Sorry to take so long to get back to you. I lost the forum! They moved it on me! (Thanks for helping me find it, Dottie!)
thanks, Kriston-- do you consider your son "2E"?
I'll come back when I want to talk more about homeschooling. I do have concerns-- I'm not sure how it will work for the rest of my family; my son is extremely extroverted so I am afraid it will damage him; also he can be infuriating, and it certainly is not productive to keep him home and yell at him. So I need to be sure I am strong enough to do this...
It's just such a shame that he seems to be losing his passion for learning-- at age 6!
I worry a lot about GT kids losing that light, that passion. I think it's a serious issue and not one to be taken lightly. It says to me that something has to change, and fast. Real damage is being done. You're right to worry, I think.
No, I don't really consider my DS7 to be 2E, though his bottleneck sometimes functions that way. I don't think he'd qualify for any 2E program or anything.
OTOH, I do often deal with his education in much the same way that I would if he were 2E. Since we're homeschooling, I can do that. I think it would be much harder in school, honestly. It sure was in first grade, where the teacher was VERY concerned that DS was not finishing his work in a timely fashion, and was clearly doubting his test scores and GT ID, though his scores and classroom abilities when given challenging work were in the PG range. *sigh* It was really awful to deal with.
We had infuriating times when he was in school, but I can tell you that it often (though not always) gets better when the child comes home. Provided you get your needs met so that you're not worn out and stressed out from too little time alone, it can often make a child much more pleasant to be around if he has enough time to work on his own projects and work that keeps him challenged. This was the case for us.
That's not to say I never yell at him, of course. But it is SO MUCH BETTER than it used to be. A challenged GT kid is often a happy, pleasant kid. Our DS7 made a total behavioral turnaround once we brought him home. He is now generally very pleasant to be around.
Here's one way to help you decide if it might be better for you behaviorally to bring your DS home: think about your son during the summer. Is he easier to get along with than he is during the school year? If so, school might be part of the cause of the infuriating behavior.
Secular homeschooling is much more common than it used to be, and that's good for extroverts because it means that there are lots of very active homeschooling groups around that meet frequently. I know there are some active in NY!
We're even sending DS7 to homeschooling "school" one day a week, complete with classes and recess and Legos and people to play with them! I'd bet there's something like that where you are, too. Co-ops are parent-run, and there's probably something like that around, too.
I'd recommend doing a little research into what homeschooling groups and opportunities are available to you, even though you aren't really ready to make any decisions. Just knowing whether it's a valid option or not will give you some peace of mind. You know?
Also consider finding a sitter or homeschooling friend to share the social burden of taking him to group activites if you need a fair amount of time alone. Personally, as an introvert, that's one of my big problems with homeschooling--to get him the social time, I often have to be social, too, and it's exhausting to me. That's part of why I say that you will need to be sure that your needs are met. If you are exhausted and cranky, it won't matter if the educational fit is good. Any solution you choose has to work for everyone in the family.
Now, if you're an extrovert, too, you'd be in heaven with homeschooling!
Really, calling us "homeschoolers" is a misnomer, for we're very rarely home!
