I have been using a K12 school for the five years I have been homeschooling, and I have come to the conclusion that it has been a big mistake. I am not allowed to set my own schedule, nor take sick days, and we don’t even have time for field trips or fun activities. It is extremely stressful and I am so burnt out. There is no time, and heaven forbid if we get behind. My children have so many tests they have to do every year it is ridiculous. And when they have to turn in assignments even if they do everything they are supposed to that is a “c” and not an “a.” I am thinking of pulling my 4th grader and Kinder student next year, but I am worried about doing it by myself - but I am so done with K12. I guess my question is: am I making the right choice by doing it myself? Sorry for rambling, but this is weighing heavily on my mind. Thank you!
@sgrrrbear I am not a longtime homeschooler, but in my opinion if you are stressed and burned out your kids will be as well. There are so many other choices out there. In fact one of the problems I have is choice overload. There are curriculums for every style and need and you can mix and match as your heart desires. This site has some great info regarding homeschool conventions and suggested curricula for different kids/situations. Grab a notebook and jot down some responses and ideas. Good luck!
I will be starting homeschooling this Fall but did attempt it a couple years ago and after one week, threw my child back into the system!! We did K12…FREE, all supplies given to you & you got someone to tell you what needs to be done, convenient!! SCORE!!! One would think…but for my son it was information overload & now looking back it seems all I was doing was bringing the school system into my home!! Attendance (but they make it sound so good because you can travel & still do your work from a laptop anywhere…because we all want to do schoolwork while on vacation), test after test, still have to take some kind of state test (they got to do this, need state funding), and you truly don’t get to pick what it is you want your kids to learn!! There’s really no freedom here! BUT for many it just works and that’s great!!! But if mama stress then kids are stressed! Pray about it…if you believe 
and/or make a pro/con list!! I will never go back to K12 though the price tag is so tempting!!! We’re going to learn what we want & however long we want Good luck!!!
I am new to homeschooling. One of the things I love most about it is the flexibility! I love that we can move at a pace that works for my kids. It sounds like the online program you’re using doesn’t allow you that flexibility that homeschool parents love! If you’re not excited about it then your kids won’t be either. Pray about it you have the power to do what’s best for your kids! Everything else will work out! Best of luck!
@sgrrrbear I have to be honest and say I don’t have any experience with online homeschooling–we started with independent homeschooling three years ago so we are still very new on the scene ourselves But I will say that like you, when we started out, I was very scared and wondering if I could really do it on my own. I doubted whether my children could learn what they needed to and whether I could teach them adequately. I think that is a common fear among homeschoolers especially when starting out or branching out to doing it solo without the support of an organization you may have depended on for some time. But in such a short time I was amazed by how quickly they were learning, how fast they were advancing, how much grace I could give myself to go at their pace, and how fun and easy it really could be if I let it be (and I am a very structured person . This may not be much help, but I just wanted to offer words of encouragement and to say if you decide to try it on your own, I know you can do it and it sounds like you might all benefit from this change. I hope this helps a little! I have a Kindergartener and 2nd grader this year and if I can be of any more help, please feel free to message me.
It sounds like you know the right decision for your family. Do not let fear of the unknown make you stick with something that you know is not the life you want for you or your kids.
There are many amazing curricula available, and you will choose several that are still not right, but there is plenty of time to discover what you want. When is the nearest homeschool convention so that you can look through books?
Thank you so much! I appreciate your kind words It makes me feel better.
I totally agree with what you say - it sounds so great on the surface, but it is very much information overload - and bringing school system into the home. I cannot stand all the testing. Like you said, test after test after test!!! This spring we are being forced to travel an 1 away from my house for 5 days - for state testing alone. They say you can spend time learning as much as you want on a subject, or if you are struggling you get to work on it till you master it… but such lies! If you fall behind you get threatening emails! Anyways, thank for you kind words! I have totally decided to pull my kids out… and I feel such a weight off my shoulders.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I am even more excited about next year now!
Thank you for your kind words! I have taken them to heart! I am still scared, but I feel a great weight off my shoulders as well! I am very excited about going at my own pace, and also getting to spend as much time as I need to on a subject! We can’t do that with the K12 system. It has really hurt my 4th grader (long story). He got done with his kindergarten work so quickly they pushed him into 1st grade - which wasn’t so bad, but then he was supposed to still get 90% done in those subjects the next year and the next year. Meaning - not not 90% done in first grade math, but 90% for the year. So, we ran into a problem, because when he started 2nd grade it was too much for him. And it didn’t matter because he had to do it to get the 90% done. He still is suffering from it because he can hardly multiply or divide because I couldn’t take time to help him learn it! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, I really appreciate it
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply - I feel a great relief these last couple of days, and thanks to these posts Sadly, we live out in the middle of no where - with no homeschool conventions even close by! I’ve been researching a LOT on the internet though, and I think I’ve found some good things for next year - and I’m excited. Thank you!
Sometimes I feel tempted to do an online school because I think it’ll be less stressful and less prep time, but what I hear from others is that it does take a lot of time and is stressful.
I haven’t tried an online school, but what I can tell you from doing our own is, it’s so relaxed, you can cuddle on the couch and read, take a break when you and your kind need it, and pick what curriculum works best for your kids.
The one thing about homeschooling I love is the freedom to teach each child the way they learn best and I feel an online school takes that away. If you want to break away from k12, you can make it work.
It’s not that much work really. I spend really only 30 minutes a week on Friday setting up for the next week. Then we just enjoy our week. we pick curriculum that we just do the next thing. In the summer before we start I take a week making a master list for each subject of what I’ll need and print everything to have ready so i have everything on hand.
It’s really not much work to do your own thing and be successful. Good luck with your decision.
Absolutely, no doubt in my mind–ditch K12! It sounds very stressful, and you listed great reasons to change. Schooling independently is much less stressful than having to meet a predetermined schedule and amount of work, more flexible (for those field trips and fun activities!), plus YOU get to decide what’s enough and what’s too much. I understand that sounds intimidating at first, but keep in mind–you already know what “too much” looks like–you’ve been living it. You’ll know what your kids can handle–sometimes it takes a little trial and error. But you can cuddle on the couch as you read stories or work on reading, decide to focus on a hands-on project for part of the day, go outside to nature journal, look for curriculum that interests them and meets their needs (as well as yours–I find that meeting the teacher’s needs is also important!). If you need a day off or a sick day, you make it work.
And…don’t think of “doing it by yourself.” Remember there are people online who can help when you hit a tough spot. We all have those days! I say go for it!
Thank you - this answer helped me feel good about my decision.
I tried online K12 when my oldest was in kindergarten for the same reasons. For the frustrations you stated, we prayerfully left after two months! We have never regretted it! He is now doing second grade work (7 years old) and we are all doing well (including my new kindergartener). I interviewed several homeschool mom’s about how they homeschool and looked at their curriculum before I launched out on my own. We have had a few curriculum choice changes (science, math and spelling) since then to find the right fit for us. Now we have an eclectic approach that works well. One of the advantages to homeschooling on your own is the freedom to prayerfully seek God’s will for each student and each subject and make prayerful changes accordingly. I wish you well with God’s plan in your homeschool!
Thank you! You make me feel like I can do it~ 
I will praying for you! You will do wonderfully!
Sgrrrbear, I too use k12 and this is my first year. I too have had a very difficult time with it and was ready to throw in the towel. Then, I discovered this site and realized that I can make it work. I now only use k12 as a guide. I look at the topics and teach them how I want. I do think that the checkup tests at the end of many lessons are a pain because I have to click thru them and this takes time. However, I think I have a decent system down now and just want you to know that I have some tips if you want to hear them. I think that being my first year has been an issue bc I wasn’t as organized as I will be next year. I have a new approach now and it works well. You may have already decided to ditch k12 and that is understandable but if you want to chat more, I am happy to talk with you about it. I have spent many sleepless nights with your exact concerns.
I appreciate your post, and thank you so much! This is my 5th year in K12 - I actually do love certain things about it. But some other things just became too much this year. But, I am so very glad that you have found a way to organize it and that you are enjoying it! I really mean that from the bottom of my heart! Some people really do like it - best of wishes to you as we finish out this year.
@sgrrrbear Hi Sugar! After getting to know you through different posts, you have really thought your division though. You’re eduacated on homeschooling, you have some ideas on what curriculum to use, and your very motivated! Leaving k12 gives the freedom to choose over testing (if not required by your state)! Leaving k12 will take a lot of pressure off of you AND your kiddos! What never ceases to amaze me is how my son loves this journey:) he is retaining knowledge, growing as a person, and thriving…and it blows my mind that Im helping him accomplish those things!!! You will be the perfect teacher for your kids❤️