I have been considering home schooling for a good four years now.
Among other reasons, my deciding to consider it stems mainly from the fact that my children seem to be chronically down with flu and ear infections and strep and asthma and everything in between, so that they miss many days from school. When my own health started acting up, I slacked off on the research. However, it didn't stop the kids from getting sick and missing days from school, of course!
I am learning to manage my own health, but feel with the right program(s) and support I could actually do it. I am giving it a few months, but I'd like to know if anyone here is home schooling while dealing with this really unpredictable illness. If so, how is it working for you? I know everyone is different, but I just want an idea of how it goes.
hi Nat i have no children but i was homeschoooled. i did go to public school from k-6th grade. it was not a good experience. if your kids r sick alot then i think it would be a great. my church had a women how had the church kids come to her house and she helped us. i do know many churches have programs for homeschooled kids. the program usually has programs for art and pe and some even do field trips. the program we used was ACE. accelerated christian education this was a great program cause a parent did have to be so involeved. so programs require alot out of the parents. ACE has the students learn through reading. it doesnt allow for failing. u have to get 80% or better if not u redo the work. having suck standerds allowed for me to really learn i had to understand what i learned to move on. this in turn really helped me in collage. if u wish to know more i could call u if u send me your number in a message. i used to babysit a family the did a different program and the kids always neeeded me to help with something everytime i turned around. make sure u really look into the program so u know how it works. if they can have them send u a sample or video on the program.
I have considered it, now that I’m not working. It’s funny you posted this today because just this morning, I had to call my son in for stomach issues…again. He’s missed now 7 days of school and doesn’t have the best of grades as it is. We just had a meeting with all of his teachers and it was VERY promising and everyone was very willing to help.
I am probably on the verge of “getting in trouble” with the school district because of his absences now.
Fun, Fun…but they say if he is throwing up, don’t send him…not that I would anyway.
It’s all very frustrating…he’s going into 8th grade next year and honestly, I don’t know if I could help him beyond that. I mean I have a hard time remembering what they’re covering now…thank God for the web!
What about it do you think will make your lives all easier and smoother besides the attendance?
I just couldn't do it. I do not have the patience for it and I can't teach my 7 year old everything that he's learning in school. He attends a Montessori-based performing arts academy. He has had Spanish class since Kindergarten (he's in 2nd grade now), and he will have Spanish every year until he graduates. (His school is K-12). He was reading and writing in Kindergarten. They have drama, a theater and an orchestra, and they focus heavily on the fine arts. I can't give him all of that at home.
I also work part time and am thinking about going back to school, so I wouldn't have the time for it either.
My oldest son is 22. He developed huge health problems at the age of 16. By 17, he had already missed so much time that he couldn't catch up enough to graduate with his class. I took him out of public school and enrolled him in an online high school program (Penn Foster). It cost me $700 for him to finish high school, but he managed to do it on his own time and he learned things I could not teach him. He chose algebra, trigonometry and calculus for electives. Lol. I could not have taught him those, not in a million years. :P He did graduate and received a high school diploma.
I think it's important to consider all of the plusses and minuses before you make your decision. Besides the educational aspects, my 2nd grader would seriously miss his friends if I took him out of school. He would miss gym class and recess. He would miss going to music class and playing all of the instruments that we don't have at home. He would miss the class parties and field trips.
Yes, he gets sick a fair amount. It's unavoidable with all of the kids and all of the different viruses that go around. Every time he comes down with something though, he's building immunity. I think it will make him healthier in the long run and he won't be as susceptible to all of those colds and viruses in the future.
I have no kids, but I have a couple friends who homeschool. Of all the kids I've met, they're the most intelligent, polite, witty, and kind kids I know. They are excellent at critical and independent thinking, and know how to apply what they learn to the real world.
I didn't think I could homeschool because I needed to work but I did pull my son out the last 2 years of high school for various reasons including his being gifted and more. You don't need a teaching degree to teach your own child. There are many programs to support home education. While the peer relationships can be really beneficial, health issues are a good reason to home school. I know EDS parents who home school because their children would miss too much school otherwise. I'm lucky in that while I was growing up my main issues were joint hypermobility and allergic reactions but some kids have it much worse. Now I have allergic asthma due to the Ehlers Danlos and possible mast cell issues. EDS is a genetic disorder that causes the body to make bad collagen which is everywhere in our bodies. The fascia around the lungs is a protective covering that contains a lot of collagen. Weak collagen can cause so many issues. Not enough Drs are familiar with EDS but some are looking at a possible link between fibro and EDS and some thing that many people with fibro actually have Ehlers Danlos which is why I mention all of this. I know of kids who have to be homeschooled because their skin, lungs or other body systems are affected so much that going to school is too painful and/or difficult.
Don't let other people's opinions affect your decision to home school. Some do it for religious reasons and some don't. In the area of Michigan I am in we have both secular and religious home school groups. Check for homeschooling yahoo groups on your area. The HSLDA is a good resource to use also. Though their religious views don't match mine, I still found a lot of useful info on their web site. There are home school groups that don't allow religious discussion and are focused on solely the education of children. The one I belong to organizes field trips, plays, driver's ed etc and we decided how much we wanted to participate in all of that. My son took driver's Ed through our group and that helped a ton. Curriculum tools, lesson plans, books etc were also given away and or bought and sold on the group I belong to.
We mainly did "unschooling" because my son was already at a college level in everything. He was bored at school because of it. My degree is in early childhood, and I taught preschool but we did fine with high school. The HSLDA site is http://www.hslda.org/ They have a lot of resources there but I didn't pay for sample transcripts from them, or a diploma template. People on reachoakland (for SE MI in oakland county) shared ones they had mae. They do have a list of the laws by state here in the US. I found them helpful. I hope this helps some. Am getting hungry to going to eat something and rest. Good luck with whatever you decide to do and feel free to ask me anything I can help with.
Hi. I used to home school my children, who are now adults. I am now considering homeschooling my grandson. In the beginning there is much to co-ordinate and learn about how it will work for you. If you are planning on starting in August, I would actually start preparing now. Pick a cir riculimthat will work for you and your children. If your children have different learning styles, you will wan to consider that before you chose your materials.
Also, connect with other homeschoolers in your area to find resources.
As a retired teacher, I advise against it. The students who have been homeschooled who enter the public school system are lacking in math and science skills. Some are lacking in grammar skills as well. Socialization skills are lacking too. Think really hard about it.
My son is 8 years old. When I i was in my twenties I was certain that I would home school my child, but I had my son when I was 37 yrs old and living with FM for 16 years. I love children and became a preschool and toddler teacher. I stayed with that until I took a nanny position. Then I had my son. He has never liked listening to me. The toddler years were a challenge. He had a different personality when I put him in preschool at age 3. He was the most cooperative and polite boy they ever met. I looked at them and asked if they had the right kid. Five years later he cheerfully does the homework he is assigned every morning. He loves arriving at school early and playing with all his friends before the bell rings. "Oh yeah, I say to myself it is a lot more fun when you can do projects, share lunch, play games at recess with the group." My son and I do science projects together, make crafts together, read history books and that is on top of the 6 hours he spent with teachers. My boss could have me keep her house up and organize her children's activities, but I got paid. The fact is I do not have the energy to be 'on' all the time and things get ignored, things pile up, things get lost. When I go through his week's work he gets little notes from his teacher about how well he did keeping his desk clean. Damn it, the fibro fog got in the way. I am on disability, out of work, I miss it and praise anyone that can do the job of a teacher and parent all in one. My sanity and gratitude is free public school. Again, if you have the energy to be consistent and challenging DO IT!!!!