Homeschool Chat

[desparatelydisney]

Thanks for your help NHWX.

I spent a lot of time on the CTY webpage yesterday, and we are going to pursue that route. I filled out the application online and now we are just waiting for his paperwork so we can schedule the SCAT. We will see how that goes and proceed from there. His math and verbal scores last year on the Stanford standardized test were 98.9 so hopefully he will do well on the SCAT.
They have an advanced language arts program that I am interested in as well (he is currently 3 grade levels ahead in reading).

Anyway, thanks again for your input and cross your fingers that the SCAT goes well.

MMM

 

[Denine]

We HS for a variety of reasons, but I do love the flexibility.
Each person has to come up with their own reason and I find more every day.

We are going to be doing the CAT in April.

 

[bellebud]

it's probably been discussed before, so sorry if repeating...

what do you guys think of the books "what your ___ grader needs to know" by E.D. Jr Hirsch?

We just started homeschooling last week and I wasn't prepared. I am taking a little time off as everyone has suggested (which is honestly SO hard to do!)... I've printed out some worksheets for my 4th and 2nd graders and put them in folders and told them they're there if they feel like doing something (my dd9 is such a 'worksheet' kid - my ds7 is pretty much ignoring the folder). Just what I thought would happen.

We'll read and are meeting lots of local homeschool groups (today is our 2nd meeting, and we have more scheduled).

Anyway, I thought these books might help me finish out the year? I don't mind printing out worksheets and making up my own, instead of buying ciriculums for the rest of the year. And maybe buying a workbook in Sams Club to supplement?

any thoughts??? tia!!! Liz

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

what do you guys think of the books "what your ___ grader needs to know" by E.D. Jr Hirsch?

I LOVE THEM! I used these books for my boys and just wish they had 7th grade and up! It was a great guide for me to get ideas of what they should be learning each year and they build on each other. I used these a couple years as our only curriculum and just added complimentary worksheets. Great resource.

 

[TLHB70]

I wanted to give an update on that court case here in NC that I posted about earlier.
Here is NCHE's (North Carolinians for Home Education) official statement:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- March 21, 2009

Recent Divorce Court Ruling Does Not Threaten Homeschooling Says NCHE

(RALEIGH) –
Recently a Wake County divorce court judge issued a ruling which will require a mother to place her three homeschooled children into the public school system at the beginning of the next school year. This is a civil divorce court decision that awarded joint custody of three children to parents that disagree on a number of issues concerning the rearing of their children. One of those disagreements is about how their children will be educated. The ruling does not interpret any law dealing with the well-established parental right to homeschool in North Carolina. Furthermore, it does not decide the superiority of any one educational methodology over another.
North Carolinians for Home Education (NCHE) is aware of divorce cases since the late 1980s where families were forced to stop homeschooling, and these rulings have had no ill effects on our homeschool statutes as a result of these decisions. Therefore, we believe this ruling represents no threat to our right to educate our children at home.

###############

North Carolinians for Home Education was founded in 1984 to protect the right to homeschool in North Carolina, to promote homeschooling as an excellent educational alternative, and to provide support and encouragement for families interested in home education. For twenty five years, North Carolina homeschoolers have joined member-supported NCHE for information, assistance, networking, and more. To find out more about homeschooling in North Carolina, contact our Raleigh office at (919) 790-1100, e-mail NCHE@nche.com, or visit our website, http://nche.com

 

[bebelle]

I am looking for a different approach to history for next year. I am thinking about Drive Thru History w/Dave Stotts as a jumping off point for my 10th grader. DS is very bright but getting bored by "read this-answer this". Any opinions or suggestions?

 

[Denine]

Anyone use Bill Nye the Science Guy to supplement science for younger kids?

 

[bebelle]

It is too secular for us. But I have a friend who uses it and loves it.

 

[desparatelydisney]

Anyone use Bill Nye the Science Guy to supplement science for younger kids?

DS 7 LOVES Bill Nye and knows all the old episodes by heart. He has a new series coming out too...you should take a look at his webpage.

 

[3princesses+aprince]

Hi

I've posted here before, I'm still in the middle of whether or not I am going to be homeschooling my dd9. She has had problems in school since day 1 of Kindergarten, but now, in 3rd grade she is even worse off. She says her stomach feels sick every morning walking into school. She has this one friend in the class that apparently rules her every move, and i'm just finding out about this now. She has severe test anxiety, and it makes her sick if she has to do something in front of the class or school.
I actually put in a request to homeschool in october, but took it back, because something felt "wrong" And now I have the teachers and pyschologists telling me if I take her out of school for anxiety, her anxiety will only get worse, and she most likely will not attend college for the fear. So, what if that is true, I don't want to doom her I am so at a loss here. I don't know what to do.
The school psychologist called me today. I agreed to let her talk to her once, and then she'll call me and we'll decided if I want to sign a consent to let her see her regularly. I just don't know if I want to do that. When a child has a problem at school I feel like it is the school VS the parent. I feel like the school has no intent to work WITH the parent. I feel like they always want to blame children't issues on what's going on at home. So, i'm thinking maybe I should set dd9 up with a pyschologist not associated with the school.
When this stuff comes up I know I want to homeschool her, but I don't want to do it if it's going to be sheltering her from her anxiety and making it worse as she gets older and has to go out in the world.
What is your advice if you've taken your child out of school for anxiety or similar issues.
Any advice at all will help actually ,even if you've decided to homeschool for a different reason.
Dh agrees with me too by the way, he is all for it to homeschool her, why do I feel like it is the wrong thing to do. Why do I care what other people are going to think(That bothers me too for some reason)
HELP

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

And now I have the teachers and pyschologists telling me if I take her out of school for anxiety, her anxiety will only get worse, and she most likely will not attend college for the fear.

That's ridiculous! Next time they tell you that, ask them for some scientific data to back that up. THAT, is just OPINION and coming from people who don't homeschool and don't know about homeschooling.

First off, homeschooling has little to do with college. MANY MANY homeschoolers go to college and do VERY well b/c they are self-motivated. 2nd off, people who say that she will get worse are assuming that the only way to deal with anxiety is to face it head on. Not always so, at all. If it is a person causing this problem, removing her from the situation and giving her time to grow AWAY from this person/situation would be more beneficial.

You are going to have to listen to your GUT and your HEART on this one and stop listening to nay-sayers. There will always be people who disagree with your choices as a parent, but in my opinion, the sign of a great parent is one that ignores all that and does what they feel in their heart is best for their child! Good luck to you and there is TONS of support for homeschoolers out there if/when you need it!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Should I continue with Saxon, switch to Singapore, look at enrolling him in Stanford/John Hopkins gifted math program, something else? All suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

MMM

Iam not sure if they have released it yet for 4th grade,but we use Teaching Textbooks and love it!! We have the 5th grade now, it was the lowest grade available last summer when I ordered my stuff. check on it tho'--it's awesome!!!

thanks so much for the replies everyone!

DS is home too! He's very excited! I called the catholic school this morning and told the sexcited for us to meet other homeschoolers.

So glad to be a part of this thread!!

Glad to have you! Great decision on your part to pull them out early! I just think right now should be your time to research curriculum choices and let them learn at a super relaxed pace. Learn to love your library! Nows a great time to just get good books and read. For workbooks, like math, local bookstores such as Barnes and Noble or Books-A-Million have great little books.

 

[3princesses+aprince]

That's ridiculous! Next time they tell you that, ask them for some scientific data to back that up. THAT, is just OPINION and coming from people who don't homeschool and don't know about homeschooling.

First off, homeschooling has little to do with college. MANY MANY homeschoolers go to college and do VERY well b/c they are self-motivated. 2nd off, people who say that she will get worse are assuming that the only way to deal with anxiety is to face it head on. Not always so, at all. If it is a person causing this problem, removing her from the situation and giving her time to grow AWAY from this person/situation would be more beneficial.

You are going to have to listen to your GUT and your HEART on this one and stop listening to nay-sayers. There will always be people who disagree with your choices as a parent, but in my opinion, the sign of a great parent is one that ignores all that and does what they feel in their heart is best for their child! Good luck to you and there is TONS of support for homeschoolers out there if/when you need it!

Thank you very much for your response. I know I would be cheating my dd if I did not do this because of what others think. I've been thinking alot about this!
And I would have support, There is a pretty large homeschool group in my area that puts on a lot of classes, like baking, and science experiments. They even have a bowling league, and plan monthly field trips. I know my dd would love that. I know she would learn very well, not being in an environment that gives her anxiety....... With all of that said, I just don't know why the decision is so hard for me.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I think we've all been where you are, but I'll say it again (b/c I've said it hundreds of times over the years...) I have met plenty of parents that WISHED they had homeschooled or regretted that they hadn't done it sooner, but NEVER met anyone who regretted homeschooling once they took the leap.

Once you actually make the choice and do it, you realize it's not as scary as it looked. Kind of like EE! (you should have seen me fretting over that ride and when it was over I went...THATS IT???)

 

[Temair]

We are finishing up our first year of homeschooling and I have to say I'm loving it. We can study at my DD's pace and she is starting to love school again.

The problem is I really didn't do a lot of formal science this past year. We have planted a garden, been to museums, but nothing formal. One of the big things holding me back from buying a set curriculum is I'd rather it be secular and almost all of them are very expensive. I'm not against christian curriculum, I'd just rather teach both sides of creation and evolution and let her figure it out for herself. And cost is important in that I'm on a budget. Right now we are reading a book on different types of animals, but my DD says she would like to learn more about Astronomy. That's fine by me and I have several books on that subject. I'm worried that by doing different subjects each year she wont have a solid base when she goes to college. I'm just not sure if I'm doing the right thing.

 

[DisneyMom5]

Hi

I've posted here before, I'm still in the middle of whether or not I am going to be homeschooling my dd9. She has had problems in school since day 1 of Kindergarten, but now, in 3rd grade she is even worse off. She says her stomach feels sick every morning walking into school. She has this one friend in the class that apparently rules her every move, and i'm just finding out about this now. She has severe test anxiety, and it makes her sick if she has to do something in front of the class or school.
I actually put in a request to homeschool in october, but took it back, because something felt "wrong" And now I have the teachers and pyschologists telling me if I take her out of school for anxiety, her anxiety will only get worse, and she most likely will not attend college for the fear. So, what if that is true, I don't want to doom her I am so at a loss here. I don't know what to do.
The school psychologist called me today. I agreed to let her talk to her once, and then she'll call me and we'll decided if I want to sign a consent to let her see her regularly. I just don't know if I want to do that. When a child has a problem at school I feel like it is the school VS the parent. I feel like the school has no intent to work WITH the parent. I feel like they always want to blame children't issues on what's going on at home. So, i'm thinking maybe I should set dd9 up with a pyschologist not associated with the school.
When this stuff comes up I know I want to homeschool her, but I don't want to do it if it's going to be sheltering her from her anxiety and making it worse as she gets older and has to go out in the world.
What is your advice if you've taken your child out of school for anxiety or similar issues.
Any advice at all will help actually ,even if you've decided to homeschool for a different reason.
Dh agrees with me too by the way, he is all for it to homeschool her, why do I feel like it is the wrong thing to do. Why do I care what other people are going to think(That bothers me too for some reason)
HELP

We have friends whose son suffers from an anxiety disorder.
They pulled him out of school BECAUSE he had it.

The time at home allowed him to focus on academics,
AND, consequently, gave him a LOT more self confidence,
which, in turn, helped with the anxiety.

He has anxiety to the point of using medication.
But they were able to get a better read of "normal" by homeschooling him
[i.e. they could better tell what was "extra" anxiety that needed medical attention].

We're supposed to be building them UP, not tearing them down so they'll be USED to being torn down!!!

I think that the most important person in this WHOLE situation that you have to consider is YOUR child.

If homeschooling would be better for her NOW, then homeschool her.

Do you intend to never let her out of the house? Of course not!
So how sheltered would she actually be?
There are FORTY families in our homeschool group.
My kids have PLENTY of exposure to the "outside world." LOL

Not to mention, if she continues to be tortured by school, she will never WANT to go to college! Why subject herself to more of the same!

You are absolutely right about the school (as an entity, not always individuals there) taking over as parent.
In their defense, some parents aren't as involved as you are.
No excuse, for sure! They need to learn when to back off.

Make sure you if you withdraw her, that you have ALL your ducks in a row before you do.
Contact HSLDA NOW, so that you know what legally the school can ask of you, and what they cannot.

Maybe that will give you peace.

Having a dh that's on board is a BIG help!

In the end, it REALLY IS your decision what schooling will be best for her,
and you do not need their permission or advice.

Hoping you find the answer!

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

Thank you very much for your response. I know I would be cheating my dd if I did not do this because of what others think. I've been thinking alot about this!
And I would have support, There is a pretty large homeschool group in my area that puts on a lot of classes, like baking, and science experiments. They even have a bowling league, and plan monthly field trips. I know my dd would love that. I know she would learn very well, not being in an environment that gives her anxiety....... With all of that said, I just don't know why the decision is so hard for me.

Hi there,

Why is it hard for you...because you want to do the "right" thing for your daughter. The fact is that there are so many version of "right" and you simply have to pick what you believe, at the time, is the best "right" answer.

My DS has anxiety as well. He sees a psychologist routinely and it is amazing to see how far he has progressed. To be honest with you, I don't have anxiety issues and I have a really hard time understanding my son's anxiety over what I believe is "trivial stuff." What I've learned in working with him and his psychologist is that the "trivial stuff" in my book is MAJOR to him and that's what counts!

If it were my child I would NOT have them see the psychologist at school. Think of it this way....would you want to see your psychologist at work? If school is a threatening environment to her, then her psychologist needs to be in a different atmosphere in order to have the maximum effect. Interestingly enough, when my son goes to see his psychologist he plays games the entire time he is there (oh, yes, and they talk too!). My DS doesn't feel "weird" for seeing his psychologist, he actually looks forward to going and seeing Dan and playing games!

Now, this nonsense about your daughter never going to college if you pull her from school. I'm sorry, but that's a load of garbage! (Oh, by the way, I'm sorry, but I tend to be very blunt and direct. I'm not trying to offend anyone and I'm sorry if this is too direct.) I will say that if your daughter is not successful in her education she'll have a very hard time going to college...but otherwise...NO!

Finally, let me give this last piece of advice. We removed our DS from school because 1) we weren't happy with the curriculum and his education (math was a joke and there was NO history, etc...) and 2) he had consistent run ins with a specific teacher who was verbally abusive and threatened physical harm. My DS just couldn't take it anymore and I don't blame him one little bit. When we went to the psychologist and said, we're thinking about this but I'm worried about the message it sends...essentially allowing him to run away from a problem, psychologist said to me 1) he's 10, why can't he run away from a problem; 2) he's directly confronted the teacher (with your support) and has told the teacher how his behavior makes DS feel and the teacher has demonstrated he is incapable of changing -- why should your DS have to live with it! Then the psychologist told me, if you were working for an abusive boss wouldn't you change your work environment by finding a new job -- why can't your son do the same thing!

If you want to PM me I'd be happy to tell you more, but please don't believe that you are allowing your child to run away. In all honesty, what I learned is that making them confront some things in life is just not all that healthy and if a change is warranted, then a change (whatever that may be) should happen!

Karen

 

[wvdislover]

I am SO sorry to hear about the problems your DD is having. We, too, pulled our DD out of school, partially b/c of kids making fun of her and picking on her. Our DD had become suicidal by 5th grade b/c of this. If you need convincing, think of where her anxiety could take her if you leave her in this negative situation. Think of all the positive things you could do for her at home. I just don't think the school's idea to leave her in school to learn how to "deal" with her anxiety is a good thing to do. Good luck! My prayers are with you as you make what seems like a difficult decision now (later, you'll be so glad you did it! I was shaking when I went into our school board to give them my letter of intent! We are doing fine, now)

 

[MiniGirl]

Hi

I've posted here before, I'm still in the middle of whether or not I am going to be homeschooling my dd9. She has had problems in school since day 1 of Kindergarten, but now, in 3rd grade she is even worse off. She says her stomach feels sick every morning walking into school. She has this one friend in the class that apparently rules her every move, and i'm just finding out about this now. She has severe test anxiety, and it makes her sick if she has to do something in front of the class or school.
I actually put in a request to homeschool in october, but took it back, because something felt "wrong" And now I have the teachers and pyschologists telling me if I take her out of school for anxiety, her anxiety will only get worse, and she most likely will not attend college for the fear. So, what if that is true, I don't want to doom her I am so at a loss here. I don't know what to do.
The school psychologist called me today. I agreed to let her talk to her once, and then she'll call me and we'll decided if I want to sign a consent to let her see her regularly. I just don't know if I want to do that. When a child has a problem at school I feel like it is the school VS the parent. I feel like the school has no intent to work WITH the parent. I feel like they always want to blame children't issues on what's going on at home. So, i'm thinking maybe I should set dd9 up with a pyschologist not associated with the school.
When this stuff comes up I know I want to homeschool her, but I don't want to do it if it's going to be sheltering her from her anxiety and making it worse as she gets older and has to go out in the world.
What is your advice if you've taken your child out of school for anxiety or similar issues.
Any advice at all will help actually ,even if you've decided to homeschool for a different reason.
Dh agrees with me too by the way, he is all for it to homeschool her, why do I feel like it is the wrong thing to do. Why do I care what other people are going to think(That bothers me too for some reason)
HELP

I volunteered at my dds' school a lot last year. When word got out that we were homeschooling our oldest (also 9 and in 3rd grade), I was also asked if I wanted the school psychologist to talk to her. It was said in a way that made it sound like my dd must have a problem for not wanting to go to school. KWIM? I was given the whole "you can't shelter them forever" speech, too. Thing is I know I can't shelter them forever, and I don't want to. I also don't want them to grow up too fast either though. My oldest is a good kid and very bright, but is uncomfortable in social settings. This year, however, I have really seen her improve a lot in this area. Having me with to help guide her or just give a little smile of approval when she shakes and adult's hand or looks a person in the eye to speak to them has done a world of good. In fact, a couple of weeks ago at church some one mentioned how much more confident my dd seems to be lately, so I know I'm not imagining it.

I thanked the staff person for the offer, but said we had already made up our mind. Bottom line.... I know and care about my dd so much more than anyone at that school. I know there are those that do care about the kids, but the cynic in me feels they wanted to keep her in school for the funding. Our local school's enrollment numbers have been going down, so keeping every student they can is important. Next year my youngest will be at home, too.

Anyway, now I'm rambling. Sorry. I don't think homeschooling our kids will keep them out of college. My girls will be able to go to the local community college and get used to a classroom setting before going to a big state university, and they will have the confidence to know they can succeed, too.

 

[3princesses+aprince]

Thank you all for your responses, it really helps to talk about this with others that have been there already. I just read through briefly because I have to go get the kids off the bus, and then get ready for work, but I will come back and post tonight, Thank you all again for your time and advice.