ladyre

Hi!
I am seriously beginning to explore the option of home schooling my daughter next year (5th grade). While the school system here is good, she is bored and becoming a bit of a behavior problem. I am in VA and already have a BA so I can home school without ing through a lot of extra h. Is there anything I should know before getting involved in this? She is very bright and a fast learner - hence the boredom. And I think her time could be better spent studying at home but I worry about her making a transition to HS &/or college later in life.

mishimin

It is great that you are considering the option of homeschooling your daughter.
I would recommend you find out what your state laws are concerning homeschooling i.e who do you sign up through, what about grades and atten, testing, earning credits, how do you know your child will pass to the next grade, do I need a degree, can I homeschool through the public school system, private school or are their umbrella schools I can use.

It is fairly easy to get the laws on line for you state and county.
It should give you a comprehensive look at and overall description of what is expected and how it is handled.

I have been homeschooling since my oldest child entered 5th grade due to a poor school system. I now homeschool all 3 of my children. I have a 2nd grader, 5th grader and 8th grader.
I have my children tested every year and it allows me to know where they excel and where the need .
I have flexibility to teach them so much and allow them to go at their own pace. It is both rewarding and tedious work.
The first year is a major challenge but each year got easier.
I live in Florida and I am under a private homeschool umbrella.
Laws here are easier than in other states but I would have done anything to keep my kids from falling behind. I too have a daughter whom is very bright and was able to have her skip a grade. I love the time I spend with them and I know exactly what each one learns.

I hope this s you alittle so you have something to start with.

ladyre

Hi! I have already checked the requirements to home school and since I have a degree I don't need to do anything but file a letter of intent with the local school board. I can create my own curriculum and everything. Thanks for reminding me to check about yearly testing. I have been doing a lot of reading about home schooling and I am coming to believe that it would be best for my daughter considering the local school system. I have been substituting in it this semester and now know first hand how little teaching actually happens each day. Being in VA also allows for a lot of interesting field trips dealing with art, history, science and technology. One of my concerns is if I can continue my business and home school effectively. Thus far my business is part time, but as it grows I may have a harder time turning down work or keeping my clients happy.
My only real concern is teaching my dtr proper grammar and the art of writing well. I have little problem teaching math, science or history. There are books and classes for PE, art and music. I guess I will need to find something that will teach her this skill with which I feel comfortable.

Bit

Although this is our first year of homeschooling, I can only tell you that I am so glad I made the decision to begin. My daughters just finished 3rd & 7th grades and it was very scary to take that step.

There are so many wonderful curriculum choices for homeschoolers. I have to recommend http://rainbowresource.com for any kind of books that you might need. They cannot be beat in price when it comes to HS material.

Just take your time on finding the right curriculum for your daughter. We use an eclectic set of books while some use one series only. That's one of the best things about our homeschool group also, is usually someone has the book I'd like to look at before I buy.

And the best piece of advice I've ever received about homeschooling... relax. At first I though, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This is my childs education, I can't relax. But I found out that you can. Because the learning doesn't stop when 3pm rolls around. We have nights where the girls will still be awake in their bed reading a book that has pulled them in so deep. Or on Saturday when we go to the grocery store and they're reading labels and checking ingredient content. Or maybe when my younger daughter trips and her older sister stops to say, 'are you alright' and offer a ing hand before any adult can get there. Those are little things, but look at how they're preparing theirselves for life! Those are things that cannot be taught in public school. Patience, compassion, life skills, and the chance to take a break and just enjoy life when something just grabs ahold and won't let you go.

The first year will be the 'hardest'. That's because it's hard to know if you're doing enough. Nine times out of ten, you're doing more than you even know...and it will show.

__________________
Bit

ladyre

Thank you all for all of the support and positive feedback about your experiences.

My daughter came home after another bad day at school and it only reinforces my determination to take her out of the public school system here. It is not awful mind you, just not a good fit for her. I think this year's teacher has had a lot to do with my daughter's attitude about school - and that is a shame because there are some great teachers in the system here - she just isn't one of them.

I keep reading books on home schooling from the library (which is excellent) and buying the ones that I think fit our style.

Can anyone recommend a good writing program or text book for 5th grade.? I may use the book by the Bausell's as a place to start but it is really geared for younger children. I guess I am really looking for a good writing workbook - if one exists.


Thanks for the and support

Lightnin

My DD is also bright, and has found the joy of writing. We have her in a private school that has standards that are worlds higher than the public school, so she is challenged. We have found my college text from English 101 to be an excellent reference. It is written so anyone can understand it, and can be used as a reference or a text book. It is "Handbook for Writers" by Simon & Schuster.

momofbpi

I think homeschooling is good but I know for me Im not with it enough to do it So much in education has changed and I know Im not up there with the teachers. We have a special program after 4th grade called apex its for gifted students so if my kids need something more the have programs in our system for it.

We also have magnet schools but they cost a lot of money

you have a degree so you could do it so why not good luck with it.

ladyre

Thanks for the input! My daughter was tested this year and didn't make it into the gifted program. Mostly because of her teacher's evaluations but, her IQ test score was just out of the range as well. She is in that small group of students that get left out in public schools, the above average ones. The public schools have programs for kids with learning disabilities,and for the kids who are gifted. They teach to the average student and have programs for the slower kids to them keep up. The above average student is left to be boredom which can lead to problems in school unless and until they find their niche. My dd had that in the school system she started in but, when we moved she didn't fit in anymore.
I got tired of her tears and frustrations and that is a large part of why I have taken her out of the public schools here. That and the hard outer shell that she developed to be able to cope with the teasing she endured at school.
The more I read about home schooling the more I find that it is the answer for my dd. I just hope to make it work. And it will be a lot of work for everyone in my family but, in the end I think that it will be worth it.

Bit

It will be a lot of work and it will be worth it... you are so right. And when you look back in a year, the only thing you might wonder is --why did I wait so long to start!

__________________
Bit

ladyre

Thanks for the encouraging words. And to Momzone!
Even my mother has been cautiously optomistic about my home schooling my dtr. That was the biggest surprise of all. The only negative attitudes I get are from strangers who don't know my dtr or myself and have no experience with home schooling so, I try no to let their opinions get to me.
People who know us well agree that this is probably the best thing I can do to keep my dtr on track, interested in learning, and back to the person she was before we moved last year.

Bit

Thanks for the ! For what it's worth, my mom has become my biggest fan also for homeschooling. I thought she was going to be strongly against it. It's great to have that support and it just makes me know even more I'm doing something right.

__________________
Bit

ladyre

My husband left the decision up to me as to what I wanted to do - Home school, build my title examining business, go back and get the 3 classes I need to be a teacher, or become a stay at home mother. I opted to keep trying to build my business and home school our dtr. She is going into 5th grade and on the days that I have work will be able to bring along her workbook or reading assignment. The advantage of self employment is I can take her to work with me. I only have to work part time to make what I made working full time for someone else. As my business grows, I decide when I have enough clients and as I only want to work part time, I will also be able to home school my dtr. On days I don't have to work, we can concentrate on the work that is more easily done at home.
I am trying to have it all and with my support system might just be able to pull it off. We already have a lot of plans for her 5th grade curriculum that will make it a fun for her. I am trying to involve her as much as possible in her education and some days she is interested and others she is not. Like any 10 yr old on any subject.
Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Lightnin

You have a job ahead of you! Always try to make learning fun! My DD had a wonderful teacher last year for 5th grade, and that is one of the things we learned from her. (Being a teacher not only touches the future, it touches whole families.) I'll leave you with a quote from my DD just before being dropped off at school after one of those disasterous s where everything went wrong, and she was late. "She (her teacher) always makes it a good day, no matter how it started."

ladyre

Thanks! I will try to make it fun for her. For literature she wanted to read Lord of the Rings until she found out she would need to write several reports during the process. We also belong to an age appropriate book club through the local library. I have several local resources to fall back on and access to many sites for other information I might need.
She kept a journal when we went to TX for her brother's wedding and picked up information at each center we went to in order to her write about the trip and each of the States that we visited. She also took a lot of pictures that I still need to get developed.

brightspot

Homeschooling is wonderful. I have always homeschooled my kids. They are now in 4th, 7th, and 9th. My son is like your daughter. He went to school 1 day to see if he wanted to go. He told me that it was a big waste of time and that he didn't really learn anything. If you are looking at all into Christian homeschool. We really like Christian Liberty Academy. Especially if you are concerned about transcripts. They keep all the records so the kids have report cards and transcripts or you can choose to keep your own records. They choose the best from several different publishers. I think Beka books are the best. We use them for science and history. I can't tell you about any other programs. I have always been too en to try it on my own with me keeping the records. (I have adhd and my kids schooling would be a total mess if it was up to me.) I really admire that you have the courage to find your own curiculum (sp?). You can also buy books from them I think. Their website is http://www.homeschools.org. Another great site is A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling Site at http://www.gomipitas.com/homeschooling/index.htm. You can find out almost anything at this site including hs laws for your state. If you need any let me know. Hopefully I can . Don't let anyone tell you that hs is bad. Usually the ones who say that are either public school teachers or people who don't really know what hs is. They think we just play all day. Good luck. You are doing a wonderful thing for your daughter.