I Need to Switch to Home Schooling ASAP!

Having an issue with one teacher is not enough reason to switch to home schooling. There are large social development ramifications as well as academic issues involved in that decision. It would be advisable to try to find out why he is having difficulties with the teacher and to see if there are workable remedies. You may need to involve the school's counselor or principal. It doesn't help if you are having an adversarial relationship with the teacher, so you need to make an effort to build rapport with the teacher as you help him to do so. He is going to encounter a lot of different kinds of people in his life and cannot always retreat when there is conflict. This sounds like a great learning opportunity for him and for you, as well.

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I also had an issue with a K teacher with our youngest son. When he started seemed to be getting in lots of trouble and she labeled him a troublemaker and that was obviously not going to changed. We have a wonderful principal who agreed to move him to another class. It also turned out for us that our son was frustrated and had some learning difficulties. Once in a classroom with an understanding teacher and receiving the special instruction our son has blossomed. We moved to Frisco from Plano and I do not believe we would have gotten the same help there that we got in Frisco.

I concur and recommend you talk to the principal before taking this drastic step of removing your child. But is this something that you have been thinking about?

I agree with Barney on this one. This instance alone is not a sole reason to switch to homeschool.

I would speak to the principal and/or counselor. It is very possible that you can get into another class. It does not help anyone when you are also "not into" the teacher. Your son can sense that without you mentioning a word.

We are in PlanoISD and we did have to make a change for my daughter in 4th grade. At the time, she switched at the end of the semester. We had another switch in 8th grade with 1 class. Her schedule was changed at the last 6 weeks of school (although we should have done it earlier). It can be done if you work with the principal/counselor/and grade level teachers. Of course, the school staff weighs options carefully when a change needs to be made. You can't just switch because you want to.

My daughter is now in 9th grade and 1 thing her counselor told her was that she is now preparing for life. There will be people (teachers) she does not necessarily care for or get along with, HOWEVER, she must learn how deal with it and focus on her goal.....graduation, GPA, her success, etc.

Also, I would refrain from discussing this with anyone other than the parties involved. It is just something that stirs up gossip. There is no need for gossip because this teacher might be the perfect teacher for others.

Use this as a learning lesson.

Hello J.

You're putting a lot of pressure on yourself by choosing to switch to homeschooling in this rushed kind of way!

Would it be possible for you to switch him to another classroom for right now and take off the pressure? There are some WONDERFUL teachers out there.

If I remember correctly, the big homeschooling conventions are held in the spring so that people can buy the materials they need for the next year. You might want to attend one of these conferences. But you might also want to be researching material NOW!

Probably the best way to start homeschooling is to get to know some people who are already doing it and spend time with them and find out what they are using and what works for them. The request you put out today may help you get started on that.

If you have been wanting to homeschool for awhile, then you could just pull him out like you've mentioned and buy some "filler" material(Sam's Club, Mardels, the local homeschool store) while you research stuff and buy the materials you want. There are a lot of excellent materials out there. But, like I mentioned, that's putting a lot of pressure on you.

I didn't homeschool all the way through, but when I did have my kids at home, I preferred the history approach, starting with the beginning of time and proceeding to modern times. My sister used the "unschooling" approach for much of her kids education. The oldest went on to graduate with honors from college, the second oldest is now in college, and the youngest two could care less about attending more school.

If you want to correspond more than send me a note and I'll write back.

I wish for the best for you and your child as you figure out what you want to do. Life is an adventure!

A.

See if you can switch teachers. My daughter is in kindergarten and she has already had one child transfer from one teacher into her class. Speak to the principal first.

Honestly, instead of withdrawing your child, talk with the principal first or the school's counselor. I had issues with my son's teacher in first grade, but stuck with her. Towards the end of the year, I broached the problem to the counselor and I made it so there is no way that my son could ever have that teacher again. My daughter just started Kindergarten and it is already in her file not to have that teacher. Since it is the beginning of the year, if you talk with the principal and tell them your concerns, they would more than likely transfer your child. It will also be in that teachers file.

If the problem is just the teacher maybe seeing if your child can change class rooms would help. You sound like a very busy mom!!!
Something else that you might want to look at are some of the University style schools that are around. My sons attend Campbell Christian Ac. here in Plano. They only go to school 2 hours a day 4 days a week. They do most of the teaching at school and send home homework. They allow children to work at there level. They also make children master the basics before they move on to new stuff. Another school is Cero Diem (I have no idea how its spelled?!?!?) They have students go 2 to 3 times a week and the rest is done at home. I've heard that it is pretty intense.
If you have any questions about Campbell let me know. Its been wonderful for me.
H.

Just take a letter of withdraw up to the school telling them of your intent to homeschool in the letter. Ask them to place the letter in his file and you are done. You don't owe them any information about the curriculum you are going to use or why you are going to homeschool. Please googel Homeschool Legal Defense Association and get a sample letter from them and tips about starting homeschooling and your legal responsibilities. Texas is one of the easiest states to homeschool in.

Don't spend a lot on curriculum. Reading, Spelling, Basic Grammar and Math is all that he really needs this year. There are TONS of co-ops out there. There are a few that are drop off for two days a week and they get a lot of social studies and science, art and music. I live in the Denton area and we have about 8 options of different organizations for homeschooling. I am sure Frisco has their fair share. Good luck! It is a wonderful thing to do with your child. We withdrew our son at the end of 1st grade from public school and my twin girls (also 2nd grade) have not been to public school. We are starting our 4th year this year and we all love it.

I work for Frisco ISD as support staff, and honestly it is a great district as far as public schools go. That being said, I homeschool my children because of personal preference.
My oldest did attend an FISD school for about 6 months, and when I withdrew her, I just went into the office and told them of my intent, and they got all the paperwork together and just had me sign.
It certainly won't hurt him if you want to take him out and try it. If it doesn't work out for you guys, he can just go back. A lot of people do that.
I hope you get things worked out!

This is a great age to homeschool! You will love it and so will he. Plug in to a local group for great socal networking and field trips. Home Educator's Resource store in Lewisville is the best. You will find more than you could ever possibly need and buy most of it used for a fraction of the retail prices. We have tried public, private, and homeschool. Homeschool is by far the best for our kids on many levels. Wouldn't even consider going back. Sorry he is having a difficult time in his new school. That isn't any fun for anyone. But you can consider it a blessing in disguise if it gets you to try homeschooling him. We start High School next year!

Blessings to you and yours!

Hi! I just recently withdrew my son from a Frisco ISD school and started homeschooling him. It was a tough decision to make because I liked the school; however, my little guy was not performing well in the public school setting. Since starting home school, he has really blossomed. With that said, I also agree with the other ladies about meeting with the principal to have your son transferred to another classroom. I truly believe that sometime personalities just clash and everyone benefits from a change. No doubt about it - you are facing a very tough decision.

If you decide to home school, a good place to start is at the Texas Home School Coalition web page. They have a sample letter to use when withdrawing your son, plus suggestions on where to get started. Also, there is a home school group called Frisco HIS that is an incredible source of information and support. Their website is www.friscohis.org. This group is a Christian based group.

As far as curriculum, that will depend on you and your son. There is curriculum out there that tells you exactly what to do and say (more workbook type teaching) and then there is curriculum that provides more flexibility (i.e. Charlotte Mason approach). Fortunately (and sometimes Unfortunately) there is an endless source of home school curriculum out there. There is a store in Lewisville (Home Educators - I think) that carries curriculum so you can go and look at it before purchasing. Also, Mardels carries a limited amount of resources as well.

Please feel free to contact me personally if you have anything additional. Good luck!

In Texas you are a private school. Therefore you have no requirements to meet through the state. Just send a letter of intent to withdraw your child from school.

There are a couple of options you can go with. First, don't go spend a load of money on curriculum. There are so many resources you can get for free or for little money until you figure out how he learns. Then you can purchase a curriculum if you feel you need to.

Also, you will be schooling one, that means you can be super efficient and plan on only spending about 2 to 3 hours max. We home school year round and don't take school breaks. For Christmas they get two days off. But that means we only home school 1 hour a day at max. That doesn't include the supplemental lessons. Reading isn't school, that's part of life. Watching documentaries don't figure into our school day time. We also do a load of field trips either with a group or seperate.

If you are in or near Frisco I would encourage you to come to Warren Park this Wednesday at 1:00. Frisco homeschool group meets there every other week. If you want to send me a private note for more information I would be willing to help.

Here are some low cost resources.
http://multiplication.com/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html
http://edhelper.com/ (I know people who do all of their homeschooling through this site and their kids are smart.)
http://math.com