Home School...What do you think?

Nicole - posted on 09/25/2010

this is something i was considering for my daughter. in our situation mainstream school is a possibility with an IEP. we have thought that if she does got to school out of the home she will be put in private education as classes are smaller and the education is better.

public schooling any more these days only makes children into excellent test takers. they only teach what is on the test that needs to be passed. the entire curriculum is based around these tests. the new OGTs for the sophmores in highschool. there are things on these tests that are taught from grade school till the time you take them in HS.

my concern is even for disabled kids how much of their time is really spent learning? i mean they get bored too! my argument is i spent alot of time dozing off in class and i know my few friends i had in the special needs classes did as well... the point my sister brought up was just that. her coworker home schools her kid three hours a day and it is spent actually learning. no sleeping no passing notes no distractions. no teasing no insensitive teachers. No long drawn out days. 3 hours vs the 6-8 hour school day. i don't know about you but i am add and sitting for 6-8 hours in a class room and then coming home to 4 hours of home work almost. >< by then my brain was fried and id rather be doing something else. i can only imagine it was worse for my friend keith.

socializing is very important i do agree however. i want the best possible education available if that means home school fine. however i will put her in a preschool with other children and possibly kindergarten. then it will be home school with social activities though our church and the sight center here in Cleveland.

Cassie - posted on 09/15/2010

I had a daughter named Dana & she had neurofibromatosis, which are tumors that grow on the tissues of the body & in the brain. She passed Aug. 30, 2004 at 19 yrs. old. I want to tell you that she had learning abilities as well,but she also had strong areas that we all took advantage of & matured with. She had the biggest sweetest heart that ever was & was very loveable & touched so many people in her little life. Yes, keep going with the areas that are strong, help them learn what they can to the fullest! Just because they can't learn everything at a high level, does not mean they can't learn other things they are interested in. Don't let other people tell you they can't learn & not to try. DO NOT take "NO" for an answer from anyone. I loved my little girl & the school & hospital knew me very well, because I asked questions & looked for ways to help her & people & doctors to help her. Tell your children you love them every single day, don't pass up anything at all that they want to do if you can. Teach them love, kindness & how to be the best they can be, no matter what!!!!!!!!! Good luck with you & God bless, children are blessings from God!!!

Deb Sherman

Tania - posted on 09/02/2010

I agree that life skills comes first. A love of books is great for a child to have too, even if they don't read. But walking and self feeding is a priority. Do your research. Check out what the schools in your area are offering. Tell them what you want and see if they are willing to make it work. Also check out home-schooling options. You don't mention a husband or partner: you need to discuss all this with him too. When you have the information you'll know the right way to go. It's different for each of us. Good luck.

Shannon - posted on 08/30/2010

My nephew, is a Connections Academy student as well. He is in 2nd grade. Under his IEP, he has speech. To accommodate speech in an online environment, the speech therapist comes directly to the home and works with him one hour a week. They also have physical and occupational therapy programs in the school and they too will come directly to the home. Their IEP accommodations for online students is fantastic. I sure hope you can access their services in your state.





I would like to add that they provide all the books, prepaid postage envelopes for the student to submit handwritten assignments, a computer, printer, and internet subsidy, if your student is eligible under the free or reduced lunch program, certain states vary, check their main site to see if they are available in your state. Many states serve k-6 as well as k-12.



http://www.connectionsacademy.com

Shannon - posted on 08/30/2010

Check if Connections Academy is available in your state. Connections Academy is revolutionary to home school as they are a home based public school option with licensed, accredited teachers that provide all the curriculum, skilled training and educational environment for your student in an online school basis. They offer I.E.P's for special needs children and are phenomenal at what they do. My oldest daughter has cerebral palsy and graduated from Connections Academy with honors, and a 1/2 a year early.

http://www.connectionsacademy.com

Good luck.


p.s. I home schooled for many years, did public school as well before switching to Connections Academy.

Felicia - posted on 08/30/2010

i was very terrified of sending my daughter to school not knowing how she would react. Luckily i put her in preschool which then helped her to socialize well and get used to the routine where she received OT PT and speech. now she is in first grade and does very well. they provide all of those therapy services and also she attends a life skills classroom with other kids that have challenges just like her. she also goes to her 1st grade class for the specials such as music P.E. library and computer. she absolutely loves it, they really integrate the school on how to help and treat these special kids. My advice would be to look into the schools programs for your special little one and you be the judge. Before she started school i had no idea that they provided all these special teaching tools and also with aides and special teachers! just do your research in the schools in your area. Good Luck and God Bless! and yes i have lip gloss!!

Ginger - posted on 08/29/2010

I always thought I wanted the same education opportunities as my son has for my daughter that has DS. Im begining to see another side and its not so pretty. She will be put in different classes as well as not challanged because most teachers dont like how children with special needs react to change and hence they dont do anything to puss our children like we would. I was totally against home schooling my child butbut after really looking into the special education in our area I truely believe that home school or maybe a Charter school would be the best for our children to learn what the have the potential to learn. Ginger West

Lori - posted on 08/29/2010

I am home schooling my oldest son. His current diagnosis includes Asperger's Syndrome, asthma, reflux, and eosinophilic esophagitis caused by a corn allergy. Because of the corn allergy (it seems like there is corn or corn derivatives in EVERYTHING) I decided to home school him. We love it so far. He is five and a half and I honestly think the academics of kindergarten would have been extremely boring for him. He reads at about a junior high level and is already learning multiplication, division, and fractions (his choice, not mine). We have PT and OT in place and he will also start ABA within the next few weeks, including social skills classes! We have a lot of play dates, so I am not worried about socialization. I also have a 3 year old with classic autism (he attends a special needs preschool) and a NT 1 year old. We are in the process of adopting a special needs little girl from Bulgaria and I plan to home school her at least for her first year home. I believe that everyone has to do what is best for their own child and family. I love the school where my son would have gone to kindergarten (my 3 yr old son goes there), but they would not have been able to monitor his diet close enough. I think home schooling is working out better for him because he is able to learn academically on his own level, but we still have a lot of play dates with children of various ages. :) HTH.

Cherise - posted on 08/29/2010

My son has HFA and some sensory issues. We have homeschooled, but we did get a 504 for him so if he needed school services we were able to utilize them. ( we did have to get a lawyer to make this possible and fair for both us and the school) We never actually had to use the schools, but it was nice to have that as a back up plan. For our homeschooling, we found a really good co-op and he mainly goes there for socialization/enrichment. Our homeschool day usually consists of me doing some therapy/sensory work on him, doing game based learning and some aspects of unschooling. He is being taught life skills at home, which unfortunately schools cannot teach anymore. You can teach them how to get dressed, self feed and be functional/happy individuals. I can honestly say I have lived every moment of homeschooling.

Iridescent - posted on 08/23/2010

We faced a similar situation, and will again with our 3 year olds in the near future. Our 11 year old was struggling in first grade (obviously he wasn't 11 then, he is now), and they had him going to every class the other students did. All it succeeded in doing was confusing him! He wouldn't answer to his name and since he was just starting to speak, his English got lost thanks to a Spanish class they sent him to. We went to the school and let them know that he will not be going to "extra" classes when he's struggling with the ones he needs to be able to be as independent as possible as an adult. So keep reading, keep math, blow off foreign language and history. That continues to this day, and he just started 6th grade today. He's doing very well now! I would not home school. Socialization is a huge part of life, and most of it is learned in school. With learning disabilities, it is even more important to learn how to function socially. Special education classes such as the PT, OT, ST, are sometimes only provided at school once the child is Kindergarten age. If you choose to home school, the IEP is no longer valid (that is true here, not necessarily everywhere). But you can state they will not attend ____ class, they will do ____ instead.

Jenny - posted on 08/23/2010

Sachrista,
My child mentally and phsicaly delayed. He started pre-school last year when he turned three. We can tell a differents in him since he started. We requested at his first IEP meeting to have an aid just for him. He really in enjoys school. It helps him and mentally helps me too. Because I know he is well taken care of. Good luck with your decision.