Homeschool Chat Part III

[dis-happy]

Hi everyone, my wife and I have been seriously considering homeschooling for some time now. This is due to several factors including recent changes to California state curriculum that clash with our personal values, substandard state test scores, and increasingly heavy handed policies related to parental rights, including what health services can be offered to children without parental knowledge. The straw that finally broke the camel's back was a threatening letter we received today related to our two daughters missing 2 days of school in late August when we took them out of school for a trip to Disneyland. The letter warned us of state laws that allow a parent to be prosecuted for truancy based on unexcused absences including vacations during the school year.

my wife is a stay at home mom, and is willing and able to teach both our daughters. (8 and 5) We just help on how to get started. And advice on resources would be greatly appreciated.

I used to live in your area and know of several homeschooling families there over the years. Although I never hs'd in CA it's my understanding that you have to join an umbrella group.

Wishing you the best on your journey....that letter would have upset me too! Especially in regards to an 8 yo and 5 yo missing 2 days of school. It's all about the money...

 

[MK2010]

I usually just lurk. I've probably introduced myself somewhere back there. I have four kids DS 11, DD 9, DS 8, DS 6. Just wanted to say hi as we get ready to start our 7th year homeschooling. We started in Kindergarten with my oldest and finally discovered last year that going year round (2 months on, 1 month off) works best for us. We've finally locked into curriculum. Sonlight for history, Abeka for reading (K-2 grade) and grammar (2nd-6th grade), IEW for writing (5th-) Saxon math, Apologia for Science and Bible). Hope I'm ready for the new year!

 

[southern_redhead]

Well, Friday was pretty horrible for us. I had to leave work and bring YDS home as he was running a fever. While taking care of him my cell phone rang, when I answered it was ODS' math teacher. ODS has always struggled in math, I tried to get him an IEP or 504 or SOMETHING last year as he was so far behind (you can read that little rant here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2807015, it's #4) but was turned down because his "composite score" was too high due to his high Language Arts scores. Yeah..... So, anyway, I had gone to the open house before school started, asked WHO his math teacher would be (because they don't want to give you a print out or anything so you could actually see these people LOL), and went to talk to her. I told her about him struggling, the testing....I told her that his self confidence was really, really low and that he tended to sort of hang back and not raise his hand to answer because he didn't want to embarass himself. I saw a red flag when her response was "Well, I only have 12 kids in this class. He can't hide here." Oh, yeah, thanks for that compassion.

So, then, back to Friday. I answer the call and she literally starts screaming in my ear, "Ms ___, this is Ms ____, I'm calling about your son ______." I almost passed out. A million possibilities ran through my mind. I wondered if he was hurt, had he done something awful? Why was this woman yelling at me? Well. She was yelling at me because they'd been working on decimals "all week" and she gave a fifteen question quiz that day and DS only finished 5 problems. She said she had been over to him "several times" to "remind him to be working" but he still hadn't finished. She then announced that he was "lazy and, frankly, has a BAD attitude." I was still doing my best to choke back something very ugly when she said "I'm going to have to grade him on this test as is." I said that was fine, I understood. Then, she screams at me, "Well, I don't WANT to do that. It isn't FAIR." Okaaaay.... I said, "Well, I really don't know what to say to that." I asked her if she felt DS had an "attitude" because of something specific he had done or said to her (I wouldn't tolerate that) and she said, no, she had nothing like that to offer. She just felt that his "refusal" to finish the quiz showed a bad attitude. So, I thanked her for calling with her concerns, reminded her of our conversation at the beginning of the year, and told her DS and I would talk this weekend. When I picked him up Friday afternoon, I mentioned that his teacher had called. He got very downcast and said he figured she would. When I asked him why he would think that he shrugged and said he just did and that "she thinks I have a bad attitude." Come to find out, when he turned the paper in she told him that she was "sick of his bad attitude". Excuse me? I asked what he said and he told me he hadn't known what to say. He then said she went on to say that she didn't want to grade him on the test the way he'd taken it. I asked what he said to that and he told me he said "Yes, ma'am." Oh yeah, that attitude appears to be oozing out

I am drafting a letter to her to readdress the bad attitude comment. I am going to ask her ONE MORE TIME if she can give me some examples of said attitude. I'll also tell her I talked with DS and he told me (as he did) that he had gotten confused by a dividing decimals problem and it slowed him down. Now, I have told him before that if he doesn't know it, skip it and come back later. That just doesn't seem to work for him. He gets all overwraught and stuck on the one problem and spends the entire allotted time staring blankly at it. I am also going to remind her that, prior to this year, the only lessons he's had on decimals was adding/subtracting money and place value. I had him taken to special math classes in Elem school and it was a huge waste. They studied multiplication tables the entire two years. Other kids were studying place value, fractions, etc.. in the room, he has NO exposure to the basics of any of that. My fault, mea culpa, believe me I beat myself up over that on a routine basis. I'm also going to send a copy of the letter to the principal with a cover letter stating how VERY upset I am that this woman told my son (whom she KNEW suffered from low self esteem) that she was "sick" of his attitude, when that "attitude" was actually him shutting down/freaking out.

The UPside to this is (and believe it or not there IS one), DH is actually considering homeschool as an option now. DS told us some other things that the teacher has said to other students in the class (so far as I know the majority of that class has IEPs, she told one such child that she was "tired of him only getting every fourth question right.") We sat down and discussed my ideas for what I'd like to attempt, we talked about the finances which gave me an opportunity to tell him that the kids and I had already talked about the fact that if I gave up my job it would cut into "fun" money, we'd be buying less clothing, less presents at Christmas.... none of them balked at any of that, they were more excited with the prospect of getting to go stay with DH much, MUCH more than we are with the school schedule.) DH was actually coming up with ideas of his own and saying that he could see how this or that teaching method would work well for our kids. I'm very (carefully and quietly) excited by the discussion. I told him my goal is to limp through until Christmas to give us a cushion of switching to his insurance, etc, and then un-enroll the kids and give my notice before we leave for Christmas break. We have had this discussion many, many times over the phone and he was always firmly against it. I think seeing me sit there in tears and hearing that a teacher had actually called out our son over his lack of ability to do the work (especially after the testing we had done last year) showed him just how real and serious this is to us. Keep your fingers crossed and send some our way. I'd love to be able ring in the New Year as a homeschool mom

 

[kimmyann]

Well, Friday was pretty horrible for us. I had to leave work and bring YDS home as he was running a fever. While taking care of him my cell phone rang, when I answered it was ODS' math teacher. ODS has always struggled in math, I tried to get him an IEP or 504 or SOMETHING last year as he was so far behind (you can read that little rant here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2807015, it's #4) but was turned down because his "composite score" was too high due to his high Language Arts scores. Yeah..... So, anyway, I had gone to the open house before school started, asked WHO his math teacher would be (because they don't want to give you a print out or anything so you could actually see these people LOL), and went to talk to her. I told her about him struggling, the testing....I told her that his self confidence was really, really low and that he tended to sort of hang back and not raise his hand to answer because he didn't want to embarass himself. I saw a red flag when her response was "Well, I only have 12 kids in this class. He can't hide here." Oh, yeah, thanks for that compassion.

So, then, back to Friday. I answer the call and she literally starts screaming in my ear, "Ms ___, this is Ms ____, I'm calling about your son ______." I almost passed out. A million possibilities ran through my mind. I wondered if he was hurt, had he done something awful? Why was this woman yelling at me? Well. She was yelling at me because they'd been working on decimals "all week" and she gave a fifteen question quiz that day and DS only finished 5 problems. She said she had been over to him "several times" to "remind him to be working" but he still hadn't finished. She then announced that he was "lazy and, frankly, has a BAD attitude." I was still doing my best to choke back something very ugly when she said "I'm going to have to grade him on this test as is." I said that was fine, I understood. Then, she screams at me, "Well, I don't WANT to do that. It isn't FAIR." Okaaaay.... I said, "Well, I really don't know what to say to that." I asked her if she felt DS had an "attitude" because of something specific he had done or said to her (I wouldn't tolerate that) and she said, no, she had nothing like that to offer. She just felt that his "refusal" to finish the quiz showed a bad attitude. So, I thanked her for calling with her concerns, reminded her of our conversation at the beginning of the year, and told her DS and I would talk this weekend. When I picked him up Friday afternoon, I mentioned that his teacher had called. He got very downcast and said he figured she would. When I asked him why he would think that he shrugged and said he just did and that "she thinks I have a bad attitude." Come to find out, when he turned the paper in she told him that she was "sick of his bad attitude". Excuse me? I asked what he said and he told me he hadn't known what to say. He then said she went on to say that she didn't want to grade him on the test the way he'd taken it. I asked what he said to that and he told me he said "Yes, ma'am." Oh yeah, that attitude appears to be oozing out

I am drafting a letter to her to readdress the bad attitude comment. I am going to ask her ONE MORE TIME if she can give me some examples of said attitude. I'll also tell her I talked with DS and he told me (as he did) that he had gotten confused by a dividing decimals problem and it slowed him down. Now, I have told him before that if he doesn't know it, skip it and come back later. That just doesn't seem to work for him. He gets all overwraught and stuck on the one problem and spends the entire allotted time staring blankly at it. I am also going to remind her that, prior to this year, the only lessons he's had on decimals was adding/subtracting money and place value. I had him taken to special math classes in Elem school and it was a huge waste. They studied multiplication tables the entire two years. Other kids were studying place value, fractions, etc.. in the room, he has NO exposure to the basics of any of that. My fault, mea culpa, believe me I beat myself up over that on a routine basis. I'm also going to send a copy of the letter to the principal with a cover letter stating how VERY upset I am that this woman told my son (whom she KNEW suffered from low self esteem) that she was "sick" of his attitude, when that "attitude" was actually him shutting down/freaking out.

The UPside to this is (and believe it or not there IS one), DH is actually considering homeschool as an option now. DS told us some other things that the teacher has said to other students in the class (so far as I know the majority of that class has IEPs, she told one such child that she was "tired of him only getting every fourth question right.") We sat down and discussed my ideas for what I'd like to attempt, we talked about the finances which gave me an opportunity to tell him that the kids and I had already talked about the fact that if I gave up my job it would cut into "fun" money, we'd be buying less clothing, less presents at Christmas.... none of them balked at any of that, they were more excited with the prospect of getting to go stay with DH much, MUCH more than we are with the school schedule.) DH was actually coming up with ideas of his own and saying that he could see how this or that teaching method would work well for our kids. I'm very (carefully and quietly) excited by the discussion. I told him my goal is to limp through until Christmas to give us a cushion of switching to his insurance, etc, and then un-enroll the kids and give my notice before we leave for Christmas break. We have had this discussion many, many times over the phone and he was always firmly against it. I think seeing me sit there in tears and hearing that a teacher had actually called out our son over his lack of ability to do the work (especially after the testing we had done last year) showed him just how real and serious this is to us. Keep your fingers crossed and send some our way. I'd love to be able ring in the New Year as a homeschool mom

Your story reminds me alot of my own son. We pulled him out of middle school for his 2nd semester because of his "bad attitude". I just don't understand why teachers feel it is okay to practically ridicule a student in front of their peers & yell at them then turn around and wonder why the child develops this "bad attitude". I very much wish I would have known about homeschooling when he was younger because he does have such a difficult time in a classroom. I'm in the process of arranging to pull my youngest DD out & some of it has to do with just being sick of the entire system as a whole. I hope you are able to homeschool him & build his self esteem back up. Good Luck.

 

[southern_redhead]

Your story reminds me alot of my own son. We pulled him out of middle school for his 2nd semester because of his "bad attitude". I just don't understand why teachers feel it is okay to practically ridicule a student in front of their peers & yell at them then turn around and wonder why the child develops this "bad attitude". I very much wish I would have known about homeschooling when he was younger because he does have such a difficult time in a classroom. I'm in the process of arranging to pull my youngest DD out & some of it has to do with just being sick of the entire system as a whole. I hope you are able to homeschool him & build his self esteem back up. Good Luck.

Thanks, it is frustrating. What really ticks me off is that the bad attitude appears to be that he withdraws - to me that is a coping mechanism. I tend to do it when I am stressed beyond what I can handle. I asked as many questions as I could think of when I had her on the phone (admittedly, I was still reeling from being yelled at the moment I said hello...) I asked, "Did he backtalk you?" and she said no. I asked, "Did he throw his pencil down, crumble up the paper?" Again, no. Did he roll his eyes? No. All that he could tell me was that "he just SAT there." Um... And even when she told him she was sick of his attitude, according to him he didn't reply. It sounds to me like he puts up with A LOT without losing his cool, so I'm really not happy that she used the phrase "bad attitude", especially after I've made it a point to seek her out and discuss the fact that he gets upset with himself over not doing well in math and that he shuts down when he gets overwhelmed.

Had she told me he had done one of the above, or something of that nature, I would have been having a very different conversation with him. I have always told him that it is okay to not know the answer, it is NOT okay to be disrespectful to an adult. You'd think with all the smart mouthing and physical violence they see in Jr High that she'd have bigger fish to fry.

I did notice, even in Elem school, that ridicule seemed to be the "motivation" they chose for students. They had that coach-like taunting thing going and would tell me, when I asked about it, that they were simply trying to "motivate them to act". Uh, yeah, I bet they get some action. But, like you said, then they have a kid fly off the handle and want to blame the child. I'm curious whether they would sit by and smile and "work harder" if their principals were coming into their rooms and screaming "Work faster. Move, move! You can do this, why are you SO SLOW?"

We have several breaks between now and Christmas, so I'm hoping we can keep our heads above water until then and then call it quits.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

WOW! Poor you and poor ds!! My middle son can't just skip a problem and go back either-he just crumbles...he will get very quiet and then his face is very red and then the tears start...It is frustrating for me-because I am his mother! And I want to teach him how to cope with things he can't figure out-but if he were my student, I can see that I would be much more lenient-I just tell my son to leave the room for awhile til he can get ahold of himself and then come back. I don't see why her response had to be what it was...to me it is a case of badgering. Plain and simple. I give kudos to your son for being able to leave calmly and politely. that's a lot for a kid to take. I would seriously consider being at that school for a conference with the principal Mon morning! She should not be allowed to treat children this way. We all have a hangup as students somewhere-the majority of kids have it in Math I think! If I were going to be a teacher of Math I would think this was obvious and learn how to deal with it before taking on a classroom full of children.that's her job.Not to call you screaming and acting like that. Is there a diff math class he could be moved to? Or could you pay a teen that you know and trust to tutor him a little each week-just to build his confidence?This is a doozy for sure! At least you found a silver lining and dh is now jumping on the HS boat!!! Let us know how it goes..and hopefully your younger ds is better by now!

 

[AmandaRG]

southern_redhead, so sorry to hear about this. Sometimes teachers just aren't equipped to handle situations anymore. Where we live, teachers' success is based on test scores, so I can see where she freaked out (at least internally), but as a professional educator, she should have been able to handle herself differently.

Our dd freezes up if she doesn't know the answer to a question. It is getting better, but it is because she has been talked through dealing with it.

While I understand you wanting to pull your son out, please don't miss this opportunity to discuss the issue with the school administration. Having communicated with this teacher about your son, and then her pitching a hissy fit are uncalled for. All students deserve to be talked to privately about issues, not broadcast for all of the class. Humiliation is rarely a tactic that has positive results.

Good luck with your decisions. Homeschooling can be such a blessing!

 

[shannon006]

Is there anyone out there doing the K12 program? I would love to connect with others who are doing this. I have searched google and found a forum, but apparently it is no longer in service

 

[Nicolepa]

Is there anyone out there doing the K12 program? I would love to connect with others who are doing this. I have searched google and found a forum, but apparently it is no longer in service

I used to use K12. Are you using it privately or thru a Virtual Academy?

 

[shannon006]

A virtual academy. My daughter is in grade 5.

 

[Nicolepa]

We used it for 2nd & part of 3rd. It was too much "School at home" for my son and he flat out refused to sit at his desk anymore and do another worksheet. Also our VA added in a lot of new requirements the 2nd year.

He's in 4th grade this year.

 

[momimouse27]

Hi everyone! Just found this thread. I am not new to homeschooling. I have three kids, a daughter(18) who is a freshman in college(yay!), a 14 year old daughter who has started Liberty Online Academy for the first time this year, and my 8 year old son, who is in a public school program for autism.

I sought out this thread trying to remind myself why I started homeschooling to begin with, and whether I am up to pulling my youngest out of public school and homeschooling him. My college age daughter was a homeschoolers dream...she was very bright and the easiest kid to teach. My 14 yr old is so smart but convinced she's stupid and hates being away from kids her age. She's always been homeschooled but up until this year she was in a two day a week homeschool support school. I pulled her because the lady who runs the school is someone I do not see eye to eye with and I didn't want to put my money there. My son is our issue. He is having alot of problems with his regular ed class and has been pulled out because of his behavior issues. The thing is he's extremely smart, way ahead of most of the basic curriculum but still has temper tantrums(about 1 or 2 every few weeks-he hasn't had one since he left the regular ed class). Some are aggressive enough that he has to be restrained.(Hoping there are some special needs folks on here that can relate. )

The thing is that the teacher wants him in the regular ed class( I still don't understand the compulsion of the public school system to try and take these kids who are square pegs and try to fit them into round holes) and they have now told me that if he continues to be aggressive they will start suspending him from school. Once he figures out he can get out of school for causing problems, I have told the teacher, he'll be doing it all the time so he can stay home. He says he hates school, and for a homeschool mom that is like a siren call! He has some tantrums at home, but rarely and I can usually nip them in the bud pretty quickly. My fear is he'll become isolated from other kids. Don't know why I'm pouring myself out on here...guess it's because I'm hoping other homeschoolers will understand. Thanks for let me prattle on!

I really don't know what to do.

 

[southern_redhead]

Thank you for the kind words. I had written a letter to the teacher, reminding her that we had talked about this very thing before school started and telling her that I felt we were doing everything possible to help him excel in math - but he really struggles and missed some of the "basic" skills during pull out classes as an elementary schooler (already told her that, too, but I wanted written documentation.) I did address the "attitude" comment and told her I felt like he was frustrated with himself and, unless he had been disrespectful, I didn't see an "attitude" issue. I did ask her NOT to say that sort of thing to DS, that I felt he was hard enough on himself without anyone being negative. I also gave a copy of the letter I sent her to the principal, as well as a letter to the principal herself. In the letter to the principal I addressed the yelling during the phone call and, again, told her about the comment to DS.

This morning the principal called me and said she wanted to apologize for what had happened. She said it shouldn't have been handled the way it was and she wanted to make sure she had everything straight before she approached the teacher about it. She told me that she realized DS has struggled with math and that his self confidence is extremely low, she said that she didn't think the teacher understood that (I really think the teacher "understood" but didn't "care" or, at least, felt like he should get over it.) Apparently she did talk to the teacher because the teacher called me (if I read the caller id right, from the principal's office) and it was a MUCH more professional conversation. She was very reserved and she said that the principal had given her some ideas for handling DS when he shuts down. The principal suggested that (when she sees him getting frustrated) she approach him and ask him to put his pencil down, take a few deep breaths, and give himself a minute to think about something else before going back to the problem. I think that's a great idea, especially since DS seems unable to just skip the problem at this point.

On the whole, I was satisfied with how it was handled. I've only had to go to the principal twice in three years about a teacher (last year DS' math teacher actually announced quiz grades to the class , what is it with math teachers and insensitivity? LOL) Both times she has been very concerned and, I felt, gone above and beyond to help.

It still doesn't change my desire to homeschool, though. I know that is best for them. My problem has never been with the school, a teacher, or an adminstrator....it is with what we, as a society, have let school become. To compound that frustration, DS came home and said that he had witnessed a fist fight in one class today. A boy went to pick up another child's jacket, the first child thought the one picking it up was stealing it (?!) and got up to get it back. When he moved toward the other boy he fell and hit his face on the ground, then he got up and punched the first child in the face! DS said they both had bloody noses. All because one boy tried to help another by picking up his jacket. Now, there may be a back story. Both kids have been disciplinary problems at one time or another, and they may have been into it for a long time. DS just said that it appeared that the kid had been trying to help and gotten a bloodied nose.

I wish DH would say yes, bring them home, already. He has brought it up a time or two, he's been asking good questions (like "What would you do when you aren't teaching them?" I told him I guessed I'd just be with them LOL but at least it showed that he didn't expect us to school 24/7 just because they were home.) We also discussed homeschool groups, places we could go for "fun learning" like the zoo and museums. He asked about curriculum and cost (he was thinking 3 curriculums but ideally I'd like to drop DS back to where he needs to be in math, which is a year behind where DD is, I'd like to drop her back to because she could use the extra time on it) and I told him that I would like to start out with a math curriculum but I really want to do unit studies, at least at first. That is how I've always learned best and I think it will work for my kids, as well. He seemed receptive to it, so Xfingers crossedX!!

 

[shannon006]

We used it for 2nd & part of 3rd. It was too much "School at home" for my son and he flat out refused to sit at his desk anymore and do another worksheet. Also our VA added in a lot of new requirements the 2nd year.

He's in 4th grade this year.

It does seem to be a lot of work, especially since it is supposed to be homeschooling. We are very late getting started, as the school district that is doing this program had difficulties. So today is day 3 for us. Honestly day one was horrible, day 2 a bit better, and today is going splendid! It is a lot of work, but I believe the education she is getting thus far is very good.

 

[Nicolepa]

It does seem to be a lot of work, especially since it is supposed to be homeschooling. We are very late getting started, as the school district that is doing this program had difficulties. So today is day 3 for us. Honestly day one was horrible, day 2 a bit better, and today is going splendid! It is a lot of work, but I believe the education she is getting thus far is very good.

Don't get me wrong, for the mostpart I think their curriculum is rock solid. I have issues with their math program, but I dropped that after the first year. That was the year they changed to the "New Math", so I can't comment on it now, but I have heard it's more cumbersome than the old.

I think if you have a child who is good at school, especially a girl, K12 will be just fine. I would have loved to have tried K12 with my daughter (she's never been homeschooled.) My son needs a lot of movement and activity and sitting at a desk all day wasn't his thing.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

momimouse...i do not have a child with any of the issues your son has,...I just wanted to encourage you! You can rant or vent all you want! LOL...I do think kids who are dealing with things like your son can sometimes be helped in a public school---but each situation is soooo different and there are so many variables. For you, it sounds like he is just becoming to frustrated at this point, and is smart, so he will learn how to work their system all to soon, just so he won't have to be there. If you are asking, I would say bring him home! If you are just venting, then we are here for ya!!! Keep us posted, we will all be wondering how you are doing!
Southern Redhead...glad that your princ. handled that so well! That's awesome- I don't think our princ around here would have been so parent friendly! They tend to be very 100% for the teacher...unless the parents are bullies, then they back them! Hopefully you will figure it out soon and convince your hubby to let you HS!!!!

 

[southern_redhead]

I am so DH has all but hopped aboard the homeschooling bandwagon. He had to go back to work today (works away from home) and he brought it up a few more times during the day. One of his statements was "Well, we need to look at our expenses more closely and see what to cut back on and where to switch priorities if you are going to come home." That sounded dangerously close to "Yes, I think we should homeschool." He also asked many more questions - would they have to have a "pe" and how would we do that, had I thought about using Chicago (his work "home") as a teaching tool (things like the train, navigating the city, figuring out which route you'd take to get from home to where you want to go), and (maybe the sweetest of all) what was I going to do for myself? If I wasn't working and I was with the kids so much more, would I consider taking some classes or joining some groups or something for myself? I really hope he keeps his momentum and continues to be for this.

One thing that I think helps is that a guy he worked with, and has remained close to, is a former homeschooler. He and his siblings were all homeschooled and they all learned trades that they have fallen back on at various times, but have also gone on and gotten good jobs in various workforces. DH had mentioned to him a while ago that I brought up homeschooling every so often and his response was, "Yeah, why wouldn't you?"

The only negative thing he has said is "I just don't want them to be weird." Clearly, he doesn't realize they already ARE weird. They have our genetics, it is inevitable.....they're gonna be a little "odd", but not in a bad way.

So.....now what? I want to do unit studies, I don't want to do a virtual academy, a family member/educator suggested we try kahn academy for math, at least initially. I know to check our states HS laws (any TN HS's here?) I guess, technically, I lean more towards what many consider "unschooling" although I don't really intend to just let them do whatever all the time. I just don't want to do "school" at home and be sitting around doing worksheets and pointing and clicking all the time - I mean what's the point? Just leave them in school, it's what they do now and it isn't working for them. My mother, BTW, was horrified at that. She has been a PS teacher all her adult life. She claims she thinks HS'ing would be best for them but she wants me to wait a year until she retires...so she can do it When I told her tonight that DH was warming to the idea more and more she asked "But how will you afford the $85 a kid, a month?" I said "What?" Apparently she was under the impression that I was going to enroll them in a VA. Her eyes crossed a little when I said I wasn't going to rely on worksheets, that they could read, and research, and WRITE to learn all that stuff. My first grader started learning about insects this week. Introduced on Monday, and on Tuesday he brought home a sheet that had him label all the parts of an ant (Thorax, Mandible, etc..) He can't PRONOUNCE those words and they aren't teaching him what they DO (I talked with him about it, though) but he is supposed to be able to pick it out and correctly spell the word. Wouldn't you learn all about insects in general, their lifestyles, purposes, what they eat, etc... and THEN worry about their physiology? Wouldn't you learn WHAT the parts do AS you learned where they are? It just seemed very fragmented and "cart before the horse."

 

[southern_redhead]

momimouse...i do not have a child with any of the issues your son has,...I just wanted to encourage you! You can rant or vent all you want! LOL...I do think kids who are dealing with things like your son can sometimes be helped in a public school---but each situation is soooo different and there are so many variables. For you, it sounds like he is just becoming to frustrated at this point, and is smart, so he will learn how to work their system all to soon, just so he won't have to be there. If you are asking, I would say bring him home! If you are just venting, then we are here for ya!!! Keep us posted, we will all be wondering how you are doing!
Southern Redhead...glad that your princ. handled that so well! That's awesome- I don't think our princ around here would have been so parent friendly! They tend to be very 100% for the teacher...unless the parents are bullies, then they back them! Hopefully you will figure it out soon and convince your hubby to let you HS!!!!

Maybe I'm a bully! LOL

Actually, she is great. A lot of people don't like her because she is very to the point and no nonsense, but she has been nothing but a Godsend for us. If we pull our kids out, I intend to let her know that I am NOT upset with her in anyway and that I sooo appreciate the work she is doing. I actually like her approach because I'm not there to hold her hand while I cry, I just want to address it, fix it, and move on. I do EVERY communication with the school in writing, though, and I keep a copy for myself. At our first meeting, I brought the folder with my letter in it. I think that says a lot, as in "don't push me, I have evidence." I don't think she would try that but I think the teachers would suddenly have selective amnesia. My letters are dated and address the date/time/incident. I try not to be a (uglier word that witch) but I don't go in with the "I think" or "It seems like" attitude, either. I hit it head on "This is what happened, this is how it affected my child, I don't want to have to talk about this again." So far, it has been very effective. I'm sure there's a teacher out there who would wad up my letter and throw it at me, I just haven't crossed them yet. She is also friends with several of my family members who are high level educators, I think she knows that I grew up with an "academic" family, and I'm not a complete "noob" to school

 

[momimouse27]

Disney Mommy 3, thank you for the encouragement. It really means alot.

southern redhead, sounds like your husband is beginning to come around. When i pulled my oldest out in 3rd grade, it took a long time to get him to agree to it. When we finally did, my daughter's learning took off like you wouldn't believe. No one will ever convince me we didn't do the best thing for her.

Your husband sounds a bit like mine...he is so worried our kids will be wierd, but really, honest to goodness, they were wierd to begin with. I am not someone who cares a whole lot about what people think, so it bothers me alot less than him. Fortunately, I can point to my 18 year old, who is thriving at college and say "look!" She even called me last week to tell me that being homeschooled has helped her study independently. Made me feel good.

He is one issue in pulling my son out. He feels that our son needs to be in school, and more and more I am beginning to see that the negatives are outweighing the positives.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Don't y'all hate that 'weird' stigma for Hsing? I do...I mean, geez, I don't want to sound 'bragg-y", but, my kids are really very, very smart and the middle one especially would be called weird FOR SURE if they were in Public
School. they just have different interests than most kids their age, so they would be picked on for it. so,..I guess the option is: be weird at school and picked on, or be at home and be labelled weird for homeschooling....I would personally rather be at home! At least here, you are surrounded by people who love you!! I know people think I am weird too!!! I am such a bookworm, and my personality is just very academia! I mean,...that's just me, and people even way back in elementary made fun of me for being 'smart' or for reading so much..I am NEVER without books to read.So....do y'all think so too? I mean, do y'all here that as much as I do?
I really don't want my kids to act like the majority of the kids in their peer groups anyway!