provenance61 Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 We homeschool our son, now in 5th. We planned to do both 3hour kindergarten AND homeschool our daughter, who just turned 5. She has a visual impairment and did two years of inclusion 1/2 day PK before this. (She also did HS co-ops with us though, so she's really been both all along.) This year is just NOT worked out well. She does well in K (only one week so far) but the atmosphere just isn't sitting well with me. At what point do you think it would be okay to pull her and just HS? At first, we were going to pul her after K (she is VERY active and needs lots of redirection). But I just don't see it working well even for 1/2 the year. The school just doesn't want involvement from the parents (other than contributions and reading). It is very corporate. The 3 hour in the morning period also is not enough for me to do all HS with our DS. The amount of time responding to teachers, getting her ready and then calmed down after (she is WILD, we think it is sensory or related to transition) -- is more than the 3 hours she is there. And the main reason for trying kindergarten -- the low vision devices we're trying -- is really not getting much attention at school. At home we could do so much more with her. So, has anyone else had a child in school or in kindergarten, and then decided early to pull and homeschool? Any thoughts would be so much appreciated! Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadianmumof5 Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 We homeschool our son, now in 5th. We planned to do both 3hour kindergarten AND homeschool our daughter, who just turned 5. She has a visual impairment and did two years of inclusion 1/2 day PK before this. (She also did HS co-ops with us though, so she's really been both all along.) This year is just NOT worked out well. She does well in K (only one week so far) but the atmosphere just isn't sitting well with me. At what point do you think it would be okay to pull her and just HS? At first, we were going to pul her after K (she is VERY active and needs lots of redirection). But I just don't see it working well even for 1/2 the year. The school just doesn't want involvement from the parents (other than contributions and reading). It is very corporate. The 3 hour in the morning period also is not enough for me to do all HS with our DS. The amount of time responding to teachers, getting her ready and then calmed down after (she is WILD, we think it is sensory or related to transition) -- is more than the 3 hours she is there. And the main reason for trying kindergarten -- the low vision devices we're trying -- is really not getting much attention at school. At home we could do so much more with her. So, has anyone else had a child in school or in kindergarten, and then decided early to pull and homeschool? Any thoughts would be so much appreciated! Amy The point is whenever YOU decide to. I've never pulled one from Kindy before - but from what you have shared here; it doesn't sound like it is worthwhile at all for her to be there. Permission granted :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsunshine Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 Yes, we pulled our younger dd out from kindy and never looked back. It sounds like it would be a good option for you, from what you've expressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
provenance61 Posted September 14, 2012 Author Share Posted September 14, 2012 So do you think that b/c she started the school year, we would get a lot of questions/difficulty from the school? We do belong to HSLDA and just renewed our membership. I would also check with their legal dept. first since she has a IEP. Does anyone here know if having an IEP makes it more difficult to pull child from school? Wish now we would have just done HS and co-op. She said she wanted to do K, so I thought it would be a good thing and only a short period. Didn't realize it would be so regimented/unyielding. I should have known from our previous experience with her brother. Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 (edited) I would imagine any time. We pulled our eldest out of kindergarten at Thanksgiving (or fall) break. We wanted to give it enough time to make sure we weren't being too reactionary. Schools are always rather hectic the first couple of weeks. We decided to wait for the first parent/teacher conferences in October and to wait and see if any of our issues were resolved (they weren't and some escalated.) But then I also had a baby that November so that factored in as well. :) When we felt confident the school setting wouldn't work and homeschooling was the right decision we pulled her. Edited September 14, 2012 by Melissa B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amey311 Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 So do you think that b/c she started the school year, we would get a lot of questions/difficulty from the school? We do belong to HSLDA and just renewed our membership. I would also check with their legal dept. first since she has a IEP. Does anyone here know if having an IEP makes it more difficult to pull child from school? Look up your state's HSing laws. Look up what is required to withdraw your child, and if you need to file an intent to HS letter with the state/county/district/whatever. Then, just do the paperwork. The IEP is a legal document the SCHOOL is obligated to follow. They are supposed to be doing the things in that document as long as she is a student at that school. Imagine you were withdrawing her to enroll her in a private school. Would you care about her IEP (other than to get a copy of it)? Would you do anything other than request that her records be sent on to the new school? You're enrolling her in a new school - at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 I think you could say that you're pulling her and will try kindergarten next year. I'd try kindergarten next year... at home :) That's it! :) I don't see what state you're in so.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 It will depend on your state laws as far as her IEP goes I would guess. Is it just for her visual problems? Does she receive treatment at school for this? If not then I would assume there are no problems and file your declaration and be done. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Woods Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 I pulled my first grader after 14 days. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluechicken Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 I pulled my first grader after 14 days. :) Glad I am not the only one thinking of doing this. I am so, so close... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 You can pull your child out of school at any time of the year. Just check your state laws to make sure you do it properly. For example, in my state, I had to sign up with a cover-school, and they send a form to the private school (but it would be the same for public school) to say I was withdrawing. Done. Easy peasy. I did tell the teacher myself before the cover school letter got there. I think that's just common courtesy. My school didn't ask any questions, and the teacher understood why I was pulling my son. I pulled him between semesters, but my friend pulled hers at Thanksgiving break, and really, you can pull them on the 2nd day of school and it won't matter. Your child, your choice. :) Just make sure you follow your state's law. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
provenance61 Posted September 15, 2012 Author Share Posted September 15, 2012 TXmom, she gets accommodations only for vision. This is adapting the classroom, and also the school contracts with state commission for blind to have a Teacher of Visually Impaired (TVI) visit school and consult with them. She isn't delayed in any area, just has the vision impairment. The other side to all this is that the organization in our state for blind will not support braille for her (for her, we believe it might be helpful to learn both print and braille. Other kids with her medical condition have been encouraged to read print only, but hit a wall in 2nd grade and later when they can't keep up reading speed or read for extended time b/c of eyestrain. Braille would also allow her options in, say, presenting to a group when she's older or taking notes in a dim lecture hall. She would not be able to read from notecards, she needs to have right up to her nose and very large print. She would not be able to see in a dim or especially very bright room as well b/c of light sensitivity. They also dictate what technical aids she would be able to have in classroom. They do support magnification devices, but TVI will not set goals for her in the IEP. If we pull her we could try to give her Braille at home or through a tutor,and we would be free to see and use what works for her. However -- and this is a big one -- we would receive no more assistance from the state group, they control federal quota funds toward equipment and TVIs and won't assist unless she is enrolled in public school. But part of me says, buy and iPad, we have a CCTV and brailler at home...and go for it. They have really been less than helpful so far, they do go into school but have only assisted when we've pushed for it, and it is very hard to get info/assistance out of them. Thank you so much for your thoughts, any more are very appreciated. This is a huge decision, especially as it would mean pulling her out of the state program for blind/VI. But we've also found a great group out there for homeschoolers of blind and VI kids -- they are doing it. Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Woods Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 Glad I am not the only one thinking of doing this. I am so, so close... :) It is turning out to be rather fun ..... better than I expected and I LOVE having her home with me. I missed her! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruby Rose Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 I pulled my dd out after 1 week of 1st grade. In our state we have to have a covering so it was basically like she was just changing schools. People leave schools all the time for all sorts of reasons. If you feel she will be better served at home then go for it! Good luck with the transition! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jpoy85 Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 You can pull out at any time and I bet if you searched around you COULD get assistance for the visual issues even HSing. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 (edited) We never pulled a child but we declined to send our son to the special Ed preschool after touring it. They printed out the one-size-fits-all IEP and wanted us to sign some forms when we told them we were going to keep him home. They contacted us once or twice but we declined to sign anything and then we never heard from them again and have never looked back. ETA they offered him 1/2 hour of group speech 3x per week which we decided would not be worth anything. We sought some private therapy and I worked with him at home. The clincher was when, during the IEP meeting they suggested I come be his 1:1 aide at the preschool. :huh: At that point I figured that was a good idea, but I could be his aide at home. Edited September 15, 2012 by jelbe5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EthiopianFood Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 You should look into your rights as far as therapies for special ed. My understanding is that all students have this right, whether they are home or in public school. You might want to post on the special needs board and see what they have to say about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
provenance61 Posted September 15, 2012 Author Share Posted September 15, 2012 We've looked into what she would be eligible for in our state as far as assistance b/c of her vision. Has anyone who has pulled out after starting K experienced a difficulty in transitioning with the kids? Did they have more difficulty adjusting? When we pulled our son we did over summer, so he was ready to jump right in in the fall. Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jpoy85 Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 We've looked into what she would be eligible for in our state as far as assistance b/c of her vision. Has anyone who has pulled out after starting K experienced a difficulty in transitioning with the kids? Did they have more difficulty adjusting? When we pulled our son we did over summer, so he was ready to jump right in in the fall. Amy There will be an adjustment period but nothing unbearable. Just go slow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayb842 Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 We're in Texas. When I pulled ds he was in a speech therapy but didn't have an IEP yet. I wrote in the letter to withdraw I didn't need public school speech thearpy. We were doing it in a private setting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 Again, depending on your state just be certain you have a plan to meet whatever needs her IEP addresses. It sounds like you have that well in hand. Honestly, 2 weeks in K wont be that hard to adjust from. I imagine you will be able to meet her needs better and more consistently at home. The academic part of K can easily be accomplished in an hour and ypull have time to work on Braille outside of that. Go for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.