or tests. We can plan schedules around their sports. they are entering middle school this year and we thought about putting them back in but they want to keep homeschooling.

I would love to do a virtual charter school. Unfortunately NC doesn't have one yet. I could do K-12 as private but it's very expensive. Hopefully with the legislation opening up the number of charters allowed, we might have that choice.

 

[cher062]

My DD has attended catholic school all her life this fall she will be attending the school that the town uses which is tecnically a private school that our town pays to send their kids to along with 2 other towns. It is refered to at the towns High School but the town doesn't really have a say in the curriculum or the staff. They do have some type of say in adding new kids from other town.

Its supposed to be one of the better High Schools out there and I can belive it. It feels like a college campus rather than a High School. DD is excited to attend even though she is going from a school with a total of 300 students in a christian environment that has alot of control in 8 grades to a school with almost 4000 students and defintily a more "colorful" group of kids with language and social trends etc she really hasn't seen before. I think she will do fine but it is a big change for her.

 

[taylortumbles]

My daughter attends public charter school (virtual school). There is a ton of flexibility in the program and the curriculum is top notch. She enjoys it and it gives her more time to pursue her activities and interests. My daughter participates in gymnastics at the Rec level once a week plus has time for Girl Scouts, competitive swimming, cheerleading, and volunteering at the local humane society.
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[flipper's fan]

Former teacher who does not believe in traditional education model. Even more jaded since NCLB. DD goes to a totally alternative school, age mixed, no grades. She has decided to attend public high school. Good luck to her. Her mom opposes homework and testing. Life is interesting. Flipper is amazing.

 

[Ingwe]

My DD goes to public school. She will be starting her 1st year of middle school in a few weeks. It will be interesting to see how she manages the increase in homework and 20 hours per week in the gym, as she just didn't get very much HW in elementary school.

 

[SkiBumGymMom]

Former teacher who does not believe in traditional education model. Even more jaded since NCLB. DD goes to a totally alternative school, age mixed, no grades. She has decided to attend public high school. Good luck to her. Her mom opposes homework and testing. Life is interesting. Flipper is amazing.

Oh flipper's fan, I feel you on the NCLB. I don't oppose public education at all, though I have to say since I started in the classroom back in '94 and finally work in/with admin I've gotten more and more jaded. There's so many things that can be fixed. Our district (the one my girls went through until my youngest) DD moved to a large suburban district in grade 11 with her aunt and uncle to pursue her dancing) is generally split between wealthy white kids and Hispanic children from a much lower socio-economic group. It's a very typical resort/tourist area make up. Even with this our problems pale in comparison to most places and I still come home from work wanting to tear my hair out. I love my job but what a system.

 

[flipper's fan]

Oh flipper's fan, I feel you on the NCLB. I don't oppose public education at all, though I have to say since I started in the classroom back in '94 and finally work in/with admin I've gotten more and more jaded. There's so many things that can be fixed. Our district (the one my girls went through until my youngest) DD moved to a large suburban district in grade 11 with her aunt and uncle to pursue her dancing) is generally split between wealthy white kids and Hispanic children from a much lower socio-economic group. It's a very typical resort/tourist area make up. Even with this our problems pale in comparison to most places and I still come home from work wanting to tear my hair out. I love my job but what a system.

Like is a little misleading- I really don't like that you are feeling the frustration, it's more like "likemindedness" : )

 

[ejgymmom]

We just wrapped up our first official year of homeschooling and both loved it. We're obviously doing it for reasons other than gymnastics since my daughter is only 5 years old. I'm not sure if she'll end up in public/private school at some point, we're kind of taking it year by year. I do know that at this point if I stuck her in a traditional school she'd be bored out of her mind and would probably act up. She actually wouldn't have been eligible for public Kindergarten until this coming fall but she was more than ready to start last fall.

I am not anti-public school at all but homeschooling works great with our lifestyle (we travel quite a bit) and it allows me to tailor my daughter's schooling to fit her needs and interests...and she's only doing school for a couple of hours a day vs. the 6 or so if she was in a traditional school. We also have quite a large homeschool community out here and its been great doing "field trips" and other activities with them. My daughter has made tons of new friends this year.



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[ejgymmom]

IMHO, the after school group has more balance in their lives and this keeps them interested in gymnastics.

Would you mind explaining a bit more why you feel this way? As a homeschooling mom who is not as "hardcore" as some, I'm always interested in hearing both sides.

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[taylortumbles]

^I would like to hear that as well.

I owned a gym for several years and eventually shut it down. The children were always gems until they started school. They were nice to each other, had good manners, and weren't attached to some kind of digital device. Once they hit school they turned into bullies, had no respect for adults, made fun of other children if they didn't have the latest and greatest, etc. Of course, not all children molt into these little terrors but in this area the majority did and it seems the parents even thought it was cute when their little one wants to dress like a hooker and act like one of the girls from 'Mean Girls'. Disgusting.

With going to OHVA my daughter definitely has balance along with good manners, is respectful, and disciplined.

 

[DC_dad]

My daughter is going into 4th grade at our "neighborhood" feeder school. Since I work full time it's really the only option for us. We live in DC so the schools are notoriously awful (I went to one for two years of high school in the 90's and they were even worse then). I wouldn't be surprised if she gets bored but she never complains about it and loves the diversity of her classmates. She's biracial so it's nice that she feels like she fits in. When she's a little older I'll feel more comfortable having her take the Metro and bus further to get to school, so she'll most likely go to one of the city's feeder/magnet high schools. She's really liking the elementary school she's at, and the middle school is on the same "education campus" so she'll probably stay there. Most people who have kids pay for them to go to private schools or move to the 'burbs if they can. We get by but neither of those are options. I have faith she'll do well though, even at her age she's learned a lot about self motivation.