Very Torn & Not Sure What to do???

[Joyfullyblessed]

Hello,

 

I hope everyone is doing well.

 

I have a six year old son (will turn 7 in August) that I have homeschooled for both kindergarten and first grade. We are still finishing up first grade as we are doing year round schooling right now.

 

Kindergarten went great & I felt really wonderful about everything. First grade has not been that way though. It has been an incredibly tough year for us for many reasons and my focus has not been there at all to homeschool my son properly.

 

We have done basics all year long... math, reading, English, Bible. However, we have not hardly touched on Science or History.

 

Again, I have been dealing with lots of stress since about Fall of 2010 which literally just took over our life. I also run an in-home childcare from 6:45 till 5:30 daily. I keep four other little ones aside from my son, ranging in age from 6 months up to 24 months.

 

It is a lot to deal with to say the least.

 

Now I am nearing the end of our first grade year & decided to look over the Georgia standards. Ugh! I am freaking out a bit because I now really feel that I haven't covered nearly enough for our son. I feel soooo bad about it and I think I have very much messed up. :( This bothers me greatly & I even get teary eyed just typing this out.

 

I am trying to think of different options here & so far this is what I have come up with:

 

1. Finish first grade out the best possible. Proceed forward with 2nd grade, doing lots of review in the beginning, and hope that I will be able to catch up on everything so that my son is not so far behind.

 

2. Do first grade over again completely.

 

3. Send him to the public school for one year. Get myself more organized and together. Then in third grade, we are planning on sending our son to a private preparatory school two days a week for math, science & possibly history. I would then homeschool my son in the other subjects. I am just not sure about sending him to the public school for a year, plus I am worried if he will be very behind for 2nd grade there.

 

4. Try to figure out how to go ahead and send our son to the preparatory school this year part time. This would lighten my load of what I would need to teach our son, but still allow me to homeschool. He would go to this private school two days a week, but be home with me three days. We have heard incredible things about this school.

The only thing with this situation is figuring out the finances, as it will cost us about $500.00 to $750.00 per semester to send him there.

 

Right now, this is really all I can come up with. I am so very tired and overwhelmed by all of this, yet I want to do the right thing for our son, the best thing.

 

I am trying very hard to not worry so much about the ongoing stressful situation in our lives and move forward to concentrate on making things better for all of us.

 

Anyway, I am sorry for the book. I just really need some helpful advice. What would you do??? Thanks & have a great day!

[Dobela]

YOu are ok not doing science or history. Really. Public schools at one time did not introduce either until 4th and 5th grade. If he has the skills learned in reading and math that would be expected, I would just move on to 2nd grade. Oh, and those state standards, don't work yourself over them. Most teachers in public schools don't cover all of those either. Remember, those are the IDEAL not reality.

 

How much does your family depend on the daycare income? could you take fewer kids? Or could you run a rigerous schedule and teach your son during long naps? Harder with young infants I know though.

 

Have you asked the prep school about scholarships or payment plans?

[wapiti]

YOu are ok not doing science or history. Really. Public schools at one time did not introduce either until 4th and 5th grade. If he has the skills learned in reading and math that would be expected, I would just move on to 2nd grade.

:iagree:

[jentancalann]

If you feel you are on track with the basics, then PLEASE don't stress about the rest. There is plenty of time to learn science and history. I don't know how you do it with a daycare so I have no advice there, but just don't doubt yourself, ok? Move on to second grade and continue with the basics. Set a goal to get through so much history, sci, etc. You can even read this stuff before bed.

[twoforjoy]

I just want to concur with everybody else. If you are on track with reading and math, then I wouldn't worry about the rest.

 

My son is about the same age as your son. Honestly, I don't stress at all about science and history at this point. If we do it, we do it. If we're having a rough day, we stop after math and language arts. If we're having a rough week or month (and we've got a one year old and I'm pregnant, so those happen), then DS checks a bunch of science books out of the library each week and reads them on his own, and we read history books together at bedtime. But formal history and science are the things that get dropped, and honestly my DS seems no worse for the wear.

 

He's a naturally science-y kid, so he pretty much takes care of science on his own--doing experiments on his own, reading science books for fun, dad taking him to the science center on the weekend, watching science shows, etc.--and I think even if I didn't do anything at all formally with science, he'd still be learning significantly more science that I did at his age and than many of his friends in school are.

 

History is a bit tougher because he's not as inclined to read historical books for fun and there aren't as many natural opportunities to learn it as there are for science. But, I figure that anything we miss, he'll cover later.

[ChristusG]

We haven't done much science and history either. Like you, we've kept up with reading, math, grammar, and Bible. Beginning in second grade, I hope to add the other two into the mix.

[Stacy in NJ]

and basic math. If you son can read a first grade reader like Frog and Toad and knows how to add and subtract then you aren't anything like "behind".

 

The standards that the states publish are worded in eduspeak and sound much more impressive than they actually are.

 

If you want to send your dc to school next year because of stress issue, that's fine. Do what you need to do to stay sane and healthy for your whole family. But, if your main reason for thinking about sending him revolves around your thought that he's behind, then don't worry.

 

History and Science in any formal sense are not necessary k-3. As long as he's progressing in his reading, writing, and math abilities, you're doing fine. :grouphug:

Edited July 6, 2011 by Stacy in NJ

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

We live in a supposedly GREAT school district. My older son went to ps for 1st grade. I never saw any evidence of them doing any science at all. They had a brief unit on "social studies" where they talked about what it is like to live in a community. That was it. So, I don't think you should beat yourself up over it. I think a lot of the standards they tout are just hype.

 

I think you will be okay for 2nd grade at home.

[Night Elf]

Oh please don't worry if your homeschool doesn't match the public school standards. Was that your goal when you decided to homeschool? If it is, then you should print them all out and design your year around them. If you are just hoping that any 1st grade homeschool material will cover Georgia's 1st grade standards, you will be disappointed.

 

Curriculum varies by state, company, and method. You choose the materials you think will fit your personal homeschooling goals, not what will fit someone else's goals.

 

The basics are the most important at that age, honestly. Those GA Performance Standards are written in educationalese, making them seem very grandiose. But if you really look closely at them, they are not impressive. And you've probably covered them in the regular course of daily life.

 

Besides, the schools don't teach history as a formal subject until high school. They teach social studies which means they get a little of this and a little of that and it's usually unrelated. We teach George Washington was the first president of our country, but do the kids really understand why he is important? No. I see that the GPS for 1st grade social studies teaches 2 parts of maps & globes skills: cardinal and intermediate directions. You could cover that in a matter of minutes.

 

I've homeschooled in Georgia for 10 years now, and this is the first time I've looked at the GA Performance Standards.

[Joyfullyblessed]

Thanks so much for the replies so far.

 

There is a payment plan available at the private preparatory school I spoke about. I haven't asked about scholarships though.

 

I would LOVE to reduce the amount of children I have in my childcare to only two, but we can't do it financially right now.

 

Eventually I want to not even do the childcare. My desire is to really dive into the homeschool much more and then have a small business on the side to bring in some money. My business would focus on being creative which is what I truly love to do.

 

Unfortunately, I don't see that we can do that anytime soon.

 

My husband just said that maybe we can look at the private prep. school for this coming year. That would lighten my load as far as what I need to teach my son. I would have to figure out the transportation though with all the daycare kids back and forth though on those two days. That is a bit of a challenge too.

 

Also, I think I am more concerned now because I know that he has to begin testing in third grade & I would hate for him not to do well because I didn't teach him properly.

 

I just have to think this all out & figure out the best solution. Thanks again!

[Jean in Newcastle]

One note on performance standards. The standards for science sound really hard, mainly because of the educationalese but how they can be met is often laughable.

 

These are the ones in my state for Grade 1:

Cross-cutting Concepts and Abilities - Part-Whole Relationships - Identify parts of living and non-living systems (Can they tell that a hamster is alive and that a toaster isn't? That's pretty much it. They don't expect the child to state scientific criteria for life.)

 

Physical Science - Push Pull and Position - (Play with push toys. Introduce the words "force" and "motion".)

 

Physical Science - Liquids and Solids - (talk about how water can be liquid or solid.)

 

Earth and Space Science - Observing the Sun and Moon - (all they have to know is that the sun is visible in the day and the moon primarily at night. I can't imagine any elementary child needing to be actually taught this.)

 

Earth and Space Science - Properties Change - (All they need to know is that weather changes from day to day. Again, do you have to teach this? And that the earth is made of different things - what child doesn't know the difference between sand, mud and rock?)

 

Life Science - Plant and Animal Parts - (All they need to know is that plants and animals meet their needs in different ways. You could go out in the garden and show them that plants need air, water and sunlight. If you have pets, you're covered on meeting animal needs.)

 

Life Science - Habitats (Go to the zoo. Talk about the different habitats for the animals and how habitats is just a fancy word describing where something lives.)

 

Life Science - Classifying Plants and Animals (I doubt that you actually have to teach most 1st graders the names of basic plants and animals. If your child is a bit weak on basic plant names, go on some nature walks with your day care.)

 

I know, I should have done this for Georgia but my state's standards were handier for me. I did google Georgia state standards and the only things I saw that were different were shadows (look at shadows on your nature walk, make some shadow pictures) sound (make loud sounds and quiet sounds. Get out some musical instruments and talk about the sounds they make). Magnets - (get some magnets and see what they stick to around your house.)

[Night Elf]

Also, I think I am more concerned now because I know that he has to begin testing in third grade & I would hate for him not to do well because I didn't teach him properly.

 

You can do that testing at home and no one will ever see the results. You are not required to turn them in. What's important is you seeing that your son is making progress. In 3rd and 6th grades, I used the PASS test from Hewitt Homeschooling. For 9th grade (I tested my youngest dd in 8th grade as well), I used the CAT from Family Learning Organization. It was simple to do at home. You can test as much as you want as well, if you want to see annual progress.

[Cedarmom]

I agree with the other posters. Sounds like you are covering the basics, and that is the most important. I think that is part of the public school problem. They get distracted with non essentials during the first year. But, if you don't know how to read and write, everything else fall apart.

 

In early elementary we took a unschool approach to history and science. Read lots of books on both. Get books from the library. Listen or read SOTW. Do fun science experiemnts-you could do them with all the daycare kids too (things like putting celery in colored water,growing small plants etc) On the weekend can to nature trail. walk and observe.

[Joyfullyblessed]

Again, thank you for the responses. They have definitely helped me to feel a bit better about everything.

 

Also, I wasn't aware that I can do the testing from home & that I don't have to turn it in to anyone. That does relieve some stress from my shoulders as well.

 

Thanks to each of you. I greatly appreciate your input & suggestions. :)

[Night Elf]

Again, thank you for the responses. They have definitely helped me to feel a bit better about everything.

 

Also, I wasn't aware that I can do the testing from home & that I don't have to turn it in to anyone. That does relieve some stress from my shoulders as well.

 

Thanks to each of you. I greatly appreciate your input & suggestions. :)

 

Oooh, please be familiar with our state homeschooling laws!! GHEA is a good websie to read the laws. Some counties have been known to request information they cannot legally request. I submit only what the law requires.

[jentancalann]

i'm in ga, too, so i want to encourage you to not feel pressured by testing. administer the cat test, file it away and keep on swimming. it REALLY isn't a big deal at all.

[Joyfullyblessed]

Thank you, my fellow Georgians! :) Thanks for the encouragement.

 

And yes, I definitely need to do some reading up on the homeschool laws. That was something I planned to do at the beginning of this school year, but unfortunately life got in the way big time. Like I had mentioned before, things have been a bit insane.

 

I now have it on my must do list. I actually have looked at GHEA before and have it bookmarked, but I need to pull it up and do some more reading.

 

I am still thinking about all of this & trying to figure out what I will be doing, but I sure am grateful for the advice I have received here on the board.

 

Thanks and have a great day! :001_smile:

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

Thanks so much for the replies so far.

 

There is a payment plan available at the private preparatory school I spoke about. I haven't asked about scholarships though.

 

I would LOVE to reduce the amount of children I have in my childcare to only two, but we can't do it financially right now.

 

Eventually I want to not even do the childcare. My desire is to really dive into the homeschool much more and then have a small business on the side to bring in some money. My business would focus on being creative which is what I truly love to do.

 

Unfortunately, I don't see that we can do that anytime soon.

 

My husband just said that maybe we can look at the private prep. school for this coming year. That would lighten my load as far as what I need to teach my son. I would have to figure out the transportation though with all the daycare kids back and forth though on those two days. That is a bit of a challenge too.

 

Also, I think I am more concerned now because I know that he has to begin testing in third grade & I would hate for him not to do well because I didn't teach him properly.

 

I just have to think this all out & figure out the best solution. Thanks again!

 

With the daycare it sounds like your hands are really full. I would not hesitate to put him in school if that is what you need to do. Many kids do thrive in school when they have supportive parents:) Plus you could afterschool. I love homeschooling but regular is always a potential option as well.

[NanceXToo]

You're fine. Really. :) It's first grade. It used to be fun. Just learning to read. Show and tell. Now, they're just worrying about standardized testing- often with more and more dismal results. It's almost like the harder they push in those earliest years, the worse the schools do overall.

 

Don't worry about those "standards"- the schools really aren't meeting them either (and if they are, it's in ways that are much more simple than they make them sound, like someone else already pointed out).

 

There's a whole theory that it's better to delay formal education until around age 8 or so, too, and many of those kids are doing just fine. While I don't fully subscribe to that myself, I'll admit, I found the book "Better Late Than Early" to offer some good perspective, and I myself use a very gentle, hands on, Waldorf-inspired curriculum that isn't overly academic in the earliest years- and I'm fine with that. I want young childhood to be about young childhood, not pushing heavy academics. There's a whole lifetime ahead of us for that. By later elementary school the curriculum I use does become a lot more academic, and by that time, you'll never know that my son didn't use a very academic Kindergarten or first grade program- and in the meanwhile, we're enjoying ourselves, and I'm not stressing over what the public schools are doing. I pulled my daughter out of that system in third grade because I couldn't stand what they were doing.

 

Just keep going, and try to let it be fun. He's barely more than a baby. It'll be fine. :)

[Joanne]

I homeschooled while running a full daycare. It was hard. Very hard. But doable. My kids are teens now, in both private and public school settings. They are either doing quite well (or at least capable of it ;)).

 

At the age of your son, I'd encourage you to chill. Not in a lazy homeschooler way. But in a way that respects the reality of him developmentally. I used to supervise kids *in* public schools at this age (I provided the before and after school care on location at the schools.) They truly don't remember the busy work, the "history" and the "science". They fill out the worksheets, get parental help with the projects and move on.

 

I'd move foward @ home with math, reading, spelling and read aloud from the Story of the World series. You can also do some basic science reading (my kids *loved* Beautiful Feet's literature approach to science, but there are many ways to teach science to littles).

 

My kids remembered the great stories and discussions about history more than anything else when they were little.

 

 

Read Educating the Wholehearted Child (I think there is an updated version, although the original was wonderful!). As my kids got older and I was running a daycare, I would have a stack of work they could do without me and a stack that they needed my help. The "my help" stack was the first thing we got to when the daycare napped or were otherwise engaged.