anyone start hs really late?

[faiths13]

my older children are 9, 11 and dss is 14. i also have a 2 yr old an 3 month old. i have always wanted to hs, but circumstances have always prevented me from doing so. i have looked into a charter school near here that is supposed to be really good. im not sure if its too late to really try to do hsing for my older kids. my 11 year old will be going into jr high and my dss into high school. im not even sure if the two oldest want to hs. i have no idea how to make a cirriculum, make sure they learn what they need to know, or even what you need to know in those grades. also, i worry they wont have social interactions. they wont go out and seek out friends around us or play with neighborhood kids, but do have friends at school. i am still learning to balance a 3 month old and high energy 2 year old, so i dont get out much, and im not sure about getting them to groups to meet others. my 9 year old is very bright and gets straight a's, and i dont want to dumb him down because i dont know what im doing. i am horrible at math and cant even help them with math homework most of the time. my 11 year old is very emotional and unfocused and is scared to go to jr high because he hears stories about getting beat up and put in trash cans. i worry that starting hs so late could cause them probs with being social too. i see benefits to hs, but i always imagined it mostly for elementry. so i guess i just really could use some guidance and advice with moms with more experience. thanks.

[skueppers]

Originally Posted by faiths13

i am horrible at math and cant even help them with math homework most of the time.

I just wanted to pick out this one part to comment on --

Of course you can't help them with their math homework -- you weren't in class with them all day!

If you use a solid math curriculum with lots of help for the teacher, you will understand what your kids are doing in math because you will be right there with them, facilitating their learning.

[faiths13]

well i am really terrible at math and have a hard time understanding it.

[Collinsky]

My kids are all still little, but I left public school at the end of the first term of 9th grade. My mom didn't know how to teach algebra, geometry, physics, chemistry, etc.

You don't have to know these things!! The child is the one learning; most of your job - particularly with the older kids - is NOT to "teach" but to facilitate that learning. That doesn't mean going out and trying to get advanced degrees in every possible subject your child may need or want to take. That wouldnt' be possible; there is not one single homeschooling parent who is adept at every subject their child needs or wants! Not one. Anywhere.

What you do when your child has to take algebra, or wants to learn Mandarin Chinese, or becomes interested in playing the violin: you try to help them find the resources they need to learn those things. You do what you can within your means to feed and nurture their interest. You find ways around what barriers can be overcome. In this day and age of internet forums and being able to quickly and easily connect with other homeschooling families around the world, and to find resources and instructors and facilities in your local area relatively simply -- it is much easier in many ways than it was 20 years ago when word-of-mouth, the phone book, and printed newsletters were the means of finding out what was available/possible for your homeschooled children.

You can do it. There are moms who are tone-deaf, whose children can play piano beautifully. There are moms whose math skill consists of counting back change, whose children go on to LOVE higher maths. There are moms who failed French in high school, whose child becomes fluent in another language. It's not about possessing amazing knowledge, or being a genius - it's about knowing your child, and making sure they have what they need to follow their interests and pursue their goals. You can't give them EVERYTHING that would help them, obviously, since there will be financial limits, etc -- but you can probably give them a lot more than you think.

I'm so glad my mom didn't let her lack of math skill stop her from homeschooling us. I honestly feel like I'd have a lot more math confidence (and therefore more skill) if I'd never been in public school in the first place. Public school has turned out more math-phobic people than I think is acceptable; I don't think I could possibly do worse than what I got in public school.

[faiths13]

wow! thanks for making such great points! thanks!

Originally Posted by Collinsky

My kids are all still little, but I left public school at the end of the first term of 9th grade. My mom didn't know how to teach algebra, geometry, physics, chemistry, etc.

You don't have to know these things!! The child is the one learning; most of your job - particularly with the older kids - is NOT to "teach" but to facilitate that learning. That doesn't mean going out and trying to get advanced degrees in every possible subject your child may need or want to take. That wouldnt' be possible; there is not one single homeschooling parent who is adept at every subject their child needs or wants! Not one. Anywhere.

What you do when your child has to take algebra, or wants to learn Mandarin Chinese, or becomes interested in playing the violin: you try to help them find the resources they need to learn those things. You do what you can within your means to feed and nurture their interest. You find ways around what barriers can be overcome. In this day and age of internet forums and being able to quickly and easily connect with other homeschooling families around the world, and to find resources and instructors and facilities in your local area relatively simply -- it is much easier in many ways than it was 20 years ago when word-of-mouth, the phone book, and printed newsletters were the means of finding out what was available/possible for your homeschooled children.

You can do it. There are moms who are tone-deaf, whose children can play piano beautifully. There are moms whose math skill consists of counting back change, whose children go on to LOVE higher maths. There are moms who failed French in high school, whose child becomes fluent in another language. It's not about possessing amazing knowledge, or being a genius - it's about knowing your child, and making sure they have what they need to follow their interests and pursue their goals. You can't give them EVERYTHING that would help them, obviously, since there will be financial limits, etc -- but you can probably give them a lot more than you think.

I'm so glad my mom didn't let her lack of math skill stop her from homeschooling us. I honestly feel like I'd have a lot more math confidence (and therefore more skill) if I'd never been in public school in the first place. Public school has turned out more math-phobic people than I think is acceptable; I don't think I could possibly do worse than what I got in public school.

[FireWithin]

Originally Posted by faiths13

well i am really terrible at math and have a hard time understanding it.

some of my friends with older kids do an online program for math.
It is actually a class with a regular teacher, everyone is on video. It is like a regular class but everyone is at home. Ithink this is the fourth class they are taking this way, so I am assuming they are happy.

[kittie313]

I have a friend who decided to homeschool when her oldest was in 6th grade and second was in 4th grade. She pulled them over Christmas and was doubting herself sooooo much until she got going and realized that the curriculum that she chose (and this is true for just about every curriculum out there that I've looked at) pretty much tells her what to do. She's now working with kids from 8th grade down to one starting K next school year, and is thrilled with the decision. She worried about the social aspects too, but worked that out compliments of some old-fashioned "set your watch for XX time and go find someone to play with until its that time now GO!" lol

A lot of people in my city actually withdraw their kids once they finish elementary school because the middle school is when things start getting rougher, and even more withdraw before high school (almost 1/3 of our city population is homeschooled I think, the district has a dedicated department for it with one person heading it, several assistants, and secretaries doing the work just to manage the hs population here, and the hs group I'm in has over 150 families in it mostly from my city)

[mangopassion]

I pulled my oldest out in 3rd grade... she was 8 years old.

[faiths13]

thanks for the great points! all very helpful, esp when talking to dh about hs'ing.

[LauraLoo]

ooppps - put in wrong thread!