HELP! Homeschooling info

[Lauren Reid]

So I'm debating on taking one of my boys out of school to homeschool him.

He has ADHD + some other anxiety issues, etc. that we're having evaluated next week. Anywho, last year we started him on ADHD meds in hopes that it would help him stay focused in school.... then in the Summer we took him off. Then onto a new med for 2nd grade that I was told would cause less emotional meltdowns in him. The issue is that yes, it helps him stay in control to a degree, BUT it's caused these weird OCD issues... picking/biting his fingernails to the point where the nail is biten down half way down the nail bed!!! Plus he unhems his clothes.... he says I'm sorry Mommy..... I don't know why i do it. He is wicked smart, but is not thriving in school, and not completing his work... this is a child that i was SURE would be in the gifted program. It's just so heartbreaking to see him unhappy and not thriving..... i feel so helpless....

anywho..... i'm looking into both Montessori Schools and Homeschooling to see which would be the best fit for him. I'm COMPLETELY clueless on homeschooling though, although i was a teacher pre-kids.

thanks in advance for ANY info!

xooxoxo

[Darcy Baldwin]

Lauren - first - deep breath

TX has the most homeschool-friendly laws in the Union (next to AK), so we have no strict guidelines to follow, no pre-approved curriculum, etc.

Do you want a complete in-a-box type curriculum? Do you want something that is most like schooling at a public school, or do you want something more laid back. It's some of the bigger questions you need to ask. You might know the answer now, and three months into it find that you've changed your mind. Ask me how I know this happens? LOL

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/.../Beginning.htm

Here's a quick and easy site to help you through ideas and what's out there, to get your feet wet, so to speak.

[Emmy]

The right Montessori school could be a great fit for him - if the teachers make sure he is moving ahead and he is a self directed learner. I have a niece that went to Montessori and thrived on it -she is a self starter and was very motivated to learn. Both of those personality traits work great for the Montessori learning situation. Conversely I had a friend that had her son in Montessori for 3 years and he left having never really advanced in basics like math and reading but being bizarrely proficient at making maps of south america LOL. She always said it didn't work for her son because A. he was not self motivated and B. he was allowed to pursue niche interests to the exclusion of the basics. Just some thoughts for you on that.

As to homeschooling....it might be a great fit for your son to homeschool for a few years until he can gain better self control and develop coping skills for his adhd. Being able to have a customized school experience in the safety of home could work really well. And then when he's 11-13 he could transition back to a school environment when he's more aware and able to work on his adhd issues. Homeschooling is really not difficult - I thought it would be, but honestly with the curriculum choices out there you can have as much support as you want or need. I am homeschooling a 9yo (4th grade by skills, we call him 3rd grade for his size/birthday), a 7 1/2 year old (2nd grade) and a kindergartener. Up to 4th grade has been easy peasy and super fun for the kids and I. 4th has been a bit less fun simply because we started getting in to topics that I had to actually research how to teach (writing etc) but overall it's been fun.

Downsides to homeschooling- it takes a lot of my time and energy. A lot. And, if you only homeschool 1 kid, I think you'll have to make more effort to get him out and about and meeting up with other homeschool kids. Also - with an ADHD kid, you'll need to be very disciplined to have him on a schedule/routine. That might not be hard for you since you'll have other kids in school and yo'ull be tied to those times anyway. For me- it's very hard, particularly with a lot of younger kids that pull me away.

HTH

[Lauren Reid]

THANK YOU! {{{HUGS}}}

I'm gonna check out that resource Darcy. I think i'd probably like to keep him on a similar program as public school so he's up to date for when he's ready to go back. But i'm open to all options.

I've heard that about Montessori... about being self directed.... Justin is very self directed if it involves the computer or whatever he WANTS to be doing. Otherwise you have to be on him. So i worry that it might be too open for him and that it might not meet his needs.... he's very introverted.

The hard part is that you know he's a twin, so i feel so torn about pulling him out of school and leaving his super social/no issues brother in school. Josh is doing great and Jessica is in PreK and will head to K next year and is like Josh, super social, smart, friendly, no apparent issues.

I don't know... i'm rambling.... i just feel like i've had enough of the doctors and teachers not really being very helpful other than passing along some meds.

thank you again!

xo

[Julie Billingsley]

have you looked into charter schools in your area? Both of my boys go to charter schools. Their charter schools are run in cooperation with the local school district and are publically funded. It is a lot like a private school without paying for private school! My oldest is a senior in high school and attends a charter school that is for students that want to be architects and engineers. It's amazing. My youngest is in first grade and attends an elementary charter school that runs a curriculum similar to public school but has a real focused academic lean. There are 3 teachers per classroom (one main teacher and 2 fully licenced assistant teachers) so the ratio of teacher:kid is 1:8. That allows for a lot of individual attention that has really helped some of the struggling kids in my son's school. If a charter school is an option in your area, you might see if they have an opening so you can check them out. It might give you the best of both worlds!

[BrattyMeg]

I have an ADHD son as well...a trick a therapist told us (I think he has other issues but everything so far has turned out ok) is to give him a block or a stress ball, etc something do hold while he does his work and he'll use that excess energy with that instead of fiddling with his clothing, etc...

also it might not be that he's behind/struggling in school...it could be that he's uber smart (lots of adhd kids are) and bored out of his mind in a classroom environment..most kids learn differently and teachers have to teach on a mean that's accommodating to the majority of students. It just might not be for him.

I wish I lived in TX for the homeschooling laws...by far the best I think lol

[Emmy]

The laws in Illlinois are pretty good too! I think my only requirement is that I have to teach in English - no conducting school in another language lol. I'm considered a private school - no tracking, registering, no letters of intent, no counting days, no reporting, no nothing. Kind of like that part.....

[Sharon Kay]

Lauren...check your PM...I have a lot of experience with 2 of my boys in this... but I would fill up the forum with it...and really don't want to post everything there...but feel free to e-mail me...

[Neverland Scraps]

This is my go to for homeschooling, Homeschool Legal Defense Association . They give you all the knowledge on how to homeschool, how to document, what credentials you need, etc. If you want the paid membership, they will represent you legally for free as it is part of your yearly dues. They helped me when I was navigating homeschooling in Washington DC and I wasn't able to get services for my daughter.

I'm currently homeschooling my youngest, due to covid, and not liking the way the military school is handling virtual (kids can't sit at a computer for 6 hours a day "learning").

Good luck on this endeavor. It's a lot of hard work, but so rewarding!

sorry didn't realize this was an OLD post. It was bumped and I was answering thinking it was new! :O

[bestcee]

Something that my mom didn't realize: When my brother's ADHD got under control with meds, it turned out he also had anxiety. Now that he is working on treatments for both, he is doing much better in school. Meds have worked for him.

My friend also learned the same with her child. He is on a different treatment than my brother, and upfront: It's hard to treat anxiety in kids with meds because very little is approved for their use until they are older. He is responding well to group therapy, meds weren't working for him.

I hope you are able to find what works for your family.

As to the sibling factor: When I homeschooled, we had kids in our group that had siblings in regular school. The parents approached it as "This is your school that we feel is best for you" and it didn't seem to be a big issue.