Advice from homeschool parents please.?

Question

My 11 y.o. attends Montessori school. She has dyslexia and was really struggling academically and with bullying in public school. Montessori school is a better environment but she is still having trouble with bullying, and feels dumb due to her friends being better spellers and readers. Lately I have really thought that homeschooling is the best step. My reason is that homeschooling can function quite like a montessori classroom, and my daughter wont be subjected to teasing and bullying.

I have doubts about myself. Will I be organised enough? Will I ruin my childrens opportunities? What about advanced maths? I also suffer from (managed) depression and worry that is a reason not to homeschool? I guess I'm wondering how to determine if I am up to the task. (my other two children are 2 and 3)

I cant do worse than public school, but montessori is quite good for her. But I feel I could achieve all that montessori does and more, without the bullys, at home?

Advice? Opinions?

Answer 1

You might find the book, "Teaching Montessori in the Home, the School Years" helpful.  There is also a Yahoo! group called Playschool6, as well as MontessoriMakers, that is filled with parents and directresses making materials, etc. at home.

Montessori does generally go only until age 12, when a more classical high school approach is used, but if she is dyslexic, using some of the language works will be very helpful.

Answer 2

My eldest son was moderately autistic and I bought into the whole socialization in public school is good, he also did a short time at a Montessori style preschool.  It turned out to do a lot of damage to his thirst for learning, as well as being counterproductive to what I was doing with his autism.  I've been homeschooling him for three years now, and he has done wonders.

I agree with another answer... please check out the hslda site as well as Robinson Curriculum.  I use that program and have modified it a little for his needs.  I also add in lots of documentaries and field trips.  Plan on "de-schooling" both your child and yourself, it's a whole different ballgame!

I now homeschool two of my other boys, and they are doing fantastic.  I suspect they both have learning disabilities and would have floundered in regular schools, but it doesn't matter now.  

Good luck!  It could be lots of fun!!!

Answer 3

Yes you can achieve the montessori atmosphere in your home. But dont get fixed on the idea that it is the only way that you will homeschool. Hopefully you will find the best way that fits your daughter's learning style. You can incorporate anything into how you teach her with homeschooling. You are not limited by how many people you are teaching. Remember that it isnt necessarily school at home but learning in a home environment.

Dont doubt yourself. It will be a bit rough at times but it wont be unbearable. Opportunities abound for homeschoolers. Colleges are looking for homeschoolers. There's volunteer oportunities, activities, field trips, etc. Find a local homeschool group to get plugged into. You will find that if you do, there are always other people who are good at or have recently dealt with the advanced subjects that you are uncomfortable with and if you cant find someone there then you can always find a toutor to help. Organization can be as lax or as lean as you want it to be. Just make sure that you are following your states guidelines. A good way to find out about that is to look at HSLDA's website. The only way to find out if you are up to the task is to get started.

Answer 4

Probably every homeschool parent has doubts, and yours are not at all uncommon.  But many parents have had great success with learning disabled children just because the one-on-one, individualized attention helps them.  Reading aloud together will help her to enjoy and learn from books (rather than becoming a non-reader) while she works on her reading skills.  You might try some "afterschooling" for the remainder of the school year or during the summer, just to see how it goes: I strongly recommend Reading Reflex by Carmen McGuiness for helping her with reading, and AVKO Sequential Spelling by Don MCCabe (written by a dyslexic for dyslexics).

Homeschooling does require some organization, but not nearly what a classroom teacher needs to do; you are tutoring one child for 2-3 hours a day (since your dd is 11, she will spend more time than that on her studies, but the rest should be independent work) not keeping a whole class occupied for 6-7 hours.  One major stumbling block for new homeschoolers is trying to replicate a school environment at home; many have burned out that way without realizing that home education is an entirely different animal.  If you are uncertain about your organizational skills, you might start out with a curriculum that is structured for you such as Calvert School or Sonlight; you can always adjust later as you gain confidence.

In most cases, I think homeschooling offers a different world of opportunities than traditional schooling, since a flexible schedule allows for delving into music, dance or theatre, volunteer service, apprenticeships or vocational training, activism, entrepreneurship, 4-H, Scouting, and the like. For example, a sixteen year old  friend of mine plays saxophone in her community orchestra and works several hours a week as a costumed docent at a civil war museum.  There are a number of good books available on homeschooling high school that will help you plan a high school program which will allow her to attend college or secure employment.  Read those now, before she begins high school!

  Advanced math is a frequent homeschooling worry;  but there are so many excellent resources, from great curriculae like Saxon, Math-U-See, and Life of Fred, to video courses, to community colleges and online courses, and by the time you have homeschooled for a few years, you become adept at seeking out resources for things beyond your skill, and your dd (who already has the Montessori experience of independent learning) will be a veteran at working through a book or program on her own.  

As for the depression, that is more personal.  My feeling is, if you are home with a 2 and 3 year old and successfully managing your depression, you can manage the homeschool thing as well.  But make sure you find some good friends who will support you and cheer you on!

Answer 5

She can do soooo much better at home.

Check into http://nheri.org   -- you will find great information about home-schooling.

Also, go to http://hslda.org/ -- you will find even more great information.

Another site to help you is http://oceanetwork.org/started/ -- it is about getting started as a new home-schooler.  The organization is in Oregon but has plenty of help to offer to anyone.

My favorite method of home-education is one in which the student becomes her own best teacher.   Check into the Robinson Curriculum.  My children have followed this plan for 10+ years and it is proven to work very well.

http://www.robinsoncurriculum.com

A simple plan is the best way to go.  

One lesson of math each day.

One written page each day.

Two or more hours of reading every day.

Simple is best.  It gives the student the power to learn anything and everything within their reach.

You will also find that very few home-school students are bullies.  Get involved with local groups.  Meet other home schooling families in your area and do things with them.

Answer 6

I do not homeschool, but I have thought about it as I have one child that is about to turn 5. I think she will learn much better in an enviroment without stress. Should this be at your home...I guess it depends on how commited you are to managing two other very small children...Can you meet the constant demand of the toddlers and still be involved enough  to make your 11 yo know this is "real" school...I know many adults who do not remember what subject they were really good at when the were 11...but you ask those same people if they were picked on or made fun of, and they can tell you the names of the people, when and where it happened..etc....I think having low self esteem and feeling dumb and being picked on has a MAJOR effect on the rest of your life.  I have heard that the years to come (12-17) can be trying at best for teenage girls, she needs to learn now what she is good at. Give her some pride and hopefully build that self esteem. So what if she is not a good speller...Look at adults today, we cant spell either, we have computers for that...Learn to spell good enough to pass the test and move on to the subjects she is good at.

Doing good in school is important, but to me, being a good person, who is well rounded and proud to be who they are, is more important.

Answer 7

A lot of school districts are offering online K-12 classes now-- they are 100% online, and I know in the case of the Douglas County School District in Colorado, it is tuition-free!

Check to see if your local school district has online schooling b/c it is a good way to keep your child at home but you don't have to take on the responsibility of playing teacher.

Good luck!