In Reply to: My son had ADHD. He had a horrible K teacher and I should have taken (LONG) posted by Bridget on January 09, 2007 at 17:14:41:
: :him out them but didn't think I could homeschool him. We couldn't afford private school and even if we could it would mean an hour drive twice a day - though would have done it. We changed schools for 2nd grade and they had so few expectations of the students that my son wasn't learning anything more than he had already learned in 1st grade. When 3rd grade came around they gave him a teacher who was a wicked witch. Parents said it, parents that had her as kids and now had kids in school said it, their parents said it, other teachers said it, etc. DH and I had a meeting with teacher and principal before school started and I told her I hadn't heard anything nice about her, that we had been through a bad experience and we wouldn't do it again and that she would not break his spirit. Didn't set the stage for good beginnings. He has severe dysgraphia and he would bring home spelling tests where he spelled every word correctly but she counted off 1 point because he didn't drop his G or his H wasn't high enough. After a while she refused to talk to us and after the first 9 weeks was up we pulled him out. Three other parents also pulled their kids out of the same classroom so it wasn't just us.
: I have some college, but no degree. DH is an ex-teacher, but is pretty much a couch potato so was very little help. If I planned things and put the book in his hand he would teach, but otherwise not much help. He does things with the boys, just not much as far as the school basics.
: There is so much help available. If you live in a fairly large city you'd be surprised at all that is available. There are co-ops, there are weekly classes for various subjects, so if you are weak in a subject that helps you out. There are social activities and field trips at least monthly if not weekly. There are programs on-line, on CD-ROMs, there are distance learning schools, there are support groups, etc. There are all types of programs on video so that if your daughter is willing to be an active participant there will be very little involvement from you needed.
: I would recommend ordering the Rainbow Resource catalog and be prepared to be overwhelmed with all that is available. I think the URL is www.rainbowresources.com just to get an idea of all that is available. I think it is nearly 1,000 pages. There are also a couple of on-line forums where you can get support or just chat with other homeschoolers.
: My oldest is now 16 and wasn't very social, but is very social now and he misses out on some of the high school environment, except now he has a very good friend who goes to the high school near our house and my son tags along for things so he feels better about that. We also allow him to participate in lots of social opportunities because we do feel that is important too. My youngest is extremely social but he never went to school and he says he's never going so he doesn't know he is missing anything, and we try to compensate so he really isn't missing anything.
: While your daughter can still have her friends and still participate in community things such as sports, pulling her out might be a problem for her. You might want to discuss your concerns and tell her if she can pull her grades up and resolve what other issues you are having with her then she can stay in school, otherwise you are considering pulling her out. If you do pull her out be sure you comply with your state laws. Some states really have no laws, others are very strict. You can go to www.hslda.org to check laws in your state.
: If you do homeschool it will be difficult. If your daughter is willing to put forth effort it will be much easier, but there will still be days when you want to lock youself in your room and cry. There is no law that says she can't go back to school, though if you pull her out this year I would not allow her to go back this year, too much instability.
: My sons and I are very close. My oldest son and I talk for about an hour every night about girls, cars, world events, etc. He is really a good kid too. We also have what we call life skills. They do laundry, clean the bathrooms and kitchen, I teach them about checking/savings accounts, stocks and bonds, paying bills, reading the power meter, cooking, etc. My oldest says it is just a name I put on something to get them to do housework (it works - LOL). My kids also have time to explore their passions. My oldest loves to work on cars and has taken a mechanics course and has rebuilt several cars. My youngest is a Mr. Fix-It and can fix anything electronic, he also loves to grow things and has a small orchard and his own veggie garden. He loves to read the seed catalogs and like his dad he carries a book with him all the time.
: What works for me may not work for you. What works for my oldest might not work with my youngest. It is a trial and error thing and there will be a lot of error, but no one loves your child more than you do and you are more vested in her success than anyone else; therefore, you will be successful.
: For us I say homeschool isn't something we do, it is a way of life.
: I left my e-mail if you have any questions.