From Home School to Public School: Initiating Positive Relationships with Your School

"If you have decided to transition your child from a home school environment to a private or public school the following suggestions will make the change less frightening and more successful for you and your child. Dr. Condra was a public school administrator for 15 years. She successfully worked with many parents and professionals to support children in their transitions from home schooling and private schools to the public school setting. As a grandparent she witnessed the benefits of home schooling and public school for her four granddaughters." Dr. Karen Loman, Reading Consultant

Every year there are more and more families who choose to home school their children. Their reasons for making this decision are based on a variety of reasons: such as, religious beliefs, curriculum concerns, logistics and issues connected to the local school, and several others. But there is one common underlying factor for every family who makes this decision: they want what is best for their children and have determined that at this point it is the best choice for them.

However, very few decisions are permanent and irreversible. Sometimes, families decide to stop schooling their children at home and enroll them in the local public school. Whatever the reasons are that have led to this decision and no matter how logical and well thought out they are, there will still be many mixed emotions associated with this change. Because this is an emotionally charged transition—especially for the parents—the transition doesn’t always go as smoothly as it might have.

This article offers several suggestions for transitioning your children from your home to the public school classroom.

1. Learn about the local school system: Start with the school district’s web site. This will give you almost all the factual information you could ask for. This varies with school districts but most sites will give school names and boundaries; superintendent’s name and contact information; meeting times for the Board of Education; budget information; the district’s mission statement and goals; special programs and/or awards that the district has received. Many will even have the student handbooks on line, which explain discipline policies and procedures, along with a variety of other important information.

2. Write out your questions before making an appointment: Just start jotting down everything that comes to mind. Don’t bother with spelling, grammar or “saying it right” at this time. Keep the list handy so that you can add to it as new things pop into your head. When you think you have everything down go back and organize your thoughts. Read over your list and using colored highlighters or symbols mark the questions that cover a similar topic.

Here are a few questions that might be on a typical list: What teacher will my child have? How do I find out about special events or activities? How much homework can I expect my child to have? How do you decide which classroom to place my child in? How many students will be in her class? Do you have computers in the classroom? If so, how many? Do they have access to the internet? How do I contact my child's teacher? Can I meet my child's teacher first?

Your list will obviously be much longer but this gives you the idea of how to organize it. The purpose in organizing the list into topics is to allow you to have a conversation with the principal rather than interviewing him with a long list of questions. Once you have the questions organized around a subject, you can write a topic sentence that structures that section of the conversation. For example: there were four questions that related to the teacher. The “conversation starter” for this topic might sound like this: “This whole process is new to me and I would like to know who my child’s teacher will be and how that decision is made. I’d appreciate it if you would tell me how that is done.” This allows the principal to explain the process to you and in his explanation you’ll probably get most of your questions answered as well as some you didn’t know to ask. If you still have unanswered questions, you can ask those as the conversation goes on. Then move on to the next topic. There is no right or wrong order for the topics. If the principal mentions another topic in one discussion then use that as your transition to the next topic.

By approaching this as a conversation you will establish a good relationship with the principal and you’ll learn everything you wanted to know. On the other hand, if you go in with a list of questions and just start asking one question after another, the principal may feel as if he is being interrogated and the experience will not be positive for either of you.

3. Make an appointment with the principal: Now you are ready to make an appointment. If you didn’t find which school your child should attend on their website, then call the district office and ask for that information. When you reach the school, tell the secretary your name and the purpose of your call. That might sound something like this: “Hi, I’m Barbara Jones and I have two children whom I have been home schooling. I’m thinking about enrolling them at your school and I would like to come in and talk to the principal about this. When would be a good time for him/her to meet with me?”

4. Be friendly and be honest: People relate to people who are honest and open: principals and teachers are people. The vast majority of them truly love kids and love what they do. They enjoy helping people. So, go in expecting that kind of person. If you are nervous, tell them you are nervous; if you are worried that the transition into the public school may be difficult for your children (and for you), tell them that. Their response to you will usually be kind and helpful. They want the best for your child and that is what they will be hearing you say, too. Once you have that common goal established you can talk about all of the details that are important to you and to the school.

Throughout the year there will be many new questions and situations that come up. This article doesn’t address everything, but it does give you a good start on making that transition from home school -- to home after school -- a very positive experience for everyone.