I'm seriously considering doing something that has been totally out of the question for as long as I can remember. Homeschooling my youngest son.
With my health problems, and his learning problems ...it just seemed like an impossibility.
It still seems like an impossibility.
My health .. not great, I'm currently on an increased dose of steroids for a lupus flare, and levaquin for a nasty bout of bronchitis ... I haven't even been allowed to go see my mom in the hospital with her hip replacement since Friday because of how sick I've been!!!!
Today, I was informed that my bladder problems, are permanent .. lupus cystitis. loverly. We just get to find a way to try to control them rather than do away with them.
UGH.
But ... my son, is not progressing, and his grades are less than dismal. He came home with ... 3 F's, 3 D's and an A.
Excuse me ... he's under an IEP. He's in special education ... WHY is he failing? Why was he failing last year?
Well, he's not doing the work ... well did it occur to you that he CAN'T do what you're asking him to do?
Well, he's in 7th grade, he has to do what we're asking him to do, the other kids in the class are.
Excuse me? INDIVIDUAL????????
So, they won't hold him back, because he's been held back once (kindergarten), and because he's in special ed, they can just keep passing him along ...
They blame him, while not following his IEP ...
And he comes home ..angry, frustrated, confused, uneducated, and just plain ... grumpy.
And I wonder ... could I really do any worse than they are doing? Could I really do him a disservice? Maybe it'd be worth a try ...
I look at Samuel ... his success. 8 years of homeschooling. A year and a half of public school and his scores are in the 99th %ile for his grade. His scores on the ACT, if he were to take the real thing right now, would get him a scholarship.
The public shool didn't teach him that stuff ... I did. He took that test just 5 weeks into his sophomore year ... he'd had 1 year of high school. I'd homeschooled him before that.
He's socially adept, he's happy, he's goal oriented, he's secure, he knows what he's doing ... and he's ADD, OCD with Tourette's syndrome ...
I've always felt like homeschooling Bj with his learning problems and my health problems would do more harm than good ...
But I never felt like I was doing a good job of homeschooling Samuel ... he got the highest scores on the tests in his 1300 member sophomore class ... his teachers adore him ... maybe it was my own self image that was limiting me not my education of my son ...
I could always change my mind and put him back in ...
Could I REALLY do any worse than they are doing?????????????
At least the attempt to educate him would be done with love, not disrespect.
Dr. Suess
"And will you succeed? Yes indeed! Yes indeed! Ninety Eight and Three Quarters guarenteed!"
Seems to me you've got two basic choices: Leave him in public school and wonder if you could have helped him more; or Homeschool him, and at least always know you did whatever you could. No promises, just assurances of effort. You also will bond further with him, at a time he needs it most.
ReplyDeleteGood luck and God bless your efforts.
Hey PK I hope you feel better. I agree with what PB said, trying homeschooling couldn't hurt. Also, have you heard of the Sylvan Learning Center? I know they have a campus in Tulsa, but they also offer personalized tutoring online to fit each child's needs. It might be something worth checking out as well. Here's a link http://www.educate.com/homepage.cfm?CFID=13993140&CFTOKEN=66980111
ReplyDeleteMy mom works at Huntington learning center ... same thing as Sylvian ... even with her discount ..out of our price range.
ReplyDeleteMom will help us with homeschooling, too. My mom taught special ed for more than 20 years, and she's been at Huntington since it opened here in town.
So, mom's kind of a free version of Huntington or Sylvian (grin)
My only concern for you is whether the added stress of homeschooling would affect your lupus. I think hs can be a great option for a lot of kids... just concerned for your health.
ReplyDeleteIs he open to it? Willing to work with you and not against you? It seems it's worth a try.
ReplyDeletehe's been begging for it since he was in kindergarten! I'm not sure he understands that it's not just staying home, sleeping in and watching TV all day, playing and goofing off ... (grin)
ReplyDeleteI've TOLD him what it is, repeatidly, and he says "I KNOW!"
He's always wanted to be homeschooled and resents that his brother, and all his cousins in town are homeschooled. My sister homeschools her 4 kids ...well, 3 of them now, one graduated and is now working, she's 20 years old.
My husband's sister is on the third year of homeschooling her daughter, who's a year younger than Benjamin.
My sister homeschooled my 20 year old niece from kindergarten through grade. She's homeschooled my nephew from kindergarten through 10th, (now), other nephew from k-7th (now) and now my youngest niece is in kindergarten.
I homeschooled Samuel for 8 years.
So ... he's just really really not been happy with us for putting him in public school all along.
He's more than eager to cooperate. I just hope he understands that it means he has to work ... not play!
I homeschooled all 4 of my children for their last 8 years of schooling. Sometimes we were "on the ball" and really moved along, and at other times, we limped a little. I never used a set program - we worked at each individual's pace.
ReplyDeleteThey're all adults now. One is a chef who graduated "suma cum laude" ... another one is in his last year of studying to be a molecular biologist ... another one has gone back to college for graphic arts, and is maintaining a 4.0 average.
The more you can relax while doing the homeschooling - the better it will turn out.
I sincerely hope that your health improves. Everything is a challenge when you're chronically ill.
I'll be thinking of you ...