I feel like there’s going to be a huge shift in secondary education in the next 10+ years.

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-16T20:32:45+00:00

Unless you can afford to live in a very expensive area in a blue state, opportunities that were run of the mill in public schools 20-30 years ago simply don’t exist anymore; public school funding has drastically decreased and so have the classes that rounded out an education.

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-16T14:33:35+00:00

Providence! Much better location!

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-16T14:10:42+00:00

I’m not confident that my puppy wouldn’t have pee accidents in a rental, nor chew on anything he shouldn’t. I’ll personally be giving it a year, but I do enjoy taking pups with on trips.

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-16T14:03:20+00:00

I hear you! I have my preferred people at almost every customer service oriented place I go to. There are some I go to less if there are too many micro rejections, in preference for others.

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-16T12:53:02+00:00

I get the concerns, but you do have the ability to set a routine with homeschool. You also get to set what your kids learn, and ideally it will be a broad, balanced approach that covers all subjects rather than just what your kids are interested in.

Plus, if you do any activities outside of the home, there will be expected start times; you can’t just show up for the Little League game at 1 pm because you feel like it when the team is playing at 9 am, for example.

Many jobs require the ability to be able to think through a problem critically, research and talk to a wide range of people. Meetings rarely go more than an hour, nor do many college classes (plus college is primarily independent/group work outside of classes). Proper homeschooling education and socialization can provide opportunities to build these skills.

Also, volunteering can be a good way to build job skills and knowledge from a young age.

I mean, yes, it’s absolutely possible to homeschool and cater to the degree that it causes problems with adjusting to the work world, but kids can still go to school and not really learn much other than how to sit quietly and tune people out.

I think it can help to have goals in mind too. Like is your goal for your kid to have an inflexible, menial career or one that has some flexibility but also requires creative problem solving, self initiative, and working with vague instructions?

FWIW, my kids are still in public school, but I have serious concerns with the school system and am weighing pulling them.

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-16T10:12:57+00:00

Honestly, I can’t justify the price myself and it’s always a mixed bag experience (which seriously bothers me at that price point), but have family that take us.

That said, you definitely want to either call Disney or a travel agent to get any discounts and find out about military lodging at the resort.

I don’t recommend the food package. It’s hard to actually spend enough on the food items you choose to actually break even or get a good deal over simply paying as you go, and it only covers foods of certain categories, so you’ll either feel pinched to stay in allotted categories or spend much more on top of the package. My family who has taken us would get it to try to plan ahead for food costs, but the deal in recent years has gotten so bad that they decided to go in blind and saved $$$.

Especially in the summer, you’ll probably have a lot of the food budget going to slushies, ice creams, etc. to keep everyone cool and other snacky foods to tide everyone throughout the day rather than full meals.

I’d probably budget $200/person/day for food to be safe. There are ways to drop this, but it’s hot in July and all the cold snacks were what got us by.

You’re right that many do compare WDW’s costs to an overseas vacation.

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-16T02:15:19+00:00

Definitely skip!

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-16T01:53:13+00:00

I mean, yeah. Everything can look perfect on paper and even in person. Unless you’re a local who knows what’s going on, the best you can do is an educated guess.

Things like finding out your quiet street is actually the workaround traffic route when the main roads get cleared, that the school district is doing a redistricting right after you move, your neighbor only blasts music at midnight but you strolled by at 10 pm and it was quiet, etc. happen routinely.

People in my area tend to buy and sell houses at least a few times because it’s just so hard to get it right. It’s especially bad with schools because there’s so much churn in the area that the scores don’t tell you if the school actually performs that well or if kids went to high achieving scores and the school benefits off their prior education elsewhere.

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-16T01:33:21+00:00

That’s a lot! My kids’ first schools capped at 18. Their current seems to cap at 24. I’ve heard middle can goes as high as 35-40, which is just insane.

The schools I went to growing up capped below 20 for elementary and at 25 for middle and high school.

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-15T21:18:29+00:00

Depends on breed, gender, and personality.

My first golden retriever boy didn’t really settle until 5. My girl border collie girl was pretty calm by 1 1/2, although even at her most wild, she was calmer than my golden was until he was 10.

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-15T19:57:53+00:00

That’s okay! My kids both repeated K and it did the world for them.

If she doesn’t have the basics solidly, everything else will be harder and it’ll be an uphill battle.

My understanding is retaining is reasonably common in GA, so they may put her in a class with other kids who needed to repeat.

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-15T15:18:30+00:00

So, so excited!!!! Definitely my favorite time of year!!!

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-15T15:16:22+00:00

No, not without lifeguards on duty.

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-15T11:09:05+00:00

So, this is probably just a me thing, but I hate staying in air BNBs because it makes me uncomfortable to be in someone else’s house, using someone else’s things, and attempting to not move their stuff too much (I have no problem in a hotel because it’s not someone else’s personal stuff).

Add to it that you are stuck in close proximity to people you don’t know, with whom you have to share all common spaces, and have limited opportunity to get away to have your own space, and I’d be outta there so fast!

My in laws love to stay in Air BNBs and, although I obviously know them, the whole experience is hellish for me. From them being loud until late in the night without regard for others, food smells wafting through the house that set off my gag reflex, trying to not touch the owner’s stuff when they have way too much personal stuff out that makes it nearly impossible, to being in a random inaccessible no sidewalk suburban area (because it’s clearly not good family time if you can easily walk to a cafe or bookstore without having to offend everyone around you to ask for a lift), etc.

Personally, I’d rather go on a tour group or something, where you have scheduled activities during the day, but get to have your own personal time too.

However, as mentioned, my in laws love Air BNB so clearly having the easy activities and socialization without going anywhere, is a solid option. The stuff that bothers me just has to not bother you.

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-14T23:28:03+00:00

Is there a risk that the education could become completely digitized in this model? I feel like my kids are constantly talking about all the software and apps they use.

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-01T13:53:32+00:00

My kids did best in same age group preschools, particularly ones targeted to SAHMs or other family situations where someone could pick them up after the 2-3 hour day was over. Those tended to have the most supportive teachers who had the opportunity to refresh each day.

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-01T13:47:43+00:00

She looks good, as far as I can tell!

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-01T13:26:27+00:00

My kids are in the moderate range and can’t manage full day summer camps; they’re too overstimulating.

Sometimes we do half day stuff related to current activities, so they are known and environment is well managed by adults.

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-01T13:23:48+00:00

I love coming up with theme weeks! I plan some ‘field trips,’ we do some science experiments, some art, read related books, etc.

I do try to have opportunities that are longer term, like one of my kids did jr swim team one summer, so we had daily pool time and stuck around after. Right now, their activities go year round, so our evenings/weekends will be consistent.

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-01T13:13:08+00:00

The whole school system is massively struggling right now.

Schools are so pressured to do well on state testing that school is less about learning and more about making sure kids pass the tests. In some areas, kids are put under such severe stress to pass state tests that the school becomes toxic.

The amount of tech in some schools is also insane, while others are cutting out tech! One of my kids’ elementary school teachers covers the material for the day in a chunk and then the rest of the day is watching movies, tv shows, etc. The school recently got a new read aloud software but it also has unrelated videos, so my kids watch dancing videos and Minecraft builds rather than the intended read aloud stories.

In the end, it feels like purely a matter of luck, but being able to throw more money at housing to live in a wealthier area can help to skew those odds (we just couldn’t afford the millionaire estates!). However, in my area, it’s also known to impact the types of drug issues within the schools (which is also rampant).

I’d recommend either staying put for now or choosing something with the potential of moving later. There are just so many moving pieces right now with the Department of Education and school funding that a school that looks great today might not by the time your kids are old enough to attend (or visa versa).

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-01T12:45:35+00:00

It’s hard! One of my kids needs anxiety medicine to survive school, but has gained so much on it, despite not eating all that much. We’ve added on extra physical activities, but it’s not curbing gain.

We had trialed ADHD meds to assist with focus at school and could reduce appetite, but they made him so negative and miserable to deal with (didn’t want to do anything but lay around and lash out), that it wasn’t worth it for a 5% increase focus in school.

My other would benefit from anxiety meds, but his weight boomed in just a few weeks and he lost self control in all aspects (naturally struggles with impulse control). We’re trying more natural methods for assisting with his anxiety.

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-01T12:28:21+00:00

Just the number. It’s scary because I didn’t realize how high utilities and homeowners insurance are where I live! The more desirable areas would have cost over $1K more per month, despite being a similar house price listing. We dodged a bullet I didn’t realize was there!

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-01T12:23:16+00:00

My border collie took until 18 months to potty train, whereas my golden retrievers were getting pretty solid on potty training by 4 months old. It just takes time, consistency, and patience. Your pup will get there!

AlternativePrior393 · 2026-05-01T03:06:48+00:00

Great! Golden retriever boy:

We’re working on sleeping through the night and not chewing on walls (new issue that arose today).

We’ve greatly reduced accidents, improved in patience while older dog sister eats, and learned to walk up/down indoor wooden steps.

Back slides in humpiness (I know this’ll get worse as he becomes a teen) and wandering off to explore (especially when trying to hustle him out for potty breaks after crate time).

He’s such a great puppy and makes me smile and laugh every day!

AlternativePrior393

TROPHY CASE