Can you help me do a pros/cons list for my 9yo?

[Renee in NC]

As I try and decide if we are going to homeschool again, I am trying to come up with a pros/cons list for each child.

 

My 9yo will have to get private OT and ST either way (because what the school offers is not enough for what he needs.) His reading/writing/spelling and math issues means he really needs resource time for those subjects. He could get that in school, but it may not be the best remediation (not O-G based, that is for sure!) Adding all that up, he would have to go in a self-contained classroom to make that happen (due to percentage of time in resource.) However, he doesn't *need* modified content area as long as someone reads for him and writes for him.

 

His frustration level is increasing. He isn't allowed to skip grade-level material in his class (his resource work is in *addition* to the regular work) and it isn't appropriate for him. The only way to get him regular-level content areas and his-level skill areas is homeschooling.;) He thinks it is a waste to work on some of the stuff he is doing because there is no way he can do alot of it. He wants someone to teach him where he is so he can move forward. (Despite his low measured IQ, he is a pretty perceptive kid.:D)

 

What benefits are there for his staying in school? If they are in school, I can work PT starting in the fall (when I will only have one preschooler) and FT in a few years after he goes to school and the boys have finished therapy. In addition, *he* was the main reason we quit homeschooling - I just couldn't do it anymore. He is medicated now, but he can still be very disruptive when his meds haven't kicked in yet. At least he doesn't rage as much (and when he does, it is much, much easier to "talk him down" than it was in the past.)

 

What else am I missing?

[Mom22ns]

I think I would be asking for a full time aide in the regular classroom. Then he could just get pulled out for Speech and OT right? If he can do the work with an aide to read and scribe for him, then the school must take that option. The inclusion policy is not in the best interest of all kids, but the law is that if a child can be taught inclusively, they can not be moved to a self-contained classroom. I'd see if you can try that so you can work. If that doesn't work, I'd bring him home where you can teach him appropriately all the time.

[Renee in NC]

I think I would be asking for a full time aide in the regular classroom. Then he could just get pulled out for Speech and OT right? If he can do the work with an aide to read and scribe for him, then the school must take that option. The inclusion policy is not in the best interest of all kids, but the law is that if a child can be taught inclusively, they can not be moved to a self-contained classroom. I'd see if you can try that so you can work. If that doesn't work, I'd bring him home where you can teach him appropriately all the time.

 

An aide is not an option - the schools don't do it here (or where we are going in NC) and he would be mortified to have an aide. He really needs resource (aka teaching at his own level) in reading, language arts, and math. That puts him over the 40% level and moves him to the self-contained LRE. Resource requires that he get a "double dose" of each subject and it isn't possible since that would require 205 minutes of resource alone and there is only 310 minutes of instructional time in a day.

 

I put him in school so he could get help, but I am starting to see how limited that help is despite their good intentions.

[RamonaQ]

Is partial enrollment an option? That way perhaps you could work part-time.

[Renee in NC]

Is partial enrollment an option? That way perhaps you could work part-time.

 

No, unfortunately. The more I think about, the more clear it becomes what is right for him. He is almost 10 and he does have definite feelings about how things are. Class sizes here are mandated small - there are no more than 16 per class (regular - special ed classes are limited to 10.) That isn't going to be the case there.

 

Now that I know *where* we will be living, I can call the school and speak to someone there to find out the specifics.

 

ETA: Ugghh. Districted school is 36.7% at grade level in reading, 54.9% at grade level in math. 13.1% passed the science test. Two acts of crime or violence (in an elementary school?!?!?!) Not good.

 

Thanks.

Edited February 15, 2011 by Renee in FL

[Mom22ns]

Yikes! Those are not encouraging statistics. I think you know your answer.

[merry gardens]

An aide is not an option - the schools don't do it here (or where we are going in NC) and he would be mortified to have an aide. He really needs resource (aka teaching at his own level) in reading, language arts, and math. That puts him over the 40% level and moves him to the self-contained LRE. Resource requires that he get a "double dose" of each subject and it isn't possible since that would require 205 minutes of resource alone and there is only 310 minutes of instructional time in a day.

 

I put him in school so he could get help, but I am starting to see how limited that help is despite their good intentions.

I read your first post and it looked to me like you had a great start to your pros and cons list. Here's a couple that I thought of:

 

One pro to sending him to schools: people won't blame your homeschooling if he has these problems in school, (like that teacher did way back when he started school this year.)

 

One con: he will likely still have these academic problems in public schools and they probably won't be able to give him all the help he needs, just as you wrote.

 

Another pro: you get a little break during the day away from a child who needs lots of your attention and hard work

 

Con: homework after school that likely amounts to more work for both of you than homeschooling and possilbe with less effective results than homeschooling.

 

Another con/(or maybe it's a pro?): the amount of communication required with teachers and all the school staff for IEP's and special services makes homeschooling a special needs child seem easier than it once did.

[Renee in NC]

I read your first post and it looked to me like you had a great start to your pros and cons list. Here's a couple that I thought of:

 

One pro to sending him to schools: people won't blame your homeschooling if he has these problems in school, (like that teacher did way back when he started school this year.)

 

One con: he will likely still have these academic problems in public schools and they probably won't be able to give him all the help he needs, just as you wrote.

 

Another pro: you get a little break during the day away from a child who needs lots of your attention and hard work

 

Con: homework after school that likely amounts to more work for both of you than homeschooling and possilbe with less effective results than homeschooling.

 

Another con/(or maybe it's a pro?): the amount of communication required with teachers and all the school staff for IEP's and special services makes homeschooling a special needs child seem easier than it once did.

 

:lol: That definitely sums up quite a bit of my feelings! Homework after school *is* a problem - we have to do his regular homework, plus extra work in phonics (assigned by his Reading resource teacher), plus math (he isn't getting any math remediation at school, but that is because I wouldn't let them send him to self-contained.)

 

Yes, people could blame homeschooling. However, now that he has been in school, I can at least point out that he wasn't making much progress at school, either. For his measured IQ, he was right where he needed to be. I bet when I have the W-J III done in a couple of months, he will still be at that level.:glare: It isn't the school's fault anymore than it was my fault.

 

Having a break *is* a big deal for me. That was one of the reasons that I stopped homeschooling - I was burned out from being "on" all the time.

 

I just don't want him in a self-contained room is that the more time he spends in there, the less realistic it will be for him to get a regular high school diploma. If he never gets to a point where he could, then fine, but I don't want him stuck in the Occupational Course of Study simply because he was in a self-contained class where he didn't get the same content as the mainstreamed kids. I want him to be able to "catch up" someday if that is possible, but the way the school goes about it he might never get there!