OT What is it like to homeschool?

[homemaker]

I have four DS. One in 4th grade, one in 1st, one in prek and the last is still at home. Last year my 1st graded had lots of problems and was held back. He now has an IEP and is doing very well. This year my 4th graded doing doing horrible. His grades are bad (c,d,&f) and he is not making friends. Same kids as last year but no friends this year. Why? We are not sure what is going on. I have called the school and sent several notes, but no change. All they say is thats what fth grade is like. It's a difficult year for some students. I don't get it! I am frustrated with our school system. Is homeschooling the answer for us? Will it be hard to get them to see me as a "teacher" not mom. My 4th grader is adhd, very imaginative, bright but can not focus. My 1st grader is add and a little slow at understanding things. Not really delayed(so the school says) but has a hard time with new things. The one in prek is a mammas boy and very rowdy. He still cries everyday I take him to school, but says he likes it. The last one is 17mths. The more you have to faster they learn! He's a walkin, almost talkin, climbing little terrror. Love them all, but homeschool? Would I be risking my sanity?

 

[princesspwrhr]

Once you get into homeschooling it becomes less an educational choice and more a way of life. Don't get me wrong, it's definately an educational choice, and a valid and wonderful one at that, but it really does become ingrained into every ounce of yoru behaviour and how you do things. You're not tied to anyones schedule anymore so can make up your own, learning happens 24/7 even if the bookwork only takes an hour or two a day. You find yourself enjoying yours kids and your family much more overall. A word of warning- it's amazing how messy your house gets when people actually LIVE in it and spend time there instead of just drop by in the evenings for meals and a nights rest.

Read a couple of books on homeschooling and educational choices this summer. There are tons out there but unfortunately I'm drawing a blank on names other than The Well Trained Mind which I reccomend reading after you've read a few others. If you don't have a broader idea of different ways to homeschool before reading it, it can make HSing feel like a daunting task - even when you know the author doesn't follow the schedules in the book and the publisher wanted them in there. Also check your states homeschooling laws. They vary from state to state. I HIGHLY reccomend finding a state inclusive group that has the actual text of the law on the website or searching your state's legislative website for the wording. Websites like hslda have a synopsis and their interpretation, knowledge is power and you're better off knowing EXACTLY what the law is. If you decide to give homeschooling a try, give it a full school year. Commit to at least a whole year to really get a feel for if it's good for your family or not. Just like public & private school aren't for everybody, neither is homeschooling, but you have to give it a fair chance if you're going to try. If it doesn't work out you can always send the kids back to public school no harm done. If it does work out- congratulations- you're in for the journey of a lifetime.

One of the best things about homeschooling is tailoring subjects to your child. If your son is working at grade level in one subject, ahead in another and behind in yet another you can get his work on all the differnet levels you need. There are very few children, no matter how they are schooled, that are on the same level in every subject, homeschooling allows you to address that in a way that 1 teacher with 30 students unfortunately can't.

 

[pixiemagic30]

I totally agree with the previous poster, that homeschooling is more of a lifestyle than anything else. We have homeschooled now for four years and I wouldn't change things at all. What I really like is that you have the flexibility on what curriculum you use for each child. If something works for one child but not the other, that's ok b/c you can use something else for child 2. In other school settings usually the district uses the same curriculum for all children which can lead many children with learning issues.

I could go on and on about why we love homeschooling. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

Blessings,
Becki

 

[klynn]

We are a homeschool family. My ds is finishing the 6th grade and my dd is finishing 3rd grade. We have always homeschooled. Yes, it is a lifestyle choice. Homeschooling is not for everyone - only your family can decide what is best for you. You could always try it for a year and see what you think. Good luck in your decision!

 

[minkydog]

When we started I had an 8yo, a 1yr old, and i was pregnant(and sick!) with #3. Not the best circumstances, but we had made a commitment for one year and by golly, I was going to see it through. One year led to the next... We homeschooled for 12yrs.

I will be the first to say, homeschooling with multiple ages and abilities is not easy. My youngest has severe disabilities which impacted us daily the first five years. I had two in diapers for the first year and youngest DS is still in diapers. The baby needed frequent doctor visits and therapy which my other children went along for with their books. Oldest DS has a pretty serious math disability and severe ADD. Meeting his needs was a constant challenge. Poor DD--good thing she's flexible because she had to learn to just go with the flow. The up-side is that we were free to make our own schedules which often included summers and weekends. We didn't have to start school at 8am, although we usually did.

It takes a lot of discipline on the part of the parents to make it work. I kept excellent records and spent about 2hrs a week on lesson-planning. We eliminated TV totally during the day and strictly limited it on evenings & weekends. We went to the library once a week and met with other homeschoolers once a week. Oldest DS was involved in some outside activities. My younger DD was also involved in some outside preschool, mainly to give me a break. When youngest DS turned 3-1/2 he went to a special needs preschool part of the day too. At 5yo we put him in public school kindergarten which was very good for him. Remain rigidly flexible, that's my motto.

For us, Homeschool was a gift from God. My kids did very well at home. They are very close even though their ages are so far apart. They learned to wait, to work independently, to read good books, to not be entertained by others. My oldest son would never have graduated if not for homeschooling. He could not function in a classroom. My youngest son benefited immensely from the constant stimulation of his sibs--as a result he learned to sit, walk, eat and play, all things which he should not be able to do.

Two years ago we had to put the older two in school due to a health crisis. DD,now 13, has done very well. She took to public school like a duck to water. DS, now 19, floundered a bit, like he always did with any academic endeavor. We pulled him back out and finished him up at home. I graduated DS19 last summer.

Best of luck to you. Take the time to educate yourself before you make your decision. As a previous poster said, it's not for everyone. I'm glad we did it. It truly is a lifestyle, one that worked well for us.

Cathy--mom to John, 19, eleni, 13, and Christian, 11

 

[westjones]

Homeschooling can be great, but it can also be a lot of work.

I homeschooled my twins for most of their school year 1-5. We tried having them go to school in 3rd grade and one hated it, so I brought her home after one month, and the other did terrible with her school work. Actually she had done terrible for me also, so that is why we tried school. I thought she would work better for someone else. Putting her in school gave me the chance to step back and figure out what was going on. We had her tested at the local university speech and hearing clinic and found that she has a condition called Auditory Processing Disorder. Now she is back in school and wears earphones and the teachers wear a microphone and she is doing great. If I had not homeschooled, I would not have had the chance to really observer her learning behavior, and honestly I don't think we would have discovered what the problem was with her (we would have just thought she couldn't handle school).

One of my DDs did great homeschooling and now is doing great at school. They are both having a great year, but when we tried school in 3rd grade it just didn't work for us.

Now, for our family, we did the "school at home" approach with Abeka Videos. So I wasn't their teacher, I was the teacher's helper. Their lessons were all on DVD and that teacher covered the topics and gave the assignments. I helped them and did the grading. But there are many different approaches to homeschooling and that is something you will need to figure out (what approach you want to take with your children's education).

Before we started I read and read and read EVERYTHING I could get my hands on about homeschooling. I suggest going to the library and picking up some books and start researching the whole concept.

There are also some great websites with information and you can find groups in your area where homeschool families organize different activities or classes together (here we have a homeschool orchestra, drama club, chess club, science classes, and other things I can't remember right now). Many places offer homeschool days, for example Six Flags amusement parks. I just got a flyer this week about homeschool days at Six Flags in Kentucky (we went in the past, so I am on the mailing list).

The other great thing about homeschooling is you can go on vacaton at off season and you can really enjoy the smaller crowds. I really miss going on the Disney Cruise in the off season. They prices when school is out is just terrible!

Good Luck with your decision.

DJ

 

[gibmom]

Hi! I've HS for 15 yrs. My oldest 2 have gone to college with academic scholarships.My weakness (bad speller and poor writer) don't seem to have harmed them. Maybe your boys have a learning style that their teachers don't use. You are their mom therefore you are their teacher! You've already taught them so many important things before they enter school!!In my opinion, your young ones would get more from staying at home being read to/ reading good books and watching educational DVDs than staying in a school situation they hate. They might learn to think "I hate school therfore I hate learning" and that would be really bad! It's a great idea to read some HS books. Even if you decide not to HS you might could identify why they're having trouble. Have you observed them in their classroom?
Good-luck in your quest.I realize HSing isn't for everyone but it's been GREAT for us!
Julie

 

[crazymomof4]

We homeschool our kids after they finish 6th grade in public school.
I currently have a son homeschooling in 11th grade and one in 9th.
We use a distance learning program (American School) plus I supplement that curriculum with things that interest them or that I think they need to learn.

I could write all of the positives and negatives that we've experienced with homeschooling but you would have very different positives and negatives. Homeschooling is like a fingerprint- each family's experience is different, each child within a family is a different experience.

I agree with the suggestion to give it a "trial run" this summer:
*Buy some grade-appropriate workbooks.
*From the internet- get some lessons, experiments, educational puzzles or games that would interest your boys.
*Borrow some educational videos from the library.
Maybe set aside a specific time to "school", say 2 hours each morning M-F. Plan something to occupy the younger ones during this time (new toy from the dollar store, a video, cookies and milk?) My daughter was 2 when I began to HS DS #1 and she learned very quickly what was expected of her. She would walk around babbling, "Shhh, Kevin is doing school!" Now she is 5 and will enter Kindergarten in Sept. When the boys do their schoolwork she often pulls out her pre-school workbooks and does a few pages. So it's been a positive experience for her too.

Doing the trial-run would benefit you and your children in 2 ways. It will give you and your boys a better picture of how homeschooling would work (or not work) in your family. Even if you decide not to homeschool, it will give your public schooled boys a summer of extra tutoring that would have cost you hundreds of dollars at a "Learning Center".

If you have any doubts about your ability to teach your children, remember that you are their mom......you've already been their "teacher" since birth! I find that because I know my boys and HOW they think, I have an advantage over a paid teacher. I find it easy to "get it through to them" when they don't understand something bc. I know how each of their minds work-- I know their learning style.