DS-then-6 took FOREVER to do his 1st grade homework. Most of it was leftovers from the school day that he hadn't finished. He was too busy working out disagreements between his classmates or socializing or...anything but working on that boring stuff!

I think it mattered that his teacher's background was in remedial reading, and when I sat in on her class, I saw that even the ND kids were bored silly: she gave the answer to one exercise SEVEN TIMES! Literally! I counted! Gave them the whole answer! The kids were *all* antsy and bored, yet she didn't understand why she was having so many behavior problems...*sigh*

Anyway, we spent SO MUCH TIME on his homework, and it was awful for both of us. He wasn't so much actively disobeying as he was just physically unable to stand it. He was doing his best, but he just couldn't take it after a day of boredom. He was angry and frustrated and just done. More boredom at home was more than he could take.

After 6 weeks or so of holding his feet to the fire, it was clear that something had to change. We chose homeschooling, but anything that got him a challenge would have been a step up.

We now spend only slightly more time on homeschooling than we spent on homework a night, and he's racing through material. We get along *so much better*! Really! The struggle over homework is over. He's not frustrated and angry anymore; he's happy and flourishing! It's amazing what a little challenge can do. laugh

That's not to say we never have a bad day. We do, of course. But it's a rare exception instead of standard practice. smile It's manageable.

As long as your DS has bought into homeschooling, and he is willing to accept that he has a responsibility to do the work that you give him, then I think HSing will go just fine. I talked a lot with my DS about the fact that I was promising the state that I would educate him, and that he had a duty to uphold. He's a kid who takes responsibility seriously, so that worked like a charm. He wants to HS, so he plays team with me.

If your DS is resisting HSing, too, and not just boring homework, then you might have a problem. But if he understands what HSing will entail and he buys in, I suspect things will go better once he's not being worn down by an inappropriate fit at school all day. That was certainly our experience. Homeschooling is WAY easier than homework ever was! Honest!

If you want to talk more, keep talking. But what you're experiencing is not unusual.

Kriston