Homeschool Chat

[rjthkids]

double post, sorry

 

[rjthkids]

We allowed my oldest daughter to go the public school's special needs preschool program for one year and their kindergarten program for one year. My daughter was a micropreemie (born at 24 weeks) and she has significant and multiple disabilities as a result. I knew we were always planning on homeschooling but I needed some time to catch up on my own learning curve and getting the equipment she needed. I took the two years she was in school to get certified in braille and purchase things for the house that we would lose once she wasn't in school.

I got *enormous* pressure not to homeschool her. My daughter has an I.Q. of 42 and was nonverbal until she was 5 1/2 and now has the vocabulary of an average toddler, with almost no pragmatic language skills (can't have a conversation, just mindlessly repeats phrases). She is also incredibly sweet and mild mannered. You could stick my daughter in a classroom and she'd happily press her eye and twirl her hair for hours without bothering anyone.

As nice as her school staff was, DD sacrificed her needs for the needs of the group. She did not learn as effectively or as efficiently in her classroom as she did at home, with me. And she had a ton of off days when she was school. I had the rule if she was crying on and off for an hour at school they needed to call me and I would come bring her home, because she clearly wasn't learning if she was spending the whole day crying. I routinely got called to come get her about once a week, often times more. She wasn't able to effectively learn the life skills she really needed, and no one was really bothering to teach her braille because her I.Q. score puts her in a range where reading is considered a skill "unlikely" to be mastered.

Yet somehow they wanted me to believe that "they" the "professionals" with 8 kids just like my daughter in one room with one teacher and one paraeducator where somehow better equipped to meet my daughter's needs than I was, the mere "mother". When reality is *I* have been perfectly equipped over them: I have all the time in the world, up until this year she has been my only student (graduating to two students with my son's birthday), I know just what she needs and I can provide exactly what she needs, when she needs it, without having to wait on anyone else or anything else. We are able to focus on the skills she will need for her future.

And the proof is in the pudding. Since we've been homeschooling DD she has made tremendous progress on her life skills, her verbal skills, and academic skills that no one thought was possible. What DD needed wasn't a ton of "professionals" she needed constant, consistent, 1:1 instruction. And she has thrived with that.

I have a secret for you---- I was a teacher in my pre-mommy days. Schools desperately want you to believe that there is some secret set of skills you NEED in order to educate a child. That is such a load of baloney. You don't need a degree or some fancy training.... the skills most needed from a teaching degree have to do with classroom management and some curriculum management things. But when you are teaching your own kids, in your own house, all you need is a desire and a willingness to ensure you know what you are trying to help you children learn and a willingness to be intentional about helping your child learn. That's it. No Ph.Ds or Master Degrees or titles or letters after your name. And because they are *your* children and you can provide 1:1 instruction, they'll do BETTER with "lil ol' Mom" than they ever would in a classroom.

That's why public schools in general get threatened by homeschooling. Because they know they can't actually compete and provide better than what a homeschooling family can. They'll never have 1:1 or 1:4 teaching ratios. They'll never be able to individualize like a homeschooler can. They'll never perfectly match needs and instruction like a homeschooling family can. Public School can never match what a homeschooling family can do. They don't have a true answer for it.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Schools desperately want you to believe that there is some secret set of skills you NEED in order to educate a child. That is such a load of baloney. You don't need a degree or some fancy training

 

[bellebud]

is there no more search tool??

I'm trying to find opinions on time4learning. I am about to sign up for the free 14 day trial just to see if the kids respond to it.

I'd love opinions. tia!

Liz

 

[Praise2Him]

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.

We used the Reader's Digest books, "How _________ Works" and LOVED them! They are individual books on things like The Earth, Science, Nature, The Weather, The Body, etc. They are easy to read and understand and have simple experiments using things you probably already have at home. We used 2 books per year.

Here's a link to one on Amazon. If you scroll down you can see some of the others.

http://www.amazon.com/How-works-how-universe-Works/dp/089577576X

I wouldn't worry about college at this point, just follow her lead in studying what she's interested in. You can always add other stuff later. Besides, in high school they have different subjects each year - Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, etc.

 

[graygables]

is there no more search tool??

I'm trying to find opinions on time4learning. I am about to sign up for the free 14 day trial just to see if the kids respond to it.

I'd love opinions. tia!

Liz

I asked the same question a few weeks back I decided to go ahead and sign my girls up for it b/c I needed to do something different with my current life situation (working F/T as a WDW CM). They are 12 & 10 and are doing just fine with it. It's certainly no K12, but the price is right and I'm happy with it for now. BTW, I am still using Math U See, so DDs don't do anything with the math in the program yet.

 

[MiniGirl]

I asked the same question a few weeks back I decided to go ahead and sign my girls up for it b/c I needed to do something different with my current life situation (working F/T as a WDW CM). They are 12 & 10 and are doing just fine with it. It's certainly no K12, but the price is right and I'm happy with it for now. BTW, I am still using Math U See, so DDs don't do anything with the math in the program yet.

Sorry to go OT, but where are you working? I'm a seasonal CM at the Studios, but I haven't worked since Oct (I think) and it was a long time before I could get that shift.

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

 

[graygables]

Hi
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.

School teachers and psychologists will do everything in their power to convince you/husband/DD that she needs to stay within their control. That is their number 1 mission, to prevent independent and creative thought by keeping children and tax dollars within the confines of their 4 walls. I've been a teacher, I know. If your DD has anxiety disorder, I highly recommend you find a private psychiatrist who is open to various educational paths to treat her. I have also learned in my days as a student/teacher, that the school psychologists are there mostly for testing and b/c they couldn't make it in a private practice.

My youngest has developed panic disorder and general anxiety disorder in the last year due to witnessing the aftermath of her pet duck being eaten by a predator. We have visited with both a psychologist (for counseling) and a psychiatrist (for treatment). Neither are big fans of homeschooling, but once we showed them DD's lapbooks and educated them on how we learn, they were much more understanding of the process. Neither of them EVER encouraged me to put DD in public school as a "treatment" for her disorder and both of them agreed that being at home was most helpful. I was, however, encouraged to keep DD in activities and involved in homeschool groups which I have done.

All of that said, my hubby has anxiety disorder and OCD. He attended PS all his life and was unable to go to college due to the anxiety. He has been a mason/masonry contractor for almost 30 years now. I strongly believe that there are many paths and those who suffer from these horrid disorders will have a much better, happier, and fulfilled life if they are allowed to follow their interests early on and given the opportunities to find their own way. College is not a necessity in my house (coming from someone who is in grad school), but if it is the tool necessary to achieve their dreams, then it is encouraged. If their dreams do not include college, that's fine with us and we will support whichever path they choose to take. Without the pressures of conformance and non-creative thought, it's much easier for children to explore their own hopes and dreams and pursue them with passion. I have seen that when DD is passionate about something, that overrides some of the anxiety and gives her confidence to do whatever it is.

 

[graygables]

Sorry to go OT, but where are you working? I'm a seasonal CM at the Studios, but I haven't worked since Oct (I think) and it was a long time before I could get that shift.

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

I'm on the College Program, working at Dinoland at AK. I've applied for Professional Internships as well as a CP extension b/c the hours are so scarce right now for seasonal.

 

[Denine]

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.

Cool, thanks.

I just ordered a bunch from the library.

 

[desparatelydisney]

Any thoughts on K12 vs. Christa McAuliffe (sp?)? We are definitely HSing our oldest son next year but not settled on what to do for our upcoming Kindergartener and her brother who will only be a year behind her. DH isn't convinced that they shouldn't do at least K & 1 at the Private School our oldest has been attending. We are very interested in the distance learning programs and would appreciate any thoughts on either of these two programs. Feel free to PM me if you would rather.

TIA!

MMM

 

[NHWX]

We've used K12 for middle school courses for literature, history, science, music and art. The science is good but could be improved. I really liked all the other courses. We also used their German 2 via power-glide.com. We used them as an independent too. I understand that matters quite bit.

I know that doesn't help you with elementary ages. You can request a demo. There are also yahoo groups for middle and high school ages so I'd expect that you might find an elementary grade one too.

NHWX

 

[NHWX]

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?

I'd love to hear suggestions here too! This year's history is a killer for me because I'm always bugging him to do the writing portion. I'd like to do American History next year. I'll have a ninth and eleventh grader and it would be so nice to get that done for both of them at once.

NHWX

 

[NHWX]

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.

Does your state list curriculum frameworks by grade? That might be a good jumping off point when planning curriculum for next year. If they provide the information about what's considered appropriate for grade level, you could use library books and simple experiments from Tops Science to round them out. How about edhelper.com? It's pretty inexpensive. If you want a textbook, how about just borrowing one from your elementary school? Our schools are required to lend materials if they have them available.

NHWX

 

[beautybelle]

I have to ask a question. I homeschooled my son for his 4th grade year and although I loved it, he hated it. He wanted to go back to be with his friends. When the new school year started we let him go back to PS. I cant even begin to tell you how bad I hate PS (thats a whole other thread) but anyway I really have regretted letting him go back. Its not that hes not doing good in school, its the whole school politics thing that I dont like. Ive mentioned to him more than once about him coming back home and he wont even consider it. His sister is 3 and I have decided that she will never set foot in PS and that way I wont have the "I miss my friends" thing with her. But I would really really love for son to come back and homeschool but I dont want to make him. Whats your opinion? I mean should I just drop it and grin and bear it where the school is concerned or keep trying to persuad him otherwise?.....................I heard that in a neighboring school there was a gang starting up called "The Bloods" and I was talking to my mom and we were talking about schools and I told her that if I even get a whiff that sons school was starting up a gang he was coming home, end of story.
So WWYD?

 

[Lora]

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?

Have you looked into Sonlight?

 

[graygables]

I have to ask a question. I homeschooled my son for his 4th grade year and although I loved it, he hated it. He wanted to go back to be with his friends. When the new school year started we let him go back to PS. I cant even begin to tell you how bad I hate PS (thats a whole other thread) but anyway I really have regretted letting him go back. Its not that hes not doing good in school, its the whole school politics thing that I dont like. Ive mentioned to him more than once about him coming back home and he wont even consider it. His sister is 3 and I have decided that she will never set foot in PS and that way I wont have the "I miss my friends" thing with her. But I would really really love for son to come back and homeschool but I dont want to make him. Whats your opinion? I mean should I just drop it and grin and bear it where the school is concerned or keep trying to persuad him otherwise?.....................I heard that in a neighboring school there was a gang starting up called "The Bloods" and I was talking to my mom and we were talking about schools and I told her that if I even get a whiff that sons school was starting up a gang he was coming home, end of story.
So WWYD?

This may be an unpopular opinion, but no 5th grader in MY house gets to make choices much beyond what clothes s/he's going to wear and what to have for breakfast. I don't operate a democracy, either, and "'persuasion" at my house is "The Look". There. Persuaded. I make the educational decisions for my children until they are old enough to make their own, somewhere between 16-18 years of age, depending on how well they've accumulated knowledge. I'd tell him tough beans, suck it up, and learn to bloom where you are planted. Life isn't always about getting what you want, so you will be a much better person for finding creative ways to make what seems to be an unpleasant situation work for you. My own 5th grader is in the midst of that right now. We moved from Ohio to FL for me to work at WDW on an internship. She left behind her BFF, albeit with a cell phone on our plan. OMGoodness, I moved across an OCEAN from my BFF back in the day when we could only write letters and you'd think I'd taken DD's world away from her. She's learning to adjust and learning that sometimes life happens in such a way that we don't like, but it's better/easier to make it work.

 

[3princesses+aprince]

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???)

I keep thinking of that, I don't want to not do it and regret it later down the road. You only have 1 chance.

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!

My DD already tells me she does not want to go to college. I think at that point she knows it's optional.
I already looked into everything I have to do to withdraw her, so that is all set. I have a letter of intent.

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!

Thank you for your response. I'm glad to hear others say that it would not be helping her "run away" from her problems, but taking her out of a situation she does not want to be in.
I really do want to set her up to talk with someone out of school.
Also like you I do not suffer from anxiety, so I really have no idea what she is thinking, or going through, because I am just now learning that things are bothering her that really are not an issue(for me anyway)

Karen

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)

That's just it, I think I will be fine once it's done, it's just getting it done. But that is scary to think what could become of her, if something does not change.

 

[3princesses+aprince]

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.

We allowed my oldest daughter to go the public school's special needs preschool program for one year and their kindergarten program for one year. My daughter was a micropreemie (born at 24 weeks) and she has significant and multiple disabilities as a result. I knew we were always planning on homeschooling but I needed some time to catch up on my own learning curve and getting the equipment she needed. I took the two years she was in school to get certified in braille and purchase things for the house that we would lose once she wasn't in school.

I got *enormous* pressure not to homeschool her. My daughter has an I.Q. of 42 and was nonverbal until she was 5 1/2 and now has the vocabulary of an average toddler, with almost no pragmatic language skills (can't have a conversation, just mindlessly repeats phrases). She is also incredibly sweet and mild mannered. You could stick my daughter in a classroom and she'd happily press her eye and twirl her hair for hours without bothering anyone.

As nice as her school staff was, DD sacrificed her needs for the needs of the group. She did not learn as effectively or as efficiently in her classroom as she did at home, with me. And she had a ton of off days when she was school. I had the rule if she was crying on and off for an hour at school they needed to call me and I would come bring her home, because she clearly wasn't learning if she was spending the whole day crying. I routinely got called to come get her about once a week, often times more. She wasn't able to effectively learn the life skills she really needed, and no one was really bothering to teach her braille because her I.Q. score puts her in a range where reading is considered a skill "unlikely" to be mastered.

Yet somehow they wanted me to believe that "they" the "professionals" with 8 kids just like my daughter in one room with one teacher and one paraeducator where somehow better equipped to meet my daughter's needs than I was, the mere "mother". When reality is *I* have been perfectly equipped over them: I have all the time in the world, up until this year she has been my only student (graduating to two students with my son's birthday), I know just what she needs and I can provide exactly what she needs, when she needs it, without having to wait on anyone else or anything else. We are able to focus on the skills she will need for her future.

And the proof is in the pudding. Since we've been homeschooling DD she has made tremendous progress on her life skills, her verbal skills, and academic skills that no one thought was possible. What DD needed wasn't a ton of "professionals" she needed constant, consistent, 1:1 instruction. And she has thrived with that.

I have a secret for you---- I was a teacher in my pre-mommy days. Schools desperately want you to believe that there is some secret set of skills you NEED in order to educate a child. That is such a load of baloney. You don't need a degree or some fancy training.... the skills most needed from a teaching degree have to do with classroom management and some curriculum management things. But when you are teaching your own kids, in your own house, all you need is a desire and a willingness to ensure you know what you are trying to help you children learn and a willingness to be intentional about helping your child learn. That's it. No Ph.Ds or Master Degrees or titles or letters after your name. And because they are *your* children and you can provide 1:1 instruction, they'll do BETTER with "lil ol' Mom" than they ever would in a classroom.

That's why public schools in general get threatened by homeschooling. Because they know they can't actually compete and provide better than what a homeschooling family can. They'll never have 1:1 or 1:4 teaching ratios. They'll never be able to individualize like a homeschooler can. They'll never perfectly match needs and instruction like a homeschooling family can. Public School can never match what a homeschooling family can do. They don't have a true answer for it.

Thank you all for sharing your stories with me, it makes me feel like I am not alone, although, I do feel that way.

 

[DisneyMom5]

RE: High School History

I'm using Sonlight Core 100, which contains an American History set.
It uses History of US, and some really great histories/biographies and novels set in the time periods to back it up. I LOVE it!
You wouldn't have to buy a whole core if you didn't want the other literature.