I homeschooled my youngest two for a few years, and really found it far easier than dealing with our public elementary and middle schools (both zoned and magnet gifted). And actually, I had a blast with it most of the time, which I totally did not expect.

A couple of things come to mind: Bear in mind whether you're in it for the long run or just a year or three. If the former, the sky's the limit, and the only framework you need is state law. If the latter, you may need to stick a bit more closely to your district's progression of courses in some areas. For us, doing the latter made it really easy for my son to slide back into later middle school (except for the fact that he was now a couple of years ahead of his peers in a few things, having worked at his own pace through math and science).

The other thing is not to discount homeschooling your daughter, if it should come up. While it's perfectly possible to homeschool one and public school the other (we did it for awhile), don't let her issues be the deciding factor. For us, and a few other 2e kids I know who have been HSed, a lot of the issues become non-issues outside the typical educational setting. My daughter's anxiety level and many of her ADHD-related problems disappeared with a more fluid schedule. Sometimes she did her math standing up, or spent two hours on a book she was really engrossed in, or blew off the morning entirely and then happily did all her schoolwork after dinner-- which worked for us, but wouldn't have been possible at XYZ Elementary. Best of all, it taught her some self-control and self-awareness she wouldn't have gained otherwise, because the kids were fully engaged in deciding the form our "school" was going to take. They didn't learn just what to think, they learned how, which was great for my gifted kid but essential for Miss 2E.


"I love it when you two impersonate earthlings."