Homeschool Chat Part III

[momimouse27]

I an so glad to know I am not alone in this...I tried to get her not to go there because I knew this would be happening. We actually skipped church last week because she was so exhausted, so it is affecting her health also. Because she did online school last year and hated it, I gave in. It will be a lonnnngggg year. .

I have a 9 yr old in a ASD class in public school. I am hoping he can make it through this year and next because there's no way he's going to public middle school.

 

[Nanu57v]

Have you read about various learning styles and how to work with your children's learning style? She might learn better by doing than writing or hearing than reading, etc. I'd encourage you to check that out and see what works best for her.

Also, I would not stress about worksheets and too much writing at this time. Read together, talk about things, have her draw pictures to tell a story and write out the story for her. Get some math manipulatives and a book of "games "to play with them. Let her explore and enjoy learning. Collect things, take walks, go to performances, listen to music, get a few books from the library on a subject that interests her and cuddle up on the couch with them. Sing, play, draw, join a music class - or something else she'd enjoy. Don't feel pressured to get a lot of worksheets "done".

I'll repeat this one: READ together (or I should say, read to her.) My girls are almost 17 and almost 15 and I still cherish the time we spend reading together. We've used Sonlight Curriculum most of the time and we have really loved it.

I don't know what your state requirements are, but you are the teacher and you can decide what your child needs. School doesn't have to look like public school. There will definitely be a time for learning proper grammar, spelling, etc. Even if she already reads pretty well, a good phonics program would be good just to give her the framework for the difficult reading that will come down the road. We used a vertical phonics program (http://www.verticalphonics.com). It was great for my girls who also picked up on reading fairly quickly.

For math, I highly recommend Miquon Math. It's a little quirky, and if you're not at least a little interested in math yourself and willing to read about the system, it can be intimidating because the pages of the student book don't really give directions. It uses cuisennaire rods and my kids and I really loved it.

I need to go for now, but those are the basic things I used in our early homeschooling. I'd be happy to share more later or answer specific questions.

Many thanks for your lengthy reply. I feel much better now. I think she's probably just not ready for all the individual work I expected her to do (even though I was already reading science/SS and teaching math...although, DH pointed out she'd be expected to do individual work in PS. In our state there are no requirements until 3rd grade, so this is our last free year. I reworked things for tomorrow and we'll see how it goes.

I looked at the vertical phonics and it seemed she's too far past that level. She did Explode the Code online last year and seemed to do well at that. I am intrigued by Miquon Math. We were happy with Singapore, as she breezed threw it, but it seems she's just not getting concepts I thought she knew.

 

[JoanneDisFan]

Many thanks for your lengthy reply. I feel much better now. I think she's probably just not ready for all the individual work I expected her to do (even though I was already reading science/SS and teaching math...although, DH pointed out she'd be expected to do individual work in PS. In our state there are no requirements until 3rd grade, so this is our last free year. I reworked things for tomorrow and we'll see how it goes.

I looked at the vertical phonics and it seemed she's too far past that level. She did Explode the Code online last year and seemed to do well at that. I am intrigued by Miquon Math. We were happy with Singapore, as she breezed threw it, but it seems she's just not getting concepts I thought she knew.

If she's as bright as you think she may also be bored with the curriculum. You might try something a bit more advanced and see how she does. I personally like the Math-U-See. It works for my DD. I've used it when we home schooled. I'm back homeschooling this year after 3 years in the public school, and my daughter did the placement test and is doing the pre-algebra for grade 7.

The great thing about home schooling is you can adapt to the kids interests and turn anything into learning. Good luck and just know we all struggle at times with homeschooling.

 

[wdiosa]

Hi! We just started homeschooling my DS this year (Kindergarten). I was so excited to see a homeschool thread on the DISboards! While looking around I noticed lots of talk about homeschool days at Disney. We are actually going to WDW Oct. 21-29 so I think we will be there for one of the homeschool days. Is this somthing you have to do in advance and is there any kind of savings? I think it would be awesome to incorporate school into our Disney trip.

 

[kalc12345]

Hi! We just started homeschooling my DS this year (Kindergarten). I was so excited to see a homeschool thread on the DISboards! While looking around I noticed lots of talk about homeschool days at Disney. We are actually going to WDW Oct. 21-29 so I think we will be there for one of the homeschool days. Is this somthing you have to do in advance and is there any kind of savings? I think it would be awesome to incorporate school into our Disney trip.

We are homeschoolers and will be at Disney around the same time as you. We are taking advantage of the Disney Y.E.S Program. Here is a link http://www.disneyyouth.com/youth-education-series/catalog/
Here is a link to sign up for the classes https://www.studentguest.com/yes/

We are doing the Making Waves with a Marine Career class. I am really looking forward to it!! You also get a really nice discount on your park admission tickets. We saved about $600 buying our tickets through Y.E.S.

Here is a great site that explains it and answers a lot of questions http://wdwprepschool.com/how-to-get-up-to-a-50-discount-on-disney-world-park-tickets/

 

[kimmyann]

Hi, I have posted on here in the past & now find myself here again. It's another school year & my DD is already begging me to homeschool her. She is already frustrated again in the classroom & is having a difficult time with her teachers. She is in the gifted class & it just seems like she is shutting down. I see this especially when we do homework. She will either act like she doesn't know how to do it or she becomes angry (which is totally out of character for her). Looking at her grades online, you would never know this. All of her grades are A's & B's. We are back again this year with her crying almost every morning. It just seems like she becomes someone else as soon as the school year starts. It's like I'm watching her lose a bit of herself. All of my children are products of public schools & I admit we have a very good school system here. My oldest is a junior in college to become a teacher, my son struggled terribly in the system & I homeschooled him for a semester. He now has his GED, which will bring me to my dilemma.

I am for homeschooling & would think it would benefit my daughter, BUT there are a few things holding me back. I would love to hear from those who have homeschooled through high school. My biggest fear is a diploma. I know she can be issued one though me or/and can obtain her GED, but this girl is going to be college bound & I'm scared this may hurt her in the future. What did you/your child have to do to accomplish this & how difficult was it? I know a college is to recognize a homeschool diploma, but what about in the future? Do you still think they will?

My second issue is that I work & I have to work. The positive with this is that I think it is doable because of my schedule. I drive for the school system & I work early in the mornings for 2 1/2 hours, then go home, then out for an hour, then out for 2 1/2 hours in the afternoon. There are periods during the day that I am home to help her & I do think she will be able to do a set curriculum on her own. Is there anyone here that works outside of the home that can offer any advise or anything?

My last issue would have to be support. I'm not going to get any support from family or friends with this. Several family members work in the school system & will think that since my daughter is gifted, that the school system will offer her more. How do you overcome this? I also will need to get DH on board. When I did this for my son, it was different. It was done because there was no other option for him (long story). I do know if I lay out facts & really discuss this with him, he will agree. He usually goes along with whatever I say anyway.

So, please tell me I am not crazy for thinking of doing this. I really don't have anyone to talk to about this & really need some outside opinions.

Thanks

 

[NHWX]

Quick reply kimmyann - High school is definitely doable. We went through North Atlantic Regional High School (www.narhs.org) to get a diploma.

As far as gifted education at the high school level, we picked and chose courses as needed. We used/will use our state's virtual charter academy, Johns Hopkins CTD, Oklahoma State's German program, Pennsylvania Homeschoolers and coursera.org. My math/science kids have taken AP Calculus AB & BC, AP Statistics and AP Computer Science. One's in college and the other one's applying this year.

 

[lovethattink]

I don't post on this thread often. Mostly lurk. Are there others here homeschooling children with special needs?

 

[momimouse27]

Hi, kimmyann. It sounds like you have a tough decision. Since I don't work outside the home, I can't address that . But, I can address some of the other stuff, like high school.

I have three- a sophomore in college(homeschooled since 3rd grade), a sophomore in high school(in a private 3day/wk program but homeschooled all the way thru this year) and a 4th grade in public school autism classroom.

High school diploma- depends on what your daughters college plans will be. I have actually heard from someone in the homeschool community not to get GED, that it hurts in getting scholarships...I don't if it's true but you can check it out. Many colleges now are very homeschool friendly. The diploma is actually less important than scoring well on the SAT or ACT. If she has high scores, she'll get in and she will probably get scholarships. My daughter purposefully looked at private baptist schools that were I homeschool friendly. She is doing pretty well, except she hasn't figured out her major.

The part about selling family members on it...well, I guess to some degree you have to grit your teeth and choose not to care. That's what I did. After worrying over it, I decided that what I felt my daughter needed was a bigger issue for me than what family members thought. Most of them were supportive, but I had one who flat out told me I was ruining her-he didn't have any kids at the time. Now he does and I've even heard his wife say shed pull theirs out if it got bad. It's easy for someone to dispense advise when they don't live your life.

Good luck in your decision. It's scary at first I know. I will most likely have my son home when he gets to middle school...guess I'll be doing it all over again!

 

[dis-happy]

Hi, I have posted on here in the past & now find myself here again. It's another school year & my DD is already begging me to homeschool her. She is already frustrated again in the classroom & is having a difficult time with her teachers. She is in the gifted class & it just seems like she is shutting down. I see this especially when we do homework. She will either act like she doesn't know how to do it or she becomes angry (which is totally out of character for her). Looking at her grades online, you would never know this. All of her grades are A's & B's. We are back again this year with her crying almost every morning. It just seems like she becomes someone else as soon as the school year starts. It's like I'm watching her lose a bit of herself. All of my children are products of public schools & I admit we have a very good school system here. My oldest is a junior in college to become a teacher, my son struggled terribly in the system & I homeschooled him for a semester. He now has his GED, which will bring me to my dilemma.

I am for homeschooling & would think it would benefit my daughter, BUT there are a few things holding me back. I would love to hear from those who have homeschooled through high school. My biggest fear is a diploma. I know she can be issued one though me or/and can obtain her GED, but this girl is going to be college bound & I'm scared this may hurt her in the future. What did you/your child have to do to accomplish this & how difficult was it? I know a college is to recognize a homeschool diploma, but what about in the future? Do you still think they will?

My second issue is that I work & I have to work. The positive with this is that I think it is doable because of my schedule. I drive for the school system & I work early in the mornings for 2 1/2 hours, then go home, then out for an hour, then out for 2 1/2 hours in the afternoon. There are periods during the day that I am home to help her & I do think she will be able to do a set curriculum on her own. Is there anyone here that works outside of the home that can offer any advise or anything?

My last issue would have to be support. I'm not going to get any support from family or friends with this. Several family members work in the school system & will think that since my daughter is gifted, that the school system will offer her more. How do you overcome this? I also will need to get DH on board. When I did this for my son, it was different. It was done because there was no other option for him (long story). I do know if I lay out facts & really discuss this with him, he will agree. He usually goes along with whatever I say anyway.

So, please tell me I am not crazy for thinking of doing this. I really don't have anyone to talk to about this & really need some outside opinions.

Thanks

I've homeschooled into college and all I can say is, do not be afraid! I wrote up my own transcripts using a program called Transcript Pro. Am currently in the process of helping my second child with college apps. Every college takes homeschoolers and many have admissions officers that do nothing but homeschool applications. If you have a particular school in mind go meet with an admissions counselor during the high school years. Colleges tend to weigh SAT/ACT scores a little heavier ( since it objective). Take both the SAT and ACT...some kids do markedly better on one than the other. I had my kids do at least one dual enrollment class at the community college in order to show that they were ready for college level work. I also wrote up course descriptions with books listed and how the grade was assessed for each class we did in high school. Keep a record of their activities! You'll need that too. All in all, it's not a bad process as a homeschooler and very straightforward to be successful.

 

[chris31997]

I don't post on this thread often. Mostly lurk. Are there others here homeschooling children with special needs?

I don't but I know several that have.

 

[penel3]

I don't post on this thread often. Mostly lurk. Are there others here homeschooling children with special needs?

Hi, I am finally homeschooling my DS 12, he should be in 7th grade. This is my first time homeschooling, he is my only child. He has always had an IEP, and now a 504. multiple, multiple learning disabilities! It was stressful trying to find the correct curriculum that would work for him. There is absolutely NO complete package that fits. I have had to adapt every course to fit. I also must be present for almost every aspect of his day. One of our goals is to build his independent learning, etc. I overwhelmed myself pouring over curriculum reviews, but I realized that so many homeschool families are educating kids without any special needs....therefore those rave reviews didn't apply to my family. I identified his learning style (with the help of all his public school testing) and researched curriculum starting via that manner first. I feel like I am rambling...did you have any specific questions (although after only 5 weeks of this, I am not an expert)?

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[lovethattink]

I don't but I know several that have.

Hi, I am finally homeschooling my DS 12, he should be in 7th grade. This is my first time homeschooling, he is my only child. He has always had an IEP, and now a 504. multiple, multiple learning disabilities! It was stressful trying to find the correct curriculum that would work for him. There is absolutely NO complete package that fits. I have had to adapt every course to fit. I also must be present for almost every aspect of his day. One of our goals is to build his independent learning, etc. I overwhelmed myself pouring over curriculum reviews, but I realized that so many homeschool families are educating kids without any special needs....therefore those rave reviews didn't apply to my family. I identified his learning style (with the help of all his public school testing) and researched curriculum starting via that manner first. I feel like I am rambling...did you have any specific questions (although after only 5 weeks of this, I am not an expert)?

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Thanks to both of you for answering.

I'm curious how do you grade or evaluate the work they do. For example, he struggles with anything requiring fine motor skills. Therefore, his writing is not perfect, but he tries very hard, takes his time and does the best he can possibly do. He works to the best of his potential.

I'm using an umbrella school and need to submit grades soon.

 

[penel3]

Thanks to both of you for answering.

I'm curious how do you grade or evaluate the work they do. For example, he struggles with anything requiring fine motor skills. Therefore, his writing is not perfect, but he tries very hard, takes his time and does the best he can possibly do. He works to the best of his potential.

I'm using an umbrella school and need to submit grades soon.

In order not to stress my son, I grade his workbook tasks, without his knowledge. Math testing is cut and dry. Social Studies is challenging, again, I grade his workbook work, which is done as open book work. I don't force him to physically write, as he also has significant OT/fine motor skill issues and I truly believe that effort is taking away from his actual "learning time" and focus. I have him dictate quiz answers, and some workbook tasks. He is 7th grade but can only read at 4th grade level due to vision/tracking issues. He has amazing comprehension when read to, and his vocabulary is beyond 7th grade, so I also read texts to him. BUT, I do have him read as a core program and then he dictates his answers for comprehension, and I grade his answers. If there are 15 questions and he gets 10 correct, I do 10/15. Sometimes he may get partial answers, I give him partial credit. My state is not as particular, I am not required to use an umbrella program. I hope this helps.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[lovethattink]

In order not to stress my son, I grade his workbook tasks, without his knowledge. Math testing is cut and dry. Social Studies is challenging, again, I grade his workbook work, which is done as open book work. I don't force him to physically write, as he also has significant OT/fine motor skill issues and I truly believe that effort is taking away from his actual "learning time" and focus. I have him dictate quiz answers, and some workbook tasks. He is 7th grade but can only read at 4th grade level due to vision/tracking issues. He has amazing comprehension when read to, and his vocabulary is beyond 7th grade, so I also read texts to him. BUT, I do have him read as a core program and then he dictates his answers for comprehension, and I grade his answers. If there are 15 questions and he gets 10 correct, I do 10/15. Sometimes he may get partial answers, I give him partial credit. My state is not as particular, I am not required to use an umbrella program. I hope this helps.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Our umbrella school is considered a private non-traditional school. They keep track of the grades and issue report cards, and take care of the yearly required testing. An umbrella school is not required, but I chose this instead of maintaining a portfolio myself.

Mine is in 2nd grade. Had a seizure last spring and he lost his ability to read. Now he is back to reading 3 and 4 letter words, but we had to start from scratch last spring with the letters and their sounds all over again.

I don't dare tell him when something is graded or he will become overly anxious.

I was told we had to have writing as a class. He claims writing relaxes him and he likes it.

 

[kimmyann]

Quick reply kimmyann - High school is definitely doable. We went through North Atlantic Regional High School (www.narhs.org) to get a diploma.

As far as gifted education at the high school level, we picked and chose courses as needed. We used/will use our state's virtual charter academy, Johns Hopkins CTD, Oklahoma State's German program, Pennsylvania Homeschoolers and coursera.org. My math/science kids have taken AP Calculus AB & BC, AP Statistics and AP Computer Science. One's in college and the other one's applying this year.

Thank you, I will check this out. I don't think our state has a charter program.

Hi, kimmyann. It sounds like you have a tough decision. Since I don't work outside the home, I can't address that . But, I can address some of the other stuff, like high school.

I have three- a sophomore in college(homeschooled since 3rd grade), a sophomore in high school(in a private 3day/wk program but homeschooled all the way thru this year) and a 4th grade in public school autism classroom.

High school diploma- depends on what your daughters college plans will be. I have actually heard from someone in the homeschool community not to get GED, that it hurts in getting scholarships...I don't if it's true but you can check it out. Many colleges now are very homeschool friendly. The diploma is actually less important than scoring well on the SAT or ACT. If she has high scores, she'll get in and she will probably get scholarships. My daughter purposefully looked at private baptist schools that were I homeschool friendly. She is doing pretty well, except she hasn't figured out her major.

The part about selling family members on it...well, I guess to some degree you have to grit your teeth and choose not to care. That's what I did. After worrying over it, I decided that what I felt my daughter needed was a bigger issue for me than what family members thought. Most of them were supportive, but I had one who flat out told me I was ruining her-he didn't have any kids at the time. Now he does and I've even heard his wife say shed pull theirs out if it got bad. It's easy for someone to dispense advise when they don't live your life.

Good luck in your decision. It's scary at first I know. I will most likely have my son home when he gets to middle school...guess I'll be doing it all over again!

See, we are seeing the difficulties that can arise with a GED with our son, so I'm pretty positive we do not want to take that route with our daughter when the time comes. I know I shouldn't worry about anyone other than my own family, but I also know that it will be an issue to be dealt with. Thank you.

I've homeschooled into college and all I can say is, do not be afraid! I wrote up my own transcripts using a program called Transcript Pro. Am currently in the process of helping my second child with college apps. Every college takes homeschoolers and many have admissions officers that do nothing but homeschool applications. If you have a particular school in mind go meet with an admissions counselor during the high school years. Colleges tend to weigh SAT/ACT scores a little heavier ( since it objective). Take both the SAT and ACT...some kids do markedly better on one than the other. I had my kids do at least one dual enrollment class at the community college in order to show that they were ready for college level work. I also wrote up course descriptions with books listed and how the grade was assessed for each class we did in high school. Keep a record of their activities! You'll need that too. All in all, it's not a bad process as a homeschooler and very straightforward to be successful.

Thank you, I will surely look into the program for transcripts. I really appreciate all of your responses. This is a decision that I can't take lightly & I don't want to do it for the wrong reasons. It is helpful to hear from those that have done it for a number of years & I love success stories. Thanks again.

 

[Lora]

I don't post on this thread often. Mostly lurk. Are there others here homeschooling children with special needs?

I have some wonderful homeschool friends who are homeschooling their autistic children. I'm sure there are others in our group I am less familiar with. If you need a particular connection to other hs parents, feel free to msg me and I'll do what I can to connect you.

I did also want to mention that I received my HSLDA email yesterday and they had a link to a newsletter on homeschooling children with special needs. I've not read it, but here's the link: http://www.homeschoolfoundation.org/newsletter/1209/

 

[lucigo]

I don't post on this thread often. Mostly lurk. Are there others here homeschooling children with special needs?

I am homeschooling my 9yo son who has autism. This is our first year. It has been a learning process for both of us but I am slowly learning what works and what level he is at in each subject.

 

[lucigo]

Hi, I am finally homeschooling my DS 12, he should be in 7th grade. This is my first time homeschooling, he is my only child. He has always had an IEP, and now a 504. multiple, multiple learning disabilities! It was stressful trying to find the correct curriculum that would work for him. There is absolutely NO complete package that fits. I have had to adapt every course to fit. I also must be present for almost every aspect of his day. One of our goals is to build his independent learning, etc. I overwhelmed myself pouring over curriculum reviews, but I realized that so many homeschool families are educating kids without any special needs....therefore those rave reviews didn't apply to my family. I identified his learning style (with the help of all his public school testing) and researched curriculum starting via that manner first. I feel like I am rambling...did you have any specific questions (although after only 5 weeks of this, I am not an expert)?

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

What curriculums have you settled in with? I'm always curious to hear what works for different kids.

 

[lucigo]

Regarding the issue of college, when I started homeschooling my now 17yo daughter we talked to the local junior college (now called Pensacola State College). Their criteria for admission for homeschool students is a letter from the parent stating that they have completed a homeschool curriculum. They also (like everyone else) will take a placement test to determine which courses they will begin in for math and english. I had my daughter take this placement test as a junior for the experience and to see where we were. She did well, and could take dual enrollment classes. Unfortunately, we are temporarily in Virginia now so she can't actually do that, but I am confident that she won't have any trouble at all "getting in" to college.

I am a huge proponent in junior colleges as a first step to college, so this works very well for my family. Both my husband and my oldest daughter received AA's from PSC before going on to 4 year universities and then getting great jobs. But thats another post isn't it.

My 17-yo is taking some of her classes through Florida Virtual School, which uses Connections Academy curriculum.

Since you work, this would probably be a good option for you, because this way your child would have teachers for his classes. Look into K12 and Connections Academy for both full and part time options.

I work at home as a medical transcriptionist. My 17-yo is self sufficient but I'm almost 100% hands-on with homeschooling my 9-yo. Its been tough finding a balance, especially because of his autism. I find myself feeling like I did when he was 3, like I need to keep him engaged 24 hours a day or I'm not doing my job. It helps to have a schedule, and to use a timer for breaks, for both of us!