I have a 10 yr old boy, who FINALLY this year is enjoying school. BUT, the problem is, he is very SHY, and more of an INVERT. (as was I when I was younger, and my husband)
I fear with him that when he enters Middle school this next year, he will go back into his shell and be a loner and not really concentrate on the education he should be getting. And also, run into pressures from peers, that seem to be getting worse these days. He is the youngest in his class as well (which if i knew better, i would have held him back a year, but now its too late)
Along with that, our schools are over crowded, and I feel that he really has not learned much in the past 2 years. I find that they RE-TEACH the same things over and over. His math has not improved, and I think he is very BORED with the RE-TEACHINGS. He is very bright, and is a walking factoid. =-) And I feel that if he had ONE on ONE teachings, in shorter time frame than the 6 hours at school, he would learn better.
Heres my dilema:
I feel that if we home school him, he WOULD definitely learn more.
BUT, I hate to pull him out of school for fear that pulling him out, would also have a negative impact on his "SOCIAL SKILLS". But yet, i also think that is why he is not comfortable at school, and the learning is hindered a bit. (as was mine in HS)
I know that we can work on that slowly, by having him involved in local activities, such as sports, and other organizations, and having hime see his friends weekly.
ALSO, if we DID homeschool him, at his age, i have no idea where to start!
i know for HS age, there is www.washingtonvirtualhighschool.com But that does not help us at the moment.
My idea is that we will talk to him about how he feels about going to Middle school, possible try it out, and just see how he does.
but if we find that he starts to decline in all areas, we need that alternative.
I also see with my youngest (7) she is starting to plataue at school. She has learned a lot the past 2 years, but i find that she is starting to have a "stale" period in learning this year. but she is outgoing, and very social, so i have no issues with pulling her out at all on how her social skills will be! She has plenty of friends in the neighborhood to socialize with.
I would love to hear from parent who homeschool. What is your opinion/suggestions.
Do you feel that your children are learning More, and how is their social life?
Do you find that they are happy to be at home? Do you have parents that you rotate with to break up the monotony of being at home? Do you feel chaotic with planning what you need to teach and getting other things done around the home? Are your kids respectful to you as their "teacher?"
I want to thank everyone for helping me out. The advice, opinions, and suggestions were all great. We did find (finally) find a virtual home schooling program that we are looking into. www.wava.org. We are still looking into it, but this program follows school curriculum and also allows the kids to still be involved in the local school system for specialty classes such as PE, or Music, or art, etc. And also all supplies are provided for free, and we have access to our local schools for any additional supplies we may need. We are still thinking about this. We have not yet spoken to our children about this becuase we do not want to get them excited or worry them in any way. But I wanted to give an update and let everyone know that we are leaning towards this program IF we decide to go forward with home schooling. We will let them finish out this year in the public school system and take the next few months to consider home schooling. Our schools are growing and growing and are getting even more over crowded that I feel that this would be a great alternative than to uprooting our family from our wonderful community to change schools.
What I have found so far has been that home schooling can be a great thing for the kids academically, socially, and can be a great bonding experience for the family. I have met and talked to many families who do homeschool, and so far I have been impressed with what I have heard.
Thanks again!
D.
More Answers
L.B.
answers from
Richland
on
I have not homeschooled any child personally, but I grew up down the street with neighbors who did and I think it had both positive and negative effects on their 6 kids. My nail technician also home schools her 15 year old son and he seems to enjoy it and thrive w/the work he does; unlike he was in school. I have also thought about taking my children out of school just for the middle school years and puting them back in school for the high school years since I know the things that go on in middle school.
Some positives where that the kids were far closer w/their parents than me I was and I believe that is because they spent more time at home w/them. They also learned alot and at their own pace which can teach a child responsibility.
The negative was that they lacked social skills when they returned to their private christian school for high school. They had only socialized w/their family and did not have much interaction w/the outside world.
I think if you balance your child's life w/the home school and interaction w/kids his own age in sports or other activities than it would probably be a great experience.
Good luck w/this if you decide to do it!
Report This
D.G.
answers from
Portland
on
join a homeschooling group. Even before you start and they can help answer your questions and advise you on what works for them. They also have groups that do field trips together and have social gatherings. nad omeschooled children can participate in team sports activities at thier local school district.
They can point you in the direction for finding appropriate curriculum and doing an at home test to find out where your child sits. Homeschooling can be a blessing for some kids.
My son has Asperger's and I fear middle school for him and so we have decided to homeschool him. He has major social difficulties and is an easy target. So I understand your fears.
Good luck.
Report This
M.G.
answers from
Medford
on
Hi I have a ten year old that I home school. In my opinion the schools are doing exactly that, reteaching the same thing over and over again. The focu seems to be more and more on socializing and teaching has been put on the back burners. Teachers are great but they tend to spend most time disciplining then educating.
Socializing can come from many different aspects. There's the Ymca,church groups, sports among many others. How often are you around just people your own age? I had toa sk myself that when I started considering home school. You may want to check out www.connectionsacademy.com. We are using it as our basis. WE have a teacher that we correspond with, Helps with accountability. It's basically a virtual public school. There are field trips done by a community coordinator. It is a big decision and if there's anything I can do to help. Please let me know, M.
Report This
R.M.
answers from
Spokane
on
Good morning,
It sound like you love your children and want only the best for them... and for that I give you KUDOS!!! :}
About homeschooling... my daughter was in the local school system up until the 4th grade (she is now in 5th) she was being bullied she was being taught the same material as the following year she had no support there what so ever... So I had had it! I believe a strong education is so important and not to have to put war gear to receive it. She is in K-12. Its a publicly funded program, she does at home. she has a teacher 24-7 and has jumped from a 5th grade to 7th and 8th level... Yes I do agree the social aspect is a bit harder... but I have to be honest, we have her in sports and she does have some very close friends.... I hope this helps...
Take care,
R.
Report This
C.M.
answers from
Portland
on
D.--
To connect with Portland homeschoolers, consider joining the following to email lists:
Portland has a wealth of support for homeschooling families. My chidren are only four and one, so I can't give you much advice on your situation from my personal experience, except to say that the "socialization" argument is one big ol' red herring. Schools are not doing a very good job of socializing children, IMO, and is especially bad for kids like your son. My daughter is highly extroverted (like her dad), but I still plan to homeschool her because I believe we can give her a far better academic experience than public schools can. Though she's just preschool-age, we have already connected with the local homeschooling community and if we wanted, we could do something with other homeschoolers every day of the week. There are TONS of things to do with your kids during the day! Don't worry about being stuck alone at home with them. You are not alone here and can make fun and enriching connections, for yourself and your kids.
Best of luck!
C.
Report This
J.B.
answers from
Portland
on
THere is actually a community school, for homeschooling, that is government funded! I can't remember the name exactly,I got a packet from them a year ago, they are relatively new, but maybe try doing a search on the web, and I am sure you will find them! It is for Elementary through HS, I believe.
Report This
C.W.
answers from
Yakima
on
I homeschooled my 11 year old son myself for a few years. I didnt go through any program to do it.
Report This
M.H.
answers from
Seattle
on
My son is not in school yet, but I've started to look into homeschooling, private schools and public schools. First off, with homeschooling - you can get your kids involved in other things to keep them social. If you go to church, make sure they're in the kids programs. Many community centers will have a "homeschool social" get together once a day where homeschooled kids can get together to socialize and learn new things (as not all teachers know everything - it helps give variety in their teachings). Private schools may cost a pretty penny, but they do have smaller class sizes and more individualized help.
I thought I'd just throw those out there for you to consider :)
Report This
T.A.
answers from
Seattle
on
I've homeschool my four year old for two years now as well as tutor a dozen children. I've found that keeping children in an "after school activity" helps with their social skills and to make friends if they are homeschooled.
For example, a child I tutor because his mom works part time and homeschools him, is in a karate "after school" program to help him meet other kids and keep active. He also is in the Boy Scouts.
If you want to homeschool your child, which I agree is MUCH better than the alternative of most schools these days, have him choose an "after school activity" he can join and and enjoy. There are so many different programs these days, from physical sports and training, to drama, choir, or even an arts and crafts class he can take. The possiblities are endless.
Good luck!
Report This
D.R.
answers from
Spokane
on
I started homeschooling my boys last year they were in 7th and 8th grade. I continued to homeschool my now 8th grader and let my 9th grader go to highschool which he hasn't done well in at all. They don't exactly like it but they are respectful to me. I had to place some consequences cuz they weren't at first but they do alot better now academically. It is hard to get started cuz there is so much out there. I joined Valley Home Scholars here in the Spokane Valley. I haven't done much with them but you may want to. They offer field trips and social events like checkers and chess etc. They also offer classes too which can be helpful. They have a website. There is the Valley Learning Center it is located at the Keystone Elementary School, you primarily homeschool but they take a few classes through them a couple of days a week to help you out and they are a great source of support but they are affiliated with the school district so the kids have to take the WASL. They reimburse you for curriculm if it's not Christian. I haven't joined them yet but have friends that have and love it and so do the kids. I joined an online school called Bridgeway Academy they also have a website they have teachers and they can advise you what curriculm to use and they have tutors if needed to help and they let you pay monthly which was a great help for me. They send you all the curriculm and it's really easy to follow. They have lots of friends in the neighborhood and do really well socially. Middle school is such a hard time for kids I totally recommend homeschooling them. Then you can decide if you want to put them in highschool or not. I have a hard time homeschooling and keeping the house in order at first but you only do school for a couple of hours so you find time to get it done and have the kids help you. I hope this helps, feel free to contact me with any other questions you may have. Good luck!!
