Homeschooling

Hi everyone-

I know there's been some discussion of homeschooling on this board. HS is something that DH and I have discussed since the beginning of this school year for my 7 year old DD, Rebecca. Rebecca is an out of the box thinker. She is languishing in a traditional school setting. We are watching her curious spark gradually be stomped out. Her school is not doing well with the transition to the common core... they've basically eliminated all science and social studies in favor of ELA and math material. They do math for 2.5 hours a day. I'm an involved parent... I've attended the meetings, tried to change things from the inside out, spoken to other parents, teachers, and the principal, and there's been no change. She is doing poorly in school. She comes home exhausted and sad. Some kids maybe do well in this kind of setting, but mine doesn't. SO, given all of this information, we've made the decision to homeschool her next year.

We have set a one year deadline on this... It's going to be kind of an experiment, I guess. We are going to do it for one year. If we both like it, she's happy and excelling, and I am happy doing it, we will continue. If not, she will go back to public school, no harm, no foul. I've joined some online groups so she will have interaction with other homeschooled kids and have access to a lot of great programs that they run.

Today, I made the first step in the process. I called the district (Office of Special Education and Pupil Personnel Services in Lindenhurst) and requested the packet for the NYS homeschooling requirements. I will have to meet with her elementary school, submit a notorized letter by June 1 of my intention to homeschool. Then I will have to create an IHIP, or an outline of the curriculum I plan to follow for the entire year. NYS has the most restrictive process for homeschooling in the country, and I have to admit that I am scared of the paperwork.

I'm going to keep updating this as the process continues. I hope maybe some of you can get some useful information from our homeschooling journey!

5/7/13- We have made some progress. I officially told her elementary school about our plans for next year, I just have to send a letter to the district now. I have decided on all the curriculums except math. We are doing Horizons for Spelling and Vocab (Horizons ) , some basic geography for social studies (with this book ) and we are using books from the library for reading and science. We will supplement with Khan Academy and ABC Mouse online programs for fun. I bought some yoga DVDs for "gym" and am enrolling her in an art class through a homeschooling group we joined.

Funnily enough, after asking for help from her school with her letter/number reversals and math issues for over a year, with pretty much no response, they start to pull her out for testing with the reading teacher a week after I tell them she's not returning this year The situation makes me mad enough I could spit nails, but I try to relax and think, "She only has a few more weeks of this, and then I will be free to educate her in an environment that I KNOW is the right place for her."

5/15/13- I sent the official letter to the district yesterday! They have 10 days to respond. In the meantime, I've been working on my IHIP, which I have 14 days after their response to submit. I also "came out" on Facebook, which was exciting! I did it because I didn't want the news of what we were doing to be fodder for the gossip mill in DD's elementary school. I wanted the info to come from me.

8/27/13- So much has happened since the last time I posted, I figured I would update. The district has been VERY difficult to deal with. They lost our letter of intent three times. I finally received confirmation that they did receive it, and then 2 weeks later the woman who handles homeschooling for the district called me saying that she had heard from the principal that we "might" be homeschooling in September. I flipped out, since I had spoken to this woman over and over again in the past few months, and she couldn't get her information together. I'm delaying sending the IHIP until I'm sure they have all the basic information right.

As far as curriculum goes, we've made some changes to what I originally thought I would do. We've elected to not do phonics, since Rebecca does better reading whole words rather than sounding out. I instead chose Wordly Wise for spelling and vocabulary. I also discovered Sunrise Math, which I think is a great fit for her. I am holding her back a year for math, since she retained little to nothing last year.

Lastly and most exciting, we have made a really great group of homeschooling friends, and have been meeting up with them weekly. I'm so excited to have like-minded moms to talk with, and Rebecca has made a wonderful group of friends.

Message edited 8/27/2013 9:55:23 AM.

Homeschooling

Good luck. While my kids are in school, what I am doing is taking them to science, kids, art, and other museums to enrich their science exposure. I also purchased a few science kits. eta: I am looking forward to reading your updates as well.

Message edited 4/16/2013 1:50:56 PM.

Homeschooling

Good luck, and I'm looking forward to your updates. My kindergarten daughter told me yesterday that the gym teacher was absent, so they sat in class and did math instead. The math and ELA are such a focus like you said. It's frustrating and I think more families are moving toward homeschooling. FYI I think there are a lot of groups on meetup for field trips, etc. for homeschoolers

Re: Homeschooling

Sounds like you a making the right decision for your family right now. We live in CO and quite a lot of kids are home-schooled kids. From what I can see, they are able to complete the required curriculum ahead of the public school calendar while still taking advantage of non-traditional learning and enrichment experiences. I'm sure the beginning will be challenging until you get into a routine, but you can go at your child's pace and really focus on what interests her. Much luck to you!

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I think that's awesome! I wouldn't have that choice since I work FT but the way things are going I don't blame you. My 2nd grader doesn't like school. My 4 th grader has expressed how she misses creative writing and they hardly learn social studies anymore. Good luck!

Homeschooling

There are also a lot of amazing private schools like thevwaldorf school that is much more creative teaching and NO State Testing

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Good luck! Can't wait to hear how it goes.

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Just make sure that while you are schooling, you keep accurate records and budget time appropriately.

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Congratulations!

Yes, NYS has rigorous regulations BUT....your school district is REQUIRED to help you with all the paper work! I promise, it is in fact a lot simpler than it seems once you realized that "less is more" when it comes to what they actually want to see.

I homeschooled for two years while we waited for our child to be old enough to attend the school of our choice (which begins at sixth grade). Her school was absolutely not meeting her needs - and we were wasting tuition money.

Good luck to you on this very exciting journey. I think you are going to have a blast. I did!

Re: Homeschooling

I am in NJ but, my neighbor has 3 kids and she was only going to homeschool her 3KIDS for one year because they had a lot of stuff going on in their family and were moving they didn't want to pull the kids in and out of school. This is their second year and they have all done great she says. Her kids are 8, 10 and 12.

Good Luck!

Homeschooling

I am in Texas, homeschooling is very popular here. I even thought about it for my own girls but ultimately don't think I am disciplined enough to do it.

Re: Homeschooling

Good for you! I am eager to see how it goes for you. I've thought about it as an option as well but right now it doesn't work for our family.

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Don't rule out private school. Many, many of them offer scholarships or financial aid. Just an option .

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Good luck! SOmetimes I contemplate this myself!!! Curious to see how it works out and how difficult it is to implement!

Does anyone know if a child can participate school activities if they are homeschooled? Can they participate in sports teams? Band? Orchestra? Science research? Math olympiads etc....

TIA!

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IF I can become a SAHM in the next few years and IF the schooling/testing curriculums haven't changed by then, I'm considering doing home schooling.

I'm looking forward to hearing all about it!

Homeschooling

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Homeschooling

I would love to home school my girls. As of right now- it wouldn't be an option financially.

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Homeschooling

Just wanted to offer some more positive support. I don't have the patience or discipline to hs but I think it's a wonderful thing you are doing. I have no doubt that a properly homeschooled child will learn more than a public school child. I'm sure most negative feedback you get is from uninformed people.
My oldest starts preschool in the fall (4yo) and I'm already dreading the elementary curriculums.
Good luck. I look forward to following your journey.

Homeschooling

Just read article
Funny because 2 friends i have married to drs....both are sending kids to hybrid schools....school days 2 times a week.
That would be beyond perfect for me.
Good luck!

Homeschooling

http://www.parentsociety.com:80/parenting/done-with-public-school-try-a-hybrid-homeschool/

Homeschooling

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