Start Homeschool more than halfway through year?

[Tinkerbells mom]

Looking for all my Homeschooling Friends!

I had my daughter in what I thought was a great school until this year! Her second grade teacher is a nightmare and I am ready to go now. Has anyone tried to start homeschooling this late in the year? My undergrad is in teaching so I would be comfortable with most curriculum. She is in second grade.... i would appreciate any thoughts or ideas.....

 

[tw1nsmom]

I think that's the beauty of homeschooling. It offers the flexibility to meet whatever the child needs. I would find out about the laws in your state before you make the move. You may have to file paperwork and give them a certain amount of time to process your curriculum plans. As a teacher you should be familiar with the process of finding out the state requirements/learning goals for each grade and get your teaching/learning materials lined up before you start.

Just curious...have you tried requesting that your dd be moved to another teachers class?

 

[golfgal]

Personally I don't like the message that it sends to pull a kid out part way during the school year because of a teacher that doesn't meet your expectations. You could be just as effective helping her after school for a few hours. Since you haven't offered any examples of what makes the teacher a nightmare we don't know the situation, obviously, but kids have to learn to get along with all kinds of people in the world and if they learn early on that running away is the answer they are in for a long life.

 

[pyrxtc]

what about if your DD is having a bad time in all classes and really doesn't get the material. I have really considered pulling my 7th grader out and teaching her at home the rest of the year. It would just be me and her all day and I know she will learn better one on one. I have no clue how to do it or what is required though so I have never tried.

 

[golfgal]

what about if your DD is having a bad time in all classes and really doesn't get the material. I have really considered pulling my 7th grader out and teaching her at home the rest of the year. It would just be me and her all day and I know she will learn better one on one. I have no clue how to do it or what is required though so I have never tried.

Then I would suggest you contact the school and see what they think before you pull her out of school. 7th grade is a HUGE transition year and often learning disabilities show up around this age. I would request a conference will her teachers as a team (see them all at once) and express your concerns. If they see the whole picture as a team they will most likely move forward with an evaluation. I would do this on Monday as the process takes a while to complete.

 

[erincon23]

I just did this! My DS 14 is in 8th, and is dealing with a back injury that the doctors can't figure out, and he has been out of school because of it on and off all year. In Illinois, all you have to do is let the school's principal know, and then notify the regional board of education. There's no reporting or review -- I don't have to tell the school district what I'm having him study, how many hours, have them review his grades, etc. He's already registered for high school, and the HS says they don't need anything else.

But -- and I'm sure you've already done this -- I'd think long and hard before pulling a child out. You're not only changing her classroom, you're removing her from friends, the extra classes (health, gym, art & music). Will she have a hard time reintegrating next year? With a 7th grader, and I know this from experience (same kid had major problems with anxiety the last two years, so he's missed a lot) they get a lot of teasing and intrusive questions when they come back. Have you talked to the school? Looked at getting tutors? Have you maybe considered having her tested to see if she has a learning disorder of some kind? If that were the case, homeschooling would not be the most effective treatment for you. In our case, it was really the only solution available to us at this time, given his physical limitations, but believe me, I'd explore every other possibility before pulling a child out, especially an older child. If you think this really may be your best situation, call and talk to the principal at your school. He/she may have some other solutions, but they'd be able to tell you what you need to do to homeschool.

Erin

 

[golfgal]

I just did this! My DS 14 is in 8th, and is dealing with a back injury that the doctors can't figure out, and he has been out of school because of it on and off all year. In Illinois, all you have to do is let the school's principal know, and then notify the regional board of education. There's no reporting or review -- I don't have to tell the school district what I'm having him study, how many hours, have them review his grades, etc. He's already registered for high school, and the HS says they don't need anything else.

But -- and I'm sure you've already done this -- I'd think long and hard before pulling a child out. You're not only changing her classroom, you're removing her from friends, the extra classes (health, gym, art & music). Will she have a hard time reintegrating next year? With a 7th grader, and I know this from experience (same kid had major problems with anxiety the last two years, so he's missed a lot) they get a lot of teasing and intrusive questions when they come back. Have you talked to the school? Looked at getting tutors? Have you maybe considered having her tested to see if she has a learning disorder of some kind? If that were the case, homeschooling would not be the most effective treatment for you. In our case, it was really the only solution available to us at this time, given his physical limitations, but believe me, I'd explore every other possibility before pulling a child out, especially an older child. If you think this really may be your best situation, call and talk to the principal at your school. He/she may have some other solutions, but they'd be able to tell you what you need to do to homeschool.

Erin

In MN if a student is out for an extended time for a medical condition they supply a home tutor from the school district. They are certified teachers, get the classroom information from the regular classroom teachers and then bring it to the child and teach them at home. The student has to be out for 2 weeks before this starts.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Nope, not to late...
Never too late!
Doesn't really matter if you start in Aug, Dec, March, July.....

Just make sure you are ready to make this big decision.
Find out about the 'requirements' in the State and municipalities where you live. (here, most go with a homeschool organization/company as an 'umbrella'. But, we are still completely on our own... We simply pay the enrollment, and report to the organization every semester.)

 

[dis-happy]

I know a lot of homeschoolers that pulled out during the school year---not a big deal. Decide if you want to continue on with the books/curriculum she is currently using or jump into something new if it suits her learning style or level better. I'd definitely find some of the support groups in your area.


Here's a link that might be helpful to someone thinking about homeschooling:

http://www.youcanhomeschool.org/starthere/default.asp?bhcp=1

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

I wouldn't hesitate, especially that young... if you feel it's the right move for your child and you are confident in your ability to teach her.

We pulled out DS#1 in 5th grade when the teacher basically called DS and our family "bilious". It was a spelling word and she chuckled that this was a good one for DS. Well, he knew what it meant (and so did we) and he was pulled out the next day. There were a lot of issues, but this was the last straw.

Everything worked out beautifully for our family... we actually dual enrolled so DS was at school part of the day (away from this particular teacher) and at home part of the day. Check out the laws in your state and go from there.

A lot of problems with schools and teachers can be ironed out, but some just get to the point where it's in the best interest of the child to homeschool.

Good luck!!

 

[mhsjax]

Not too late to pull your child out. I don't what kind of message it would send. If the teacher isn't meeting your expectations and you want to do it, fine. Your child's education is too important to waste time.

This happened to a friend of mine, she tried to work with the school. It took the kid 2 years to catch up. And yes he is a very smart boy, but just got a teacher that wasn't great and kids in the class that were not very well behaved.

As far as teaching your child that he or she has to learn to get along with others, This statement pretty much comes from people that are against homeschooling. I know a ton of homeschooled kids,(for the record, mine are not) And they are much more mature and get along with people better than most kids in school.

In short, do whatever you feel is right for your child. The people who are against homeschooling will try and talk you out of it, using any reason they can think of, most of which are invalid.

 

[erincon23]

In MN if a student is out for an extended time for a medical condition they supply a home tutor from the school district. They are certified teachers, get the classroom information from the regular classroom teachers and then bring it to the child and teach them at home. The student has to be out for 2 weeks before this starts.

We did the home tutor thing for about 7 weeks -- the school stresses that except in extreme cases this is not a long term solution. We did appreciate the tutor (she's a terrific person), but --and it's a long story -- we weren't able to get the doctor certification to continue, and I wasn't happy with the quality of education he was receiving this way. It was great when we thought he would be able to return to school permanently -- help him catch up with what he had missed -- but he wasn't getting the direction, the interaction, or the discussion around these assignments, so he never really got the point of the majority of the projects, the science experiments were all missing, etc. At least with me homeschooling him, I can create my own projects, sign him up at the community college for science programs, etc. I think in his case it will work out better -- but our goal is to get him "up and running" in time to attend high school as a regular student.

Erin

 

[Liberty Belle]

I would absolutely love to homeschool my child. I never would, though, because I think he'd hate it. He's very social.

He's a very bright boy who has ADHD. I think some of his poor behaviors were caused by boredom. We just got back his NWEA MAP test scores and he scored in the 97%ile for math and 96%ile for reading. And that was on a day he was not medicated (so lacking in focus) and told me he rushed through it so he could go to recess.

Until she got those test scores back, his teacher never believed how intelligent he was. I think she's coming around now, but that doesn't change the first grade curriculum. Though the enrichment teacher is the one who approached her with his scores and asked about him, so maybe he can get pulled some for enrichment now.

Honestly, I'd wait until next year, unless you think the teacher is damaging your child. If that's the case, I'd probably ask the principal for a room change and if it doesn't happen, I'd pull her and homeschool.

 

[npmommie]

Not too late to pull your child out. I don't what kind of message it would send. If the teacher isn't meeting your expectations and you want to do it, fine. Your child's education is too important to waste time.

As far as teaching your child that he or she has to learn to get along with others, This statement pretty much comes from people that are against homeschooling. I know a ton of homeschooled kids,(for the record, mine are not) And they are much more mature and get along with people better than most kids in school.

In short, do whatever you feel is right for your child. The people who are against homeschooling will try and talk you out of it, using any reason they can think of, most of which are invalid.

I agree with this, her education is too important to waste time.
the message it sends is that you put her first, you care about her education.

I would absolutely love to homeschool my child. I never would, though, because I think he'd hate it. He's very social.

He's a very bright boy who has ADHD. I think some of his poor behaviors were caused by boredom. We just got back his NWEA MAP test scores and he scored in the 97%ile for math and 96%ile for reading. And that was on a day he was not medicated (so lacking in focus) and told me he rushed through it so he could go to recess.

Until she got those test scores back, his teacher never believed how intelligent he was. I think she's coming around now, but that doesn't change the first grade curriculum. Though the enrichment teacher is the one who approached her with his scores and asked about him, so maybe he can get pulled some for enrichment now.

Honestly, I'd wait until next year, unless you think the teacher is damaging your child. If that's the case, I'd probably ask the principal for a room change and if it doesn't happen, I'd pull her and homeschool.

we homeschool, my kids are very social, they love homeschooling,
it does depend on the kid and the family, homeschooling is not for everyone. do what is best for your own situation.


OP..........I sent you a PM with some info

 

[MM27]

OP, is there the option of switching your child to another teacher? My principal has done that before for parents. I don't know what your situation is, but before you make such a big decision, why don't you see if they can remedy the situation in school?

 

[Buckalew11]

I didn't pull dd out of school to homeschool but we started at the beginning of 9th grade. Best decision we have ever made. I wish I would have done it when she was younger.
See your state laws and go from there. There is a lot of info out there for sure!

 

[3prettyprincesses]

We've been homeschooling for 6 years now and love it. I agree with the others, make sure you follow your state's guidelines. It's a big decision but one that has really worked for our family. I wouldn't be put off by pulling your DD out at this point in the school year. You should go with your heart and do what is best for her. Should you decide to homeschool, research your area for groups (field trips, co-ops, etc.). It's a lot of work but so worthwhile. Parents who homeschool sacrifice a lot to do so. Just think, all that time that kids are in school, homeschool moms are home teaching their own kids. Which of course means less time for mom to clean, organize, shop, etc. But I wouldn't trade it for the world! It's a wonderful, satisfying feeling to see your child learn something (like reading) and know that it's because you taught them. Good luck!

 

[DeluxePrincess]

What exactly makes the 2nd grade teacher so awful that she can't be dealt with for a few more months?

 

[laurie31]

The OP never asked us if she SHOULD pull her DD out, she asked if it would be practical to do so. And that's a big fat YES.

ANY reason you want to teach your child at home is a good enough reason. You are the parent; you get to choose how your child is educated.

Check out HSLDA's website for the specific legal requirements in your state.

In mnay states, all you have to do is provide notice to the system that you are withdrawing to homeschool. Other states have more involved requirements. Here, you have to be affiliated with a "cover" homeschool group, which might be difficult to do a this stage of the game (only 9 weeks of school left here! ) but that's not required in most states anyway.

You can look on eBay or Amazon for used books, since you don't need the whole year's worth anyway. Or you can check out this site for ideas:

http://www.homeschoolsupercenter.com/new_site/home.php

 

[prittfamily98]

Looking for all my Homeschooling Friends!

I had my daughter in what I thought was a great school until this year! Her second grade teacher is a nightmare and I am ready to go now. Has anyone tried to start homeschooling this late in the year? My undergrad is in teaching so I would be comfortable with most curriculum. She is in second grade.... i would appreciate any thoughts or ideas.....

I did that last year. I pulled both my DS and DD out in the middle of school last year. I live in Florida. It was very easy for me to do so. I sent in the paper work to the school board POC and just started schooling them. I have NOT regretted my decision. (with that said I do have days I can't stand my kids-that comes with being with the 24/7) But I have no plans to put them back in school. Find a local homeschooling group. Even if you are unsure they are knowledgeable and can offer you advice. GOOD LUCK!