Tired of the school system

[Yomolove]

Hello Ladies

I'd just like to say that I am fed up with the BPS and wants to homeschool my children. ages: 6/7/10 and 1. My children are very wise. My 10 year old( in 1st grade read on a fifth grade level) The teacher was amazed and carted him to and from all the first graders and Let him read to the classes and then to the fifth grade classes. They wanted to bump him up to the fifth grade but he has behavioral Issues... Mostly from feeling left out.. children can be brutal to each other. Well NOW the school decided they want to get him tested... To see if he needs SERVICES!!!WTH. I am at wits end.

How do I start the process of homeschooling and is it just to late to start at age 10

[AbbeyLehman]

It is NEVER too late to start homeschooling!! Go to http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp to see what your state's laws are regarding notification & reporting requirements, and just start! It is suggested that you give your child (and yourself!) 1 full month of "de-schooling" for each year in PS--so that would be 5 or 6 months for your oldest child, maybe less for the others. It is not unreasonable to notify for the rest of this year and then take the rest of the year off, simply to decompress, destress and leisurely figure out what you'll try first.

Do not try to have "school at home" right away--you are NOT the public school and you do not have to do it THEIR way. If you know that your children like to visit the local museum, for example, you can plan a whole day of your subjects around that trip--art and history usually come easy in a museum, science could be why the exhibits are behind glass or displayed in certain ways, math could be the number of objects in one exhibit times number of exhibits, etc, PE could be walking at certain speeds.

There are lots of ways to incorporate learning into your everyday activities. After your children have realized that YES! they are going to stay home for school and they've left behind some of the PS yuck, you can add stuff back in without them even realizing it. We do SO much of our learning without paper that lots of people have NO idea when we actually "homeschool"! Math happens a lot in the car--"What is 4 times 3?" etc. I believe that if DS can do it in his head that he won't have any problems putting it to paper later. He LOVES to quiz me, too, and by doing so, he learns answers to "harder" questions. His reading (for your younger children) was helped by reading all the street signs we saw, especially stop, yield, no turn on red, etc, that appear at regular intervals. He graduated to street names and now even reads billboards and store names--on his own.

One of my favorite mommy tricks is to "allow" him to stay up an "extra" 15 minutes at night to read in bed before lights out. He thinks it's a treat because I've never told him that I planned it that way! He also sees me read before bed, so he thinks he's a big boy.

Because I like to emphasize verbal and mental learning, writing tends to be pushed aside here. He does write *something* every day, although it varies widely. Shopping lists, a handful of worksheets (which he likes to do, having not been in public school except for a few months of K), etc. He will be starting some simple copywork soon, though. I purchased him his own copy of the bible at the dollar store and he will be copying one verse per day. He hears "just one!" and thinks that it's nothing, so it won't be a battle to get him to do it.

I find that if I have a list of the things I want him to do in a day, regardless of how much or how little is on it, that he finds great satisfaction in crossing things off. He may whine when he sees the length of it some days, but I just tell him that it's all easy stuff for him, that's why it looks like a lot--but he'll zip right through it. He almost always falls for it and it's a lot like prophecy to him--because he thinks it's going to be easy, it usually is! I buy our workbooks at Sam's Club--they're nice and thick and it covers a LOT for each year, K-6, for only $8--and they can be a little slow-paced for him at times. I tell him that instead of doing something on a page twice, just to do it once--he thinks he's getting away with something while I'm just glad he's doing it at all! :)

We have cycles where we will "do school" at a desk with paper and pencil, etc, for several weeks, and then we'll "unschool" for several more weeks. Unschooling is where life is the teacher--no assignments, etc. Mom and/or Dad just keep alert for teachable moments and use them *UN*obtrusively. It keeps us sharp and it's more fun for all of us.

Because you have 4 children you might need more structure in your day than we do, simply to make sure you get the basics covered to your satisfaction. You may not, but more children tends to equal more structure, from my observations. Try http://www.oldfashionededucation.com for lots of FREE ideas and a WONDERFUL, already made-up curriculum for K through 12. It is a Christian site, but it is simple to leave that part out if you so desire. There's also a literal TON of free resources out there to use. The only thing you will probably end up needing to shell out money for is a good printer and the paper and ink to use in it. There are ways to save on this, as well.

And, last but not least--your son will benefit SOO much from individualized instruction from someone who knows him well that you will kick yourself for not starting sooner. DOn't worrry about "socialization" -- it's a myth anyway. School does not prepare you for true social interaction in today's society--only actual interaction does that. Have your children speak to the server in the restaurant, to the librarian, to the cashier at the grocery store. Encourage them to speak with everyone--let them know that it's ok to do so when they're with you. You'll find that they will be better behaved, since *you* are with them all day instead of a teacher with a limited attention span and 29 other kids to worry about. they will have more time to participate in activities that you want them to be in--my son takes swimming lessons, visits the library regularly, runs errands with me--as well as see what you do on a day-to-day basis to provide for them. My son is very aware that it takes money to do things and that he can't have everything he wants because he understands what $20 or $50 means.

You will LOVE life SO much more when you're not tied to the public school schedule!! No worries about snow or rain, no rushing around in the morning, you know what your kids are eating (or not eating, or trading away!)--you can even take time off or take school with you for trips, etc. You'll get better deals on your trips, too, since you can travel during the school year.

If you want more info, email me via my profile--I think this post is long enough for now! :)

Abbey

[GoldenAcres]

I second everything Abbey said. The first year my mom homeschooled was pretty laid back, we went on fifty "field trips" that year alone and learned so much more. It also gave my mom time to find the learning styles for each child and the areas were we needed help.

[Ginger]

I home schooled for 26 years. If you want to know more, go to my website milestonesacademy.com