I have this feeling that we will end up hs'ing anyways, so part of me wants to just start with k. There is also part if me that feels like I should give school a chance. I've posted about our school situation before, But here is the cliff's notes: ds4.5 just finished his first year of Montessori. It wasn't a good fit, as much as I truly wanted it to be, because I love the Montessori methods. He is accepted into a gifted charter for kindergarten next year. He would be early enrolling, he is not supposed to start until fall 2012. My apprehensions with the school are the following. It is full day, and that scares me for my not yet 5 DS. He will turn 5 in November. I'm afraid he won't have the stamina. Another concern is the class size, There will be 24 kids in each K class, one teacher, no aides.I know that a good teacher can handle this, but I would much rather the class size be smaller obviously. DS also has multiple food allergies, and their policy is that he would need to sit alone for lunch. They are willing to have him choose a friend to sit with, but I worry that no one will want to. It may sound silly, but I know it would crush him.
I contemplated keeping him home for another year and sending him on time, but the psych and the school feel that if I do that, he will need to skip K, which would not be ideal for adjusting into school, and I can see their point.
I think that he would thrive homeschooling, but I have all those natural worries about socializing and the implications of not having a typical school experience. (which I guess is likely to happen anyways. :)) plus, i feel like should use the gifted charter since it is available. They are supposed to be really good about ability grouping, and acceleration. They will put kids in different grades for different subjects, and I know that's really hard to come by. Just for a frame of reference, I'm thinking he is a level 3 or 4 on ruf's scale, his wppsi was verbal:147 performance: 129 full scale: 139. You need a 127 to get into this school, im not sure where most of the students fall as far as their LOG.
(disclaimer, I typed th is on my iPad, please do not judge me based on spelling and punctuation lol!)
Homeschooling has worked out very well for us. My son did early entrance to a private K for one year, but we have homeschooled ever since. In addition to food allergy issues, my son is 2E, which complicates his fit in a regular classroom even more than just giftedness does. Like your child, I'd put his LOG in the ballpark of Ruf level 4.
Speaking from experience here, the allergy issues are much easier to control at home without creating the sense of exclusion and "otherness" that might arise from being isolated during communal lunch time. There were a few terrifying instances during my son's Kindergarten year where other parents brought in food for the class without checking with the school first, and my son couldn't participate because they had made food that he was allergic to. Fortunately, even at 4 he knew better than to eat anything he didn't know was safe, and he asked about the ingredients.
As for the socializing aspect, most of that happens at lunch and recess. You get in trouble in school for socializing at other times! "Socialization", or learning how to behave in society, is just as easily taught in real multi-age interactive social situations as in artificially age-segregated classrooms where the only models for interaction are other children (who presumably also need to learn these things) and an adult who interacts primarily through giving direction and lecturing. There are plenty of opportunities to meet other kids and work in groups through clubs, scouting, civic and religious groups, homeschooling groups, and community-based classes, such as museum offerings or community theater.
You already know that he is unlikely to have a "typical" school experience, and homeschooling allows you to choose the level,pace, and mode of instruction that works optimally for your child, usually (depending on your state laws) without the need to clear it through any "higher ups". I would guess that, simply due to the nature of the bell curve, the bulk of the children in the gifted program are clustered near the cutoff score. You child scores significantly above that. It may be that a program that meets the needs of those learners well will still not be a good fit for your child. You are under no obligation to use it just because it is there. It may be great - I'm not trying to dissuade you from giving it a try - but I am trying to let you know that homeschooling may have more advantages and fewer drawbacks than you might think, and school might have more problems and fewer advantages than you currently seem to believe.
I think that he would thrive homeschooling, but I have all those natural worries about socializing and the implications of not having a typical school experience. (which I guess is likely to happen anyways. :)) plus, i feel like should use the gifted charter since it is available.
You could always give the charter a try while being aware of how he's coping (i.e. monitor him closely) and pull him out if needed. And if by chance he makes a good friend at the charter, you could fix playdates after school. There really is no way to know if it will work unless you just do it.
Actually, I should say beware of overscheduling socialization when you homeschool. Even as a generally introverted family, we found ourselves becoming too busy for my liking just because of the opportunities we had to mix and mingle.
My kid was so overshceduled with classes and field trips and other socialization opportunities that we eventually had to cut back.
Don't let the socialization myth hold you back. There's a lot you can do to adjust the level to what is comfortable for you and your child. If a specific class doesn't work, look for something else. Try to organize classes or workshops or field trips with other homeschooling families to see if your child finds a friend there. Expose him to people of all ages. I'm sure others will have better suggestions. Just shooting this off with one foot out the door rushing to yet another socialization opportunity!
hehe I could have written this for the most part! Since I have the school right on our doorstep I feel almost obliged to use it - like I would be failing gifted education the world over if I did not.
We have Aiden in a gifted pre school - he goes to K in jan next year, and even then every few months we consider home schooling again. If they cater for a wider range of gifted levels then there is a good chance that they still try to keep them on the same level - albeit an accelerated one.
we have just decided that right now aiden needs a school setting for various reasons. It may well change in the next year though.
I don't know the right thing to say - just wanted to say I feel your dilemma! watching your experiences with great interest.
Thanks for the replies!
The one big thing I forgot to mention is that the school is about 40 minutes away, unless we move closer. That makes HS a little more appealing as well.
I'm really leaning towards HS for at least next year, keeping it low-key since he technically has a year before he needs to be in k. We cam experiment with curriculum a little and see how it goes.
I'm really leaning towards HS for at least next year, keeping it low-key since he technically has a year before he needs to be in k. We cam experiment with curriculum a little and see how it goes.
That's what we did, and it was great. We made contacts with the wider homeschooling community too, which was really useful.
On the downside, once I realised what we could do at home, going to school just seemed so much of a compromise
I'm really leaning towards HS for at least next year, keeping it low-key since he technically has a year before he needs to be in k. We cam experiment with curriculum a little and see how it goes.
That's what we did, and it was great. We made contacts with the wider homeschooling community too, which was really useful.
On the downside, once I realised what we could do at home, going to school just seemed so much of a compromise
I was just telling my husband, that homeschooling is slowly going from "last resort," to "first choice."
I'm really leaning towards HS for at least next year, keeping it low-key since he technically has a year before he needs to be in k. We cam experiment with curriculum a little and see how it goes.
That's what we did, and it was great. We made contacts with the wider homeschooling community too, which was really useful.
On the downside, once I realised what we could do at home, going to school just seemed so much of a compromise
I was just telling my husband, that homeschooling is slowly going from "last resort," to "first choice."
That comment is so true! And I think that's what has to happen for more and more people world wide - not just parents of gifted kids, but any parent who wants a naturally curious kid. I have been reading a few different books on home schooling and other related topics lately and its seeming more and more like this is what would make so many more kids truly happy and able to work to their own potential and speed and interests - whatever those may be.
I'm really leaning towards HS for at least next year, keeping it low-key since he technically has a year before he needs to be in k. We cam experiment with curriculum a little and see how it goes.
That's what we did, and it was great. We made contacts with the wider homeschooling community too, which was really useful.
On the downside, once I realised what we could do at home, going to school just seemed so much of a compromise
I was just telling my husband, that homeschooling is slowly going from "last resort," to "first choice."
That comment is so true! And I think that's what has to happen for more and more people world wide - not just parents of gifted kids, but any parent who wants a naturally curious kid. I have been reading a few different books on home schooling and other related topics lately and its seeming more and more like this is what would make so many more kids truly happy and able to work to their own potential and speed and interests - whatever those may be.
I completely agree. I'm actually excited to try it! If we crash and burn, the school will still be there.
It does help that my son's eyes lit up when I mentioned that he could stay home and learn with me instead of going back to montessori, or going to a new school.
I'm probably crazy, we'll see how it goes...
Good luck, Amber, I hope it works out. (Expect to have some "What on earth am I doing???" moments though
)
please keep us posted on how it goes - I am sure you will have so much fun!