Does anyone here Homeschool? | ADHD Information
Before my ADD son was found to be Gifted .... I strongly considered homeschooling him. I got so sick of the school complaining to me about his behaviour and lack of attention... while he racked up straight A's effortlessly.. that I thought...screw it.. I can do it better than you.
Then I thought about it again when he spent two years being bullied by classmates. ( that has since been resolved ) The child litterally teaches himself and he doesnt' need this kind of grief.
Now, my youngest son is in the first grade and I am hearing about his attention problems, but I have a great teacher who lets it go... why? Because he is racking up straight A's effortlessly. So, he is up for Gifted testing. This child would give his soul away if I would homeschool him. :) But, he LOVES his social life.
I just wonder if any of you homeschool and for those of you who don't.. do you wonder if it wouldn't be the answer. Instead of making out kids conform to a class room rigid for only one way of learning, bring them home and let them be them and learn at an much more relaxed pace?
We're homeschooling this year. We started in October, so we've only been doing it for 6 months so far.
SO far so good. :) We have good days/bad days, but overall I believe with every ounce of my being that it was the right decision for our son.
I don't know how long we'll do it, but I'll do it as long as I see a need for it.
We've been able to cater to his learning style and so he's been learning quite well. He's on grade level in every subject and has exceeded grade level expectations in some areas (namely history and science).
It does take a lot of work on my part, but my husband is VERY supportive so I "escape" the house a few evenings a week to get a coffee, browse the bookstore etc. "ME TIME"! :) I don't know what I'll do when he deploys to Iraq later in the year, though. ugh! ;)
What made me make the decision to HSchool was simple. It seemed with every passing semester DS was becoming more and more unhappy. Traditional school just isn't a good "fit" for him. So, at a mimimum we'll continue to HS him until we have fully figured out what's going on with him (adhd/bipolar etc) and until we've found a successful treatment for him. Or, at maximum, we'll continue to HS because he's happier learning this way. If nothing else, I feel I'm sparing him what seemed to be 1/2 the struggle during this time of trying to figure all this stuff out. One less group of people frustrated with him, ya know? :) We like to say we're HSing "until further notice". :)
[QUOTE=Koko]
I see it that we are homeschooling from the moment the kids arrive home from school. How we treat each other, the things we read to them, the activities we do together - there are many opportunities to enhance their education.
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I agree.
Ds asked to be homeschooled when he was in 3rd grade. We ended up moving from a school district and state that focused more on conformity to a state and district that is very accepting of individual differences and in a sense prides itself in that attitude. We had a much happier child after that move.
poodledoodles - You are quite lucky to have such a great homeschool program!
Poodles that is a great program your son is in!!!!
I too have have ADD and I am not organized and I am not structured, so I am uncertain how well I would homeschool.
Of course I am also selfish and don't want to spend 24/7 with my kids and I need and like my 6 hours of peace a day. But, if it was needed... I would homeschool in a heart beat.
well, thanks to 20/20 hindsight, I do wish that I had homeschooled by adhd son for kindergarden and first grades. We had just moved here from another state and a school that was much more structured for my older son.
I had no idea that the new school my son went to for kindergarden was going to be so very unstructured until the year got going. They did not start having structured assignments until halfway through 2nd grade. My son's 2nd grade teacher said that is what helped him the most - not doing "centers" anymore. For him, centers were overwelming and distracting.
However, since I have adhd, too, it probably would have been an organizational nightmare for me! Also, my son is very introverted, and being new it would have been hard for me to provide the socialization he immediately enjoyed at school.
I do see where homeschooling could take some stress off kids who are expected to perform and the curriculum does not match their needs.
I see it that we are homeschooling from the moment the kids arrive home from school. How we treat each other, the things we read to them, the activities we do together - there are many opportunities to enhance their education.
Koko38800.3708912037I think I have the best of both worlds. My 16 yr old son has been in Independent Study since the end of 6th grade. The school district has an Educational Option Center. It is a separate campus. They provide the books and curriculum. He has an 1 hour conference 1 day a week to turn in his work. They have labs that offer tutoring in math, literature, science. They now even have a biology lab an get to use all kinds of science equipment, and do experiments! They also have a state of the art computer lab, and vocational training right on campus. My son is now in the Adult Graphics Artist Course, and will get a certificate to be qualified for an entry level job. He does most of his work at home, and goes to school for lab work or extra help. It has been a life savor for him, and he would have never made it in reg, HS.
taffy,it's not so bad-really!!
i hs my 9 yr old son. the things i have learned are pretty significant! my son is so much smarter than i ever thought and can do so much more than what they required in his school.
it has been a great experience but not an easy one, especially at first.
yes, there's not much "me" time but i have learned to take it, when i can get it!
the trade off is so worth it, i just wished i had started when he was struggling so much in first grade.
kppy