Thinking of homeschooling daughter next year (3rd grade)- comments, info?

Question

Any pro/cons would be appreciated, websites, etc. We're considering it for several reasons: she has ADHD, spends hours after school doing homework (she's only in second grade!!!), and doesn't have the one-on-one time at school that she really needs to suceed. I basically home-taught her in K and she reads at a 6th grade level, so she's bright but distract(ing/ed!!!) in class.

P.S. Daddy fully supports and loves the idea of our daughter being home-taught.

Answer 1

Go you. Smart mom!

Pros: Her ADHA will most likely no longer be such a big problem once she is at home with you. She will receive a better quality education from a teacher (you) who actually cares about her success in school, and she'll be able to get ahead in her studies (if she reads on a 6th grade level, there are probably other sujects she can do on a higher grade level as well.) She will also be a more mature, well-adjusted young adult. (You can look that up! Studies on this subject have shown that children who were homeschooled had a higher maturity level, and far fewer social or psychological disorders than children who were made to attend public or private schools.)

Con: It will take a lot of patience on your part, but it is absolutely worth the effort.

You should ignore that first answer that was given. Your daughter will not be unsociable. This is a major misconception. In fact, she will have better social skills than if you were to leave her in school. You see, your daughter will learn how to socialize from YOU, and your family- Not those little children at school. Has she ever picked up a bad habit or obnoxious behaviour from other kids at school? Well, you won't have that problem anymore. You should look up homeschool groups in your area, and attend a playgroup or meeting. This will give your daughter the chance to meet and play with other homeschool kids, and you will be able to talk with other homeschool moms about good books and curriculum to use for your daughter.

Well, good luck, and welcome to the wonderful world of home education! When your child gets to highschool/college, you will be glad you made the switch when she was young!

Here's a resource website for those who are just starting out:
Homeschool.com - Homeschooling Resource Guide

This is a great organization, some really important information on this site:
HSLDA.org - Home School Legal Defense Association

Answer 2

Since both you and her dad like this idea, and your description of your daughter's schooling experience is less than ideal, I would definitely say pursue this further.

I have yet to meet an ADHD-labelled child who was pulled from school and did not do better at home. A lot of ADHD symptoms can simply be from over-stimulation--the fluroescent lights, the constant people and noises and talking, the many details in the classroom... Take out the fluorescent lights, the many kids, the bells ringing, etc., and these kids can often do so much better. Other kids have ADHD symptoms just due to the stress (or boredom!) of school--to avoid feeling the stress, they act up and appear to be ADHD. At home, the stress level tends to go down and things fall in place.

Try to find a local homeschooling support group. They will help you out in understanding the laws where you live, the different options which may be available, might have regular get-togethers where even 'newbies' can attend and get a better feel of things, and so on. I've yet to hear of one that doesn't accept those who are 'just looking'. :)

btw,I would NOT recommend a pre-packaged, one-grade program for your daughter. She probably needs something a little more flexible and more tailored to her interests.

Answer 3

Well, good for you. I'm sure you know that it isn't the "easy" way out since you homeschooled her in kinder...that being said, if you are willing to dedicate some time and want her to get immersed in all different areas of study, including history, science, art, and music, then K12 is a good program.

You can either buy the "independent study" materials, or use their website and get the curriculum for free. The only catch is that they are considered a public school, so you have to submit daily attendance and provide work samples once a quarter. I really like the program, the curriculum is excellent, and compared to other online programs they are definitely worth considering.

Since she is such an advanced reader she would even be eligible to advance to her appropriate grade depending on how she tests on her placement exam. My son was held back in the first grade because he had a problem socializing too much and not doing any work....this past year I was able to quit my job (with my husband's support) and homeschool him. I found out that he is very smart, very capable, but he needs help to stay focused...which at a regular school he can't get!

If you want to check out the k12 curriculum, visit www.caliva.org or www.cava.org or www.k12.com...

Answer 4

When my son was in 3rd grade, he was diagnosed as having ADHD. We went to the school psychologist, the doctor and parent support classes. None of this helped and the meds made him worse. Teachers told us that he was lazy and would never accomplish anything. We finally pulled him out of school halfway through 9th grade to homeschool - I wish it would have been sooner. After a lot of research, I determined that he had a different learning style then what they expect in the public schools. That was about 15 years ago. After high school (at home), he took the GED and ACT and went on to college without a highschool diploma. He received a BS in Physics, and is now working on his Masters/PHD in Physics.

Homeschooling can be very challenging - however, it's very rewarding to see your children develop a love for learning. But a great side-benefit, in my opinion, is having them home where you can love them, explore different learning styles, and teach them good old fashioned values. My son thanks me all the time for letting him come home for school. I have home schooled 5 of my 6 children, but I've also let them go to the public schools in Jr. high and High school part time for classes like band, art, choir and some AP classes. Their teachers always comment on how well behaved my children are and the respect they have for authority. There are some days I have wondered if I made the right decision to homeschool - but it's comments like that that makes it all worth it.

If you are interested in learning styles, a good book is, "The Way They Learn" by Cynthia Tobias.

Answer 5

If she doesn't have an IEP due to her ADHD they aren't going to spend any extra effort on helping her. School is almost out anyway, see if you muddle thru these next few months while you gather information. No reason to alert the school that you will be removing her until you are fully prepared. I would say go for it, if your spouse(?) supports the idea. Is she on meds for ADHD? My 6yr old son is High Function Autistic/ADHD and he takes Adderall XR. IT works wonders on him. But my the early evening, it wears off (right about homework time). the way I see it you need to do some research on two issues: ADHD and homeschooling. They can work together quite well.

Answer 6

Homeschooling is great *because* it addresses a child's different needs, no matter how different they are.
The only con I can think of is that it is a lot more work, however, if you have been fighting with homework, and trying to get the school to help your child, it is going to be such a relief to leave that behind! We have two with autism, and it's so nice not to have to fight anymore for services.

Answer 7

Here is the link to a homeschooling group that is for members to offer and receive free homeschooling items. There are also many websites in the links section. It helped me get almost everything I needed for my first year of homeschooling my son. A wonderful group of people.

Good Luck.

Answer 8

I have a M.Ed degree and this is what you should do... At this age it is most important than anything else that she learns how to read for a variety of purposes (fiction, non-fiction, instructions, recipes). All her future learning depends on how good a reader she is.

Then, emphasize Higher Order Thinking Skills. I suggest you google it. Basically, instead of memorization, she needs to use analysis, synthesis, application, etc. to become a critical thinker and a problem solver.

Make sure you reward her for her progress.

If you can do these 3 things, you'll be successful.

Answer 9

I think homeschooling is great. I have been since kindergarten. you really should every thing is PRO! but the only con is that she may not have much of a social life, so get her involved in sports or extracurricular activities! hope this helps!
please vote best answer, as you can see i am low on points. :'(
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Answer 10

In this case homeschooling sounds like a no brainer but there are down sides like it might be hard for her to meet other kids but that can be fixed if you keep her in clubs (the YMCA has a program called leaders club for when she is 12, i'm in it and it rocks).