Help DIS Homeschoolers Help me convince my DH

[noodleknitter]

debster, there is a book titled "Guerrilla Learning" by Grace LLewellyn that was excellent. It has been awhile since i read it, but it gave many ways to supplement or make decisions about your child's education. Sometimes these involved taking consequences with the decisions, just so you know.

 

[Brier Rose]

Exactly, homeschoolers are not generally an expert in most things, except maybe Coming to The Lordetc etc , which is why when you send your child to a NORMAL school, they go to a vareity of teachers who ARE experts in their field.

This has to be one of the most offensive things I have ever read on these boards!

Do you stereotype all people/groups like that, or do homeschoolers alone have the pleasure of your ignorance?

I certainly hope while your children are attending their NORMAL school, some of those well qualified expert teachers can teach your children how utterly wrong and disgusting that is!

 

[Karel]

So, it is either "people are pushing to hard" or "people are too dumb to teach." Good grief.I've said all along that my children are exposed to a multitude of people. At 16 they wanted to take some classes at the college. So do about 1/6 of the High School students around here. It is an awesome chance to stretch the wings of an adolescent. Was I worried about "bad influences?" Not really. My kids have been raised to think for themselves rather than being peer led. They don't need to drink or use to get along in life.Being ahead in school just allows a student to spend more time on their individual interests. There isn't any reason to hold a math wiz (or whatever) behind.

Whoa. I think you are taking my questions in the wrong way. I'm just trying to understand the different aspects of homeschooling. I totally respect your choice. I didn't know anyone growing up who homeschooled. Now, I know plenty of people who homeschool or send their kids to private school but this confuses me because I think our elementary school in town - there's only one- is a pretty good school.

One of the reasons stated here, by at least one person, was that their school was full of drugs, sex and drinking. That's why I brought the college thing up. I think that my sons and daughter are learning how to think for themselves and resist peer pressure in a public high school too. They see kids who make bad choices and see the consequences and learn from it.

Also, I think my high school allows people to pursue their interests too. They have quite a few clubs available. My son is heavily into the Latin Club - goes to convention, takes national tests, even had a trip to NYC to see Spamalot. He's also free to explore things he's interested on weekends and after school.

When I'm working during the day, I'm not free to drop everything and do something I might be interested in doing.

 

[Brier Rose]

Well said! We all need to be balanced,and understand that there are great kids coming from all walks of life,and educational backgrounds,and turning into full functioning well adjusted adults! I know many great homeschooled kids,and many great kids who go to school also!
And you sound like a smart person, homeschooling is not for everyone,just as ps isn't for everyone- good luck to you on supplementing your kiddos schooling, no matter what we choose, we're all pretty much looking out for our kids best interests!

THANK YOU!

This is exactly the way I feel!

 

[hsmamato2]

"the college courses are *chosen"

also wrong, CC have a core curriculum that must be met before enrolling in other academic courses.


HMM, it scares me that , with so many facts wrong, these people are passing their ill knowledge onto their children.

Where we live, our community college allows anyone to take courses,provided they can pass an exam,so many kids and adults take one,or two,or more credit courses before moving on to their courses they will CHOOSE. The point is, no one forces you to be at the college,there is no truancy if you don't attend a college or university... very different from enforced public schooling indeed. All you need to do is think...then you won't be so scared.

 

[Karel]

Ok, another question for homeschoolers...what do you do when your child is not interested in a particular subject or class?

My son has a major reading disability. I know it's hard for him but I push him because I feel the more he reads, the better he'll get. Then the other part of me says let him be and maybe he'll be more interested if I don't force it.

So what do you do, say, if your child is not interested in math. Do you feel that homeschooling is more relaxing for that child so they won't mind taking higher math classes or do you wait till they are ready for it??

For instance, I hated Algebra in high school. I got through Algebra I and said that's enough for me and took business math.

 

[Disneyrsh]

I hope it's ok to post these links relevant to standardized test results for homeschooled kids vs. PS kids. I know someone will tell me if it's not ok!

For those interested...check out these links...

http://www.geocities.com/nelstomlinson/research.bibliography.html

http://eric.uoregon.edu/publications/digests/digest151.html
(great article...scroll down to the section on academics and socilization if you don't want to take the time to read it all. Also good infor on educational status of homeschool parents.)

http://www.highschoolscience.com/conf/why_high_aus.pdf
(nice info on why to continue to homeschool into hish school.)

http://www.ericdigests.org/2000-3/home.htm

thank you! I've been wading through all the 'shouting' trying to find some cold hard numbers, here.

"Homeschoolaphobic", that's pretty funny. We've got some good neologists on the disboards

 

[pperfectmom]

This has proven to be a very interesting debate. My children are very young but we have decided to homeschool at least through the elementary years for several reasons. We live in a very rural area with no private schools, even if we could afford it. Our public elementary school has been among the lowest scoring in the state for as long as we've lived here. Our county also has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the state. I am 100% sure that I can and will do a better job of educating my children. Religion has no effect on our decision at all. I majored in history in college with minors in American Lit and Appalachian studies. My husband's degree is in Forestry with a emphasis on science and math. I think we have things covered. As for socialization, we have many cousins and a lot of friends with kids(many who are also homeschooling) that we hang out with for play time. We'll most likely be doing soccer and scouting, too, so don't feel sorry for them. Also, think about the education your children can receive on vacations. I have friends who took their son to Mexico for several months without worrying about the school system's truancy policy. There are many arguments for and against on either side and no correct answer. Only you can decide what is best for your individual situation. If Eastern Kentucky wasn't being ripped apart by crystal meth and oxycontin and I didn't see teen mothers everywhere I go, I might reconsider.

 

[hsmamato2]

Whoa. I think you are taking my questions in the wrong way. I'm just trying to understand the different aspects of homeschooling. I totally respect your choice. I didn't know anyone growing up who homeschooled. Now, I know plenty of people who homeschool or send their kids to private school but this confuses me because I think our elementary school in town - there's only one- is a pretty good school.

One of the reasons stated here, by at least one person, was that their school was full of drugs, sex and drinking. That's why I brought the college thing up. I think that my sons and daughter are learning how to think for themselves and resist peer pressure in a public high school too. They see kids who make bad choices and see the consequences and learn from it.

Also, I think my high school allows people to pursue their interests too. They have quite a few clubs available. My son is heavily into the Latin Club - goes to convention, takes national tests, even had a trip to NYC to see Spamalot. He's also free to explore things he's interested on weekends and after school.

When I'm working during the day, I'm not free to drop everything and do something I might be interested in doing.

Again, just like every other group,we are many,and have differing viewpoints on the world... some do homeschool to shelter their kids from certain aspects on our modern world-that's a fact- just as many of us homeschool b/c we feel we can better tailor our kids needs to their education.
I know many parents who feel just as strongly,like you do, that their kids do well in school, I respect that! I do think schools can be a great thing for many people. I also know that there are many who think the entire system is 'broken' -and refuse to be a part of it.
As far as accelerating,some parents are really into it for that reason,too, but most let their kids grow at their own speed .Much of the time, homeschooled kids seem to move along faster academically, but I think it's b/c in a classroom, no matter how fast/slow you learn you have to go along with the pace of the whole class,not your own. Which may account for some seeming rush on homeschoolers parts.
We're not really in any rush, but sometimes our kids are, so we try to go along with their pace and needs when it comes to learning, contrary to what even the best schools out there will have you believe, there really is no set age for mastering certain subjects- it makes it convenient in a classroom to have all 6 year olds reading the same book at the same time, but that's an artificially imposed timeline,which benefits the the system,sometimes the class as a whole,but rarely directly benefits the single child.
Nothing really wrong with these goals, they just don't fit everyone all the time.
I hope this is helpful, I know there are many who are looking at this thread out of curiousity,not malice.

 

[hsmamato2]

Ok, another question for homeschoolers...what do you do when your child is not interested in a particular subject or class?

My son has a major reading disability. I know it's hard for him but I push him because I feel the more he reads, the better he'll get. Then the other part of me says let him be and maybe he'll be more interested if I don't force it.

So what do you do, say, if your child is not interested in math. Do you feel that homeschooling is more relaxing for that child so they won't mind taking higher math classes or do you wait till they are ready for it??

For instance, I hated Algebra in high school. I got through Algebra I and said that's enough for me and took business math.

Honestly, there's no one answer to your question... it all depends on your family dynamics,comfort level with each other, and sense of direction. If you're really curious, you could check out a variety of homeschool books from your library, I suggest getting a variety and browsing through,as there are different approaches taken by different folks.
BTW, I hated algebra too, got through, took business math, then as my kids got older we started getting into the 'why's' behind the actual questions and we discovered an incredible,interesting universe of math. My own mother was shocked, for 35 years I was sure I was no good with numbers,and just didn't take an interest. That was dh's specialty... You really never know where a persons interests will lead them...
We're just simply not all interested in the same thing at the same time! You couldn't force me to watch old westerns with dh, but he in turn doesn't enjoy reading endless fictional books himself... ds1 has no interest in gardening,loves computer programming-ds2 spends lots of time gardening with me,very little time on the computer...you see my point?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Sorry. But community colleges are WAY BEHIND schools like UF. There's no comparison, unless you really luck out with a CC teacher. Not that you can't go to a CC have have a great career. But the classes aren't the same.

sure they are not the same. Learning calculus with 500 of your closests friends and not.

Many people start their college careers with community college coursework and then are automatically accepted into the 4 year university of their choice in Florida.

In case you haven't noticed--it is hard to get into UF even with a stellar education. Very competitive.

Not for one minute was I suggesting a 2 year degree in lieu of a 4-year degree (though there are respectable careers to be obtained with an associates--mostly the technical degrees, not a general general education degree).

But now we have switched off topic again and are now debating the quality of community college coursework.

 

[Disneyrsh]

The last week of school he got in trouble so the principal decided DS had ADHD. The ped evaluated DS that summer and said he did not have ADHD. Well the principal was very upset the following yr when DS wasn't on Meds. I told him that the Ped wanted certain evaluations done by the school. The P told me that the school didn't test for ADHD, that any good Dr would just write the prescription to see if the meds did anything. Well P seemed to have forgotten the mom of one of DS's classmates was a psychologist with the school systems. She was the one who administered the test the P claimed that the school did not give. When I confronted him with the truth, he back peddled and claimed he just meant that they were so far behind that it would be better if I found a Dr that would go ahead and write a prescription. He even offered to get the name of a Dr for me. When I refused DS was basically labeled as untreated ADHD and I was labeled as an uncooperative uncaring parent.?

Yeah, can't 'diagose' add/adhd because it's not a freakin' DISEASE!!!!!

Not listed as a disease in the AMD.

Want further proof that drugging your kid has no long term benefit for adhd and that most of history's best thinkers would have been labeled as ADHD? Check out this Scientific American's comprehensive research article:

Training The Brain

Any teacher who tells you your kid is ADD/ADHD is simply annoyed with your very bright, very inquisitive, probably VERY DEMANDING kid, and simply wants them drugged into compliance so her life will be easier.

If you have a teacher/administrator telling you your kid has it, bring this article with you and you can, step by step, debunk every stupid argument they try and bring forth.

It worked absolutely brilliantly for my best friend, who's son is reading at a 6th grade level at age 5 and was quite a handful for the burnout teacher he got stuck with. Administration backed right off after meeting with her and having to read the article.


Sorry, VERY OT

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Now, I know plenty of people who homeschool or send their kids to private school but this confuses me because I think our elementary school in town - there's only one- is a pretty good school.

I'll be the first to admit that public schools in general (Be they good or bad) are not the only reason to homeschool.

For some Universal studios makes an excellent vacation--for others it is WDW. Saying one is better than the other is nothing more than an opinion that may or may not be backed up by facts.

Saying one is better than the other in the case of schooling--may or may not be backed by facts. Fortunately homeschoolers have statistics on their side to show that as a group aren't screwing their kids over despite their perceived lack of qualifications.

My elementary school is good as well that my girls could attend. However--I choose not to send my kids there for a variety of reasons.

I choose to homeschool for many of the general reasons--but I will not be bullied into not homeschooling by ignorant parents (not you--but some of the horrible responses here) who haven't even spent a moment investigating it as a viable way to educate as evidence by their posts.

 

[Karel]

The deficits I was speaking of was unrelated to DE but rather any deficits at anytime in their education. something, not really sure)..

I, too, am not speaking about deficits in duel enrollment. I think my question to your statement was more of 'what would you do if you found a deficit in your child's learning? What if you discovered in third grade - or at 9 or 10 years old - that your child had a learning disability with a reading comprehension problem? Or you spoke of calculus - I never took the class personally - what if she had no talent for math. How does a homeschooler handle these things? Or do deficits like this immediatetly visible when teaching your own child?

I think when spending a lot of time with your own child, it's easy to miss things or overlook things that might be more apparent to other people. Like a speech disability. You're used to your child's speech.

Who said anything about rushing?
Our state OFFERS FREE coursework while you take your high school coursework. Why take Algebra twice? (as an example--many many more course offerings are available). Take it once and dual enroll.)..

Well, that's why I offered the story about the homeschool boy who's a year ahead of my son. I know another homeschool girl who will graduate high school when she is 17.

So people take algebra in high school and college? Hmm.

The only reason I took Algebra in college was because I did poorly in high school and had to take it as a basic skill class in college. I followed an education major track in college so the only other math I took was a 'teaching math' course. Same with science, I took a science method class and an electricity class. (Needless to say, I don't teach math and science higher than a sixth grade level.)

And just like I would have rules for my childs social life as any parent does in relation to curfews, privileges, et cetera--not sure how that would change in "college" for my minor high school student. It isn't University, there are no "frat parties" and such--will there be exposure to something. Of course, a college campus won't be limited like a high school. And no I wouldn't worry about it. .).So the smoking and partying analogy doesn't go very far with me. .

As I said in an earlier post, I mentioned this because one reason I tend to see for homeschooling is exposure to drugs, sex, drinking and bad language at the high school level. I'm sure these things come up before, during and after a college class. I'm not saying kids sit there and do drugs in class or talk about their relationships but in normal conversation, like if they all were at a party the night before.

Another thought - if your 16 year old is taking a class with 19 year olds, don't they feel out of place or lonely? I'm sure while most of the kids might go out of their way to be friendly, there's not much in common between these two age groups.

 

[laceemouse]

I don't see that the two of you are DISAGREEING at all. Schools (even private ones) teach using a certain style to kids who have a certain learning style. They teach to the level that best suites the majority of the class. Many teachers try to accomodate the kids who are ahead or behind or learn differently but that is almost impossible with 30 kids in the class and multiple tests to administer and such. We have 4 kids, only one of which fit in very well with the way school is done. Most folks who are happy with their kids school have kids who just naturally fit in and go with the flow and do there best no matter what. If all of mine were like that we would probably still be in ps, and just trying to combat all of the negative junk they were exposed to (in upper middle class burbs, not the slums. Do you really think rich kids are NOT into s*x, drugs, drinking, ect...???) Also the "seeing the consequences of bad actions" defense, I just don't buy it. How many yuppie parents these days LET there kids suffer the consequences. Most of the parents we have known don't seem to agree with us about wrong and right, and then they just bail the kids out of trouble. I would love to live somewhere where it is different!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

"the college courses are *chosen"

also wrong, CC have a core curriculum that must be met before enrolling in other academic courses.


HMM, it scares me that , with so many facts wrong, these people are passing their ill knowledge onto their children.

It scares me that you are passing off knowledge as fact.

That you think you know everything and are spouting nothing but ignorance plain and simple.

You really must study on topics you choose to engage in debate so that you can have an informed opinion as opposed to one filled with ignorance of the subject.

A high school student need not be enrolled in any core curriculum at a CC to earn credit for a course used to satisfy dual credit in college and high school.

I bet if you check your childs high school IF your state offers such a program--you could become a little more informed of how it works.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I, too, am not speaking about deficits in duel enrollment. I think my question to your statement was more of 'what would you do if you found a deficit in your child's learning? What if you discovered in third grade - or at 9 or 10 years old - that your child had a learning disability with a reading comprehension problem? Or you spoke of calculus - I never took the class personally - what if she had no talent for math. How does a homeschooler handle these things? Or do deficits like this immediatetly visible when teaching your own child?

I am legally entitled to support from the school if there is a deficit that they would ordinarily take care of. Now I am not familiar with all the deficits out there--but thinking in terms of remedial reading, speech difficulties as examples (there are a ton more I know)---if a problem occurs and my child would qualify for assistance if she were enrolled in school...then my child qualifies for that same assistance as a homeschooler.

I do have a fellow homeschooler who had children with specific learning/developmental difficulties. And she was entitled to services and use them until it was no longer necessary.

I had my child tested for language difficulties as something didn't seem right when she was four and b/c she would be homeschool and thus wouldn't be "caught" with a difficulty as would happen in a classroom--I had her tested. Free by my county. She was fine and tested above average (don't have the test scores handy--they were very good is all I remember).

I had her vision tested b/c she flunked a screening at her physical. I knew she wouldn't be in a classroom setting and have the tell tale "trouble seeing the blackboard" symptom--so I took her for a thorough eye exam.

It is called observant parenting. Many kids "slip though the system" when they are in it--so not all difficulties your child may have will necessarily be caught when they should.

It isn't rocket science to know if a child is having a difficulty. And if your portfolio reveals this or test scores reveal it...then you would be a bad parent if you didn't do something just as those parents who ignore their child's grades when they are c's and d's and think nothing of it.

But you don't have to enroll your child in school for these things to be caught.

I think when spending a lot of time with your own child, it's easy to miss things or overlook things that might be more apparent to other people. Like a speech disability. You're used to your child's speech.

I've already had my child's speech tested. Thankfully I am an observant parent. She does have other adults who observe her in other situations. Some that are even "classroom" like.

She gets an annual physical. My doctor will refer me to anybody if I think there is a problem or if she thinks there is a problem (hence getting her speech checked).

Well, that's why I offered the story about the homeschool boy who's a year ahead of my son. I know another homeschool girl who will graduate high school when she is 17.

So people take algebra in high school and college? Hmm.

The only reason I took Algebra in college was because I did poorly in high school and had to take it as a basic skill class in college. I followed an education major track in college so the only other math I took was a 'teaching math' course. Same with science, I took a science method class and an electricity class. (Needless to say, I don't teach math and science higher than a sixth grade level.)

I took Algebra in 8th grade. I took Calculus in high school. My degree required Fundamental Math and I took Calculus 2.

It doesn't matter what the math requirement is for degree--you can always challenge yourself above and beyond the minimum requirement.

I used College Algebra as an example. The course possibilities extend far beyond that.

As I said in an earlier post, I mentioned this because one reason I tend to see for homeschooling is exposure to drugs, sex, drinking and bad language at the high school level. I'm sure these things come up before, during and after a college class. I'm not saying kids sit there and do drugs in class or talk about their relationships but in normal conversation, like if they all were at a party the night before.

Another thought - if your 16 year old is taking a class with 19 year olds, don't they feel out of place or lonely? I'm sure while most of the kids might go out of their way to be friendly, there's not much in common between these two age groups.

That could happen if she had a part time job at the grocery store.

Would she fell out of place an lonely. Hard to say as she is only entering first grade. The possibility is always there...the liklihood probably not. But as a parent that is what you decide. Is your child ready for such an opportunity.

It is a very well known program in this state and I know many students who have done it (myself, my friends as well as homeschoolers, public high schoolers and private homeschoolers in the community).

Haven't met one yet who was lonely. It isn't like they are shipping off to the college dorm at 16.

And I never said that my daughter's entire high school career would be spent on a college campus either. It is an option for you to make for your family at the time.

If managed properly--it isn't rushing anything.

 

[Brier Rose]

Ok, another question for homeschoolers...what do you do when your child is not interested in a particular subject or class?

My son has a major reading disability. I know it's hard for him but I push him because I feel the more he reads, the better he'll get. Then the other part of me says let him be and maybe he'll be more interested if I don't force it.

So what do you do, say, if your child is not interested in math. Do you feel that homeschooling is more relaxing for that child so they won't mind taking higher math classes or do you wait till they are ready for it??

For instance, I hated Algebra in high school. I got through Algebra I and said that's enough for me and took business math.

My DS is 7, and up until recently had not been interested in reading at all! It was a constant battle with him, that usually ended with him being frustrated and crying.He was beginning to hate everything about reading, and wanted no part of it!

He adores Math and Science, and so it finally dawned on me that...hey this is why I'm homeschooling..let it go! So I did, and we just concentrated more on what he was doing well at, but at the same time I would continue to read to him a lot! I would also make sure to work on letter sounds, etc. just in general conversation throughout the day.

One day he brought me one of his Phonics workbooks that he wanted to work on, and honestly it was like magic! He just got it all of the sudden..just like that..it was amazing!

So for my DS having the luxury of being homeschooled and beginning to read when he was ready, was far better than having him in "normal" school where he would have been expected to read at 5. He is loving it now, and is so proud of himself, where before when I was trying to force it, he would say that he was stupid.

While I didn't want to push my DS into reading before he was ready, I do also realize there has to be a line there somewhere. If he really hadn't started reading at all within the next year or so, my plan was to seek "outside" help.


This is what we did with my DD. AFTER attending private school, at 8 almost 9, she was still having a hard time reading, and she really wanted to read! We started homeschooling, but whatever I was doing just was not working either, so we enrolled her in classes at Sylvan Learning Center. Within a few months she was reading at amazing levels!

She is in 8th grade now, and she hates Math! It took me awhile, but I finally found a program that she thinks is fun, and so she doesn't mind doing her work so much.

I guess what it comes down to is I am a big proponent of waiting until their ready, AND finding whatever method works.

 

[akelly]

I have taught in public schools for 17 years and have coached youth football for 16.. In my time, we have had 4 home schooled kids play youth football and their social skills were just awful, had a hard time even saying hi to the other kids. I just cringe when I even hear people mention home schooling as a solution.

Won't even get into the educational factors as these kids head into junior high and high school...

I agree!!!! And when people say that school is not a place to be social that is just a way of trying to make homeschooling ok. Even if the kids are not allowed to sit and chat all day they are still learning how to be in society WITHOUT the comfort of a parent.

I could go on and on about how much kids are missing by being away from there peers. Being in activities is not social time either.

Jon99, First of all, if you only had 4 homeschooled kids on your football teams in 16 years you must live in an area with an extremely low population of homeschoolers. My daughter's club soccer team has had 3 homeschoolers (including mine) out of the 14 girls that have been on the team over the last two years. (No, they were not recruited from our homeschool group - none knew each other before joining the team.) All three have fit in perfectly and have, in fact, been some of the most popular kids on the team.
Please see post #69 for an elaboration on my daughter's experience.

dustysky, homeschooling IS OK. I'm not saying public or private is not. Each family needs to make the decision that is right for them. I agree with some other posters who say there are people who should not be homeschooling. I'm sure that is true. That being said, it is due to a failure on the parents' part and their decision making ability when it comes to the education of their children. It is not a failure of homeschooling - it is a failure of that family to do what is best for their child.

Do you really think I stay and hover over my children at every activity they go to? Believe me, I have better things to do than that. Don't assume homeschooling moms are out to create an artificial environment (we could easily find an artifical environment if we wanted), or one in which we are controlling things. We are not.

As far as activities not being social time -HUH? For one out of many examples: My oldest two just went to youth group on Sunday. There are over 400 kids involved in youth group and all the grades, 6-12, are together for the summer get togethers. They had crazy things like a velcro wall, an inflatable sword fighting type thing, and an inflatable bungee thing. They had a rock band, games, food, etc. The perimeter of the "play" area was watched over by chaperones. There was very little direct adult influence. This went for 4 hours. Exactly how was this not social activity? And before anyone thinks it, no, my girls did not sit on the sidelines. In fact, they were very comfortable. It was my middle daughter's first time there (now old enough) and she was not at all intimidated by there even being junior and senior high schoolers there. Maybe because she's used to being around all ages.

MY children deserve to be taught by professionals in their field who are continually upgarding their credentials. If you don't think your children deserve that, by all means, homeschool them. MAYBE we'll see you in college. But maybe not, since MY child won't need to go to Community College.

Many of our kids will enter 4 year colleges as 18 year old sophmores. So, I guess you're right. We might not see you in college-we'll have a head start. That's what community college often is - a head start, not a replacement for a university. Why not take advantage of the opportunity to have college credit when entering a university? As I explained in my earlier post, it will be of extreme benefit to my middle daughter (athlete) who will be able to enter as a freshman but with a lot of credits under her belt. As an example: a big sister (homeschooled) of a girl on my daughter's soccer team entered Penn State as a freshman on a full volleyball scholarship with 40 credits under her belt.

Don't twist our words around to imply that our kids are ONLY going to community colleges.

 

[KJMAX1]

Karel,

To address your question about how you know if your child has a learning disability or not, I can answer because my daughter does. She was in Kindergarten her first year, and was acting "immature" the teacher said, and it was concluded to hold her back. My daughter repeated her second year of Kindergarten...Finally about in October of 2005 I decided to get an independent evaluation on my daughter that my husband and I paid privately for. I noticed things with my daughter that my younger son never did, and being a former child care provider I knew something was wrong. I continued with the evaluations until it was determined my daughter had sensory integration disorder, and an auditory processing disorder. However, the school began to tell me she was ADHD. If she had been placed on this medication, my daughter in no way would "get better" and would have continued to struggle in her learning both social and educational. After meetings with the school, and with our private therapist, the school concluded that my daughter could not be helped to the degree of which she needed. She was TWO deviation below the mean!!! THATS HUGE! She also can hear at 130 ohms whereas a normal hearing level is between 20 - 30ohms. My daughter literally hears a pin drop and it sounds like a hammer to her...So over the course of a day she is totally overwhelmed, and acts like ADHD. Our PS never caught that! She couldnt read or write by the end of her first year of K. The PS has offered to provide support when needed and also some therapy (however, its nothing like what we get privately) and she qualifies just like a regular attending child to get services. We continue with 2 hours a week with private therapy and about 15 hours of therapy at home. While it is a HUGE undertaking for a homeschool parent it has worked. My daughter can now read, completed her 1st grade math book, has had many unit studies this year, and is happy! She was SOOO depressed at school when the kids laughed at her, and called her names. Now with the therapy and ability to have a very quiet learning time, she has grown by leaps and bounds. Another way to discover your child has a disability is by taking the IOWA tests. It gives you an average of where a child should be, and lets you know what needs to be done. I think in general we all know children should be reading by 8, they should be following their peers in traditional school with first grade math books for 6 to 7 yr olds....etc. Another aspect of a homeschooler noticing these things is to be aware, read information, and stay connected with other people who might notice something. HTH


BTW, we get more learning done in one year because we do not take time off for vacations, we school year round (we take only 2 weeks per year). Most kids ahead in their grade probably do the same thing. It also helps prevent those learning lags in the beginning of the school year where most teachers have to go over everything again.