My son is nearly 11 and in the 5th grade. He is a bright and happy kid, but has never done all that well at school. He was a slow to learn to read fluently, and was constantly getting notes sent home about that. During the summer after 2nd grade, I really buckled down and had him read *everything* around us, billboards while on the road, what is in the food we are eating, to the name of the shampoo we are using. It worked very well, and the teacher noticed a marked improvement in his reading level, and is currently on grade level. He even reads for fun now 
I think the problem is that there are always 20+ kids in his classes, with one teacher, and there is no individual instruction. He needs one on one help with everything, or it seems like he just doesn't get it. I find myself having to "teach" him everything after he comes home anyway.
He is in danger of having to repeat the 5th grade
I want to pull him out and try HSing, but I have absolutely no idea where to start.
What are the first steps? Exactly who would I contact to remove him from school?
Also, I am a pretty laid back person, so how do I go about scheduling "learning time" and what kind of stuff would I start with?
We've had multiple meetings with his teacher, and nothing is getting better..well, grades have come up from Fs and Ds to Ds and Cs...but that is no way to learn. I do not want my child to eek through school. That is not good enough.
FWIW, DS#2 is in the second grade and has all As and Bs, so I'm thinking that DS#1 just isn't doing well in that kind of traditional learning environment.
I do stay at home, so there wouldn't be a problem with us having all day to accomplish learning, exploring, etc.
I'm looking for guidance on how to get the ball rolling, YKWIM?
Thanks in advance, Kaara
I think the problem is that there are always 20+ kids in his classes, with one teacher, and there is no individual instruction. He needs one on one help with everything, or it seems like he just doesn't get it. I find myself having to "teach" him everything after he comes home anyway.
He is in danger of having to repeat the 5th grade
I want to pull him out and try HSing, but I have absolutely no idea where to start.What are the first steps? Exactly who would I contact to remove him from school?
Also, I am a pretty laid back person, so how do I go about scheduling "learning time" and what kind of stuff would I start with?
We've had multiple meetings with his teacher, and nothing is getting better..well, grades have come up from Fs and Ds to Ds and Cs...but that is no way to learn. I do not want my child to eek through school. That is not good enough.
FWIW, DS#2 is in the second grade and has all As and Bs, so I'm thinking that DS#1 just isn't doing well in that kind of traditional learning environment.
I do stay at home, so there wouldn't be a problem with us having all day to accomplish learning, exploring, etc.
I'm looking for guidance on how to get the ball rolling, YKWIM?
Thanks in advance, Kaara
.
And I'd allow him to "deschool" the rest of the school year to allow him time to discover what he's most interested in & for you to get a good feel for his interests, capabilities & rhythms. And to give you plenty of time to research! 
Google "your state, homeschooling" & you should easily be able to track down laws, support groups, etc. It's nearly impossible to purchase curriculum that will be a great fit for your kid before you really get to know your kid, education-wise. All that stuff you said you did with learning to read on the shampoo bottles, etc? Just keep that up! Talk with him about events in the news, or issues you are pondering, or cool things you come across that you want to share with him. Watch some YouTubes together on things he'll enjoy, like "birds of paradise mating dance", LOL, me & my son got a huge laugh out of that one recently. 
where is the crying/laughing smile?
- it's in the left hand column of the top smilie section. - Lillian
