Seeking Advice on Pros or Cons of Homeschooling

Hi H..
As a teacher, I don't think that homeschooling is a good idea. Teachers are trained for 4 years (not to mention conferences and masters degrees)to ensure that a child has the most up to date methods and teachings exposed to them. We send our child to a dentist, because they are trained. We go to a stylist to get our haircut, because they are trained. Teachers are trained to educate your child. I believe that parents are definitely the first, and most important teacher to a child, however school is beneficial to them on so many levels.

If your daughter has not "clicked" with the teacher, you must remember that your child will not have the same teacher every year. If I were you, I would have a conference with the teacher and teh resource teacher to find out what they are doing to help your daughter and accomodate her ADD.

Best of luck to you. I'm sure whatever decision you make, you are making it with your daughters best interests at heart.

EDIT:
After reading Nicole's response, I wanted to add something. One hour for first grade is insane!!!! I teach a 90 minute block of Language Arts alone, to my 2nd graders! If you choose to homeschool, best of luck to you, but please know that you are not "schooling" your child by only teaching them for one hour!

And believe me, I, nor any of the other teachers I know, do not fear losing my job because a small few choose to homeschool.

In a previous life time, I taught at the University of Illinois, Campaign, instructing education majors. During the 5 years I taught, I had the privilege of instructing 4 students that were home schooled until they were Juniors in HS.

Hands down, these were the most talented students I ever taught. They could actually write and construct well-thought out arguments. I have no idea what their parent's did to help them develop their talents and skills, but I am sure the school system would have only stifled these students. Homeschooling can be the better option for many children, but only if the parent is willing to turn themselves into a student and display the passion and dedication to learning necessary for all education to take place.

The only secret to good teaching is being a good student and inspiring those you instruct to take up the difficult task of self-education.

Good luck!

If you are questioning it at all, I would wait until summer to try it out to see how both of you do together. It is a huge commitment. I don't believe homeschooling is good. I used to teach 4th grade. I would see kids that were home schooled and then came to public school. Their social skills were poor, they didn't adjust well to structure, and they had a lot of gaps in their knowledge. I'm sure you only want what is best for your child but you are the parent. You know what is best for her. Don't give her a choice because of course she would pick being at home over working hard at school. Most kids would.

I can tell you from working with children for nine years at the middle school level almost anything you provide at home will be superior to what they will get at school.

Now that depends on your commitment and seriousness in approaching the task as well. If you aren't organized, strict with your daughter, and willing to do much research, then maybe it isn't for you.

There are tons of resources on=line that you can research. And regardless of a religious based program, it is still a good program. Take what you want from it and leave the rest. But I'm not sure why anyone would not want to provide their child with a solid faith background...but that is another discussion.

Children that attend private schools and those that are home schooled almost always surpass their counter-parts in the public school setting.

Your child will recieve much one-on-one instruction that is superior to instruction provided by a teacher with 30 other students to deal with.

You assess your child's abilities on a daily basis and can provide remediation where necessary and your public school teacher doesn't have the time, energy, or desire to go to so much effort because of her work load.

Your child will be more likely to pay attention and focus with far fewer distractions.

There will be far less negative influences coming from children whose parents do not monitor what they watch on tv, what they listen to on the radio, or even what they do with friends while often unsupervised.

I could go on and on, but it basically boils down to your own willingness to jump in with both feet. It is a tremendous amount of work, very time consuming, but can be very rewarding as well.

I personally have thought about it but I haven't made that leap just yet. My daughter is in kindergarten and thus far I'm not impressed. What she learned at home before she started public school far exceeds the instruction at school. I don't fault the teacher, but the environment in which she must work. In addition, my daughter has had to endure teasing already over the silliest things like the fact I make her lunch and put nutritious items in there rather than stick a lunchable in her pack. I also like to dress her in feminine clothing and she has been teased for being too fancy as well. She can handle it for sure and I don't worry about her being traumatized, but it just shows me of things to come and I'm not pleased. I find children today are not polite, they do not understand what it means to pay attention unless the tv is on, they often emulate garbage they see on tv, their parents often dress small children like adults, and the list goes on and on....

At any rate, you have to do what you feel comfortable with and I hope that either I can muster the courage to home school my own children or my husband and I can find the money to send them to private school.

Hi! Check out the site www.whiteoakschool.com. My friend who runs that site, Lori Pickert, discusses homeschooling and other topics that may be of interest to you. You may even want to contact her through the site with questions. She is awesome! Good luck!

Is your daughter on medication for ADD, and has she been tested? If not, I would find that answer out first before I pulled her out of school. Secondly, I would speak to the teacher and the resource teacher and see what is going on at school and what can be done to help her out or get her any services she may need. And lastly, your daughter is only in first grade. I don't think she has the ability or knowledge to decide that she should be "pulled out of school and be homeschooled". I don't think a first graders request to be removed from school should be considered unless you are capable of handling the curriculum and everything that goes along with teaching, and it is something that you as a parent have considered. If you are not comfortable with the curriculum and not sure I think you may need some more time to look into all of it. Just because she is not "clicking" with the teacher is not a valid reason to pull her out of school. Could there be something else going on? Good luck to you.

HI H.,

I am also going to begin homeschooling at the end of this school year. My son is in kindergarten and there just hasn't been that "click" with formal education for us. We go to a private school 1/2 days, but I think we'd all benefit from him schooling at home along with his little sister. Pulling out of a private school is easy because Ilinois considers homeschooling "private school" so we're merely transfering from school to school. However, getting out of public school can be a bit trickier. The state knows your child exists and when you leave their system they lose money. You will need to file a letter of intent to homeschool. you can find this and all the illinois laws at http://www.illinoishouse.org/a16.htm There are so many resources out there, but here are two that I want to share with you now.

1) My sister lives in Crystal Lake. She unschools, but has several friends that homeschool in all diffrent manners. She also just started a homeschool co-op this past year that offers small parent taught classes, field trips and activities. She is very knowlegable about all kinds of homeschooling subjects and has many connections to homeschooling groups in your area! Her group is secular, but welcomes all backgrounds. Check out her website at http://www.funschoolcoop.com/Home_Page.php you can send her an email to just chat through the site as well. I am quite jealous that it seems like Crystal Lake has so much to offer the home school family (I'm down south and have to look harder to find things), so you are in a great location to start your family's journey!

2) There is a homeschool conference coming up the first weekend in March. I too will be attending with my family to learn more about homeschooling and our options. You can view the conference schedule and download a registration form at www.inhomeconference.org The fee for the conference covers your attendance for both days and has tons of group sessions for kids. This would be a great place to mingle and meet other homeschoolers as well as check out the different curriculums out there if you plan on using one.

I hope this help. I admit, right now I do feel a little guilt for giving up on traditional school, but I've seen how great homeschooling is for my neice and nephew as well ss many of their friends, and I know I'm doing the right thing. My son used to have such a spark for leanring all day everyday until he started at a formal school. I can't wait for him to get that spark back. Good luck to you!

Edit:
I just went through and read some of the other responses. I have to say I was blown away by a lot of them! Take what you read from non-homeschoolers with a grain of salt. Sometimes you can do school for an hour a day. A homeschooler isn't stuck in a building five days a week for six hour blocks. Most homeschoolers are schooling all of the time. not just on weekdays. And most choose to school all year round. That's what so great about it. Your child and you choose when you want to school not a school board. One more thing. over 2 million families have chosen to homeschool, and there may be more. Most states such as ours do not require homeschoolers to register, so that number may be significantly higher.

Thanks again for bringing this subject up. I look forward to reading more posts on homeschooling!

Hi- Just thought I'd add my opinion to the mix! I'm in my 7th year of homeschooling my 3 kids, and although it's sometimes difficult, I wouldn't choose anything else. My kids were in K, 2nd and 5th when we pulled them out, and my only regret is that we didn't do it sooner. Like your daughter, my oldest daughter didn't "click" with her teacher, and seemed somewhat ADD. I briefly considered taking her out of school at the time, but just didn't think I could do it. It seemed SO scary! But several years later, for various reasons, we decided to home school, and I'm so glad we did. By the way, my daughter didn't have ADD or learning issues- she was just really, really bored! My two highschoolers (currently 9th and 11th graders) are now taking math and english composition classes at College of Lake County and last semester both got 4.0 grades. On the other extreme, my youngest struggles with reading and eye tracking, and is mildly dyslexic. We work hard together, as well as with a tutor each week. With home schooling, I've been able to tailor my kids' education to their own needs and pace. As far as the socialization issue, I personally don't want my kids to learn how to behave from their peers- I want them to learn how to behave from their father and me, and then to enjoy playing with their many friends and each other during the hours we're not learning. We're involved in a local church, so we have many social opportunities, but if one wasn't, I can see that it could be a challenge to find social outlets. As for the charge that homeschooled kids aren't "socialized", well, some public schooled kids aren't too well socialized, either! School is certainly no guarantee of great social skills or behavior! There are no easy answers to these questions, and home schooling is definitley not for everyone. I would recommend that you continue to work with your daughter's teachers, and continue to look into your options until you have a firm convition which choice is best for you and your family. As to fearing that your daughter may change her mind in a few weeks, she is far too young and inexperienced to make any of these kinds of decisions for herself. If you choose to do it, simply tell her with a smile that after much thought and research, and because you love her, this is what you've decided is best for her. As for non religious support or co-op groups, I don't know of any in your area, but don't be too imtimidated to join a "religious" one- they may be far more welcoming and inclusive than you think! If you have any questions you think I might be able to help you with, please feel free to e-mail me privately. Blessings- N.

Hi H.!

I am currently a second grade teacher, although I have taught other grades as well. During my coursework to receive my Master in Curriculum and Instruction in Education, I did extensive research on homeschooling. It is obviously your choice and I am glad that you are seeking information from others and their experiences. I wish you luck with your choice, although I am obviously a strong supporter of sending a child to school.

I just wanted to comment to Nicole. After reading your post, Nicole, I had to laugh. I think that you are writing false information, that shows very poor lack of judgement. I was amazed to read that a 1st grade student only needs 1 hour of instruction a day. I absolutely do not agree with that and I would hope that no homeschooling adult would follow that suggestion. I also laughed when you said that teachers don't want to lose their jobs. You must not know what a teacher makes and how truly dedicated we are. I would do anything for my students and would go above and beyond to meet their individual needs - that is what teachers do. As for a child being bored (instead of having ADD)that statement has been heard many times. An extremely small percentage of the time that may be the case. In MOST schools differentiation is essential and the child's so called "boredom" is really due to underlying medical/personality/behavioral/academic issues.

One more note... as for students that have been homeschooled and then return to "public" education, they do have a more difficult time. They are not used to the structure of the day in the classroom. and having to follow rules and procedures. They are also not used to interacting and working with other students (which they will have to do "in the real world" later in life). So, good luck to you H. - I wish you and your family the best!

Contact ____@____.com
Paul is a teacher and she may know of home schooling groups.

I'm in Elgin and pulled my now 2nd grader out before school started this year. I would never have thought i was capable of homeschooling but was called to it by higher power. I love it! We don't have a support group either. i just read a lot of books and bought a wonderful curriculum. There are a lot of options these days. i would love to help you further or get to know you better and share play/school time. Don't hesitate to respond! G.

Hi H.,
I'm a retired home school mom of 3. Home schooling my kids for 10 years was the best thing for them. That is what is important.

Parents are responsible to raise their children, not teachers. While teachers have 4 years of education they will never love your child and want what's best for them as you do. It is a parent's right to home school plus it is legal to home school in all states within the state's guidelines.

You have many choices for home schooling materials. There are complete curriculums or you can choose your own materials. It's best to contact the state home school association to make sure you follow the laws of the state. Contact me privately and I will try to find that link plus a link to a support group in your area.

What is wonderful about home schooling is that you will get to know your children well. Plus they get to advance at their own pace and even study subjects that might not be offered in schools. All 3 of my children did well and have gone on to study subjects of interest in college/trade school. My youngest took college classes for his senior in high school and double dipped (DD). DD allowed him to use those classes toward college credit and his high scohol transcript. He ACED all his classes that year. He is currently taking 18 credits at a local college since he got an A in all his classes last semester taking 15 credits. He attributes his success to being allowed to advance at his own pace. He is very smart but I agree that he might have been stifled in school. I know I was.

In fairness to public schools some kids flourish and that is good. But it does not do justice to all kids and therefore not in their best interest. You need to do what you feel is right for your child. If your DD is requesting to home school and you research it and agree then by all means go forward. There are plenty of people here who can offer suggestions and encouragement.

Blessings,
K. Hall

You will notice that the ONLY people who say homeschooling is bad are teachers and those with a vested interest in our education system. Of course they are going to say it's bad! If everyone homeschooled they wouldn't have jobs! Don't listen to them! If they aren't telling you about their fancy degrees then they'll be telling you about socialization. How can children "socialize" if they're told to sit down and be quiet all day?

Instead, make your own decision based on what works for your family. Some children flourish in school. Others do better in the one-on-one that homeschooling provides. Also, you graduated High School, which means you mastered all the material up through high school. Of course you can share that with your daughter!

Don't get me wrong, teachers are wonderful people with the ability to teach many children at once. That just might not be the right route for EVERY child.

We started homeschooling our daughter this year and its had its good and bad points. Our daughter graduated from first grade last year but when we tested her we couldn't believe they passed her! She didn't know her months of the year, the days of the week, she didn't know her seasons, she was having trouble reading preschool books and her reading comprehension was nil. Her math was OK.

Her teacher had alluded to her having ADHD problems, and we knew she was having trouble focusing and paying attention in class.

She is doing well in homeschool! The GREAT part is we make sure she fully understands something before we move on. Her main problem is she needs to SEE examples (lots of them!) before she can understand. Using the internet we can show her lots of pictures or demonstrations, something a teacher may not be able to do. One day it took us an hour to get through one concept in science. But you know, now she REALLY knows it! And it's OK to spend an hour on science if now she can APPLY her knowledge.

The pros are being able to really make sure she knows her material, and letting her learn in the way that SHE learns best. She didn't have ADHD, she just didn't learn the way they make you at school. Also, we know Study Technology, and that keeps her from running into barriers. If you want to know more about Study Technology, let me know.

The cons are the cost of the materials, and making yourself put in the homeshooling schedule. It can take a lot of patience, sometimes when she gets stuck we have to do a lot of digging to find out what she doesn't understand. One day it turned out she was stuck because she didn't know what a garden hoe was. If you don't know what something is, how can you read and understand a story about it?

For a first grader you really only need an hour a day, maybe a little more. Just follow the Illinois laws (I have links if you're interested) on the subjects.

Don't be worried about teaching your child "right." The funny thing about teaching methods are they only work for certain kids. EVERY kid has the method they learn best with. As a homeschooling mom you can find that method, there are a lot of resources out there!

Our daughter used to hate school. She dreaded going, she wasn't learning and she was constantly in trouble for talking and goofing. This spilled over into her activities like gymnastics. Now she loves homeschool, she's learning quickly (after we found out what was missing), and she's better behaved all around! We just took a trip to the aquarium and we are studying fish, something she wanted to do.

If you need more info or encouragement, try www.homeschoolspot.com :) Or message me or the other homeschooling moms! We'll get you started!

EDITED TO ADD:

I give teachers a high-five for being able to work for as little as they do and be able to teach a classroom full of kids (who's parents probably let them eat junk food and watch TV) anything with the limited resources the school districts offer.

BUT, the only negative things I have heard about homeschooling are from teachers, principals and superintendents. Now, you teachers come on here and add to that experience, saying exactly what I've heard from teacher after teacher.

I've been researching homeschooling for a long time. I've been to homeschooling conferences, I've talked to parents of successful homeschoolers and those who were not successful.

I am telling you, one hour a day is plenty for a first grader. If you actually sit down and do a worksheet with a first grader, it really doesn't take that long. You could easily finish all the Illinois requirements for one day in one hour. Homeschoolers also continue to learn all day long. We do about 2 hours of seat work for second grade. The rest is all doing. My daughter has learned cooking, sewing, dancing, swimming, soccer, tumbling, singing and weaving. We've been to the aquarium, the museum and the zoo.

Think about how many worksheets a first grader would actually do in one day. Explaining a concept to ONE PERSON is easier than explaining it to a classroom full of kids. It really would only be what I said, about an hour or more.

I am a homeschooling mom of a 1, 3 and 5 year old...I was just thinking this morning how great it is! In just 40 minutes we accomplished so much! I worked on my masters in elementry education and one of the reasons I decided to homeschool was I saw how much time is wasted teaching to so many kids, waiting for so many kids to do everything and unless you have a kids right in the middle, the teaching is always going to be boring or too advanced, instaed I give my sons focused attention for their exact learnign styles- you pick the curriculum so it can meet the needs exactly of your daughter. We are part of a fabulous christian classical group, I know there are secular groups, I just don't know them- I just heard that there was suppose to be a big secular homeschool conference at pheasant run in february, but that's all i know, maybe if you googled those words or called Pheasant Run you could figure it out. Please feel free to eamil or call with any other questions!

There is a homeschool conference coming up in March (I believe) at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles. I believe this is the more secular one. There is also a conference at Calvary Church in June, which will have a Christian bent. You could get invloved with one of the more religious groups just to meet people. Maybe you would connect with one or two families, or atleast get some practical info. I have a bunch of friends and a sister that homschool, and we are thinking about it for next year (when my oldest will start kindergarten.) Good luck with the decision. If you don't get the info you are looking for, I may be able to connect you with my sister or someone (but they woudn't be local).

Good Morning H. ~
I am going to go back in time for a bit and then come to the current - I was a 'career' mom with our older children <we have a total of six children> would have Homeschooled the older ones if I knew then what I know now....
My second son was SO BORED in kindergarten that he would finish all his work and help all the other kids. If he wasn't allowed to help them he would wander off to look for more things to do. Long story short, he GED out at the age of 16 even though he had great ability and grades and a very large social group. Our oldest daughter ALSO GED'd out at the age of 17 even though she was taking college classes while in HS. THEY WERE SOOOOOOO BORED.

<recent> We put our youngest into a private kindergarten at the age of four. She was reading and writing at the age of 3! We had her tested in and she ‘passed’ with no issues, public schools wouldn’t even ‘test’ her – she wasn’t “SIX” yet.
She enjoyed the other kids, some of the time; most of the time they picked on her for being the ‘smarty pants’ of the class. She would have the answers and is very outgoing and would give them to the teacher. She was well behaved and tried to ‘dummy’ herself so that she could/would fit in with the other children. THAT was IT. I have been homeschooling her in the “first grade” – making sure to follow all the requirements that she would get in public school. <even went to the library and covered all the workbooks they have available / that are used for the school children> She has completed most of her first grade curriculum and has started some second grade. We do science projects, cooking projects, and such every chance we get. She finished her ‘twelve week’ keyboard program in less than two weeks and loves typing up her spelling words, letters and such on the computer. I can go on and on.
I DO belong to different home school groups – one is ‘religious’ based one is NOT. We are new to IL and I need to network out to find friends and families for us in this area. E-mail me and I will give you more information on how to contact the “NON” religious group if you would like.
Bottom line – I had to do what was best for my daughter, and THAT is what I believe I am doing. We are our children’s teachers, from the beginning to the end. Do what YOU BELIEVE is right, no matter what anyone tells you.

Hi H.,

We are in our 4th year of homeschooling our now 11 year old daughter and absolutely love it! I think if I can offer any advice to you is that you have to be organized and disciplined. After reading the other responses you have received so far I can understand why some feel that homeschooling is not a good idea. However, if you do it right, your children will be so much better off than going to a public school.

Unfortunately, it isn't just the public schools that are lacking but also some of the private ones. When our daughter was 3 years old we enrolled her in a well-known, expensive private school in Chicago. By the time she was 7 we were truly dismayed with the level of education she was getting for the amount of money we were spending. Our daughter has always been an excellent student and she was being totally ignored in the classroom or being asked to help the children who were struggling (which she enjoyed doing but she herself wasn't being at all challenged). When she was 7 we tried a second well-known, expensive private school in Chicago only to find that, in spite of all the promises we were given when they "accepted" her into their school, she was bored stiff and even less challenged than before. So, after 5 weeks at that school, we took her out and have been homeschooling her ever since.

My husband and I have our own business so are able to be somewhat flexible to accomodate the homeschooling - we both work with her so it doesn't fall completely on one of us. Having said that, however, because we do have to tend to the business, we decided to use a homeschooling program called "K12" which is a fully accredited homeschooling program. If you are interested you can take a look at the website http://www.k12.com/. This program has the curriculum for each level - kindergarten through 12th grade already planned for you. You purchase the books and other learning materials and access to the website - for our daughter it costs about $1,200 a year. It depends on how many classes you sign up for - she is taking a full load - math, literature, grammar and spelling, art, history and science. Also, what is nice is that you can do classes at different levels. My daughter is advanced for her age in math and literature so is taking a higher class level, whereas, with history and science we decided to have her take her class level because she had gotten so little of those subjects in private school. They also furnish teacher guides and the answers to all the tests. Some of the lessons -especially in science are done online - which I find my daughter really enjoys. Anyway, K12 has been very valuable to us because we don't have to spend a lot of time working out a curriculum and schedule ourselves - plus we find that it is very thorough and our daughter is learning so much more than if she were in a public or private school. And so are her parents! It is really a lot of fun!

I find it so interesting how many people bring up socialization. Our daughter is very social and well-adjusted and friendly. She easily carries on a conversation with anyone - no matter what age - and has a great sense of humor. Please don't let anyone use that issue to dissuade you from homeschooling. I have also had people say that we should be careful not to raise her in a "cultural bubble" meaning that she is not experiencing the "real world" because she is not in a "real" school. Well, if it means she has to deal with a friend of 6 years who does attend a "real" school telling her that she is no longer "cool" because she doesn't have certain things or do certain things, then I am happy to raise her in a "cultural bubble" - she probably knows more about the real world than a lot of kids because she is involved in our business on a daily basis plus we discuss things with her - we get her opinion and listen to what she has to say.

Should you choose to homeschool I wish you the best and hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Hi H.,
I had a very good friend who homeschooled her first 2 children until the 1st one was 10. She then put them in public school because her kids asked to go. When she enrolled them they were tested & both kids were 2 grade levels higher in reading than the average. But on the down side, they were 2 grades lower in science & one grade lower in math. They had some major catching up to do for both of these subjects. They also had a difficult time with social interaction (the girl more so than the boy). In hindsight, my friend said that she would not have home schooled. Her daughter has been in public school for 3 years now & she still has socialization issues. A big part of education is learning how to act & react with your peers. When you are grown up & working in the real world, your socialization skills are one of the most important things in being successful in life & in love. If she is having problems than you can speak with the teacher & with some of the counselors about some of her issues. They can help with additional home instruction or help you find outside help (learning centers or tutors).

I have 3 kids, 19, 16, and 14. We have been homeschooling 13 years. My oldest went to kindergarten, and I pulled him out and started homeschooling him for first grade. It was hard. He missed the other kids. But he wasn't getting what he needed at school. He has mild dyslexia (just figured that out in college!) so we were able to go at his own pace and do things the way that worked for him.

The best thing is being home with your kids and really knowing them, having such a great relationship with them. People comment all the time on how great our kids are. It really does make them different, in a good way. They are comfortable relating to people of all ages and will play and socialize with kids of any age. No age discrimination for them!

The hardest thing is having all the responsiblity for your kids education on your shoulders with no one else to blame but yourself if things don't turn out well.

A curse and a blessing is curriculum! Contact Rainbow Resource, you can find their website and have them send you a catalog. You will see what I mean! There is so much to choose from that it is overwhelming. Don't worry that they are teaching things differently now. You can find a curriculum that works for you, and you can always still explain it the way you learned it. Sometimes your way will make more sense to your child than the books way. Also, don't be a slave to curriculum. Sometimes it really is ok not to finish the book! (The public schools do this all the time, believe me, I used to teach.)

If she has ADD, you will be able to address her needs at home. Let her finish out this year, do your research, and decide this summer. She can just not go back in the fall. Contact Homeschool legal defense association and you can get the information you need to pull her out. Also, they have special needs coordinators to help parents teaching kids with learning disabilities.

By the way, my oldest started taking classes at the community college his senior year. This fall he was accepted into their honors program and their honor society. So far he has earned straight A's and developed the confidence there in his abilities to switch from firefighting to premed! He also is currently being evaluated by the college for dyslexia. The community colleges are great.

My 16 year old daughter wanted to try public school for the first time this year. She went in as a sophomore. They tested her last summer and her scores were fantastic! She is doing great, has made a great group of friends, and is loving the social life. (This is why she wanted to go.) By the way, that was a drawback when they were teens. We live in a rural area, and all the homeschool groups near us seemed to only have activities for the younger kids. When they were younger they could play community sports, but those opportuniies disappear when they get older. We are in 4-H, the kids have and are taking music lessons, and my youngest son takes karate.

My youngest is 14 and severely dyslexic. I am able to make all the accommodations he needs at home without an IEP or struggling with the teachers each year. I think it has preserved his self esteem more than public school would have.

As far as finding a home school group that is not religious based, good luck with that. I never was able to find one. You may just have to grin and bear it. They are still great people with a good heart, and I'm sure there are a wide spectrum of beliefs in that group. You may still find someone you can connect with.

Feel free to e-mail me with any more questions. Best wishes.

B.

Hi! I am responding not as a current homeschooling mom but as a former Homeschool student. I was HS from K-12 grades. I think it was the best thing for me, and I am planning on HSing my children when they get to that age. One thing though is that you mention that your daughter keeps asking to be homeschooled. I think that if you decide to homeschool her, you should do it because YOU decide to and think that it is the best thing for her, not b/c she wants to, because you are absolutely right when you think that she may change her mind after a week. Just my 2 cents.

It sounds like you are not convinced yet, so don't make any decisions now. It was good advice to go to the school and try to work with the teacher and resource teachers. I agree with the teacher's post that traditional schooling is the best way to go for children in general (I am a teacher too lol). However, not all schools are the same, just like all kids are not the same. You could look into private schools as well. It's an investment, yes, but if you are not comfortable taking on the teaching role, it would be a wise investment. Homeschooling is a huge commitment and you do have to be on top of things with curriculum and planning both short and long term to make sure your children are at least at grade level and doing the appropriate work for the appropriate skills. You have to ensure they have plenty of social activities as well, because that is crucial for kids too. One thing I have seen with homeschooling is that it can be negative for kids social development if not handled properly. If you do not have a group or support nearby I would suspect it would be very overwhelming for you and it would be harder for you to gauge how you are doing and if you are utilizing all the best resources you can. Every child is different, and not all will do well in school just like all would not do well in homeschool either. I would try some things to make her school life better and finish out this year. Then you can decide where to go from there and would have all summer to prepare for homeschooling or seeking out other schools. You certainly could be a great homeschooler, but you need time to make the decision and time to prepare, as well as need to feel confident in yourself and your abilities.

Living and learning with my children is a wonderful, joyful life- a gift for all of us in ways I never even imagined. Children learn to walk and talk all without direct instruction, and are master explorers of their world from the beginning of life. We think suddenly at the age of 5 they become empty vessels that we need to send to school to "educate." Once you discover you don't have to duplicate school at home (school is an institution with policies and curricula created to herd large numbers of age-grouped children through its system), it will feel much more natural and do-able for you. I highly recommend the books of John Holt, an educational reformer who came to believe after working many years in the schools that homeschooling was a far superior alternative to traditional public schools. I would start with "How Children Learn" and "Learning All the Time" and "Teach Your Own," which can probably all be found at your local library.

Also, there is a great, diverse homeschool conference in St. Charles coming up in March, where you can meet other homeschoolers and hear about lots of different methods and resources. Here's the link:

http://inhomeconference.org/

Good luck!