I need answers please!?

Question

I have homeschooled my 11 year old daughter up to now. She deseratly wanted to go to school this year, and against my better judgement, I allowed it. We were just starting to learn the times tables/division. Apparently, in school, they learned all that in 4th grade. So my daughter is way behind. I don't know what to do now. I am also afraid that they will call Social Services on me complaining of "neglect" of not teaching my child properly. I don't trust the school system!!!! Help! Should I take her out????

Answer 1

You got some problems.  The worst that will happen is they will put her in 4th grade.

What took you so long to get her up to snuff.

At age 11 she should be almost ready for Pre-Algebra

Answer 2

Against your better judgment?

How come parents today have a hard time setting boundaries, and doing what they know is best for their children?

I would bring her home, and let her learn at her own pace, so she will not think that there is something wrong with her because she is not on a school schedule.

That is what home schooling is all about, individual instruction.

You can not compare apples to oranges; who came up with the idea that all children should learn the same things at the same age anyhow?

Just because schools touch upon certain subjects does not imply that the majority of the students are proficient at these.

Don't worry, and good luck to you both.

Answer 3

Breathe Zoe........

  Your daughter is going to be fine, I personally know an 8th grader who is STILL learning her times tables and is homeschooled and my son who decided he wanted to go back to public is having to take a LOT of remidial classes (his grandparents homeschooled him not me) ((very long story there)). My daughter is 9 and in the 3rd grade and doing Division and is homeschooled while her cousin who is PS and 6 months older and a grade ahead is doing Algebra. So everyone is different, because everyone learns differently and hello unless you plan to do a job that is in the Medical or Scientific field, you don't really need Algebra/Trig/Geometry (my youngest wants to be a Palentologist so I'm up the creek cause I STINK at math).

Give her a little longer as Public just started and if by Winter Break she is still struggling and unhappy, then you can return to homeschool. Just remember to check the State Standards of your school thru their website (ours are saved in favorites), have her evaluated yearly, take advantage of software and websites (many are Free) that have educational tools and games and RELAX because you are NOT a bad or horrible mom. You have done your best and now it is time to push yourself a little further so that you can be at the top of your game for her sake.

Some Software ideas:

Talking Flash Cards: Swift Learning Collection---cosmi.com

Middle School Success (set about $40, covers ALL subjects)

Galactic Multiplication & Division: Bigger Brain Bytes

The Cluefinders (different grade levels): The Learning Company

The Oregon Trail by MECC: www.mecc.com

The Amazon Trail by MECC: www.mecc.com (science &history for both)

Dr. Health'nstein's Body Fun (health): StarPress Multimedia

Free sites:

Krampf.com (science)

ftexploring.com (science)

freeworksheets.com

learningplanet.com

multiplication.com

escapefromknab.com (cool math game)

youcanhomeschool.org

obdk.com (science)

craftynoodle.com

webrangers.com

timestales.com

thechemistryguy.com

kidsspell.com

freetohomeschool.org

4america.com

innerbody.com (biology)

purplemath.com (math)

mathmax.com

totallyfreemath.com

I hope those are of some help for you both, even if you let her stay in Public.

Answer 4

Get her some professional tutoring. If you home school her again she'll just get further and further behind.

Answer 5

no they have elps that help kids do subjects like math they wont get mad at you and why dont you trust them that is silly they have your childs better interest at heart every school has special teachers that kids go to during regular class time  it is for kids not up to grade level

Answer 6

maybe you should take her out and catch her up. If she is behind, it wouldnt help for her to go to school to learn stuff she isnt up too yet. catch her up, send her back for high school. find out if your city has places where homeschooled kids can meet each other so she wont feel 'left out'...That's what i think would work best in this case, but maybe you should do a little more work so she is up to grade level that the city school is at. hope this helped

Answer 7

I.M.O., it is important if you are homeschooling to always make sure your child is learning everything the other kids her age are learning in school. I would buy the book, "Home Learning Year By Year" by Rebecca Rupp. This way, you can check what she should have learned about by now, but hasn't. Then, I would either take her out and do some intensive work for at least a year, or however long it takes to really catch her up, and then decide if you want to put her back in public school just to satisfy her or not, or work with her after school on the things she is behind on according to that book. However, if you do the latter, she will still be forced to do things that she is behind on in school. They may even put her in special ed, or flunk her. No one will call C.P.S., though.

P.S. Unfortunately you provided great

fodder and ammunition for the "anti-

homeschooling" pple by asking this

question, so I want to point out that on

the AVERAGE, homeschooled kids

are 1-3 grades ABOVE public schooled

kids, so this situation is not nearly so

common as one answerer said it was.

I'm sure it is even more common for

previously homeschooled kids to come in

and be way above the others their age, and

if not, it is only b/c the really dedicated

homeschoolers who DO keep their kids

at or above grade level don't end up

putting their kids back in public school nearly

as often as those who weren't as dilligent.

Answer 8

Different schools (home and public) learn different things at different grades. I homeschool my son and we are starting times tables in 2nd grade. The public schools that are in this area start in 3rd. The private school he went to previously starts in mid 2nd. As you mentioned your area starts the public kids at 4th.

I assume that your daughter is in 5th or 6th grade and is just starting. That is not a big deal. Just help her with a little extra work. She'll be able to 'catch' up easily whether she stays in public school or you bring her back home to learn, again.

Is she behind in other subjects? If she is that may be your deciding factor. She may need to come home until you are able to help her blend in better academically by teaching her the things that she will be needing to succeed in public school. (If that is really where your family decides that she should be.)

And contrary to the anti public school hype, working to meet your daughter's best interests are really the desire of the public system. Unfortunately many (ok...most)of those systems are ill equipped to meet their own ideals.

Answer 9

They're not going to call social services on you with your daughter in school and behind. You are no longer teaching your child at home so what you did or didn't do in the past has nothing to do with it. You just have to have her do extra work to catch up at home.

Don't pull her out for just this. If she's miserable or she's picking up bad social stuff or something, then do it, probably making sure to get her academically caught up.

Answer 10

I had the opposite problem when I took her out of public school she could barely add or read. you not going to get in trouble for her being behind.Did they do an assessment test when you enrolled her? They do have tutors that can help if you want to keep her there but you have to do what you feel is right. You said you did it against your better judgment so why keep her there if you believe it's wrong? Your the parent you make the rules not the 11 year old who begs and begs for her way.

Answer 11

You don't need to worry about anyone taking your child from you due to her inability to complete multiplication and division problems.

Get her a tutor and let her stay in school.

She'll catch up.

Answer 12

No, do not take her out!  You have done her enough harm already by having her be at home as long as she was.  This is very typical of home schooled children - they are behind the public school kids in a big way.  Just let the school system work with her and try to catch her up as soon as she is able.  It will take a while, but it will happen and she wants to be there very much.

Her being behind in school is not being "neglected" in any way and no one will come after your daughter now!!  That is not neglect and the teachers are taught very specifically what constitutes neglect and abuse and none of that is even close.  

Teachers that are looking for "neglect" are looking for these things:  unclean/unwashed/unkept kids, dirty kids, kids with bruises on them, kids with clothes that do not fit or no fitting shoes (there are resources at school to help with these needs for those children that let the counselor know); kids not getting enough good food or sleep or care.  Kids with parents that are not involved, that are focused on other things besides the welfare of their child.  That is certainly not you!!  

They have seen this before with other home schooled children.  The key is to start here and work forward and help her catch up.  That's all you have to do and they will help you do that for her every step of the way.

It would be a huge mistake of you to take her out of the school you have her in now just because you have her so behind that now it's hard for her to function at her age level in this school setting.  It would show her than when the going gets tough, her Mom cowers and returns to the familiar instead of handling the challenges of life.  

This child of yours truly wants all the friends, resources and opportunities public education has to offer her - and she wants that very much.  Show her some respect, let them catch her up to where she should be and you help her get there and now you cheer her on!  You are her moral compass; they will leave that to you.  Let them teach and you provide the rest.