Tell Us Your Story.... - Page 6

[SueQnatural2]

Why I am homeschooling

Short version:
My children have been learning at home from birth and I figured "It's working well so why change that. Learning happens all the time why do they need to be shipped off on a yellow bus and confined to a drab brick building for 7 hours a day?"

Longer version:
My reasons for homeschooling started with my own school experiences. I had a rotten 2nd grade teacher. Her classroom was very loud, chaotic, out of control and no learning happened in her class. I was doing as well as one can in school up until 2nd grade. It was in that chaotic atmosphere that I started writing my name backwards and struggling in school. I was sensitive to noise and distractions anyway and so came home with headaches and drained from all the confusion.

I moved on to 3rd grade, had a very kind and understanding 3rd grade teacher, was diagnosed with "mild dyslexia" (what's with the "mild dyslexia" diagnosis either you have dyslexia or don't) and was placed with a tutor. I felt stupid and dumb, though my parents affirmed me and told me that I was smart and had many gifts. (In my mind only dumb children needed tutors. The smart ones never got tutors.) Though school was now hard for me, I did well with the tutor and was passed on to 4th grade.

I had a wonderful 4th grade teacher, too. But school was now even harder. I remember going home in tears and my mom sitting down with me and re-teaching me everything that was taught during the day. I remember being very frustrated and begging to be taught at home. I remember saying to mom, "Why don't you just teach me at home. You have to do that in the evenings anyway. Why do I have to go to school?"

Mom talked to the teachers and they decided to put me back in 3rd grade. They thought it wouldn't be, too hard on me because many of my classmates who shared the same rotten 2nd grade teacher didn't pass 3rd grade. They where wrong. Being placed back in 2nd grade during my 3rd grade year confirmed in my mind that I was stupid and dumb. I couldn't even do the 3rd grade work.

To make a long story short, those early experiences shaped me. I hated school and felt dumb all through school. I felt that because I couldn't learn what they taught me I was stupid. Because I couldn't do well on tests throughout school I was dumb.

Fast forward down the road to when I gave birth to my first. Whenever I looked at him, I couldn't picture sending him off to school. I wanted him to love learning and to realize that learning is a part of life and doesn't happen just when one is in a building sitting at a desk.

I wanted him to know that he was smart and realize that regurgitating information is not a sign of one's intellect. I wanted him to keep his innocence, natural curiosity and love for books and science. Because of this, I started researching homeschooling.

Dh was more reserved about the idea of homeschooling but decided to go along with it on a trial basis. My oldest is 9 and our plans are to homeschool him and his brothers through "highschool." I love being a homeschool mom and my children love the freedom of homeschooling.

[JennieYoung44]

Thank you all for posting your stories. I am going to be posting around here so I thought I should add mine:

I have 3 sons, the oldest is 6 and we have known we'd homeschool from the beginning. I can't explain it exactly... it is sort of like how I knew I'd breast feed and co sleep. It was never really a decision as much as intuitive.

I have moments of debilitating self doubt, but they only last a few minutes. My oldest has begun to explore reading which to me signals that we have officially begun. Everything up until now felt like parenting. The reading feels a bit more focused.

I am mostly in desperate need at this point of a community of others and am hoping I might find a bit of that here. I have just relocated to Canada (dh is canadian) from Virginia so I am sort of on an island here. I am also really curious about things like sports and clubs and lessons (multiple children ordeals). I just don't know how I feel about those things yet.

So, thats all for now.

[RedJen]

I've posted a few times in this forum, so I thought I should tell my homeschool story.

My own school years were overwhelmingly negative. One of my teachers was an active, known bully, but the school either didn't want to do anything about her or couldn't. Several of my teachers had no idea what they were talking about. There were a few bright lights, but by high school, I was essentially going through the motions by day and self-schooling by night. School basically got in the way of my learning time.

I acquired a four-year-old son just four years after I graduated from high school. He was incredibly bright, incredibly gifted, and incredibly needy. He had (has) serious organization issues, including not being able to turn in homework he actually did. His teachers ALL (except for two) shrugged and said "It's not my job to help him be organized." By middle school, they were assuming that if they just throw a planner at him, that will solve all of his problems. It didn't.

He loved math problems. When we would go on car trips, we would entertain each other by adding three two-digit numbers in our heads. This is not a typical skill for a four-year-old. When he started first grade, they forbid him to use his head. He had to use his fingers.

I homeschooled him for a few months in fourth grade after I had to pull him out of the classroom of an unstable and dishonest teacher. I didn't have any resources or community, though, so I didn't think I could do it long-term.

We moved during fifth grade. His fifth grade teacher did not like him, but he loved her so much that he wrote an essay that won her $500 dollars. She was just dismissive and disdainful of him and it hurt to see. When we moved to our current town, he was put into the classroom of the burned-out teacher, who really didn't care about anything and made sure the students knew it.

Middle school was more of the same. The teachers wouldn't let us know when he didn't turn in his homework. They wanted to punish him intellectually because of his organization problems (forcing him to stay on concepts he had known for years.) He had a lovely eighth grade teacher, but that was it.

We switched him to a local private school for high school, hoping that paying tuition would make the teachers a little more accountable. It didn't. Add to that a wealthy, privileged, drinking culture, and basically, our bright, gifted son didn't graduate from high school. He is not in contact with us right now and I'm not sure why. The school administrator undermined our wishes to return him to the public school for senior year. (I always will wonder why, with all of the other dishonest, unethical things they have done with their students, why they didn't just give him that half-credit and let him have his diploma.)

Our younger son has a different personality, so we thought he would do better in school. We put him into the local public school. Of course he didn't fit in. He's arrogant, intelligent, and remembers everything anyone tells him once. That doesn't work in an environment where most of the people around him need concepts repeated. In third grade, he tested into the district gifted program. (Which the teachers and administrators then continually threatened to take away.) His experiences were just okay until fourth and fifth grade. We were trying to be "good parents" and "support the school" and "support the teacher." Turns out his fourth and fifth grade teachers were simply miserable excuses for human beings, but he didn't trust us enough to tell us. It came to a head when he argued with his fifth-grade teacher and the principal sent him home (walking) to our empty house in the middle of the day. I did not send him back.

AFTER I decided he WAS NOT going back to that place, I started learning about all sorts of incidents (including the incident that led to our now-infamous line, "Well, you know, Texas IS the biggest state in the US.") I learned that this is the same teacher that nearly drove a darling boy I know to a nervous break-down in fifth grade (and the same principal who resisted recommending an IQ test for the same boy-- turns out he is a genius.) She destroyed student work, the boys believe she was racist, sexist, and prejudiced against children with medical needs, and several parents had threatened lawsuits against her. My son's best friend was so miserable that he was considering moving back in with his father in a different state. I realized after hearing all of this just how powerless I was to protect my child if I allowed him to go to school. (One person theorized that they put my son in her class in hopes he would drive her to quit. Yes, he's that good.)

When I told my older son that I was homeschooling my younger son, he was very pleased. He wishes I had continued homeschooling him. I wish I had, too.

My younger son is still arrogant, persistent, stubborn, and headstrong, but he's no longer having night terrors, he's getting far fewer migraines, and he's starting to get back his old love for learning. He's a lot more cooperative and much calmer. He's even beginning to trust me again.

We've spent much of the past year de-schooling. I have curriculum items suggested in the Well-Trained Mind, but other than a weekly spelling test from Spelling Workout G and some logic puzzles, we don't do much formally. He does a lot of informal experiments and reads a lot. We've just started to get into using YouTube to learn about mathematical concepts.

[Momof3boysinNC]

Why we homeschool - looong

I've been lurking and gaining valuable advice from this thread and decided to share our story.

We have three boys - all three have a form of autism. My oldest has High Functioning Autism, my middle and youngest have Aspergers. We didn't find this out until my oldest was school age.

Despite the fact I loathed the social part of public school I didn't think about homeschooling at first. It sounded great but how could I teach my oldest when I was just learning about autism myself? Plus DH thought we should try public school.

It was a disaster from the word go. Just as the oldest had a halfway decent year our middle son was bullied in 1st grade and underwent a complete personality change. Our oldest then fell apart at the end of the year - as he did every school year - except we had the added pressure of the dreaded End of Grade testing.

I was adamant about homeschooling them at that point. DH was unconvinced and persuaded me into switching them to a school with a year round schedule which had very small class sizes. It went well for about four months - my oldest had an absolutely wonderful teacher who did wonders for him. Then my middle son started to fall apart again.

In addition to the autism, my oldest is hyposensitive. He cannot tell us when he is sick at times. Sometimes we can only know by his behavior. He had a major meltdown and despite spending hours on Autism specific Functional Behavior Asessments, Behavior Intervention plans, etc - they weren't followed at all and they charged him with assault and remanded him over to juvenile court. The next day I took him to our Ped who did a complete workup and found he had strep. I came down with it two days later and wound up in the ER at 4 am I hurt so bad. No wonder he had a meltdown. I felt horrible though he had no fever and the Doctor was as shocked as I was. The school refused to drop the charges or the suspension. We were quite lucky to have a hearing officer who totally understood autism and wondered why he was in her office for a clear manifestation of his disability. The charges were dismissed and he was doing well until late April when the dreaded EOG time was approaching.

Despite the fact I begged the school to consult with TEACCH (the school had to invite them in - I couldn't) they continued to treat my middle son (who also had IEPs, FBA's, BIPS) as though he was a typical child with behavior issues. He had a major meltdown and was threatened with jail by the School Resource Officer. I was in tears and my poor child made the comment that he'd 'rather be dead'. Though I immediately called our therapist as soon as we left the school (who decided it was not a credible threat of suicide) the school reported me to to DSS for medical neglect.

DH was furious. He said NO MORE. I sent in our notice of intent, we withdrew them and never sent our youngest because we knew it would just be more of the same. Our kids are now medication free and are back to loving to learn again. There are days that it's a struggle and it's taking time to find the curriculum that works best for each of them but my stress level is so much lower. My MIL makes to odd nasty comment but otherwise our families think it's the best thing for our kids and are very supportive.

I don't think our kids could do well in the school enviroment for many reasons - the sensory issues, processing problems, etc. I don't blame our system as much as I think it was not a good fit for our boys. I do blame the administrator who thought she 'got' autism and most certainly does not. The teachers really wanted to help our boys and worked very hard at that.

I did have to laugh at the school administrator (the one who reported me to DSS) remarking, "It seems like you don't trust us." when she found out we were withdrawing the boys. Uh, yeah, ya think?



Anyway, that's our very long winded story. Thanks for reading if you got this far. It felt good to type it all out.

Peggy (who is having trouble making a siggy)

[BedHead]

Since I've recently embarked on a new journey of learning with my 14 year old daughter, I guess I'd better add a few lines here too

I have known about homeschooling since I was a teen, although I haven't known anyone who was homeschooled personally. I was educated in the traditional way, my dad is a teacher, and I was on the honor roll right through to grade 11. Halfway through I did the rebellious teen bit and quit, and moved across the country. I was out of school 5 years, then I went back, graduated grade 12, and went on to get a university degree. Looking back, I needed to deschool myself before I decided that school was worth it, and I went to school because that's the only way I knew how to get an education.

Fast forward a few years, I have three kids and am a single mom who has to get a job. Despite the fact I had a university degree, the welfare machine sent me on a job finding course and I ended up as an office assistant making very little money, but I managed to work my way up and off welfare. However, because I had no choice but to work outside the home, I couldn't homeschool. Or so I assumed.

So my kids went to public school. My oldest loved school till grade 5, when he quit doing anything the teachers or administrators wanted him to do. If I had known what unschooling was, I would have taken him out and started it right away. but I'd never heard of it, and he stayed in school and did as little as possible. He was passed from grade to grade without doing much of anything - he certainly didn't LEARN anything. He graduated with his HS last spring, and since he's been done he's been taking a vacation and trying to figure out what he wants to do. He's only now allowing himself to pursue his interests.

My middle son is the type of kid who needs the structure of school - he's ADHD and I just can't see him being able to direct anything for himself. If I was a SAHM I would homeschool him, but I'm not, so I can't. He'll graduate in a year, and wants to become a chef. He's well on his way based on his job, but the school he wants to go to requires grade 12, so he's sticking it out.

My daughter, who is 14, is at home. Just this year I heard about unschooling and started doing research. She has always been the type of kid for whom school was a place to go and be goofy with friends, not to learn. She's never been in trouble, but never tried very hard in any subject, never bothered to bring home her journal or homework. All this has always been done with a bit of a clueless half smile on her face - she's a gentle, loving, kind and happy kid who just figured out fairly early on that school was something she had to do but that was really a waste of her time. Unfortunately this caused some strife at home, and she stressed about it because she really HATES to be in trouble. She's had health issues for a few years, and lately started missing a lot of school because of it. So, we took the plunge! This is only her third week, and she's doing the vacation thing rather well She sleeps till 2 pm, does computer stuff, cooks most of her own meals (she's vegetarian and can't have dairy, yeast or sugar), writes in her journal, sketches anime characters, talks on the phone, goes to the mall, and does all the 'regular' teen stuff. She wants to take piano lessons, work with animals, and learn German. Already, her health has improved, her migraines have all but disappeared, and she's eating better. I'm not pushing anything - we have yet to meet with our facilitator to go over her education plan, so everything is totally new to us. But we're very excited about it, and she's already much less stressed, more awake and alive than she ever was in school.

[vicnoe]

We've made the decision to homeschool our two youngest and I've been lurking on these boards for several weeks.

Our decision to hs came about gradually. Our second daughter, N is 8 and in the second grade (our oldest is 18 and is attending a local community college and I'm not even going to start on the problems we had with the public shools and her Aspberger's, sensory issues, anxiety and OCD). We've known from the time she was very young that she is very bright. She was saying words other than mama and dada at 6 months and knew the alphabet by the time she was two. She could write her name and ours by the time she was 3. And she loved books. She entered kindergarten late because her birthday is so late in the year. I talked with the school district the previous year and asked about early enrollment as she met all of the requirements (and then some) for kindergarten. I was told that the school didn't allow early enrollment under any circumstances. That should have been my first clue.

When she started school, she was writing stories in her notebook while the other kids were struggling to write their names. She was adding numbers while they were working on recognizing them. At the end of the school year, she was reading at a 2nd grade level. In first grade, she had a wonderful teacher who encouraged her to read and gave her extra work to help her better understand the subjects they were studying. She noted that N was well ahead of her peers, but there was nothing the school would do this early. She entered second grade and was quickly bored. She didn't want to go and begged me to let her stay home. I spoke to her teacher and soon N was bringing home advanced spelling words (7th grade words) and in depth worksheets for the classwork they were doing. She is now reading at the highest level in the AR program, she taught herself cursive and multiplication. She's the only 2nd grader in the chess program. I've repeatedly asked the teacher about testing her, but have gotten the brush-off. Just before Christmas, I told her teacher that if she wouldn't initiate testing, I'd go to the principal. Testing was started in February, but never finished. I got a plethora of reasons why, but it all boils down to that it's too expensive. I do understand that the teachers have a lot of children to teach and I don't expect them to create a special curriculum for my daughter, but do expect that she be tested and advanced according to her abilities.

We're also a military family and the moving we do can wreck havoc with a child's education. Our oldest daughter, T, had this problem. Every time we moved, she was behind in something. And it was so hard for her to catch up. We spent a fortune on tutors and she struggled throughout middle and high school. My husband is going to do several more tours, which means several more moves and several more schools.

We talked extensively about homeschooling and I started researching the requirements for our next duty station. I've been looking at the curriculum and methods that are out there. And we're all excited about the next school year - even our son, who just turned 4. I know that N will come to love learning again and that our son will not have to go through what his sisters did.

[wildhoneypie]

I guess this makes me officially "outed" and no longer just a lurker. (Thanks for all the great links by the way mamas.) My DS has actually had an OK preschool outside the home, and almost excellent public K experience. My DD loves preschool. But, we're moving and I feel that the transition is going to be so dramatic possibly traumatic that homeschooling will be a good way to take some of the stress out of the transition. I've always considered homeschooling my son because he has some "issues" (we suspect aspergers or PDDNOS or SPD) and I think adjusting to a new teacher, new kids, new PT, new OT, new ST, new APE, and a full day on top of a new location, new home, no family, new everything else is too much to ask, especially since we don't know what district we'll settle in long term. My DP is super resistant to the idea (because they won't get a good education, they won't be socialized, lots of faith in my abilities huh?) but agrees that it will be good at least for a transition year. ("One year won't hurt them.") I'm actually hoping that it goes really well and we decide to stick with it long term. Which causes me to feel a lot of pressure because I've got to prove I can do this, and do it well.

I love the cliff/wing quote ekblad9.

[momo7]

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG story....basically I got tired of other people running my life and my children's lives. So now we can do as we please and we are all the happier for it. Isn't that the point?

The breaking point for us I think was when the school gave my children unexcused absences because I took them out for the day to spend it with their grandmother who was visiting. Of course they all received zeros on all their work and the principal told me I couldn't do it.

I was really that day and so I said my .

[saffronblue]

My Story as of today...

Hello everyone!

I have two boys. They are 7 and 12. As different as could be. They are both very cool kids. My older son Otto went to a very tiny very awesome Montessori School for six years. It was a beautiful community - a twelve student multi age classroom. Even there he struggled with "getting it done", he was, and is an observer. He'll remember inticate details and take four hours to do a page of math, frustrating as could be, slow as molasses...but he understands everything and wont move on until he does. He is not and never was a bang through it learner. School was fine, but homework was torture. My second son was around in the classroom during this time and did lots of early education stuff there. He learned how to be in a classroom and to read and began writing and all sorts of stuff. He's a doer. You prepare him and tell him a task and he's off. You may never be able to read his writing, but man, he writes.
Anyway, the school closed and we enrolled both the boys in the local public. In Kinder and 4th grade. My younger made some of the best friends there. He enjoyed everyday. My older was eh, OK. They both did "very well' in classes, after a period of time, as their teachers said, they needed to learn how to go to "real school". HAH.
The socialization they learned from public school is atrocious. My younger was saying things like, no we don't do that in first grade. (in response to me asking him if he wants to do some of that multiplcation math we did over the summer). He would hand in homework packets the day after he got them and be chastised for working too quickly. And yes, the teacher did say that if he finished too early he wont have anything to do. (!) It was stifling.
And so, being a rebellious one by nature, I really started questioning school at all. I have alway had a hard time with authority, and even walking those elementary school halls took me back to being a kid who was told I was doing it wrong all the time. If it wasn't done their way than it wasn't right. Basically I was feeling more and more that all school was good for was free daycare, and even that was lousy. I didn't want my kids to be told that thay couldn't go to the bathroom until their work was done, or learning early segregation and raciscm lessons. Yes, when I tried to get my older son to take some spanish lessons with me when he was younger he told me that no he was an English Speaker and he didn't speak spanish.
We have been independent study for a year through a local charter school and it has been ok. We struggle a whole lot with proving that we are leaning. With handing in completed work to prove to the state that we are "up to standards". With skimming over a topic quickly so that we can turn in work samples.
I get indignant when I start to think that they are telling what I can teach my children and when. Especially because the state of California doesn't have the best education system at all.
I am feeling more and more that it is I who needs to learn to trust my boys and know that they will learn exactly what they need to to continue to have joyful lives.
When my first son was very young I remember people saying over and over how he was "sure to turn out to be nice man", and it used to piss me off because I was really only concerned that he was a nice young man now and that he was happy and enjoyable now, that he was kind, and caring, about himself and his environment and his community now, and that if we as parents could acheive that now it would be sure to last into the rest of his life. And that is how I think of school. If we can successfully foster their inquisitiveness and curiosity, then they will learn, and grow, and find joy.

Whew, sorry I'm not super articulate, but I am excited to read all of your stories and find so much valuable insight here.

I feel like I should also add that while my husband is not the instigator of, or even super involved with this homeschool adventure, he is realy proud of us, and is very supportive. He will back me up and support any decision I make about our children (and has). From immunization to team sports. And now this homeschool adventure. So while I do feel supported, it realy is my thing that I do with the kids.

I look forward to lots of future conversation and inspiration here.

[laehmichal]

I was homeschooled myself, when I was a senior in high school. It was the first time I could really learn, and loved learning. I usually caught on to things quickly, then got so bored waiting for everyone else to catch up. Plus, I had to save the world, and homework clearly thwarted my life's calling. My dh was traditionally schooled, but was so impressed with my and my homeschooled friends' backgrounds and accomplishments, that it went without saying that we would give this to our kiddos. Now, my ds is 3, dd is almost 1, and learning is just a natural part of their world. Ds is in speech therapy, and his 'teacher' can't believe how much he knows (i.e., alphabet, beginning writing and reading, counting). These are just our world, and I can see the kids loving learning already. The most powerful thing I have ever seen concerning how I would like to homeschool, was watching my friend read the Very Hungry Caterpiller to a bunch of kids at my house. One asked her how the caterpiller made the cocoon, and she responded with, let's get a book and find out. I need structure or nothing gets done, but guided 'unschooling' or investigative curiosity is where we are headed, and I can not tell you how excited I am!!

[RedJen]

Originally Posted by saffronblue

When my first son was very young I remember people saying over and over how he was "sure to turn out to be nice man", and it used to piss me off because I was really only concerned that he was a nice young man now and that he was happy and enjoyable now, that he was kind, and caring, about himself and his environment and his community now, and that if we as parents could acheive that now it would be sure to last into the rest of his life. And that is how I think of school. If we can successfully foster their inquisitiveness and curiosity, then they will learn, and grow, and find joy.

I agree! I can't stand it when people look at kids as future people instead of as present people.

We just finished our year of deschooling, so we're going to do some more structured learning. He chose his science (chemistry) and his history (early civilizations) and I chose his math and language arts curriculum. We're learning Latin together.

[~Demeter~]

Why we started homeschooling

I have 3 boys and 1 girl. My boys are 13, 9 and 6 soon to be 7. Last August I was unbelievably pregnant.. I was due July 23rd and didn't have her until the 4th of August. Registration for public school was on the 1st and 2nd of August and I, being so pregnant, couldn't bear the thought of standing in line for that long waiting to register my kids. It was hot and I was already uncomfortable so to torture myself that way just wasn't on my agenda. I figured I would register the kids after the baby came.


I took my littlest guy in for his kindy physical. It was on a Friday and I figured that Monday I would be ready to register them, school was to start on the 15th so I knew I needed to do it soon... I was a little worried about registration fees because they would be close to $500 and knew there was no way we would be able to afford that. On Monday I went to the district office to register the kids. I was forced to wait while 6 people cut in front of us (all the while I'm holding my less than 2 week old daughter).. when I finally got to speak with the secretary I was told rather rudely that I needed to make an appointment. I was a little annoyed by the treatment in this office and I blandly said to sign 3 pieces of paper.. sure whatever. I figured they would get me in, in the next two to three days. No such luck.. school was to start on the 15th and they were trying to schedule me out on the 22nd. When I saw that I said, "Are you kidding?!". The woman very snidely told me that that's what happens when you register late. Like I didn't have a valid reason for registering my very involved kids late.

I took the appointment and stewed a bit about the woman's attitude. When I went in for my appointment I was forced to stand outside in the rain for 15 minutes while this office got their stuff together. Again.. I had my daughter with me and was a little irked by this. I made an appointment.. there should have been minimal waiting and it shouldn't have been outside. :

Get in to the office and am pointed to another woman who can "help" me. I didn't need any help filling out the paper work, I'm quite capable.. know how to read and write etc. As I'm filling out the papers the woman starts to ask me what is the name of the school my kids attend. I tell her the name of the school down the street. She then asks me what grades my boys are in. I say K, 3, and 6. She then proceeds to tell me they no longer have room for my 6th grader in that school and he will need to go to a different school on the other side of town. Uh?! WHAT?!! No.. I don't think so. And I said as much. She tells me yeah that's what happens when you register late. I tell her that's ridiculous and point to my daughter saying it's not like I was really capable of registering my kids the days you chose. I didn't have the money to register them earlier and you aren't able to set up any sort of payment plans until the last day of their registration days. She proceeds to shrug her shoulders and I stand up yelling at this point (yeah.. a little dramatic but I was less than 2 weeks postpartum) that that's absolute bullsh!t and I couldn't believe that they can do this. I tell her that it would physically be impossible for me to be in 3 different places (because my kids would be in 3 different schools now) at one time. I just can't do it. Again she shrugs her shoulders.. I look at her and say fine I'll homeschool then. (this was an idea I had been tossing around for years and was going to do the next year when I had time to research and prepare for it...)

I practically ran out of their office, proceeded to burst in to tears and head to my grandparent's house to pick up my big kids. The next day after I had calmed a little, I tried to speak with the superintendent. After 25 minutes or so of trying to get her to understand my situation I was told that essentially I should have registered early (paying in full which I was unable to do) and that she just wasn't able to help at all. I asked her if I was the only person that cared about my child's emotional well being.. how could they not see where I was coming from.

My oldest son was a little upset at first. I mean, he was on the student council, in the chorus, played on the volleyball and basket ball team. He was very involved and this would have been his last year at that school. I felt terrible for him as he had finally found his niche and was actually enjoying school after the first couple of years of nothing but troubles.

I can see now that it was truly the best decision I have ever made for my kids. Those first few months were a little scary because we were all thrown in to the decision with no chance to research or do anything to prep. I had a brand new baby on top of all of this... The first thing I noticed was how many holes there were in their education. Neither one of them paid much attention to writing proper sentences, capitalization was optional and there was a huge lacking in teh punctuation department. My oldest son was never encouraged to correct any of his spelling and I was told more often than I care to admit that it didn't matter if he could spell properly or not that's why we have spell check. All of these things really upset me about public school.. it's sad that that's what is to be expected in many public schools now.

We worked really hard last year and we are gearing up from a break to start this year. We had a lot of adjustments to get used to and somehow we all survived! My oldest occasionally asks if he can go back to public school.. not because he likes the education but because he misses the daily interaction with his friends. He agrees wholeheartedly that he's getting a much better education now. My middle son likes being home and my youngest doesn't know any different. I think I need to find a homeschool group to get involved with but spent most of last year just adjusting. We don't use a boxed curriculum.. I handpick many of their lessons online and have a few curriculum type workbooks that they practice skills in. I'm hoping this year is a little less bumpy and a little more relaxed.

I think this has got to be the longest post I've ever made on MDC.. if you made it through, I admire you.

[karemore]

My husband first brought up homeschooling and I told him he was nuts.

I was laying awake at night worrying about what we were going to do about our daughter and school. We live in a horrible school district, there was no way I was sending her there.

If we had lived in a good school district, it probably would have taken us several years to come around to hsing. I thank God that we are able to start from the beginning and not lose any precious time, or her enthusiasum.

I always assumed we'd move. Dh said she could go to private school, but I'd have to return to work to afford it. I didn't want to be away from her after school, holidays, summers etc.

When I realized the private schools didn't sound much better than the public schools and they were as expensive as college, I started to read about hsing.

The more I read, the more excited I became. It's great having DH totally on board. He tells everyone we're home educating her, he seems really excited and proud of it.

I'm also lucky to live in an area with abundant resources for hsers and a good mix of families.

We're in the process of setting up a "class" room. We're very relaxed at this point since DD is a preschooler. I let her set the pace and follow her interests as much as possible.

We're looking forward to the journey as our daughter learns and grows and beomes a responsible, caring, well balanced individual.

I'm thrilled I found this group and look forward to getting to know many of you!

[three.boysmom]

How we came to our decision....

I'll start by saying that it was DH who initially brought up the topic, nearly six years ago when we first found out we were expecting. I was not fond of the idea, but felt that I had time before I needed to accept the direction that would be taken.

Well time got away from us. This past summer it dawned on us (for lack of a better way to put it) that we needed to do something regarding school. DS#1 is of school age.

We are not fond of the general "dumbing down" effect found in most schools these days. We started to look in to a private school as it is right up the road from us. That didn't pan out.

As the summer moved on and we would have to either register him or what?? I started reading anything and everything I could. Then I came across a book on sale in the local bookstore. That was the best $3 I spent in a long time. It really opened up doors for me and helped me to feel secure in the inevitable.

It was just this past July that we (well mostly I as DH was firm to begin with) made our decision firm. I started gathering all I could...and we've been going since.

We are hoping to be able to move one day soon (might not be for another year it seems) and I would hate to have to uproot my boys from one school to another. So the decision to homeschool just works for us.

With that said...I have three boys (hence the username LOL)~
DS#1 will be six in December.
DS#2 turns three on Saturday.
DS#3 is about 9 1/2 months (he's our other December baby).

We are doing kindergarten work with #1. And when #2 wants to/insists on being involved...he gets age appropriate things as well.
Most times school happens during naptime for the younger two.

Lyn

[*jeanine*]

I'm mostly a lurker here and have been for a long while, so I figure it's about time to post my story:

From the time ds (7) was born, we though we would homeschool him.

DH went to private school for elementary and a very prestigious Jesuit school for high school. When he got to college he had to take remedial math and english. I'm not impressed with the education he received in private school.

I went to public school. I taught myself to read before that. My mother discovered I could read when I was four. I was the only child in my class who could read before the start of Kindergarten. They didn't know what to do about that. Usually the Kindergarten class was divided into two groups when working on letters/reading - the "quicker" group and the "slower" group. The year I was there they had three groups - the "quicker", the "slower", and me. All by myself. Not good for a painfully shy child.

In first grade they decided to send me to second grade just for reading (I couldn't skip a grade, because reading was the only thing I was ahead in). I hated it. In second grade they decided to send me to third grade for reading. I still hated it. In third they sent me to fourth and in fourth they sent me to fifth. They were starting to wonder what to do with me the next year, since fifth was considered elementary, and sixth was considered junior high. Well, they decided by my behaviour that perhaps they should just keep me with my grade. The teachers couldn't keep track of when I was supposed to be where, so I stopped going to the higher grade. I would sit in the back of my grade's classroom and read my own stuff. If they questioned me, I would say the other grade didn't have reading right then. They didn't know. I was caught when my mother showed up at school and asked them WTH was going on. Then they sent me to the school counselor to find out the problem. The result of all this? There was stuff I was never taught - I don't know if it's because I was skipping class () or because I was legitimately somewhere else when it was being taught. For a while I did not have PE. I never learned to tell time in school. I somehow missed instruction in cursive and was doing catch-up work at home once they discovered it. And, I was bored in school. In high school, when things got more challenging, I didn't rise to the challenge. I was so used to coasting I continued to do just that. I could've worked for A's, but why do that when I could not work and get mostly B's? Needless to say, I am not impressed with my education, either. I was definitely "not working up to my potential".

So, long story short, I didn't want my child to have the same educational experiences that dh and I had. Since my public school education left a lot to be desired, and dh's private school education left a lot to be desired, that left one option: homeschooling.

So, for four years we figured we would homeschool. Then I found out the schools here give homework for Kindergarten. *A lot* of homework. That was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak. That's when I *knew* we would homeschool, and I started researching the laws of my state.

We didn't do anything for Kindergarten, since the compulsory age here is 6. I spent that year trying to decide on a curriculum.

We are Charlotte Mason-ish. DS is 7. I also have 2 dd's, one is 3 and one is 14 months. I plan to homeschool them all through high school. I plan to take advantage of our local community college for some of our high school classes.

I am fortunate to live in a pretty homeschool friendly town. There is a charter school here for homeschooling. We are not a part of that, since they still do testing, and you have to go in once a week so they can make sure you're "on track". I don't care about the track. But the good thing about the charter school is that means there are a fair number of homeschoolers around (although we don't know too many), so people are, for the most part, supportive. (Wish I could say as much about the ILs

There are, of course, some frustrating moments with homeschooling. But all in all, it's a wonderful thing and I'm so glad we are in a position to do it. I've already realized a couple of things that I will do differently with the dd's. And there's a lot I've learned. (Did they not teach history in my school?!?!)

Well, that's that. Hopefully when I read posts now, I won't have the urge to respond with the story of my life

[the_juniper_tree]

After drama from my daughter's school, her being picked on, a school social worker interrogating her without mine or her father's permission about her BED WETTIN INCIDENTS:, and having ALWAYS wanted to homeschool anyways. I have decided to homeschool my oldest daughter. I have been UNschooling her little sister and she is doing great. : Dara needs more structure than Zoe, but we're figuring it out. So far, so good. I know that I can give her a MUCH BETTER education than the Indianapolis Public School system.

[ShivayaMama]

My oldest son went to a small 6 person waldorf preschool last year. The school closed this year, and we sent him off to a "standard" school. He immediately developed motor ticks, and seemed to also develop insomnia. We moved him to a new school, and the same thing happened again. We took him out, brought him home and now use a combination of different Waldorf based homeschool programs.

I can remember the same thing happening to me when I was a child, and I just did not want to force my 5 year old into a situation that he was clearly scared of. He also has celiac disease and multiple food allergies, and it just felt safer to keep him at home for a few more years.

One thing that inspires me everyday is how close of a family we are, and how little trouble both of my kids have in social situations. Homeschooling actually helped us to be more calm, centered, and actually have more time in our day. I thought it would be the opposite, but it is a great surprise. We plan to keep our kids home for another year, and then reevaluate school when my oldest is ready for the 1st grade.

[mommariffic]

My daughter is 19 months old.

Before she was born, I tried to find schools in the area that were affordable, and ran along the principles that I believe in. Those things are, freedom to learn at your own space, a huge emphasis on nature and natural learning, creative classes, open minds, etc.

When I went to school, I hated it. I was socially awkward as one can be in high school, but until my parents found an alternative high school I was really miserable, and I would never want that for my child. I found a few schools I appreciated, but the tuition was high, or they were too far away from where we live now.

So, I'm going to home school. My husband is going to help out, but I'll be the main "teacher" so to say. I like Waldorf methods, combined with some things I've read in the un-schooling manuals, and I'm really psyched.

[ReadingMama]

How we started homeschooling:
I've been homeschooling my 9 yo son for 3 years now. My son went to public school pre-k and kindergarten. He was very anxious at school and told me hated school all the time. He cried at night worrying about school the next day. At the advice of one of his teachers, we had him evaluated by a developmental pediatrician. She suspected a mild autism spectrum disorder. This was a shock to us. He was a happy (though intense), outgoing kid at home and in other non-school environments. We got an IEP and he was placed in a special class. It worked for pre-k, but by kindergarten my son had started hurting himself at school to deal with the stress. He begged me to homeschool him, and in the spring of his kindergarten year we decided that we would. We realized that the emotional cost of staying in traditional school was too high for our son. When I told him that I was going to homeschool him, he hugged me and said, "Thanks Mama. You're the best!" :

What we do:
I started out with what I thought sounded the most efficient and logical--unit studies. I used online unit studies put together by education majors. My son liked them as long as the topics were of interest to him (Yea, dinosaurs! Boo, health and safety!) I eventually decided to try something else. I'd read some Charlotte Mason and Ruth Beechick's litte books (A Home Start in...) I liked the simplicity and common sense of Ruth Beechick's recommendations, and I thought it'd work especially well since I only have one child (sometimes those unit studies are labor-intensive!) So as far as seatwork is concerned, we focus on the 3R's mostly.

We use Explode the Code, Handwriting without Tears (sometimes), Math-U-See, and we read to each other every day. History and science are natural interests in our family, so no formal curriculum is needed in those subjects. Ds might take a science experiments class in my homeschool group's co-op next year. He also takes karate and drama, and does cub scouts. He has dysgraphia, so handwriting is difficult for him. We'll be starting keyboarding pretty soon.

What I've learned:
The doctor eventually ruled out an autism spectrum disorder and told us that ds has Nonverbal Learning Disability and anxiety. We work around his learning differences with a balance of focusing on what he does well and working to improve what he struggles with. He still has a hard time in classroom situations (Sunday school, some cub scout meetings), but his social skills are much better now, he has several friends, has less anxiety, and has discovered that he loves reading. He can handle his life now. Homeschooling is the right choice for us!

[v-momma]

just beginning the homeschool journey

We are so new to this and are most likely unschooling at the moment...trying to figure out the myriad of options available to us. We recently moved back to Seattle after 5 years away and our move happened right at the time our son would begin kindergarten. My husband and I had thought of homeschooling but our decision was made when we didn't want him starting one school, moving away from everyone and everything he has known to begin school and life in a new state/city. It was the best thing we could have done!
I myself feel a bit lost most of the time so I constantly check out books at the library on homeschooling and try to figure out what will work best for us. I love the fact that we don't follow any schedule but our own...
My biggest issue at the moment is meeting other homeschool/like minded families. We live in Seattle and any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated as this is something I want to continue...I just feel like a little reassurance and some support from others doing the same would be good and my sons desperately need some social interaction from someone other than me!

Heather
Momma to Vaughn 6 and Finn 2 and loving it!