My son has ADHD. Well, that is what the teachers wwnt to label him as. He does have some listening issues but I do not see these problems at all at home. There are some behavior issues but this is not caused by ADHD. He has some anger problems which he is seeing a therapist about.
I work at the same school he attends. I teach grades k-3rd. There is A LOT of bullying amongst the teachers in this school. His librarian has yelled at him on multiple occasions when he was just asking to exchange books or reset his password. I have spoken to the principal about this and he has done nothing but told me to confront her. I know that will not end well. I honestly hate the woman and feel like she does not value her job. I have tried to talk to her before and she yelled at me and made it seem like it was my fault.
I got into an argument last year with my boss who was my son's kindergarten teacher. She was keeping him out of major school events because he wasn't finishing his table work in time. Then she expected him to finish it while his entire class was having fun IN THE SAME room!! I was ticked and approached her on it. She started yelling at me telling me I "overstepped her" and then she attempted to mix my job into me being a parent.
Now they want me to drug him and have been keeping him inside for recess. His behaviors have gotten worse since the drugs started.
I am very serious about homeschooling him. Where do I start? What do I do?
First, go to HSLDA and look up the homeschooling rules in your state. They vary -- a lot.
Once you know your legal options, you can begin to figure out how you want to do the homeschooling. Some purists don't want you to work through the public schools or even an online or umbrella school, but that can be a good option for some people, especially those just starting out (k12, although I have problems with some of the classes, may be an option, and I believe that Abeka -- very Christian -- has an online option as well).
If you want more flexibility, you can look into more of a pick-and-choose approach to the studies. If you message me with what you might be interested in (strengths, weaknesses, etc.), I can give you some suggestions (there are too many to just list -- but I have four kids, so I've looked at a LOT of stuff over the years). You can also design your own units and full year curricula; there are some places that can help with that as well.
You should also consider what "extra" classes or experiences you want to expose your son to. We do a lot of languages. Other folks that we know are heavily into sports, music or computer programming or whatever.
Good luck!
As for homeschooling, there is no law that states you cannot. It is legal in all 50 states. And you can do it whenever you want to. The big thing you have to make sure is that you are 'qualified', and that you have the ability to track your days for compulsory attendance. There also has to be someone home in order to homeschool. Make sure that if you are the one to do it, that your family can function on one income. It's really not good to pull him out and then have to put him back just because your aren't going to be able to eat.
Other than that, just take a day or two and make sure you have your legals covered. Everyone else is so kind, I am like 'protect your kid, screw the government, do what you want.' Lol, sorry to be so abrasive, but I have a son similar to yours, and we've been in a similar situation. Luckily I wasn't the only parent with a complaint about that particular teacher. Good luck! See if you can find a local homeschool advocate group near you too. They will be able to help you navigate your state laws, and support you on a real life level.
Your State Home School Association will help (free of charge) with many things like legal issues. Here is an article that will help you connect with your State's Association, help you figure out which learning your style your child has, and explain different methods used by home educators. It also gives you links to different resources.
. "Hands On Learners" are often misdiagnosed as having learning disabilities. This article explains the common conditions that are way to often mislabeled as a learning disability.
One of my grandsons was recently pulled out of ps for the same reasons. He had been on meds for 7 yrs for ADHD. My DIL had always told me that they was going to home educate their children like I did mine. Well for some reason she didn't until this yr. My grandson was having a lot of problems, was skinny as a beanpole and they were telling them to put him on MORE meds. They finally yanked him out. He has been home for about 4 months now and is doing great. They dropped all his medicines and he started putting on weight immediately. My DIL said that she actually sees his real personality now and loves it :) He is doing great.
When I first began home educating many years ago I used all ABeka. I still use a lot of their material. They really are a great one. But you just have to choose what you want to try. Everyone is different. I made several changes through the yrs as I found what I liked with what subject.
What state do you live in?
are you going to be able to homeschool him and work? what will you do with him while you are working?
if you can get him off those drugs, poor kid, let us know how it goes.
check law http://www.hslda.org/hs/default.asp
when hes home he can learn at his own pace, you dont have to keep up with the ps pace, or what they are doing
heres a list of grades and some sites for online school work, till you get what you need or decide how you want to homeschool him
1st Grade
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade
6th Grade
Jr. High
Highschool
Several have already mentioned checking your local laws regarding homeschooling. I would also suggest setting up a support system for yourself, because there are going to be days when you really need to vent your frustrations. The right curriculum for your child is another thing I consider to be a very important consideration. We tried the textbook approach and struggled. We are now using ACE curriculum from School of Tomorrow. My son is autistic, but I know of several who parents who's ADHD children did well with the curriculum. I'd also recommend setting up a social support system for your child. Many presume homeschool children have no outlet for socialization, but there are tons of homeschool groups, church groups, library groups, etc. who offer socialization opportunities. Depending upon your options in your state, you will need to decide how you plan to conduct your schooling for your child -- virtual school, umbrella school, etc. Good luck on your transition.
Here in Ohio, we don;t trtack attendance but I don't know what your state laws are. Everyone has had good suggestions. If you do pull him out, give him at least a month of deschooling. He'll need time to adjust off the meds and off the school model. I'm sorry he has had this trouble.
Leaving public school...
- Celtic_Dragon
on Dec. 27, 2011 at 11:47 PM