HOME SCHOOLERS- can you share your curriculum

[NEVE three BUGS and a BEE]

I know we have a few homeschoolers here and hoped you could contact me off line and share your curriculm, and if you would entertain a call I would love to chat with you.

I am HIGHLY considering home schooling Reichen and am so torn.

I think my gut instinct once I had Tristan was to home school and I guess the instant family and the birth of Bronwyn and that Reichen just seems to excel so much made me question myself and the endeavor and the timing.

I can't really put my finger on it...but it is a strong gut instinct that I am feeling.

I spoke with the school Principle and Reichen's teacher today and the Principle literally BEGGED me not to do it. She is an advocate of home schooling she had shared with me that when she retires in 3 years that she is actually working in that kind of a setting (this was when we first came home from Ukraine that she shared this). It ends up Reichen is testing way higher then the class, the school is amazed at his adjustment and attachement and his social skills. I get stopped in the halls by people I have never met telling what a wonderful little boy he is when they see us together there. He clearly LOVES school, but as I pointed out to them Reichen LOVES anything!!!!- he sees the best in things, and just loves life!!!

The Principle said 3 children have left this month to be home schooled she said not one of the children did she urge the parent to reconsider...but she said in Reichen's case she is pleading "will do anything" with me to not do it. I assumed she thought we were maybe too stupid to teach him and she said that was not her fear at all- that it is Reichen and his love for school. She said he is a sponge and takes EVERYTHING in with enthusiasm. She said he is the poster child of what they want in a child, and she reminded me that she doesn't say this thing often (case of the other children).

I am so torn, usually when it comes to gut instinct I feel like I am pretty opinionated and confident on how to handle family and could make such a decision.

I really feel like I could teach him so much more at this stage of his education. He loves geography and there is just soooo much he wants to learn. She admits he knows way above average on things and is shocked by it. She pulled out stuff and out of lists of 30 things he was at 28 pretty much down the line!!!

The Principle thinks Reichen will take me pulling him out as he did something wrong or badly.

His teacher is wonderful, the school is wonderful...it is just a gut instinct.

A gal who I admire SO MUCH in her parenting, her marriage handling, her family ...just a class act, just came over to discuss home schooling with me and her approach. She uses A Beka.

I know I could research this via the internet forever and not get anywhere. I also know that if I do it I would like to follow this gals advice and to not be so dependent on the computer for my schooling (and we all know how it can draw you in to keep clicking link after link after link).

Is anyone familiar with A Beka???
And most of all can any of you help me come to terms with something that I really want to do and that I am letting peer/community pressure actually prevent me from doing.

Worse case scenerio I might wait till the start of first grade...
yet even then my instinct is not to wait.

This has me so torn!!!

Email me off line if you prefer.
Thank you,
Neve
my first name @nc.rr.com

[lizamann]

What a tough decision you have, Neve. I have absolutely no advice, but I can completely understand your position. I don't agree with the principal, however, that R would see it like he did something wrong. I know you would frame it as positively and correctly as it would be - and he of course would pick up on that and know the truth.

On the one hand, your son is thriving and who wants to upset that? (And obviously the school wants to keep him because he elevates the school, so they have selfish reasons for wanting him to stay. They are professionals and know what they are doing, but they are professional SCHOOL teachers, so that's what they know!)

On the other hand you have your reasons for wanting to school him at home. And if you take Alfie Kohn's point of view (I highly recommend looking at his anti-school books, like Punished by Rewards or The Schools our Children Deserve) even kids who excel in traditional school could somehow be "harmed" by it, by becoming praise junkies always searching for that A, and learning to do only what other people tell them to do, etc.

We will be facing similar decisions in a couple years. If Nora follows in her parents' footsteps, she would excel at school and probably love it. But I don't know if that's what I want, you know?

Good luck and keep us posted!

[redhookmom]

A Beka is appealing because it covers all the basics in a step by step fashion. It is religious...

Rainbow Recourse has a great catalog filled with lots of curriculm.

I had entertained the idea of homeschooling and researched lots of curr. For kidergarten I used the following with my son: Handwriting Without Tears, Math U See and Phonics Pathways.

I really liked the ideas in The Well Trained Mind, which is a guide to classical education at home. I think all of the above curriculm is suggested in that book.

My son is now in public school for first grade. I think it was the right choice for our family. But I am sort of mourning the idea that he could be home and I could be teaching him.

If your gut tells you to try homeschooling, I think you should give it a try. You can always send him back to school.


ETA: "afterschooling" link http://p196.ezboard.com/bafterschoolers

[HGraceMom]

We're in the process of deciding what to do with DD next year. We live across the street from our parish Catholic school (I can see the primary classroom windows from my front porch!) but there's been some controversy of late, and I'm not sure if it's the environment I want for my child. There's a more conservative / traditional Catholic school about 5 miles away, and then there's always homeschool.

If I homeschool, one of the curriculums I'm leaning towards is from Hillsdale College - they opened an Academy almost 15 years ago and provide the curriculum for homeschool families to use. Part of why I'm leaning that way is for the absolute classical curriculum, and because DH & I both graduated from Hillsdale & are very active on their alumni board, I worked in the admissions office after graduation, and it's definitely more conservative-leaning than most (though I don't feel the curriculum is politicized very much.)

Here's the college link - www.hillsdale.edu - I tried to get into the website to get you to a link to the Academy Reference Guide, but the site is giving me problems.

http://www.hillsdale.edu/Academy/ edited to add the academy link - btw it's free to download, so at least worth a look for ideas.

I'd say go with your gut...

[jk3]

You can always supplement what he learns in school but you cannot recreate a classroom community at home - even if there are siblings in the home. Children learn so much from one another and truly benefit from learning in an environment that is not their home environment. I am biased since I am an elementary teacher in a progressive public school but I truly believe school is important. It's important to learn that others can care for you and the social interaction piece is important as well.

Jenn
DS 6/3/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

[jasabo]

I think home schooling is great for certain kids. My only concern would be how it would impact the dynamics between Reichen and the rest of his siblings. The fact that he "GETS to stay home with mom" or "HAS to stay home with mom," depending on how they look at it, could be a big issue. He might also wonder why he's being treated differently and it may isolate him from his siblings.

If he were an only child, I'd say go for it. But with 3 siblings who would be attending school, I'd seriously consider the impact on everyone in the family. I may even talk to a child psychologist, or someone trained in these issues - maybe someone you met during the adoption process or a referral from someone? - to find out what they think. I know you can't always treat siblings the same way, nor should you. But with something this big, I'd definitely want some professional feedback.

Lisa - mom to 2 yr old twin boys

[ett]

Can Reichen's current teacher give him supplemental work because he is way ahead of the rest of his class? My friend's daughter is in the second grade and receives 5 pages of supplemental homework every week because she and several other kids know most of what's being taught in class. It's more work but keeps her challenged in school. (She was very bored in the first grade.)

[Tracey]

I would like to second this post. I am not sure what is prompting this gut feeling if your current school situation is working. I am assuming that Reichen is advanced and you are wanting to go with a more child centered approach and follow his lead with what he is interested in. The problem is that if Reichen loves school and is removed, this may be emotionally difficult and confusing---particularly with the background of being removed from an orphanage. Just my first though. You strike me as a great Mom and a caring person, so I am confident you know what is best for your family.

I am familiar with A Beka. It is used in Christian schools, is very formulaic, and involves tons of worksheets. I am not a fan. I tend to like a Montessori method in the lower grades and wish that we had ungraded lower elementary schools in American public schools. Bush's No Child Left Behind is the antithesis of this approach. I wish I had something to recommend.

[wagner36]

I don't really have any well-formed opinions are homeschooling, but I come from a family of public school teachers so I'm sure I'm quite biased. I'm always a fan of following your mommy instincts, though.

I did have a couple of thoughts, though. When I was in school, my mom used to teach gifted kid enrichment classes - stuff like geography, culture, brain teasers, etc. They met a couple of times a week during the afternoons. I LOVED them! Does Reichen's school have anything like that?

What about community workshops? We had "Super Saturday" where I lived, and it was all different workshops and special activities that focused on elementary high-achievers. The programs were always really interesting - and it was so fun to pick them out.

Northwestern University here in Chicago has a child development center where they do some aptitude testing - maybe a university near you has something similar? I would probably lean towards doing some testing, and then figuring out what type of education is best for him with his particular skills, YKWIM? Maybe a math magnet would incredible, or maybe social sciences are his thing so that homeschooling would be ideal.

Just random thoughts, I guess....

[bunnisa]

We haven't begun yet, but are HUGE HS advocates, and would never consider anything else. I plan to "unschool" for awhile, meaning we will not use a defined "curriculum." The reason being that I have no desire to recreate a classroom environment in my home, at least not in the formative years.

I think your reasons for considering it are excellent. HS'd children tend to excel - and they're often of average intelligence, taught by parents of average intelligence. Imagine what Reichen can acheive if he's already so far ahead! You could give him the opportunity to really delve into the subjects in which he is interested and shows aptitude.

Homeschooling is not an isolated endeavor anymore. There are co-ops and sports and tons of things to do.

I have a gazillion websites for you to check out if you're interested in researching further-- just let me know!

Bethany
mom to one and one on the way!
http://lilypie.com/days/060226/0/8/1/-6/.png
"And children are always a good thing, devoutly to be wished for and fiercely to be fought for."
-J. Torres