From Our Forum a Reader Asks:
My son has been diagnosed with a terrible illness. His illness has caused him to miss many days of school last year. He is on a 504 so it was fine for him to miss school. His doctors recommend that he be home schooled this year instead of returning to school. Now that the time for the new school year to start, I am nerves. I have never home schooled before and wonder if my son will suffer. Does anyone home school??? If so what are some things I should know.
First, the fears that you’re experiencing are completely normal – promise. When my son first asked (ok, begged) to be homeschooled, I was scared witless. His school situation was bad enough that I had to pull him with three days’ notice, and I had never even considered homeschooling.
Five years later, he’s thriving. He’s above grade level in every subject, and several years above in some. He also had health problems (lowered immune system due to a near-fatal case of SARS six years ago) and homeschooling has improved his health by leaps and bounds. (His pediatrician stated that homeschooling is likely the main reason that he is so healthy.) He’s confident, he’s social, and he’s highly motivated.
Your son will only suffer if you try to control every minute of the day or stay completely hands-off. As long as you don’t hit either of those extremes, he’ll be fine. Kids are wired to learn, and unless they’ve been somehow convinced that they can’t (or that it’s not important), they’ll do what they have to in order to learn. Just work with him at whatever level he’s at. Enjoy learning with him – you’ll likely learn even more than he does! (I’m constantly amazed at the stuff that we learn, things that were never brought up in school because they didn’t fit the curriculum or lesson plan.)
Next, every state has their own laws and regs. If you can let us know which state you’re in, we can give you specific info about them.
Last, how old is he and what level is he working at? What types of things does he enjoy doing? Does he love to read, or is he an auditory or hands-on learner? All of these things need to be taken into consideration when choosing a curriculum. For example, my son is highly auditory and kinesthetic (hands-on), but he’s also dyslexic, so I have to get creative in putting together his curriculum. I give him resources that allow him to learn in a wide variety of ways – audio books, DVDs, CDRoms, great literature choices, projects, games, etc. I know other kids that are perfectly happy to sit down with a couple of textbooks and a writing assignment.
Let us know the above info, and we can give you more help. I promise, you can do this! It seems intimidating at first, and it is a commitment of time and energy, but it’s not as difficult as it sounds. What it actually is, is a lifestyle of learning – one that’s free from the governmental and administrative restrictions of a school. Hope that helps!
hsmom… pretty much said it all…
We faced a similar situation: Early into a new school year, my son faced a serious illness that could have left him impaired for life.
We found the right help at a university children’s hospital 3 hours away. Weekly trips were required for about a year.
There is no way that the system would have allowed him to miss that much school. Even if they did, he would have suffered academically which also means he would have suffered in terms of his self-esteem and future potential.
We decided to homeschool and have never looked back … well actually we have and with some regret. We regret that we did not start homeschooling much much sooner.
Like hsmom… we now have a happy, healthy and active kid who is on track for getting into the college of his choice.
You say a doc has recommended homeschooling this year.
Consider homeschooling him for the long haul.
You and your son will be fine – better than fine.
I think you should know that you’re going to be just fine. When all is said and done I think you will be relieved and even glad that you chose to homeschool.
Your fears are perfectly normal. I have even written a list of the top five homeschooling fears:http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/…
Just remain flexible and be willing to switch things up when necessary and you’ll do just fine.
Good luck!
I’m so sorry. Please be assured, you can homeschool and do a good job. Many people homeschool. Will you be using books from the school district? If so, they will provide a teacher to support you and answer all your questions.
Things You should Know,
1. Learning is natural-just like learning to walk. Your son will learn.
2. Read a lot to him and with him
3. You are not going to ruin him
4. Start slowly until you are both comfortable. If possible start early so you can add a new subject every couple of days.
5. He can always catch up-Some people don’t start teaching their kids math until they are 10 and then they learn it all quickly
6. Your son needs your love and presence most of all.
7. You will make “mistakes” -We all have and our kids are still okay.
8. Find online support form other people homeschooling. There are several good online forums like cafe mom and homeschool lounge.
Warm Regards,
Janahttp://www.purehomeschooling.com
my son is now homeschooled for the 3 year in a row, due to the fact he’s severly dyslexic & also on a feedign pump, every 3 hours a day, due to Failure to Thrive syndrome. The schools didnt want to have to bother with his pump, unless I came up there every 3 hours to feeding him. I told them I cant stop my job just to make them happy. So after all the hell my son was goingthrough due to dyslexia we decided to homeschool him. He’s alot happier, calmer, & went from D’s & F’s to A’s & B’s. A huge difference in him now.
im homeschooled.
it’s perfectly fine, i think it is actually better than public school.
you pretty much need to make sure your son does his school work, and thats it!
and the best thing about it is, he doesnt have to wake up at 7 to go to school, he can wake up anytime he wants and do his school work anytime he wants.
god bless, and hope your son gets better <3
I have been Home-Schooled. (Im a 5th Grader going onto 6th lol)
Anyways, my mom uses a program to help me learn called OHDELA. It is a really good home-schooling program.
Some of the things they do:
They send you all the books you need to teach your child each year for FREE!
They have teachers who work online to teach your children through a program I believe called Angel.
And much more.
Their website link is listed in the sources list.
I hope OHDELA helps.
Best Wishes!
Cheesecake98