We decided to pull ds6 out of private Catholic school due to boredom and the typcial behaviors that accompany that boredom. Not to mention, we were paying out the nose for ds to learn nothing for two years+. So, we're homeschooling, and excluding a rough start on day 1, ds is doing beautifully. I knew my sweet little boy was in there somewhere! He's like a different person. He's LOVING school and even wants to do more in the evenings when we're finished with school and getting ready for bed! He's learning so much already, and I'm just so happy. Not one meltdown, no crying, not speaking badly of himself (used to feel pretty down on himself because school was such a struggle, and he didn't fit in well).
He has had no problems leaving the kids from school; He hasn't even asked about them. I don't think there were any really strong connections, which I guess is typical. He was a year ahead of the other kids due to holding him back in PK4 for "social" reasons. Bad idea, but anyway, my point is he was already chronologically older than the others, and then add in the fact that he's several grade levels ahead of them, he really didn't mesh well in that environment. They said they couldn't provide a differentiated curriculum, and they couldn't accelerate him.
So....dh and I feel very good about the decision to homeschool at this point. We're still reasearching other schools to try to find somewhere that can meet ds's needs. So far, we're not impressed, but we're going to keep looking.
We have family, on the other hand, who are not supportive and feel that we're making a huge mistake. I feel like we're the ones who have done all the research, and we're his parents. Obviously, we feel like we're making the best decision for ds.
What do you tell family members who question your decision? What do you tell them when they are just positive that your child is going to turn out to be "weird"? What do you tell them when they say he needs "socialization"? And they say, "soccer once a week isn't enough!"?
We have playdates with friends, after school activities, and we're looking into the possibility of a coop. I'm sorry to go on and on. It seems that no matter what I say, there's always a "yeah, BUT...." People have preconceived ideas about homeschooling that you just can't break through. Has anything worked for you?
Thanks for "listening" to me vent. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Jen
