Please share experiences and opinions about partial homeschooling - Page 2

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by rachel_eva

i think they are usually more protective of academic programs because 1) they are tested and graded on a students performance ( i realize that your son would test higher than basic profiency,but the school is still giving up the respobility of teaching math to your son)

There are things on some state test than unless you realized your child needed to study them, you might not ever do them, such as "math short answer."

And I agree that sending your child to school with the work that you think he should be doing and expecting him to do it while the other children do other math is most likely not going to fly. It isn't homeschooling, not even for that subject.

[straighthaircurly]

Originally Posted by phathui5

That's something.

Has she changed his classwork?

I got a long email from her this week. She said she is pretesting the kids and then tailoring the in class work so that if a child has mastered a concept that they are given in class work that is a more advanced level of that concept. But my son says they are still all doing the same work. Maybe she meant to say it would start after conferences. I have offered to volunteer in the classroom during that Monday morning time. I am happy to busy work for her and also offered to help with a small group, any level. The K-1st grade teacher used me to help with small groups a lot the last few years.

I think people have thought that I was going to march in and start demanding things from the school. That is not my style, I work steadily and diplomatically and I listen and watch. But I also am not willing to sit back and be passive. I have been a teacher, I know the constraints on time and I am willing to step in if the school feels they don't have the proper time or resources.

[raelize]

i think those are two different things: volunteering as opposed to testing dc, and then creating a curriculum for dc that the teacher is administering during class. so, perhaps i misunderstood what you wanted to do, as i thought you said you wanted the second thing (test&curriculum).

i didn't think you would march in and demand x,y,z to happen, i just didn't think that any school anywhere would be willing to accomodate situation 2. i am really curious about how this will turn out, how the school will accomodate you, what the compromise will be, so please, keep us posted!

it is very different from schools where i am from, even having a parent volunteer actually TEACHING in the classroom wouldn't fly here. yes, you could be a classroom mom where you help with crafty projects for holidays or such, but i don't think that a school here in MD would allow a parent to assist teach any academic subject.
and good luck, i hope the school is able to meet your ds's needs in a satisfactory way.
let us know what happens.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by straighthaircurly

I think people have thought that I was going to march in and start demanding things from the school. That is not my style, I work steadily and diplomatically and I listen and watch.

I think you are referring to my comments. They were based on this:

Originally Posted by straighthaircurly

I really don't understand the poster's comment about us being at the mercy of the school's schedule. We aren't. The state statute gives me power as a parent to do what is best for my child's learning.

It's the way you came across. I'm not trying to argue with you or anything like that, just trying to give you a heads up for when you talk to the teacher. I'm not sure that you are coming across exactly the way you mean to, and I think it could make things more difficult for you.

[raelize]

actually, i remember a time when a parent was not happy with the school and so she attended with her daughter for a few weeks. we were instructed that a parent in the school could assist their own child, but NOT any other child.

[EviesMom]

I think some complaining that the parent needs to bend to the school's schedule are missing the fact that she's already talked to the teacher about when the main math block is done, and it's on Monday mornings before 11am. She's not dictating when it should be, she's following the teacher's schedule.

OP, I don't do part time schooling, but I have read about schools using EPGY, Stanford's online math program for gifted youth which is for K-12. It moves kids up at their own pace and can be done whenever the class is doing math work that is too simple for the child. We use it for homeschooling through education.com where it's $45/quarter, but schools and districts license it as well I believe. It gives info back to the teacher and there are good tools to make sure everything for the state tests are covered, etc. You could suggest it as an option that the school might be able to provide during Math rather than pulling him out part time.

[straighthaircurly]

Originally Posted by EviesMom

I think some complaining that the parent needs to bend to the school's schedule are missing the fact that she's already talked to the teacher about when the main math block is done, and it's on Monday mornings before 11am. She's not dictating when it should be, she's following the teacher's schedule.

TY, that is exactly what I feel a lot of posters missed.

Originally Posted by EviesMom

OP, I don't do part time schooling, but I have read about schools using EPGY, Stanford's online math program for gifted youth which is for K-12. It moves kids up at their own pace and can be done whenever the class is doing math work that is too simple for the child. We use it for homeschooling through education.com where it's $45/quarter, but schools and districts license it as well I believe. It gives info back to the teacher and there are good tools to make sure everything for the state tests are covered, etc. You could suggest it as an option that the school might be able to provide during Math rather than pulling him out part time.

Very useful info, I will check into whether this is available. Even if it isn't yet, it might be a possible solution for the school to check into as a way to help teachers provide differentiation without a lot of extra time and effort. So they may want to look into it.

Originally Posted by rachel_eva

actually, i remember a time when a parent was not happy with the school and so she attended with her daughter for a few weeks. we were instructed that a parent in the school could assist their own child, but NOT any other child.

I don't know what the rules are but the reality is I have taught math lessons, helped kids having difficulty with math or reading assignments in class, administered spelling tests and even designed and run a science outing for the students at his school. So given that history with the school, I have offered to help with in class differentiation for math.

Originally Posted by Linda on the move

I think you are referring to my comments.
It's the way you came across. I'm not trying to argue with you or anything like that, just trying to give you a heads up for when you talk to the teacher. I'm not sure that you are coming across exactly the way you mean to, and I think it could make things more difficult for you.

I only stated it that way because some posters seemed to think that the school didn't have to cooperate if I did decide to partial homeschool. So I added extra emphasis. I probably should have phrased it differently or just quoted the actual state statute. The statute says schools are required to have a plan in place to accommodate parental requests to partial homeschool. I just wanted posters to understand that they can't just blow me off if I end up deciding this is the best option for my son.


FWIW, his classroom teacher from the past 2 years emailed me and said she actually thinks it would be a great option for him and that he would likely thrive. His school really believes in differentiation, the difficulty is in the time, resources, and $$ available for them to actually be able to accomplish what they want for their students. That is why I am looking at different possibilities that would take the pressure off them.

[raelize]

erased

[cdahlgrd]

In WA, we can choose to homeschool any or all of our student's classes. I am homeschooling my oldest this year. He is attending school for special services and writing.

It wouldn't be a problem for testing because the school wouldn't be held responsible for your child's math scores.

The only small issue would be the rest of the week's work. You would have to talk to the school about how that might work. The rest should be fine, if you can partial homeschool in your state.

[straighthaircurly]

Update

We had a conference last week. The teacher was upfront and told me that the 2nd grade classes have been left with no support for differentiation, but they were having a series of meetings to address the issue and see if anything can be done. She asked if I could be patient and see what the outcome is. In the meantime, she is giving tougher homework to some kids, though she can't do much differentiation or teaching for it in the classroom.

I told her I was willing to wait for the outcome of their meetings and that if they didn't get the support they were seeking that I would be willing to offer my time one morning a week to help her.

I had a chance to speak briefly with her today. She said that the meetings have concluded (the 3rd was today) and that the 2nd grade team will be completely on their own, little to no support staff to help them differentiate. She asked if I was still willing to come in. I said sure. She said I will be working with a group of students pulled from each of the 2nd grade rooms. She will have a lesson plan and activities ready for me. So we will try this. I see it as a way to help the broader problem and also a chance to gain a better understanding of what is happening with the administration this year so I can start to organize some other parents to fight for better gifted support. I really, really want DS to be able to stay at this school.

[mom2ponygirl]

Can your school utilize some of the resources here:
http://www.davidsongifted.org/edguild/
They have pre-made lesson plans and free consulting services to help teachers differentiate for gifted kids. If the teachers don't have time to contact them, perhaps you could help by passing along their questions/situations to the staff at the educator's guild and relay resources back to them.

[straighthaircurly]

Thank you, this will be a great resource.

[straighthaircurly]

 I thought I should post an update. I have been volunteering in the classroom since early November and it has been of mixed success. I see DS and the other couple kids in the group really enjoying the lessons the teacher gives me to do. The activities are more open-ended and creative than the "teach to the test" curriculum that the school uses for the regular lessons. She sent home more challenging homework for about a month and a half, then stopped. I haven't asked her why yet because I kept thinking she would start up again.

However, I see a couple problems:

1) I have core group of 5 kids she sends with me. But that group varies depending on whether they passed the pretest for the unit. DS had his first pretest that he didn't pass 100% and so she is holding him out of my group. The problem I have it is that the reason is that he hasn't yet demonstrated 3 different methods of showing how to do double digit addition. DS has been doing double digit addition in his head since summer (he taught himself) so he has zero interest in the rather laborious process that she has the kids doing. I asked her if he could join my group today since she has 4 other days of the week available to try to get him interested in her methods. She said no. It is her right to say no, but his standardized tests that he just completed show him to be at 2nd quarter 3rd grade level in math (currently he is in 2nd quarter of 2nd grade) so obviously he is ready for a bigger challenge.

2) The school continues to provide no staff support to the teachers for gifted students other than 4th and 5th grade.

3) The pull out work that I am doing for this group of kids is only 1 day a week and they are not being provided any other more challenging work during the week. The kids are obviously hungry for tougher stuff and have a blast working on what we do get to do, but they really need more.

I am starting to get really upset over the loss of potential. But the school doesn't seem interested in making changes (this comes from the top). All the resources are going toward bringing the lower performers up to the standards. At this point I am going to pursue the EPGY online curriculum so I am contacting a center in my area that provides the courses for a low fee. DS will be able to work at his own pace and ill still meet state standards. I am still working on my approach to the school. I know I will have the support of his K and 1st  grade teacher but beyond that I think I will be getting a lot of resistance.

I am in contact with someone locally who has decided to pull out theirr child for partial homeschooling in math only and I am strategizing with her. DS is begging me to homeschool him for math and if we did it via the online program, I think it would be workable since I generally have 3 mornings a week that he could be with me for the first 90 minutes of school (which would be his morning meeting and his math period).

[luv my 2 sweeties]

Originally Posted by straighthaircurly 

 I thought I should post an update. I have been volunteering in the classroom since early November and it has been of mixed success. I see DS and the other couple kids in the group really enjoying the lessons the teacher gives me to do. The activities are more open-ended and creative than the "teach to the test" curriculum that the school uses for the regular lessons. She sent home more challenging homework for about a month and a half, then stopped. I haven't asked her why yet because I kept thinking she would start up again.

However, I see a couple problems:

1) I have core group of 5 kids she sends with me. But that group varies depending on whether they passed the pretest for the unit. DS had his first pretest that he didn't pass 100% and so she is holding him out of my group. The problem I have it is that the reason is that he hasn't yet demonstrated 3 different methods of showing how to do double digit addition. DS has been doing double digit addition in his head since summer (he taught himself) so he has zero interest in the rather laborious process that she has the kids doing. I asked her if he could join my group today since she has 4 other days of the week available to try to get him interested in her methods. She said no. It is her right to say no, but his standardized tests that he just completed show him to be at 2nd quarter 3rd grade level in math (currently he is in 2nd quarter of 2nd grade) so obviously he is ready for a bigger challenge.

2) The school continues to provide no staff support to the teachers for gifted students other than 4th and 5th grade.

3) The pull out work that I am doing for this group of kids is only 1 day a week and they are not being provided any other more challenging work during the week. The kids are obviously hungry for tougher stuff and have a blast working on what we do get to do, but they really need more.

I am starting to get really upset over the loss of potential. But the school doesn't seem interested in making changes (this comes from the top). All the resources are going toward bringing the lower performers up to the standards. At this point I am going to pursue the EPGY online curriculum so I am contacting a center in my area that provides the courses for a low fee. DS will be able to work at his own pace and ill still meet state standards. I am still working on my approach to the school. I know I will have the support of his K and 1st  grade teacher but beyond that I think I will be getting a lot of resistance.

I am in contact with someone locally who has decided to pull out theirr child for partial homeschooling in math only and I am strategizing with her. DS is begging me to homeschool him for math and if we did it via the online program, I think it would be workable since I generally have 3 mornings a week that he could be with me for the first 90 minutes of school (which would be his morning meeting and his math period).

Wow, what a frustrating situation!  (Especially #1 -- sheesh!)  You have obviously bent over backwards to help improve this situation.  I hope you find a solution that is satisfactory to you and your ds.  It's just so unfortunate that other math-oriented kids will continue to languish in the current situation.   Best of luck to you.
 

[Smithie]

" He said, "Mom, they have us all pick out 'just right books' for our reading level, so why can't we have 'just right' math work to do?"

Put that kid on the school board! 

What I'd try first is to send in math work for your DS to do in class during math time. If the teacher will permit this, it really is the low-disruption way to deal with the situation if you don't want to afterschool. 

My elementary school's approach to this was to send me to the next grade up for math, reading, spelling - basically all progressive mastery-based subjects. I LOVED this, but as an adult I do not recommend it, because it was highly distracting to the class and always an extra thing for two teachers to keep in mind when scheduling their lessons. It wasn't fair to them, although they were consistently lovely to me and gracious about the extra work I represented.