Jump to content

Menu

Recommended Posts

Since this is a forum that obviously supports homeschooling, most of the people, of course, believe that homeschooling is a good option for them. However, as I am tottering on the fence, I would love to hear some challenges that different families have faced with homeschooling, and how you handled them. Any regrets? Failures?

 

I guess I'm hoping to learn from other people's mistakes!

 

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My biggest regret is not starting sooner. I pulled my son out after second grade and homeschooled him while my daughter stayed in school. I pulled her out after 3 quarters (she was in 4th).

 

The biggest challenges:

 

 

#1- Getting the kids used to having me as a mother AND teacher. A lot of this was getting them used to having to work their brains as mine did not need to do that in school. It took about a year with each. Very frustrating. Now, this is the first year I don't have someone in their first year of homeschooling and the attitude has dropped for the most part. We still have occasional "I just wanna play" days.

 

#2 The constant bickering of siblings. It's annoying. I loved the time I only homeschooled one child. However, on the other hand, they have been getting along quite nicely for past few weeks. There have beeen many "how sweet" moments that I would have never witnessed had we not homeschooled.

 

#3 My son has no organizational skills whatsoever. He can never find anything. This was a problem in school too.

 

#4 My daughter tries to cheat/slide/get one over, etc. I can not leave an answer book in the same room with her. I have to read whatever she reads to make sure she is not faking a narration. She has zero interest in academics and will do the least amount of work that she can get away with. This was a problem in school too but I think it is slightly worse at home in some ways and slightly better in others. Worse because there is easier access to answer book. Better because sliding in my class is like working hard in public school.

 

 

#5 Finding out what style of teaching, we are most comfortable with (me teaching and they learning).

 

#6 Not overloading the schedule.

 

#7 Some days, I just want to drink coffee and play on the computer :tongue_smilie:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

--Finding the right balance between doing our school work at home and participating in outside activities (co-ops and so forth). I tend to overload both our home schedule and the outside things and get very, very stressed when we do not accomplish everything.

 

--More discipline with math and science instruction. These are my personal weak areas, and they are also my dd's weak areas. Since neither of us are particularly motivated for these subjects, it is all too easy to compromise on getting the studying done.

 

--Discipline with schooling through crisis. My family has been living with an ongoing crisis for the last six years (close relative dying of a brain tumor; five children in the family). I beat myself up a lot for the time lost for schooling while we were visiting the hospital or helping with emergency child care, especially as the crisis has been soooooo long.

 

 

 

Having shared this, though, I will say that despite the "failures" I replay in my mind, my kids appear to have weathered it just fine. Their standardized test scores have always been high, and many people have complimented me on both the quality of their work (tutors, co-op teachers) and on their sweet demeanor. At times I feel this outcome is downright miraculous given some of the challenges with my aunt's illness. It seems that as long as we keep on trying our best it works itself out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is our fourth year of hs'ing, and like another poster said, I only wish I'd started sooner. For one, I have older children from my first marriage and they went through ps all the way. Now I am hs'ing our youngest child (our late in life surprise!) and I can only say that I'd do ANYTHING if I could turn back the hands of time and have the chance to have given my oldest ones the education I'm now giving my dd. I also wish I'd started dd at home sooner instead sending her to ps for the first three years, but fortunately she has let go and finally "gets it" that hs'ing is such a better way for her. So the ps experience is now water under the bridge for her and we have moved on to embrace our life as a hs family.

 

Other than that, a big challenge for us is that there is a real need to stay disciplined. That is harder for some folks than others. I've learned that you have to get up with a purpose each and every morning, be dressed and ready to go, have a plan, be organized and then execute the plan, etc. A person can easily fall into lazy patterns, thus passing lazy habits on to the dc. Our tendency is to start out well, and then slump a bit before I recognize what's happening and pull the reigns in again. Hs'ing is not for wimps! A parent must be diligent, willing to be the bad guy to the inth degree, and yet balance it all out with love, cuddles on the couch and recognizing those teaching moments that are worth stopping everything for. I think it takes time to grow into this, and some families sadly bale out before getting there.

 

Another big challenge is being willing to sacrifice for your dc a bit more of your time in order to get them out into the community and around other people. My dd needs to have play dates and sleepovers with girlfriends, church activities above and beyond Sundays, and classes with groups to mix in with what we do at home. She has also been involved with scouts, soccer, etc. All of these take time, but are so critical to the active life a kid really needs. The other part of this challenge is that a parent needs to know how to balance it all out so that everyone's needs are being met.

 

I have also learned to delegate subjects out that are best taught by others or with help from specialized curriculum. For instance, I am a great LA, history, geography and art teacher, but I am NOT a good math teacher. I had to get help with that subject, so that is why we use TT. Dd is doing really great with math now, but we had to go through a struggle to get to the place where we are now. I also have a friend who is a hs mom who is a wonderful science teacher -- much better than I am. She was not including art in her curriculum because she struggled with it. So our solution was to bring all of our dc together twice per week. She teaches science to all and I teach art to all. It works beautifully for us. Now for some families, it means finding a tutor or a regular co-op, or having mom teach some subjects and dad teach the others, but the point is to recognize and accept without feeling ashamed that you may not always be able to teach all subjects and that your dc need to have input from other people from time to time.

 

All in all, despite the challenges I've listed, I have no regrets about making the choice to hs my dd. It has been demanding and self-sacrificing for me, but I would not trade off the rewards for anything! My dd is growing into a fantastic person, and I am so thankful that there is no pressure for her to fit into a social mould designed by peers in the ps community. Our time spent together with her education is absolutely priceless, something we will both cherish for the rest of our lives. From where I stand now, I am just not willing to let that go.

 

I truly hope that as you are tottering the fence, you are able to see the benefits of hs'ing in a new light and that you fall on that side of the fence. This world is changing so fast, and we only have our dc for a short season. If your family is in a position for you to stay at home, why not hang in there and give it your all? I honestly believe that there would be fewer regrets in doing that than the regrets that would come with sending your dc into the trenches of ps.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to agree with Joy about finding a balance between the social outlets they need at this age and meaningful academic work. My older son was so very social that we had to make time during the day for him to be with others, even though that meant that he usually worked until about 5 in order to get his reading, etc. done.

 

For my younger son, who is much more math and science oriented, I'm trying to make a concerted effort to get him more of what he needs in that regard.

 

And then there's the middle school "attitude", LOL, which is always a challenge regardless of whether you've been doing this a long or a short time..... There's no way around the hormonal stuff....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me personally, homeschooling during the younger yrs has always been pure joy. However, homeschooling high school is a daily challenge in self-discipline b/c it is flat out a lot of work. I have to force myself to stay organized. I have to be attentive to life taking over, etc. However, I also am not a person that believes that homeschooling is the best option. In my utopian vision, a Catholic classic school with experts in their fields that have a serious dedication to the education of children.....I would stop homeschooling and send my kids. But, since we live in the real world and I am dedicated to providing my children the best education possible, homeschooling is that option.

 

We don't have anything I would classify as failures due to homeschooling. Poor decisions that I would do differently given the opportunity......yes. Good decisions that could have been even better......yes. Excellent decisions that I am thrilled with the outcomes......yes. Basically, the realm of real life.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since this is a forum that obviously supports homeschooling, most of the people, of course, believe that homeschooling is a good option for them. However, as I am tottering on the fence, I would love to hear some challenges that different families have faced with homeschooling, and how you handled them. Any regrets? Failures?

 

I guess I'm hoping to learn from other people's mistakes!

 

Thanks!

 

Do you have problems yourself that you're unsure you'll be able to overcome? Why don't you elaborate on them so people can give you more specific help... EVERYBODY has problems, and everybody here has made mistakes. The difference is sheer determination, commitment, or an encouraging word spoken to us when we were weak. Almost anything you face can be overcome if it needs to be. That's not to say that homeschooling is always the right choice (as 8Fills said!), just that if it IS what you need to do, you can do it.

 

So let's get real. Everyone here has overcome issues with kids attitudes, physical problems, financial, something. I don't really feel inspired to write about ours, because they might not apply to you at all. Like they told us in college, the only way to drive straight is to look ahead, not in the ditch. If you spend your time worrying about what might go wrong, you'll miss the answers for how to deal with your problems.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I've said in another thread, my son just started middle school this year as a fifth grader. Our entire county system is a joke and was recently taken over by our state BOE. To make a long story short, he's in gifted class once a week, gets almost no science, is losing interest, etc. I think the whole theory behind public school is to support the weakest link. That's great for the weakest link, but not so much for kids who could be moving on.

 

I could list my fears all day long, but the reality is that I'm worried I just won't be able to do it. We are already doing science, Spanish, Algebra and now MCT after school. It's a big step to completely remove him from school, at least to my mind. I want to do what is best for him, not hurt him or hold him back in any way. I live in a VERY rural area that is always about ten years behind the times when it comes to things like technology and education. So naturally homeschooling is viewed as very much outside the "norm." I don't care about that so much for myself, but I don't want it to make things hard on him.

 

As far as our relationship, he IS just starting middle school and getting into arguing with me, and I know that will be a challenge. He will do math, science and history all day long, but he dislikes writing, and so I know we would need to work on that more because he is weak in that area, and I know it will be like pulling teeth.

 

Lastly, I'm afraid he will view it as "Hey, I don't have to go to school anymore!" and not take it as seriously as I am. I want to do it because I think he has never been challenged in his educational life, and I intend to change that dramatically.

 

I suppose I'm just an insecure person and I always tend to agonize over big decisions, even though I know what I should do, and once I make the decision I get on with it without looking back. I just want to make sure it's the right thing. A lot of people say, "I don't care what anyone thinks," but ultimately, we don't live in a vaccuum and while I will do what I view as right no matter what, I think making this decision out of irritation (or even at times anger) might be a mistake.

 

Oh, and I also want to make sure he can get into any college he wants. My understanding is that homeschooling hs no ill effect on that, but I want to make sure.

 

Thanks as always for the input. I wasn't trying to irritate anyone or push anyone to tell me something they didn't want to share. I really like this forum and have already obtained tons of useful information, and even if no one has another word to add to this thread, it's nice to know that others struggle at times and overcome those struggles. I suppose I was just looking for a little confidence booster from people who I know can appreciate the decision I am making.

Edited by Mommybostic
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I started homeschooling by pulling my gifted, science loving, non writing 5th grader out of school in December. I'm just laughing here :-)

 

Almost 2 years later I pulled out my older child (end of 7th grade) for what I intended to be one year, but i skipped him a year and he started American School correspondence school and started working almost full time (yes we were breaking the law) and two years later started putting himself through college. Then moved Across the country to Las Vegas two years later, with a degree, no debt and financially independent. He manages a video game store and is getting married this winter.

 

Younger son, never did learn to write all that well. But he learned Latin and Ancient Greek, and learned to love Shakespeare and the aeneid in some old poetic version from the 1600s. He lost his love of science and never even completed a typical high school level text. He read science Matters and watched the Joy of science videos about scientific literacy and studied about how real scientists do science, and read real books and watched a lot of documentaries...but didn't really care by the end of it all.

 

I got really sick and we were living in extreme poverty during his high school years. We both got burnt out. He "dropped out" so he could qualify to take the GED, got a job and started putting himself through the same junior college his brother had attended.

 

I got even sicker and a messy, messy, messy divorce became inevitable...and I no longer have contact with this son. My ex is Italian and...my son chose to side with "the family". So I don't really know what is up with him now. He is an incredibly bright young man, but got kinda lost during his late teens and slowed down when others his age were picking up steam. And the divorce and the horrible mess that went down, didn't help any.

 

I know I made the only choice possible. Keeping him in school wasn't an option. I did the best I could.

 

As for the older son, all his professors were so impressed with him, they used to often take him out to eat to grill him about his education, and childhood. Then they got shocked though...cause...well it was illegal and negligent...but...he was one of their best students and the complete OPPOSITE of what people assume homeschooling does to a child. It was working along side men all day, sweating and hurting, and paying for his own schooling that shaped him into who he is, I think.

 

I won't win any mom awards...but I did the best I could with the very meager resources I had available to me. I was a teen mom married to an abusive man and my kids grew up in extreme poverty. Considering that...well...it could have been much worse. I did my best.

 

Now I'm self educating myself, and my older son, I know is doing the same. And writing a graphic novel...and dreams some day of being able to go to art school...but well...he's about to have a family to support :-0

 

Homeschoolers are real people with real problems and real life happens.

Edited by Hunter
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although this will sound dramatic, this is a decision that will literally change the course, structure and focus of our entire life. It makes me quite nervous. My dearest friends are probably literally holding their heads and sighing inside each time they see me coming, because it's a big topic of conversation with me right now. I know I'm going to do it. I just have to do this whole thought process "out loud" before I make the leap.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a doctor's appointment tonight. My MD said she doesn't believe in free will. She says we just pick the least hurtful choices available to us based on our genetics and circumstances.

 

Trust yourself to make the best choices available to you. It doesn't mean they are perfect choices, just the best available.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mommybostic, sorry I haven't kept up with all (or actually any) of your threads. I thought about searching to read your posts but just didn't have time. Your explanation makes a lot of sense, and I can see why it's on your mind! If I could say, going to a homeschool convention would be a BOON to you. I understand you're in a rural area. The convention in Cincinnati this spring is HUGE and would be worth the drive. I know people came from QUITE a ways away. Something like that would energize you and let you see how real this is.

 

Hate to say it, but homeschooling is a good way to lose your friends. It's like politics or other, very real disagreements. They can take what you do as an implication of what they ought to do (or wish they could do), EVEN WHEN YOU DON'T MEAN IT THAT WAY. In other words, I wouldn't talk with them about it. Come on the boards and talk, talk all you want. But to talk with school people as you try to sift through things is just to open yourself up to criticism. Once you've made that decision, the real question is how to do it the best way. You don't need any undermining. (Around here we have the flipside, people with kids in really good ps who are happy to tell you how anything you are doing can't be as good...)

 

So definitely hook up with a convention like the one at http://www.cincinnatihomeschoolconvention.com or whatever is do-able for you. The organizers of the Cincy convention are putting on 3 clones this coming year, so there might be one within a reasonable drive for you. And each will probably have a board get-together, time with SWB, etc. :)

 

So he'll be a rising 6th? That's what we're doing now. Yes, it changes your lives, but it's not so drastic as it feels. Nothing is really permanent or a path until high school. You have so many options now with online classes, I think as you move forward, putting your energy into finding your options (rather than the previous stage of decision and doubt), you're going to find so many things you'll wonder how to decide between them! Hehe. He's starting to argue? Cool, that's a definite sign to start some logic materials with him. Fallacy Detective, Art of Argument, whatever you want. He might like to examine political thought with the things you cover (history, science, etc.). Lots of good debates with politics and economics. Homeschooling a boy is NOT the same as a girl. Each kid has their own way of approaching material, the particular aspects that will spark or fascinate them. So argue history, argue science with your boy. With my girl it's all about family relationships, who married whom, how their kids turned out. For real, she sits around reading timelines to track down descendants of people. It's just funny to me that books make homeschooling sound so gender-neutral, and it's really not.

 

His reaction might not be as negative as you think. If you manage to find something (even one thing) he really wants to do, it might engage him and get the rest going more smoothly. Are there any other homeschoolers in your area? That will be a trick to have a reward (co-op class, sports lesson, volunteer activity, something) that he gets to do when he finishes his work. With us it's ice skating and the weekly outing with Grandma. It creates a goal, something you're working toward.

 

Sounds like you already have a lot of good things going. Is there some reason you aren't taking the plunge right now? :)

 

I just noticed you're in West Virginia. In high school I was in an area of rural Indiana that was very similar. There are some areas that are even more rural and without resources. We have some friends on the border with West Virginia who have dealt with the same things (isolation, lack of connection to other homeschoolers, distances to activities, etc.). That's the stuff I would start working on now to try to create structure and a pleasant flow to your day. It will all come together. If he has been this bored in school, he'll enjoy the freedom to do things at home, once he realizes what he can do with it. And then that time to do his thing is the reward he gets for doing his work. It will come together for you.

 

Get hooked up with a convention! Don't know if you'll be closer to the one in PA or the one in Cincy, but the one in Cincy is AMAZING and would be worth the drive for you. You'd actually register now and make your hotel reservations now. It will be the end of March, beginning of April.

Edited by OhElizabeth
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although this will sound dramatic, this is a decision that will literally change the course, structure and focus of our entire life. It makes me quite nervous. My dearest friends are probably literally holding their heads and sighing inside each time they see me coming, because it's a big topic of conversation with me right now. I know I'm going to do it. I just have to do this whole thought process "out loud" before I make the leap.

 

What is your gut telling you in this? Not your heart or your head....your GUT instict. I had a counselor teach me many years ago how important it is for parents to follow their instincts when it comes to making decisions. He told me that 99% of the time, that will be the right decision. Once you know the answer to this question, go with it and don't second guess yourself or look back. Just go for it -- whatever that answer is. No one knows your child and what he needs like you do!

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

 

P.S. I hope you know that my intention is always to encourage. That was totally where I was coming from in my previous post.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well the first year is hard. It's hard because the whole time you are thinking you are doing a terrible job and what were you thinking and this is a joke.

 

THen, you finish the year, you look at what you accomplished. You realize how far you have both come. Yes, you made some mistakes but the sky didn't fall. You had some major succeses as well.

 

THe second year starts. You feel like you aren't totally unprepared all the time. You stop worrying so much about WHAT WILL HAPPEN because it hasn't happened yet.

 

You get comfortable. You find your groove together. You have your groove and your kids have theirs and everything is .. groovy!

 

Really.

 

And if he likes to do history and math and science but doesn't like writing, then have his writing be part of doing history, science and math! You can do that. It is allowed. In fact, it is the rare middle schooler who will tolerate meaningless work. Give his writing a point, a purpose, and he might not fight you...as much.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Homeschooling can be very isolating. We live in a rural area as well. When we first started hsing, we were the only ones. People felt threatened by our decision. It was like the pink elephant in the room, everyone knew it was there but it was never talked about. I felt very alone during those first few years. In the past three years, there have been many people in our area who have taken their kids out of school so we actually have a hs group. We have about 4 hs families now who we socialize with. It is heaven for me.

 

I have lost a few friendships over the years due to our homeschooling. It wasn't a dramatic parting of the ways but the friendships just fizzled out because we didn't have anything in common anymore. Most of my friends now are homeschoolers.

 

I have to admit that when I first read your post I was put off by the word 'failure.' I don't consider anything we have gone through, however difficult, a failure. To me, it is considered part of the learning curve.

 

To go along with Elizabeth's suggestion of hs conference, try to read as many hs books as you can get your hands on. Read about how people teach their children. There are many different educational philosophies/methods. Read about them and see which one would work well for you and your children. I can't remember from your other threads if you have read WTM yet. Obviously I would recommend that one if you haven't read it yet.

 

This is getting very long but I did want to address one more thing. Challenges. My main challenge right now is doing school when life happens. Last year I had cancer. Right now I am waiting to find out if the cancer has spread to my bones. This has been a very difficult time for me. I haven't wanted to do school for this past year. So many times I have just wanted to curl up in a ball and let life go by me. But I have taken up the mantra of 'just do it' and have pushed through the apathy, fear and other emotions that have been swirling through me and have soldiered on with school. There will be days when you don't want to do school but you just have to push through those feelings and just do it.

 

Good luck with your decision.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't read all the posts, but I did read where someone was saying they have to push themselves to be disciplined and not slack off. I have the opposite problem and have regrets because I pushed my oldest too hard in the early years and had expectations that were too high. I had trouble being patient with him and held a lot of guilt and lost many nights sleep over that. Now that I've learned to back off, he's actually showing signs of enjoying learning again and that is so wonderful to see.

 

Lisa

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well the first year is hard. It's hard because the whole time you are thinking you are doing a terrible job and what were you thinking and this is a joke.

 

THen, you finish the year, you look at what you accomplished. You realize how far you have both come. Yes, you made some mistakes but the sky didn't fall. You had some major succeses as well.

 

THe second year starts. You feel like you aren't totally unprepared all the time. You stop worrying so much about WHAT WILL HAPPEN because it hasn't happened yet.

 

You get comfortable. You find your groove together. You have your groove and your kids have theirs and everything is .. groovy!

 

Really.

 

And if he likes to do history and math and science but doesn't like writing, then have his writing be part of doing history, science and math! You can do that. It is allowed. In fact, it is the rare middle schooler who will tolerate meaningless work. Give his writing a point, a purpose, and he might not fight you...as much.

 

:iagree: And people who homeschool from the beginning go through the same process. It just takes time, often several years, to get comfortable with this and find your groove, develop a routine, find what works. The op is lucky, because she's already been doing some things. She's half way there. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm about 2 1/2 months into homeschooling my 6th grade ds, so take my words as those of a newbie.

 

I *wanted* to homeschool from the very beginning, but dh wanted the boy to have a more normal and typical public school experience. It was good for awhile--I had a job that permitted me to take him to school in the mornings and pick him up in the afternoons and even volunteer an afternoon or two in the classroom every week.

 

Things went bad for him last year, both with an indifferent teacher (who would have been his teacher again this year) and with some bullying issues where ds was the victim. So dh finally agreed that homeschooling might not be a bad idea.

 

For all the difficulties ds had last year, I'm kind of glad we started out with public school. Ds enjoys homeschooling. He knows what he's doing in language arts and math and history is rigorous and that he's learning a lot. That's not to say he doesn't try to dawdle a lot, but he gets it. He inherently likes learning and he *loves* to talk about what he's learning so this kind of personalized education is *perfect* for him. He and I are reading the same materials so he can have great discussions about his reading (in studying ancient history this year we've spent *way* more time on Ancient Egypt than I expected because he just can't get enough of it!). Writing is a struggle for him, but I *think* it's getting easier just because he can think better without the chaos of 53 other students around him. He still doesn't *want* to write but once we get past his resistance and talk over what he wants to say in his writing, he actually has a really nice writing "voice" that I don't think he'd ever get the chance to develop in a school setting.

 

Science is an area that was very neglected in his public school. Science happened every other Friday, alternating with Social Studies. Factor in teacher in-service days and assemblies, and he got science once a month. Now we do more science, and it's the kind of science he's interested in, so he's very happy.

 

He still does a fair amount of his education outside the home. He goes back to his old public school twice a week to participate in Orchestra and gets to have lunch with his friends while he's there. He's taking a co-op class taught by a high school senior where they learn about famous ancient battles and re-enact them. He's participating in FIRST Lego League and he's on the math team at our local Homeschool Resource Center. In all these cases there are fewer students and he is *thriving* having these more personal relationships with his instructors.

 

For me, the biggest struggle has been finding a balance. I think he's brilliant, so I naturally want to work him too hard. Then I realize I'm pushing too hard and back off too much. But we're finding our balance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me personally, homeschooling during the younger yrs has always been pure joy. However, homeschooling high school is a daily challenge in self-discipline b/c it is flat out a lot of work. I have to force myself to stay organized. I have to be attentive to life taking over, etc. However, I also am not a person that believes that homeschooling is the best option. In my utopian vision, a Catholic classic school with experts in their fields that have a serious dedication to the education of children.....I would stop homeschooling and send my kids. But, since we live in the real world and I am dedicated to providing my children the best education possible, homeschooling is that option.

 

We don't have anything I would classify as failures due to homeschooling. Poor decisions that I would do differently given the opportunity......yes. Good decisions that could have been even better......yes. Excellent decisions that I am thrilled with the outcomes......yes. Basically, the realm of real life.

 

My favorite year for homeschooling was when the boys were in fourth and seventh grade. There was time for discovery and fun even if we did have the occasional bickering. Now with a 12th grader and a 7th grader, it is triple the work and there is not enough coffee in the world to keep me moving with a smile on my face some days. We have done all the options, public, private, and homeschool. I have seen amazing teachers that I can't begin to come close to. I've seen a fair amount of mediocrity that I in my vanity can easily surpass, primarily because I care to.

 

We have a school in our area similar to the one 8filltheheart describes. I would love for Swimmer Dude to go there, but on the other hand I know too well that with outstanding education comes privilege, and with that a drug scene that surpasses our local public school.

 

My middle child, who was homeschooled for two years, would tell you that if it weren't for the social he would be home again in a heartbeat. He finds it easier to concentrate at home and feels that he learns more. Both he and his older sister say it is hard to get a multi-sided conversation going on certain topics while at home.

 

I do what I do because I am still convinced that it is the right path at this time, but I also know this road would be so much more difficult and lonely without this board.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I said failure, what I meant was a type of style or particular curriculum that just didn't do it for you (or rather for the kids, I guess.) There are SO MANY different ones to pick from, and of course they all say they are great, so you can only rely on time and experience, it seems.

 

My youngest child is severely disabled and is in and will remain in ps, plus I am the only caregiver to my dependent sister, who has CP. But I see working parents on here who homeschool, so I know it can be done.

 

Maybe the writing is a boy thing. Also, I noticed a post that said they pushed too hard, and I worry about that, too. I don't want to ask for too much, but I know basically there are few limits to what a child can learn if they are given the chance. He loves science and history stuff so much, I can't keep it coming fast enough even now, so what will it be like when he's here all day? That's a good thing I know, it just amuses me think about it.

 

I guess it's true, there will be some people who are never going to think what I'm doing is right, but I just have to let those people go. I am currently working on finding other families around who homeschool, and as for the convention, I would really like to go, but I have to make a lot of arrangements in order to travel without my sister--I will keep it in mind because it sounds like a wonderful thing. It's always a joy to be around like-minded people!

 

I think I have always "homeschooled" to a certain extent. In my opinion, that's why my son is considered "gifted." We have gone on trips and studied things and we have always had discussions about what we saw. We read books and I didn't talk "baby talk" to him. He has spoken plain English since he was two years old, and I run into six year olds now that I can't understand. Although this is probably a whole different thread, I'm not sure my son is actually gifted, or if any child can live up that potential if they are only given the opportunity. Hmmm....

 

Well, thanks so much and I hope all have a wonderful Thankgiving.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I've said in another thread, my son just started middle school this year as a fifth grader. Our entire county system is a joke and was recently taken over by our state BOE. To make a long story short, he's in gifted class once a week, gets almost no science, is losing interest, etc. I think the whole theory behind public school is to support the weakest link. That's great for the weakest link, but not so much for kids who could be moving on.

 

I too pulled my DS from PS due to lack of challenge. His last teacher said that he really, really needed a teacher that could challenge him. My teacher-friend said that if that teacher couldn't do it, there weren't really any at his school that could and she recommended HSing him. I pulled him out for 3rd grade and he's now in 5th grade. I sent my middle son to K so I could have the year w/ my oldest. My oldest is a tough kid and I knew even though he wanted to HS, it wouldn't be easy and it wasn't. Those first 4months was hell but it definitely got easier as we both relaxed into our new roles. It was hard for him to move being at home and relaxing and educating at home w/ the lure of LEGOs, TV, and baby sister to play with.

 

I could list my fears all day long, but the reality is that I'm worried I just won't be able to do it. We are already doing science, Spanish, Algebra and now MCT after school. It's a big step to completely remove him from school, at least to my mind. I want to do what is best for him, not hurt him or hold him back in any way. I live in a VERY rural area that is always about ten years behind the times when it comes to things like technology and education. So naturally homeschooling is viewed as very much outside the "norm." I don't care about that so much for myself, but I don't want it to make things hard on him.

 

That's how I got started as well, afterschooling. It got to the point that school was interfering w/ my afterschooling! But afterschooling made it easy to move into HSing. You already have several subjects going so just keep those going. Ask you son to think about a few topics he wants to learn more about. Let him go to the library and pick out books on the topic, get videos on the topic and let him finally go at his pace. Then gradually fold in those less palatable subjects like writing.

 

Lastly, I'm afraid he will view it as "Hey, I don't have to go to school anymore!" and not take it as seriously as I am. I want to do it because I think he has never been challenged in his educational life, and I intend to change that dramatically.

 

Well, mine never said that but there were many, many, did I say many? times when I had to remind him that it is my job to see that he gets an education, and if I feel WE are not getting it done, he was going back to school. Now i could use this on him b/c he did not want to go back to school.

 

A word of caution about challenging him at home. My son had never been challenged in school. So when I took him home and he finally had to focus for longer than 5minutes to get something, it was a HUGE blow to his self-esteem. He no longer thought he was smart and everything was work. I told him that is why we are HSing, so that you are challenged. I also learned that b/c he was never required to pay attention for more than 5min at school b/c he didn't need to in order to get it, he attention was very short at home. This was after only 3 years in public school. I lost a lot of tears over that, wishing I had taken him out sooner.

 

I suppose I'm just an insecure person and I always tend to agonize over big decisions, even though I know what I should do, and once I make the decision I get on with it without looking back. I just want to make sure it's the right thing. A lot of people say, "I don't care what anyone thinks," but ultimately, we don't live in a vaccuum and while I will do what I view as right no matter what, I think making this decision out of irritation (or even at times anger) might be a mistake.

 

I don't know if I'd call it insecure, but I'm very cautious when making prodigious (MCT CE1 :lol: ) decisions. But you and I sound so much alike! I have not regretted the decision. We don't have a lot of HSers here and everyone thinks that our district is the next best thing since sliced bread so it is quite lonely. But I met another family who made the decision to HS about 4months after we did and we became fast best friends and our boys are best friends so that makes a difference.

 

 

 

Capt_Uhura

Edited by Capt_Uhura
making my text more clear
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I think I have always "homeschooled" to a certain extent. In my opinion, that's why my son is considered "gifted." We have gone on trips and studied things and we have always had discussions about what we saw. We read books and I didn't talk "baby talk" to him. He has spoken plain English since he was two years old, and I run into six year olds now that I can't understand. Although this is probably a whole different thread, I'm not sure my son is actually gifted, or if any child can live up that potential if they are only given the opportunity. Hmmm....

.

 

My friend and I have had many conversations about this. I think there are different subtypes of gifted. There are those that just think so differently and see the world so differently from the rest of us. In my mind, i think of those as truly gifted but perhaps they are simply different. Then I like SWB's definition of gifted....kids who hit logic stage faster than others. That's how I think of my son. He doesn't necessarily think differently than most, he just hit logic stage 4+ years earlier than most. WHen he was 4-5yrs old, we could sit and watch a National Geo documentary for 1-2hrs and have a good discussion about it. He would read books about black holes and ask darn good questions! At 4, he was finding history channel shows he wanted to watch and recording them on the DVR. :lol: Anyhow, does it really matter if we label these kids? NOpe, not once you're HSing. I no longer think of my kids as anything but the point where they are.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...not once you're HSing. I no longer think of my kids as anything but the point where they are.

 

This is one of the best parts of homeschooling. You get to shed the labels if you want to.

 

And it's so nice to use ungraded resources, that just focus on efficiently getting a certain thing learned, and being able to take as long or short a time as necessary to complete them.

 

Mommybostic, one of the things you will need to do, is compare YOUR homeschooling experience with what would have happened to YOUR son if he had stayed in PS, and not get distracted by what other homeschoolers are doing or what other PS students are doing.

 

There are going to be times when you will get, oh so busy and distracted, by concerns with your daughter and sister, and guilt and second thoughts will overwhelm you, if you are comparing your HS experience with homeschoolers with less overwhelming circumstances, or PS students with access to resources your son doesn't have.

 

My younger child's educational experience was so much less than he deserved/needed, but what I gave him was so much more than PS was willing to give him.

Edited by Hunter
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I said failure, what I meant was a type of style or particular curriculum that just didn't do it for you (or rather for the kids, I guess.) There are SO MANY different ones to pick from, and of course they all say they are great, so you can only rely on time and experience, it seems.

My youngest child is severely disabled and is in and will remain in ps, plus I am the only caregiver to my dependent sister, who has CP. But I see working parents on here who homeschool, so I know it can be done.

 

Maybe the writing is a boy thing. Also, I noticed a post that said they pushed too hard, and I worry about that, too. I don't want to ask for too much, but I know basically there are few limits to what a child can learn if they are given the chance. He loves science and history stuff so much, I can't keep it coming fast enough even now, so what will it be like when he's here all day? That's a good thing I know, it just amuses me think about it.

 

I guess it's true, there will be some people who are never going to think what I'm doing is right, but I just have to let those people go. I am currently working on finding other families around who homeschool, and as for the convention, I would really like to go, but I have to make a lot of arrangements in order to travel without my sister--I will keep it in mind because it sounds like a wonderful thing. It's always a joy to be around like-minded people!

 

I think I have always "homeschooled" to a certain extent. In my opinion, that's why my son is considered "gifted." We have gone on trips and studied things and we have always had discussions about what we saw. We read books and I didn't talk "baby talk" to him. He has spoken plain English since he was two years old, and I run into six year olds now that I can't understand. Although this is probably a whole different thread, I'm not sure my son is actually gifted, or if any child can live up that potential if they are only given the opportunity. Hmmm....

 

Well, thanks so much and I hope all have a wonderful Thankgiving.

 

I wanted to focus just on the stuff I bolded. I wanted to tell you that I have had curricula failure; however, I cannot say that my failures would be your failures because it depends upon the child and yourselve. I would highly recommend that you read book to help you discover your child's learning style. I like the book "The Way The Learn" by Cynthia Tobias and "The Ultimate Guilde to Homeschooling" by Debra Bell. The Tobias book helped me to understand what kind of a learner I was. I realized that that is the key to homeschooling. Not only did I need to know how my child takes in information, I also need to know how I take in information.

 

So, based upon that information, I purchased books for my children. I don't have a lot of curricula that have failed us because I look very hard and long before I choose a program. I start to observe how my children comprehend information that is presented to them. Then I search for a program that fits their way of understanding.

 

I don't always go with what is talked about on the boards here because I would end up being a curriculum junkie. I look on these boards for if someone is doing the same program as me, and how it challenges them.

 

Now, in terms of my challenges, I have difficulties saying "no" to things. My children get involved in too many activities and I end up doing too much. It effects my schooling. I usually have to double up or go into the summer. I usually hate that. There are problems when you are doing school work overall like distractions or a child not understanding. Many times I have had to slow down in those cases. This is where the bumps come in.

 

Also, there is no perfect curriculum. One might work for one child and another in the same family. It is still trial and error. Just my experience.

 

Blessings to you.

 

Sincerely,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me personally, homeschooling during the younger yrs has always been pure joy. However, homeschooling high school [middle school] is a daily challenge in self-discipline b/c it is flat out a lot of work. I have to force myself to stay organized. I have to be attentive to life taking over, etc. However, I also am not a person that believes that homeschooling is the best option. In my utopian vision...

 

Of all the responses, the above rings truest to me. After 15 years of homeschooling the most challenging aspect of homeschooling is keeping it fresh and keeping learning alive with a teen. Finding and choosing the right curriculum is not nearly as difficult as it is to teach a subject. I think teaching well is an art, and the gift of teaching in the classroom or homeschooling is seeing a child bubbling over with the enthusiasm enough to reach beyond the basics of a subject.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The fact that my son is losing that excitement and enthusiasm was the catalyst of this entire situation. Here is a child who LOVES science. It's his favorite. Now they don't have a science lab, they play on the computers, and most recently he had to write a little paper about what they would be doing over break. Now, I'm all for writing, but what in the world does that have to do with science? Now, he says he doesn't really like the class, it's boring, he's not crazy about the teacher, etc. So we've taken a subject he once loved and converted it handily into one which he views with complete indifference. How's that for failure of the public school system? He ALREADY dislikes writing, he breezes through math and "social studies," so I'm sure they, too, will soon fall out of favor, until we're left with a completely zoned out, non-stimulated kid who hates school completely and just can't wait for it to be over.

 

How can I expect him to love learning when he isn't learning? Of couse he will eventually have to study something that isn't of interest to him, but shouldn't it at least be presented in a way that is interesting?

 

This is where I am right now. I know that it will be very difficult at times. He is a lot like me, so I prefer to see this as strong willed as opposed to stubborn, but this could be used as an advantage. We have so much fun together, and I love to see him learn things and see things and ask intelligent questions.

 

As far as socialization, when I started it was a big concern, but upon reading all of these threads, I begin to see that ultimately, that will be up to me. His habits and personality will develop hopefully without the influence of the group, without being afraid of what others will think or say.

 

He is very excited about the thought of learning at home, but when I asked him what his concerns were, he answered, "I'm afraid when my friends find out, I'll be a laughingstock." Now, I'm glad he used the word laughingstock, but I'm sorry that he's worried about that, and I know he will encounter negativity at some point. I just hope that at the end of the journey he will see that it was all worth it.

 

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Soon after homeschooling starts, children have a new peer base, of a multiage group with all different rules. What makes someone a "laughingstock" completely changes.

 

When my oldest at 14, started working all day with seasonal workers from Nepal and Thailand, what was "cool" changed drastically. He now worried about things like...what to get for the person who he picked in the Christmas lottery...that was light enough for the man to carry on the back of an elephant, if it was something he would be bringing home with him :-)

Edited by Hunter
Spelling
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just have to do this whole thought process "out loud" before I make the leap.

 

I haven't read the whole thread yet, but wanted to say that I am doing this right now. Except I haven't decided what we will choose yet. :confused::confused::confused:

 

I don't think we've quite reached the tipping point yet where afterschooling is going to turn into homeschooling (we're just doing math and Latin). My eldest's school isn't "bad" though I could probably do a better job at home. I'm trying to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each. Y'all will probably here from me again on this indecision.

:tongue_smilie:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They are just an opportunity to find a better fit for a given child. I loved Singapore math for my oldest two, but it did not work at all for my youngest. Rightstart, what I use for him, has been very successful, but would never have worked for my olders. I could name a pretty long list of online classes and services that were not very helpful and too expensive for what we got.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know the attention span thing is going to be a big challenge. He finishes things in school, then just sort of does whatever while the others finish. At home, if something is that easy, we will move through it and go to the next thing. It will be an adjustment.

 

That's another good question. When something is that easy, like a math lesson or a spelling lesson, do you let them be finished when it's complete or do you set an allotted time for a certain subject? He's doing pre-algebra, and I can see further in the book that those lessons will be harder, but the first few units he has pretty much breezed through. Since he is afterschooling, I let him do the work for that one lesson and stop, but when THIS will be our school, should we do another lesson to fill up a certain amount of time and pave the way to the more challenging stuff?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't read the whole thread yet, but wanted to say that I am doing this right now. Except I haven't decided what we will choose yet. :confused::confused::confused:

 

I don't think we've quite reached the tipping point yet where afterschooling is going to turn into homeschooling (we're just doing math and Latin). My eldest's school isn't "bad" though I could probably do a better job at home. I'm trying to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each. Y'all will probably here from me again on this indecision.

:tongue_smilie:

 

I always felt this way about the elementary school my son attended--it is one of the best schools in the state and by far the best school in the county--that is wasn't that bad. Truthfully, though, now that I am working with him myself, I'm disappointed with his writing level and his dislike for reading. His comprehension is at his peer level, but he could (and should!) be doing better. I also blame myself for this because I didn't pay attention to it sooner. Furthermore, I think of where his levels could be now in ALL subjects if I had homeschooled him from the start.

 

Just a little food for thought.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everybody finds their own way to work. I try to have together time and independent time with dd. So we might work together on a whole pile of things, crunch through them, and then let her have time to finish them on her own. It's not my job to sit there every single minute through every single thing, kwim? He may not even want that (independent streak and all). Some things, yes, we do by time. Other things we do by lesson. It just depends, and those lists have shifted from year to year. He's old enough that what you might do is set some goals. Does have have a place he wants to be or a course he wants to get to? Then he can understand that he needs a certain pace in order to get there. In GENERAL, I wouldn't feel compelled to do 2 lessons of math a day, once you hit the upper levels, unless he wants to and asks to. There's SO MUCH other stuff we want to do, it would get imbalanced, kwim? Let those easy lessons be your cushion while you transition into full-time homeschooling. Then as things get more challenging in the book you're more in your routine. Many moms around here find themselves with more ideas for their kids than the kids themselves can physically tolerate, hehe. We always have ideas and things we want to do with them. You have to put it all on a piece of paper and keep it reasonable.

 

Oh, the other thing about math is that I think it's good to diversify. Instead of doing double lessons, how about adding in some Math Olympiad problems each day? We do them, usually just one or two each day, and they're such a nice complement to this level. They come 5 to a page, and he might be such a whiz he could do all 5 in a day, who knows. You could add on some Patty Paper geometry or the RS Geometry or LoF. It's not like you can only do one thing with math. :)

 

Sounds like you're to the sit down and plan all this out stage! I think then some of these questions will resolve themselves. You'll see the mix of what you're trying to accomplish and you'll figure out how that fits in your day and your typical life routine. You might realize things like that he wants an hour to read each morning or that you want to finish by a certain time each day to hit the gym. So then you'll start to see what you can get done in the morning and what gets shoved to afternoon.

 

You might enjoy reading posts by Kpzz. Her dd is now in school, but for years she was an interesting voice on the accelerated board. You can do an advanced search and find her posts. She once made the comment that the reward for doing well should not be more work. I've thought about that often over the years. I try to go into lessons with set goals and stopping points. I guess you can do that once you get really solid about what your dc can accomplish in a reasonable amount of time. When dd was LITTLE, I'm talking 5 or 6, we worked by time frame, mainly using that as a cutoff when a lesson was longer than her readiness. But at this age I go in with what I think we can accomplish (or know we need to accomplish), and we work to achieve it. If it's going to take dramatically longer than I thought, even with proper work and attitude, then we stop at a reasonable time. If the attitude isn't good and that's what is dragging it out, we keep going. And if she gets done more quickly than I anticipated, she is rewarded with that time. The reward for hard work is not more work.

 

So no, I wouldn't double up the math just because you can UNLESS HE ASKS. But I would add in some more brain-tingling supplements to keep him properly challenged. And when you plan your times, just plan through what seems reasonable. For instance I look for 30 minutes of together time and 30 minutes of independent time, give or take a little. That 30 minutes together includes a discussion of the textbook lesson and working on Math Olympiad together. The independent time is her working through the assigned problems in the book.

 

Is there actually a timeframe to your pulling out yet? Maybe this year or definitely next?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always felt this way about the elementary school my son attended--it is one of the best schools in the state and by far the best school in the county--that is wasn't that bad. Truthfully, though, now that I am working with him myself, I'm disappointed with his writing level and his dislike for reading. His comprehension is at his peer level, but he could (and should!) be doing better. I also blame myself for this because I didn't pay attention to it sooner. Furthermore, I think of where his levels could be now in ALL subjects if I had homeschooled him from the start.

 

Just a little food for thought.

 

I'll summarize a passage from a classical education book I'm currently reading...name is escaping me. In it, a man approaches the author at the gym, and w/out knowing who she is, comments, "You know how we laugh at cashiers at McDonald's who can't make change? Well, my DD who is a senior at one of the best public schools in the area, and who went to 6years of private school, came home today crying from the first day on the job as a cashier and said that she didn't know how to make change. How does this happen? How did I not know what was happening?" The author comments that this was an involved, knowledgeable father but it happens all the time. My neighbor commented that her 4th grader had no idea how to count money so they were working on it at home. Someone else commented that she realized her DD didn't know how to tell time. When they are in public school, it really can be difficult to know what is being taught, what is being taught to mastery, and what the expectations are.

 

What I did was to double up on the easy stuff when I was trying to figure out where he was. I felt like so much time had been wasted at school. So I'd plan for 25min and if we completed a lesson, we'd do another unless DS protested. Once I hit his challenge level/new material, if he finished the lesson in half the allotted time, we just moved on to the next thing or else we do as OHElizabeth suggested and add in some fun living math books or problems.

 

My son needs breaks. But for my friend, it works best to work through a solid 4hrs w/out stopping. You'll figure out what works best for you and your son.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it's a good point--not to reward good work with more work. As long as things are an acceptable pace, and the ATTITUDE is right, then that's ok. Another good point--I ordered a LoF book for him, just for a change and to hopefully help his reading a little, so we will be able to implement that. I just got the Spelling Workout book. I got levels D and E. It's starting a little easy, but I think so far it's just been memorizing right before test time and then letting the words go, instead of really applying them and learning the vocabulary. He's been doing the MCT, so that makes it seem even easier.

 

What do you all think of the Wordsmith series? WTM says to go with the Apprentice edition for reluctant writers, and that is definately him.

 

I am going to pull him out over Christmas break. I need to give them a two week notice according to policy, and I felt like that would sort of wrap things up at school for him. I thought of letting him finishing this year out, but now that I am finding so much I want to work on, I don't know if I can wait that long and lose yet another year to the public school system!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Snort. two weeks notice or they'll...what? suspend him? Put a letter in his Permanent Record?

 

Is that a state policy or is your school making stuff up? You have to obey state educational rules, not school rules.

 

Well, from the way the policy reads to me, it is a state BOE policy and also a similarly worded county BOE policy. They are both enclosed in the packet I picked up from the board office. The two weeks notice thing had some sort of loophole thing about special circumstances or whatever, I'll have to check it out, but I don't mind waiting until Christmas break. It's what he wants to do, and I'll go along with that much, at least.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although this will sound dramatic, this is a decision that will literally change the course, structure and focus of our entire life. It makes me quite nervous. My dearest friends are probably literally holding their heads and sighing inside each time they see me coming, because it's a big topic of conversation with me right now. I know I'm going to do it. I just have to do this whole thought process "out loud" before I make the leap.

 

I don't think you're sounding dramatic. I was SCARED before I pulled DD out of school (during the 6th grade school year, in October). I had sleepless nights, and yes, it was all I could talk about. Some friends gave me the encouragement I needed to be pushed of the edge. It was easier pulling DS out of school in 5th grade a year later, also in the middle of the year.

It HAS changed our family life, structure and everything. Organizational, it is hard, because I work, and sometimes things don't go as planned. And the whole thing IS a challenge. But oh, it's so worth it. Btw, our reason for homeschooling is that both kids were not challenged in school.

 

The biggest challenge for us was finding peer groups. We have not been successful finding academic peers for the kids (coop was a flop, the whole dream about having them learn some things together with other homeschooled kids did not work out) , but they have plenty of social contacts, friends, extracurricular activities.

Go for it. Take it a few months at a time. What helped me get started was the thought that I could just TRY to homeschool and that they could always go back to school if it did not work out. I started by trying for a few months... we are in year 3 now.

Edited by regentrude
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How old is he? What grade? We did Wordsmith Apprentice the year ds was born, didn't finish. Dd enjoyed it what she did in it. We moved on to other things, didn't make it back, and now she's a bit old. (It looks babyish to her.) I have Wordsmith and Craftsman, which been my plan for this year. (One for this, the other for later.) We haven't used it yet, not really sure if we will or not. How's that for a non-answer?

 

My real trouble is *I* like the structure of CW and dd doesn't. I haven't yet figured out how to get into her head and make things click.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How old is he? What grade? We did Wordsmith Apprentice the year ds was born, didn't finish. Dd enjoyed it what she did in it. We moved on to other things, didn't make it back, and now she's a bit old. (It looks babyish to her.) I have Wordsmith and Craftsman, which been my plan for this year. (One for this, the other for later.) We haven't used it yet, not really sure if we will or not. How's that for a non-answer?

 

My real trouble is *I* like the structure of CW and dd doesn't. I haven't yet figured out how to get into her head and make things click.

 

 

He's 10 and in the fifth grade. He seems to know how to write. He uses punctuation and capitalization correctly, and he verbally a VERY articulate child. I tell people he started talking when he was two and hasn't shut up since. However, he HATE TO WRITE. Any writing exercise with him is exhausting. He spends his energy complaining and asking me, to the line, how much he has to write. He journals each night, and he wants me to mark on the page exactly how far down he has to go.

 

He likes to verbally work out math problems on the board even, and even when he is writing them on paper he likes to say the functions out loud, even simple stuff. He breezes through math so far--it's just his habit, I think. When he reads, he can TELL me a wonderful narration of what he read, but when he writes the narration himself, it's very weak.

 

Honestly, it almost reminds me of the very early grammar stages in that particular area. That's why I thought, "begin at the beginning." Then again, I don't want something too childish because I'm afraid that will turn him off even more. I'm hoping the [very short] journal entries and a little bit of drill with spelling words will help over time.

 

This is getting sort of long, but as an aside, he also still prefers me to read aloud to him. Now, I do know he can read very well and understand what he reads because of the narrations he gives me verbally, but he still likes for me to read to him. We read the MCT lessons together, and I always makes him tell them back to me to make sure he is getting them. Anything I teach him with the board he immediately retains.

 

So, back to the original point, I was wondering is Apprentice might offer a way to sort of ease him into writing without overwhelming and frustrating him (and me!) I don't want it to be too childish though, because I guarantee you he will balk at that. He has already commented that our Spanish lesson is a little childish, but he likes the online activities and--guess what--the story is read aloud on the computer, which he likes.

 

I'd love some more input, and I'm sorry this thread has completely gone off on a tangent!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am going to pull him out over Christmas break. I need to give them a two week notice according to policy, and I felt like that would sort of wrap things up at school for him. I thought of letting him finishing this year out, but now that I am finding so much I want to work on, I don't know if I can wait that long and lose yet another year to the public school system!

 

:thumbup:

 

Congratulations on making this decision! You are opening the door to a really wonderful journey, and I seriously doubt that you will ever regret it. You and your ds will be amazed at how much more he learns at home. And the bonding that takes place within the family is the icing on the cake!

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SWB says that kids should only write in journals (ie creative writing) if they want to. Unless of course the journal entry is in response to something he's reading in lit, history, or science.Can your son write down his own narrations from history or science? Does his hand just get tired w/ writing? Have you listened to SWB's MP3 downloads? I'd start w/ her grammar stage MP3 and then listen to the middle grades MP3. I would consider getting the textbook for Writing w/ Ease and giving your son the assessment for level 1, then level 2 and so on until you figure out where he places. There was a pdf which contained just the assessment for Writing with Ease but I wasn't sure if that was a legitimate SWB product and I've not seen it linked to since that one time. My son too learns well from listening and he much prefers for us to read something together and discuss. I think that is just his personality and learning style.

 

Wordsmith App teaches writing through the eyes of a newspaper reporter. Your DS might like that idea.

 

My friend's DS hated, hated, HATED writing. he would cry real tears. For 2yrs she made him write and write and write. He did WWE, he did his own narrations, he learned to type and transitioned to typing. This boy now will sit and write 2 pages w/out even a peep! He even laughs at his own spelling mistakes. He used to be a HORRID speller and had even worse handwriting. His writing is now legible and his spelling is decent. The only thing she can attribute this to is copywork, followed by dictation, and just lots of writing and maturing. He's now 11yrs old this month. I've read that boys finger muscles mature 2yrs later than girls. I think this can be a huge issue for some boys. I seldom write. ONe day i did a 5min freewrite w/ my son and I was SHOCKED as to how tired my hands were! Now that I'm making a conscious effort to write more, it's back to being effortless. I would certainly teach your son how to type and see if that unlocks his writing issues.

 

WWE works on the skill of giving oral narration and then writing down what DC just said. First by him telling you the narration, you writing it down, reading it back to him, and then he writing it down from your dictation. This transitions to him writing down the first 1-2 sentences of his own narration in WWE3, to writing down all of his narration in WWE4.

 

ANyhow, just my personal opinion.... your mileage may vary

 

Yes, CONGRATS on your decision!!! I think Christmas break is a nice time to cut the cord. IT gives you a few more weeks to get materials together etc. IN my district, you can pull them out any time but you have 10days (2weeks) to submit letter of intent. They then have 1 week to send you IHIP forms which you then have 1 month to return.

 

Capt_Uhura

Edited by Capt_Uhura
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bostic, I'm not a good one to talk, because to my mind what you're describing could result from anything from lack of skill/practice/teaching all the way to something clinical. I've used WTM methods with my dd from the beginning, but she's a lot like your ds. I'd hear how it went with other people and guilt-trip myself, concluding I didn't do narrations enough, didn't try hard enough, obviously didn't do SOMETHING enough. Then I chatted with SWB at a convention and found out one of her ds's is pencil phobic too. ;) So one of SWB's ds's is headed to be a professional writer, and the other is pencil phobic. Equally good mom with both. And then I started getting my dd evaluated and learned her responses actually had REASONS. Could they be issues with your ds? No clue. But for my dd, there are several things going on. She has issues with low muscle tone and strength (both, they're two separate things), and that was making it painful to write. Her fingers are weak, but also her core and shoulder are weak. So she was leaning onto her wrist, which was taking the brunt of that and trying to write. We're doing OT to work on it. My dd also had issues with how her eyes were working together (convergence, focusing) that needed vision therapy. Now you should know my dd has always been an INCREDIBLY good reader, so we had no remedial-type issues to clue us in. However she had increasing headaches with schoolwork, difficulty catching balls, and refused to read small print books, saying they were too small. With the VT her reading has bounced back, and her handwriting is DRAMATICALLY better.

 

The OT also found a bit of a spatial apraxia with my dd. Apraxia, whether it's verbal or oral or whatever, is always about motor control. She found that my dd could get out all kinds of content IF she has a structure. No structure, no output. So I think that explains her issue with the blank paper thing, since writing is connecting the brain to a motor skill. If it's already in her head (something she researched, something she created) or if it's something with a structure, it can come out. But to just retell a story, oh my lands it's like pulling teeth. She's a VERY GOOD WRITER, but it's so like pulling teeth for her. It totally wears her out to force her to do something like a CW retelling. Book reports, well her brain just wanders. I have her write single sentence chapter summaries (which she ABHORS), and that's the only way she can get one out. Otherwise it's a convoluted mess. It wasn't such an issue when the books were shorter, not so obvious, but it's terribly obvious now.

 

I don't think you'd have a problem with Wordsmith Apprentice for this age, and he might even like it. If you just let him do it independently as an option to get you going, it could be a really good thing. Then next summer you can decide your longer plan.

 

I told you all that about my dd, because you never know what you're dealing with. My dd was in the middle of 5th grade when all this came to a head, just like your ds. I think it's good to ask why he's pencil phobic and watch for red flags. He's to the stage where things can show up and it's no longer just you saying try harder. I said try harder for years and years. 5th grade was when I realized trying harder wasn't going to get us there and that we had an issue. I'm sure you'll be able to tell the difference.

 

BTW, kids don't know what is or isn't normal in order to complain. You have to ask them specifically: Does your hand hurt? Does the size of the print in that book bother you? Are you getting headaches? WHY are you asking me to read aloud so much? My dd was having focusing issues (she had to CHOSE what to focus on, otherwise everything was blurry), and she didn't even know everyone doesn't see like that! These are issues that DON'T turn up on a regular eye exam. You have to go to a developmental optometrist to get a more thorough exam. To me, with the way you describe him working through his math and stuff, it's all words, words, words, as in he is processing everything auditorily, not visually. My dd was too, and the VT people, after improving how her eyes work together, have been working on it. There are many things that are better with visual processing skills. It's not like you want them to only have one skill in their tool box to draw from, kwim? Did you say he has an issue with spelling? Think about that. Spelling is inherently a visual skill (visual memory), unless you happen to do Pudewa's Phonetic Zoo and memorize the sequential spelling of every single jolly word. So it could be nothing, or it could be you're seeing little clues into weaknesses and issues he has. Sometimes those things fall through the cracks in school, get covered up, or get blown off as weaknesses (you're a C student, oh well, not good at it). In homeschooling we have the privilege of saying you can do well with a little help.

Edited by OhElizabeth
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, from the way the policy reads to me, it is a state BOE policy and also a similarly worded county BOE policy. They are both enclosed in the packet I picked up from the board office. The two weeks notice thing had some sort of loophole thing about special circumstances or whatever, I'll have to check it out, but I don't mind waiting until Christmas break. It's what he wants to do, and I'll go along with that much, at least.

 

Your situation is somewhat similar to ours. We pulled DS last year just before Christmas break, he was in 4th. I will say that although we worked hard the rest of the semester, we essentially started over with 4th grade, so I always felt "behind." It was a rough six months for both of us and I was really dreading this year--the fights, bickering, arguing, attitude. Well, this year started and it has been a DREAM! He is very motivated and working well, especially since we have made the decision to continue homeschooling. I also have a better plan ahead, not worrying about him going back next year. (although it's always there if he decides not to do what he's supposed to.:D) Just thought I'd let you know that it may be rough going at first, but has been so worth it in the end. As for his friends, yeah, they were jealous in a "that's-not-fair" "too-cool" kind of way.

 

Wishing you the best of luck. Once you find your groove, I'm sure it'll be smooth sailing for both of you.:grouphug:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

Ă—
Ă—
  • Create New...