Homeschool Chat Part III

[weHEARTmickey]

What is an approximation of the $$ you spend per yr on books/curriculums?.........This will vary greatly. If you do a state funded online school (which I would not recommend in your situation) your cost would be zero. You can go up from there to thousands. This year I spent $100. I found all my cirriulum used at the homeschool resale shop or ebay. $100 is all? WOW!!!! I had NO idea! I figured it would cost almost as much as sending them to ps (once you factor in supplies, books, etc...)
I am "mathmatically challenged" so is there much help for me?......There are math cirriulums out there that are all computer based so you wouldn't have to do much teaching. The best part of homeschooling, IMO, is being able to learn with your children. I've learned so much interesting history these last 2 years. That's great! I have A LOT to learn

And finally, what curriculum do you recommend? (A friend recommends the Houston public school system online, or something like that.).....The cirriculum you choose is going to really depend on you and your children and their learning style. I would get Cathy Duffy's Homeschool review and start looking at your different options. The reason I wouldnt' do the public online school is because you want to travel. I started out with an online public school and I felt hostage to the computer. My son hated it after the first year. It was all sit at your desk and do worksheet type stuff. He needs to move around and have more interaction. You have attendance requirements and progress goals that you must meet. I'm not saying it can't be done, but was stressful for me to even take a day off for a field trip. If you are going to be doing mission work, you may not have internet access and that will be required in order to complete some aspects of the schoolwork and report attendence. Thank you for enlightening me...I never would have thought of that. Online is definitely not an option for us.
Hope that helps!

It does tremendously! Thank you very much. You were probably already responding to me when I "edited in" the following question.....How many hours per day & days per wk do you have school?

 

[Nicolepa]

It does tremendously! Thank you very much. You were probably already responding to me when I "edited in" the following question.....How many hours per day & days per wk do you have school?

First off, I find I probably spen less on school supplies than when he was in school. I don't have to buy new every year, he isn't sharing with the class etc. Plus we use the computer and oral discussions more than writing.

I won't tell you how long I spend schooling each day. It will definitly scare you away. My son has some senory issues and that makes our day take longer (which is on of the reasons I pulled him out). It's still less than him going to school and then still having to do tons of homework each night!

I will say that most of my friends say they are done by lunch. They spend 3-4 hours a day. I only school 4 days a week. I use the 5th day to catch up on stuff we didn't finish the other days.

 

[weHEARTmickey]

I figured it was probably 4 hrs per day. So 5 days per wk is the "norm" for a 4 hr day? Would that include BOTH children in a 4 hr day? I know specifics are hard & I'm sorry to be so inquisitive! Both of my kids are at the top of their class (although I held DS back in kindergarten b/c he wasn't on a reading/maturity level I was comfortable with.)

 

[Nicolepa]

I figured it was probably 4 hrs per day. So 5 days per wk is the "norm" for a 4 hr day? Would that include BOTH children in a 4 hr day? I know specifics are hard & I'm sorry to be so inquisitive! Both of my kids are at the top of their class (although I held DS back in kindergarten b/c he wasn't on a reading/maturity level I was comfortable with.)

I think 3-4 hours is norm. Most of my friends have 3 kids and they are done by lunch. Some days might be 6 and some 2. My son is in 3rd this year but last year for second we were done in 1.5-2 hours (with the online school). If I was homeschooling all my children the main cirriculum I'm using would be used by both my children so they would only have math and some grammar to do on their own level, so it wouldn't increase my time by much at all. My son does his grammar, handwriting and phonics w/little to no help from me and I spend about 10 minutes going over his math lesson with him. (He picks up math very quickly.)

 

[weHEARTmickey]

Great!! I really do appreciate all of your help!

 

[KibbyCat]

After years of feeling like God has placed homeschooling on my heart, I have to say DH is FINALLY opening up to the idea!!! DD10 is in 4th grade & DS7 is in 1st. If I could (without hijacking your thread) I'd like to share a little of our background if I may.

DH owns bedding plant nurseries & only works March-late May or early June of each year. We feel truly blessed that God has allowed him to stay at home the other 9mos of the yr & I am a SAHM. We've felt the urging to begin going on mission trips & we took our first family mission trip to Piedras Negras, Mexico during our Christmas break. Well, that was IT! We are HOOKED & know this is what God has called us to do. Why else would DH only work 3mos out of the year? So, homeschooling just seems like the obvious choice, so we can travel when the opportunity arises.

I do have several concerns. Please don't think of us as "shallow" when I ask these questions. DS is EXTREMELY gifted in sports. (I know all moms think that, but he truly is.) What are the odds of him getting a sports scholarship while homeschooling?
What is an approximation of the $$ you spend per yr on books/curriculums?
I am "mathmatically challenged" so is there much help for me?
And finally, what curriculum do you recommend? (A friend recommends the Houston public school system online, or something like that.)
How many hours per day & days per wk do you have school?

I'm not at all worried about the social aspect, as many others have mentioned to us, b/c we are in church 3x per week, sports all yr, and have friends over all the time. Please forgive me for taking up so much space in your thread. I'm in the VERY early stages of this & I'm very nervous/excited. God bless, Angela

To answer your questions:
*Tim Tebow was homeschooled.
* It depends on your style. You can get really good deals on eBay, through used bookstores like Half-Price Books, or homeschool resource stores. I spent about $200 last year on everything for my kids. My son (1st grade) is currently using ABeka workbooks because that's what his Preschool and Kindergarten used. My daughter (4th grade) is using AlphaOmega's Switched On Schoolhouse. It is computer-based, with discs for each subject. We love it because it's easy to use, and takes relatively effort on the part of the parent. For a new-to-homeschooling family, one with multiple children, or work-at-home parents, this option is great, because it eliminates lesson-planning, objective grading, and lecturing.
*Yes! (but again, it's based on your style and is relative to the curriculum you choose)
* This not only depends upon your style and children's learning styles, but upon your budget. Some online schools are free but have computer minimum requirements; others charge fees for optional things like testing, data storage, and paper report cards.

Talk it over, pray about it, and do LOTS of research. And feel free to ask LOTS of questions here.

Again, and congrats on your decision!

P.S. The most wonderful thing is that there's no legislation for Texas homeschooling that sets limits or requires documentation!

 

[KibbyCat]

Yes, a few hours a day is all you'll need. The only reason why schools take 7 hours to get everything done is because the kids have to LINE UP to go to music, then LINE UP to go back to class then LINE UP to go eat lunch then LINE UP to go to recess then LINE UP to go use the restroom...etc. Think of all that wasted time! Plus, the classroom teachers spend an average of 20 minutes per subject lecturing on the day's lesson. With ONE child, all you'll need is the time it takes for you to introduce something and them to pick up on it.

The number of days per week that you "school" is up to you. Texas doesn't require a minimum number of school days or hours for homeschoolers.

 

[bellebud]

DD10 is in 4th grade & DS7 is in 1st.

we started hsing 2 years ago - my dd was in 4th and my ds was in 2nd. I unintentionally allowed them a lot of time to deschool - they (and we parents) need to first get out of the mindset that learning has to take place the way they do it in school. Our very first day home, my dd made an attendance sheet and took attendance (lol), because she was so programmed that we needed to do this. It made her comfortable, so I went with it (and I honestly didn't know what the heck to do either). But 2 years down the road now, we're extremely relaxed, because I see them learning all the time, and usually NOT from a worksheet or workbook.

DS is EXTREMELY gifted in sports. What are the odds of him getting a sports scholarship while homeschooling?

I don't know anything about this, but let me plant this seed in your head. He's young... you don't even know for sure where you'll be living when he's high school age. You may decide to send him to high school for this reason, (or it may not be necessary). Remember hsing doesn't have to be FOREVER. You can re-evaluate each year, and see what's going to work for each of your kids. One mom in our hs group is going to send one of her 13yo dd's (she has twins) to high school, because the daughter wants to either be a veterinarian, or a forensic scientist. They feel she'll need the proper high school to get into the college she wants. The other twin will remain home


What is an approximation of the $$ you spend per yr on books/curriculums?

I don't buy any one curriculum, because I don't feel they're good for my kids. What I buy is a "national standards" workbook for x-grade (from sam's club usually), open it up, see that nationally, they're teaching "this and that" in x-grade, then close the workbook and teach to my child in the way each learns best

I am "mathmatically challenged" so is there much help for me?

there's lots of help, from on-line math programs, to private tutors, to someone you know who happens to be good in math, to youtube (seriously), to dvd's you can buy.

How many hours per day & days per wk do you have school?

[/B]
not anywhere near what you'd think from them being in school. there is SOOOO much downtime (non-learning time) that goes on in school, you can cover what you need to cover in probably 1/4 of the time it takes them in school. seriously, one on one attention, catering to a child's learning style, and being able to teach when they're in the mood or right frame of mind for learning makes a huge difference in how much "time" something takes. We absolutely don't "do school" at home. We do science at night when there's a clear sky - we take out the telescope. We do science on another day when we're at a pond. We do science when we're on a fishing trip. We read lots of books at times we want to, not set times of set days. We watch history channel when we feel like it. We take lots of field trips to places for science and history. I do try to do the 3 r's (reading, writing, math) plus a language on a regular basis, and the rest just sort of comes.[/B]

I'm not at all worried about the social aspect,

that all sounds really great! you're covered socially! and the most important thing is them being w/ you and your dh anyway

Please forgive me for taking up so much space in your thread.

OK, you're forgiven. Angela, this thread is for EVERYONE who has any questions at all about hsing. Glad you're here, and hope you enjoy the new adventure your family is starting!

hth!

 

[bellebud]

I just thought of more to say to you Angela, but didn't want to edit my pp.

My kids were 2 grades apart (21 months apart in age). Math and grammer are the only things I teach separately. Everything else, we all learn together.

Here's one example... when we started hsing 2 years ago, my hs group had a Williamsburg, VA trip planned. We all went for a week. So, in the months leading up to that trip, we listened to the series Felicity Amercian Girl in the car on CD (from the library). We were always in the car, so this worked (and the kids were a trapped audience - LOL). We would discuss the historical aspects, but in a fun way. Then actually going to Williamsburg and Jamestown - it was awesome! The kids learned so much by us doing 'history' that way. I remember pretty much falling asleep whenever I had to open a history textbook in school - so BORING! We read kids level biographies for a lot of our history. We watch history channel. And again, we do a lot of field trips. It doesn't matter that my ds technically is in 4th now and dd is in 6th. The grade they're in seem to matter less and less the longer we homeschool.

 

[weHEARTmickey]

To answer your questions:
*Tim Tebow was homeschooled. 'NUFF said
.......Talk it over, pray about it, and do LOTS of research. And feel free to ask LOTS of questions here. Thank you so much

P.S. The most wonderful thing is that there's no legislation for Texas homeschooling that sets limits or requires documentation!

This is CRAZY to me, since they're so psycho about the TAKS tests (which is one reason I dislike TX ps) Thank you again, for your awesome help! And I didn't quote your entire post b/c I didn't want to take up so much space again. But I appreciate every single answer.

I just thought of more to say to you Angela, but didn't want to edit my pp. My kids were 2 grades apart (21 months apart in age). Math and grammer are the only things I teach separately. Everything else, we all learn together.

Here's one example... when we started hsing 2 years ago, my hs group had a Williamsburg, VA trip planned. We all went for a week. So, in the months leading up to that trip, we listened to the series Felicity Amercian Girl in the car on CD (from the library). We were always in the car, so this worked (and the kids were a trapped audience - LOL). We would discuss the historical aspects, but in a fun way. Then actually going to Williamsburg and Jamestown - it was awesome! The kids learned so much by us doing 'history' that way. I remember pretty much falling asleep whenever I had to open a history textbook in school - so BORING! We read kids level biographies for a lot of our history. We watch history channel. And again, we do a lot of field trips. It doesn't matter that my ds technically is in 4th now and dd is in 6th. The grade they're in seem to matter less and less the longer we homeschool.

I totally agree about history. I HATED it in school, but DH & I can't get enough of it now. We are complete history buffs & it's a shame we didn't pay better attention in ps. Thank you for all of your comments, also. This thread is like having my very own information station at my fingertips!!!! I feel so blessed BTW--I've been crying off & on all afternoon! They are definitely happy tears

 

[IcedMudd]

Hi everyone! Does anyone have any recommendations for an umbrella school or online homeschool? We're relocating to FL and I'd rather enroll my daughter in a school online so we don't have to do the year - end assessments.
Thanks!

 

[MiniGirl]

Hi everyone! Does anyone have any recommendations for an umbrella school or online homeschool? We're relocating to FL and I'd rather enroll my daughter in a school online so we don't have to do the year - end assessments.
Thanks!

We're in Florida, but we don't use an umbrella school. However, I wanted to say that, around here anyway, the year-end assessments are extremely relaxed and easy. Trust me.. very relaxed. For example, last year I was having some health issues and much of our school work was done orally. Also, after surgery, I was feeling pretty well and boxed up a lot of the written school work we did manage to get done. However, it somehow ended up getting tossed. In other words, I had almost nothing to prove that we had done anything at all. She just talked to the girls, asked their favorite subject, etc. Piece of cake.

 

[sskem96]

Where in IL are you? Is there a neighboring town that you could go to to join a group?

We are in Bloomington, which is a decent sized town in the middle of a corn field. We would have to drive at least 50 miles to join a different group, but I'm not going to worry about it for now. I think we're doing fine for now, but I will look into different options for next fall. I'm pretty sure we'll stick with the same on-line school, but maybe get her involved in some other activities since all she really has right now is school and sports.

 

[bumbershoot]

weHEARTmickey, in Texas, can homeschooled kids take part in some school if they want to? Here in Washington, kid can take a class here and there, they can do sports, etc, withOUT being actually enrolled in school. It's pretty awesome. And therefore, if a kid is good enough, I bet they could get a sports scholarship!

Have you ever looked around college websites? Take a look at Duke and Harvard, just to start, and notice that they have webpages for homeschool admissions info.

You should check out Calvert School's curriculum! You can do it all on your own, or you can pay more and have access to their people. The actual, physical, school has been around for a long time, and they started their "homeschool" curriculum specifically for kids of families who did mission work, or who had government jobs where they were sent overseas for long periods of time! I looked long and hard at Calvert.

I personally ended up choosing Oak Meadow for this year (1st grade). I'm kinda hippie dippie, and so is their curriculum. I also use workbooks (like the stuff mentioned above, just things I find at Costco) because hubby and I liked worksheets, and it turns out that DS does too.

Next year, who knows? I'm WAY behind this year...I kept getting sick at the end of the summer and into fall, and I never feel like doing learning work with DS if I'm sick, and then we had a big trip in December and it took awhile to get back into it. So we're less than a third of the way through the work... So I'm finding that we're spending more time each day, but it still is NOTHING compared to the school day that my son would be dealing with, if he were attending school with his friends from the YMCA classes he takes. Anyway, so I'm not sure how Oak Meadow will suit us the whole year, and we'll figure out if we want a change at the end of it.



Sounds like you are religious...if I were religious, I would want to use Sonlight curriculum. Heck, even as an agnostic I almost used it!

 

[weHEARTmickey]

Bumbershoot--thanks for all the great advice! I will definitely check into everything you mentioned. It would be awesome for DS to get to play sports with his friends if our schedules allowed it. I haven't even looked at college websites, but that's nice to know. I saw someone else mention Sonlight, and it sounds very interesting. We are Christians, and the lack of Bible teaching in ps is honestly one of the reasons we've been torn. DD & DS started pre-k & k in a christian private school, and it was wonderful! Public school was a completely different ballgame. Have a great night & thanks again.

 

[bumbershoot]

Yesterday we were at Barnes & Noble (2 hours from here), and ds picked up a teacher planning notebook and said, "Here mom, you need this....it has a place to record my grades." I explained to him that I really didn't see the need for "grades", but for some reason, he wants me to grade him. I think maybe because he's spent 6 + years in public school, combined with the fact that he could show dad how he's doing. Hmmm.....

FWIW, my 6 year old has never been to school, but wants to be graded...

With that said, I know what he needs and I know how to get through to him. I myself did not go to college. I only have my high school diploma and trade school. I am aware there are programs available. Is this reason enough to homeschool him? I am so scared that I may hurt him more than help, but then again I see what path he is on and I refuse to lay down and do nothing.

Just look up what you need for your state and go for it. In WA it's a certain (low) number of hours of college, or you take some sort of class to be OK'd to homeschool.

My mom didn't go to college, and her last 2 years of high school sucked all the joy and (she felt) the intelligence out of her. She went from being a top student to feeling like a loser in those last 2 years. She knew about homeschool when I was in school. She knew that I struggled, she probably had a clue that I learned differently than others (she did too, but never told me...her silence about that was probably a mistake since I just felt stupid), she knew that I was intensely shy and even my senior year of HS after going to school with the same kids for 11 of the 12 years I would still come home with hives from the pressure of social interaction.... She knew this, knew I would do better away from school, but she let her fears keep her from helping me by homeschooling me. I empathize with her and sympathize, and only feel sorrow, not anger, about it.

But I do urge you to put your worries aside about that. You know what he needs. So help him. It sounds like he has WAY bigger problems than I ever did. I bet it would be awesome for both of you.

 

[bumbershoot]

I decided I wanted to follow my dream of working at WDW, so returned to grad school to qualify for WDW's student programs. I did the College Program, followed by a management internship, which became a management role.

That is so cool! I thought the program was for "college age" students, not for plain old college students! Might have to mention that to hubby, as a plan for the future.

My first grader taught himself to read playing wii games and reading the instructions. He reads at a 2nd grade level. He figured out how to add and subtract by playing board games, math games on the computer, and the wii. I really have taught him very little. He seems to figure things out for himself. I know he needs to learn how to write sentences and do math problems on paper. He hates any kind of book work or anything that involves a peice of paper. He's very smart, just not in the traditional way. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

That's really cool. My son is just starting to read, and it has been just a natural thing...I even reminded him that he could start reading Harry Potter without waiting for me, if he learned, and all that did was scare him! So I think it's cool that your son wanted to read those things so much he learned.

You mention that he needs to learn how to write sentences and do math on paper. Maybe someday, but not now. He learned to read, which is a HUGE accomplishment, on his own. (as did I. I see those "if you can read this, thank a teacher" bumper stickers and get annoyed, as my teachers had NOTHING to do with my reading) So have faith in him. I'm sure he won't be 15, unable to right a note to a girl because you didn't teach him in 1st grade to write a sentence. And if he is that kid, well, I bet he'll be motivated to learn to write a sentence then! As for math...if he becomes a Math Major in college, YES, he'll likely need to write it down. But that's not for awhile now!

I even was doing the days of the week and months of the year for a few weeks when I realized he didn't know them "cold". I also throw in a "Today is Tuesday, March 14, 2011, since homeschoolers don't have to write the date and such as "headings" on paperwork like they do in school, just so he sees it and writes it on a semi regular basis.

Ooh, good idea. Our curriculum had us make calendars, but that was in early Fall and we haven't touched it for awhile. Then again, I've been having him write the date (that I dictate to him) on the worksheet pages just for my own knowledge, and he needs to do it b/c I can read, but cannot write, upside down (I sit across from him).

Have you thought about making magnets with lots of different words on them and letting him put them in order to "write" the sentences . . . maybe on the fridge? You could do the same with numbers and math signs.

My son had the LeapFrog letters from when he was 1, and they were GREAT to really get him hands on with spelling. Good recommendation!

People always ask me how much time I spend each day homeschooling. I'm always embarrassed to say about "an hour".

When I'm asked that, I just get vague. And they usually fill in the blanks for me..."oh, probably nowhere near what school kids do, since you don't have all the lining up and so on". Ayep!

All great ideas. I think I nead to revolve his school work around the Mario bros and all the characters. You have given me some ideas.

Sounds good!

And FWIW, school does that too. My brother was tested for the G&T program at our elementary school. By the time he got there, they'd changed the test that I had passed 2 years before. For my brother, it was all cartoon characters! Great if you knew who they were. He didn't (PBS-only for us). He failed. The kids who knew the characters stood a better chance of passing, even though he's probably one of THE smartest people I know. And definitely the smartest person I know (hubby's the second) that never got into the Gifted and Talented program.

So there's nothing bad about using characters he knows!

 

[weHEARTmickey]

Okay, tryyyyying not to freak out here. I just read through 16 pages of this thread & couldn't stand it any longer! I had to jump over to the Sonlight website & order a catalog. Then, I looked at their newcomer curriculums. 2nd grade was $891 & 5th grade was $1040. I realize several of you mentioned buying things on ebay & only spending $200 for the whole yr, but HOW??? I also understand how you can pick & choose, kind of like "a la carte" but how are you only paying 1/4 or 1/5 of that cost and getting everything they need for the year? Thanks Angela

 

[bellebud]

I totally agree about history. I HATED it in school, but DH & I can't get enough of it now. We are complete history buffs & it's a shame we didn't pay better attention in ps. Thank you for all of your comments, also. This thread is like having my very own information station at my fingertips!!!! I feel so blessed BTW--I've been crying off & on all afternoon! They are definitely happy tears [/COLOR]

Well, you guys (and most of us) didn't pay more attention to history in ps because it was presented in such an extremely boring way! It's almost like they said "how can we make this as boring as humanly possible? OK, let's do that!" LOL! I LOVE history now, and so do my kids! I would have never thought it possible!

And that you've been crying happy tears... it's awesome when you realize that there's a whole homeschooling world/community out there, with such wonderful things to offer!

I'd definitely hold off on buying any curriculum... first I'd deschool... take it easy, grab a cup of coffee, go to the library and let them look around for an hour. See what interests them. It might take them a while (months) to figure out what really interests them. Get some educational games (shut the box - math), Wonder Numbers (math), Yahtzee (math), banana gram and scrabble. My ds loved the travel scrabble game, because he's a kinesthetic learner (whole body learner) and I think he loved how the tiles "snapped" into place on the board, rather than the regular board. He really uses that game to make words (spelling!). We'll also use the banana gram or scrabble tiles to make words, then change the words by adding/subtracting a letter, or putting a letter on top of another. It's really fun, and he really "sees" it better than by paper and pencil. My dd, on the other hand, loves to write and would rather sit with her notebook. That's also why one curriculum wouldn't work for us.

Btw, my ds was really struggling w/ subtraction in 2nd when I started hsing him. We stopped any worksheets, starting playing yahtzee, he skipped subtraction for a while and learned the basis of multiplication by playing yahtzee and us using the dice (ie: when he'd roll 3 dice, all 5's, I'd say "what's 5 + 5 + 5" and he could look at the dice and answer. Then I'd say "that's the same as counting a 5 three times... which is 5 x 3". We played this way for weeks, just pointing this out to him when it presented itself (to not shove it down his throat, which immediately makes him shut down). It sunk in after a few weeks, and he was then manipulating the dice, and I'd have him tell the the addition sentence first, then the multiplication sentence. He totally got it, on his own time, and enjoyed it. Only then I showed him on paper, but he still prefers math verbally, so that's how we do it still.

Did I recommend to you to assess the learning styles of your kids (and they even recommend assessing your own learning style). I SO highly recommend http://www.learningsuccessinstitute.com/mariaemma.html It's the most comprehensive assessment I've come across. There's a homeschool assessment on the left hand side.

I also love the book "the way they learn" by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias. This book helped me see my kids more clearly in every aspect of our life. I refer back to it a lot.

Here's something else that just popped into my mind... I had read "the five love languages of children" and loved it. And now that I'm thinking of it, my kids learning styles go along with their love languages. (if you've never heard of the book, it's basically says humans have 5 basic ways they feel love from others... touch (hugs, cuddles), words of affirmation (good job!), material things (but not in a materialistic way - you have to read it to get it), service (cutting the crusts off their sandwich if that's what they like), and... my mind is blank on that one. BUT anyway, one of my ds's love languages is service (I can hug and kiss him all day, tell him I love him, but what really gets him is when I make his sandwich just the way he likes it). When we 'learn' together, he really wants to learn together - he wants me to do it with him or just watch him (NOT for him - big difference) - but I'm servicing him by sitting next to him while he's doing it. On the other hand, my dd is words of affirmation and touch, and she likes nothing better than doing her work on her own, then coming over and showing me and getting a "great job" and a hug. I honestly never put this together until just now. But these are all big parts of their personality that make the a whole person, and they learn the best when they're most comfortable. Wow, I have to remember this and re-read that book too now!

ok, I'm rambling... but I just didn't want you to feel you have to get a "curriculum" right away. Most veteran hsers recommend the opposite, at least for a little while.

another thing - we always have a book on cd going in the car. We alternate between educational ones (Johnny Tremain was a fav), as are all of the american girl series (even ds listens), then we'll do a sherlock holmes or something more fun. Right now we're doing Sisters Grimm (it's great, btw!) "My side of the mountain" series was another we all loved.

I always use our library's website to find the series and order them... I'd never be able to find what I want by just going there first. Our library just isn't big enough.

 

[horselover]

I have a question for those of you that have been doing hs for awhile. I pulled my DS12 out of 7th grade in Oct. To be honest it's not been the easiest road transitioning to hs. It's been very up & down. We did go through a brief deschooling period & in the beginning he was very excited about hs. Now not so much. I've tried hard not to recreate school at home, but I know there's a part of me that's doing just that. I read all these posts about doing what they want, just read books, go on field trips & that all sounds great but how do you report that to your school system? It can't be that all of you have no requirements to reporting. In my district I had the option of dated work samples or standardized testing. I chose dated work samples. I'm coming up on my 1st meeting with the principal next month & I'm starting to freak out a little. DS's work output has been so sporadic I don't have a lot of work to present. For those of you that choose to present dated work samples as your means of assessment how much material did you provide? I fight a daily battle with myself on am I doing the right thing? The reasons we brought DS home were for legitimate, but I don't want to do him a disservice by not giving him a proper education. He's so bright & I want to make sure he continues to grow & not fall behind. We went into to this thinking that we would take it 1 year at a time. How do I keep myself from worrying that if he does go back to regular school next year he won't be behind everyone else & need to be kept back? We cannot afford the tuition of an online school & frankly I'm not sure I want him spending all his time sitting in front of a computer. We're doing unit studies with Saxon math, some science experiments that are of interest to him & lots of reading & we love to watch history documentaries. I'm just worried I'm not doing enough & wonder how I'm going to present this to the school. I'd appreciate any advice you have to offer. Thanks.