I NEVER thought I'd be homeschooling. It was the LAST thing on my mind when I started researching options for my ds6. He was struggling in a tradtional classroom because he was bored to death. He was spending all day in another world while the other students learned material he already knew. Also, he's a very hands-on interactive learner. It was torture for him to sit in a desk or at a table all day and not speak until spoken to. Not that they never interacted with each other in the private school he was in, but it was quite rigid.
My ds learns by talking through processes and by physically manipulating his world. Worksheets send him over the edge. My first instinct was to think, "well, he needs to learn to follow the rules and do what everyone else does." Then I realized he wasn't learning ANYTHING and that he had begun to hate school. This bothered me that a kindergartener cried every day before and after school.
The school was unable to advance him to first grade or to give a differentiated curriclum. We pulled him and started homeschooling, and it's been wonderful. He's learning; it's efficient (he doesn't have to spend wasted time in line waiting for lunch or snack or bathroom or waiting for others to catch up), and I have a good handle on where he is academically. I'm glad now that they couldn't advance him to first grade b/c now that I'm homeschooling, I know that ds is beyond first grade too. So, he would have had the same issues in the 1st grade private school class as in the kg.
I am still researching and touring other schools that might be a better fit, but so far I've found nothing that feels as right as homeschooling. I do like the montessori philosophy, and we are really looking into this option. We also like the small private schools with lots of enrichment opportunities. Currently, while I hs, I am supplementing with mixed martial arts and science and art classes at a small private community school. He will play soccer in the spring too. He loves it, and he's so excited to be learning.
I'm floored at what a difference I see when I present completely fresh, new material than when I am reviewing. Because he needs little to no review, he almost shuts down when he sees the same info he has seen before. At school, he had to just sit there and wait it out, and this was all day every day. Complete torture! I'm reluctant to do anything different right now because it's working so well. HS was meant to be a temporary solution, but now I worry that even a new school will present the same issues we faced before. Like many gifted children, ds progresses very quickly, and he'd need a school where he could move ahead at his own pace. That's hard to find in a group situation.
With hs I am able to guage when he needs review and when he doesn't and know when I've lost him and when he's engaged. My biggest concern was ds not being with other kids all day, but he hasn't missed it. We just make sure he gets the time with children in other ways. He's an only child, btw. Hope this helps. Wow! Just realized how long this is!
