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Thanks for the input Lorel. I'm hoping I'll hear about a few more success stories!

What a great mom B has, willing to let him investigate the school thing, I thing that's so great.

DD5 is in K right now. She has a religous ed. class and Girl Scouts after school with friends from school. I'm hoping she is young enough and involved in enough that the other kids will just accept her as someone who goes to school with them part of the time.

We haven't decided to do it for sure, but I am investigating it as an option for her.

I wish our schools would consider partial HS. This week has already been rough for DD9. They are in the middle of review for achievement tests, which includes tons of worksheets to drill the same material over and over again. DD got 100% on the pretest, but still has to complete worksheets. Teacher's response: Practice never hurt anyone!!!

Then today DD came home crying because a girl on her bus slapped her!! I was so furious that no adults intervened, as DD said they were waiting for a bus to come. This girl is assigned to sit next to DD and I can't imagine how she felt on the bus ride home today. DD asked me not to get involved, but I had to explain to her that this is a situation that adults need to handle. I feel so awful tonight as I think about this all.

Jen

Jen that's awful. You are right to feel you should intervene. The bus is the worst. I still rembember riding the bus there is absolutely no adult supervision and the naughty children especially know it.
Could you drive her back and forth?

Neato

Thanks for your concern for DD. I don't want to change subject of this thread, but I just needed to vent yesterday. This morning DD also told me that in the bus her hair was pulled and her head was pushed to the seat in front of her by the same child.

I sent a note to the bus driver and DD sat in front. I also called the school and they filed an incident report. DD will also speak with the school counselor. The bus company called me today and assured me the seat assignments would be changed.

It's hard to see a child this upset and for her to ask me what she did to deserve this... No child deserves this, but DD internalizes everything. Hopefully we can manage the rest of the school year without further incidents.

Jen

Jen-

I would be STEAMING over such an incident! I hope your dd wasn't overly traumatized by all this.

Jen,

Have you considered enrolling you dd in a martial arts program? I know it has helped my dd carry herself with confidence. This alone usually helps to keep bullies away. On the other hand, if anyone tried to pull her hair they would end up with a very hurt hand.

Jen, I'm sorry. I cannot believe that a child could be so mean and repeatedly. I hope the new seat assignments will put a stop to it and the child won't target her anymore.

Okay, I have to admit that I only read through page 3 of this thread, so maybe my question has already been answered. If so, please direct me to the right place.

I have considered homeschooling but my husband is opposed to it because my son (6 1/2) and I tend to butt heads quite a bit and I really do need some time on my own to accomplish my work (you know, housework, paying bills, etc) and also just for myself. Have any of you dealt with this? How do you do it? I just can't see myself with my son 24/7. My husband's work schedule is not at all flexible, so it would all fall on my shoulders. Speaking of which, I have physical problems and have to exercise regularly (water aerobics) and to to physical therapy twice a week. I just don't know how I'd do it all and stay sane.

If we did it, we would probably start with an "unschooling" approach, just doing things that really interest him, like Roman and Greek Numerals and Acids and Chemistry.

Any thoughts on staying sane, educating a kiddo, and getting your own work and private time fit into a day?

Childcare is a necessary component of home schooling for me. I'm an introvert who needs time alone for my sanity, and if I don't get it, I'm a wreck. Once you decide to HS, but before you actually start, find at least one college student or HSing teen--and two or more are better to have available in case one has a difficult schedule one quarter or someone gets sick.

Also investigate childcare options at places like the YMCA. My YMCA offers 2 hours of free childcare every day, and while you have to stay in the building, you don't necessarily have to be exercising to use it. (Though they do usually offer water aerobics classes, if those work for your condition.) Bring your bills and pay them while he's at the Y. I also like it because there are other kids around then, so it's social time for them while I get some time alone. That helps a lot!

I'm assuming your son is GT right? If not, what I say next may not apply in your situation. But if so...As for the butting heads, often when a child isn't bored all day in a classroom, behavior improves. So if the difficulties arose since your DS6 started school, HSing could solve those problems.

However, if the two of you have always had trouble getting along, HSing might be a challenge for you. To be honest, I worry a bit about HSing my second child (who is 3.5yo) because he's not as logical and easygoing as my first child, whose personality is very similar to mine. DS6 is easy for me to communicate with, while DS3 is not so easy. I, too, worry that my teaching DS3 would not be easy on either of us. For now he's in preschool, and he will be next year, too. The following year I'll probably send him to a half-day, nonacademic K class, barring changes to the plan. But what we do for 1st grade is anyone's guess. We're going to take things as they come.

Oh, and be prepared right now for the house to be less clean than you're used to. You can make cleaning up part of your homeschooling day--schools do, so we do, too! But there's just always a lot of stuff that's out and a lot less time to do housework. If you're really not okay with that, then HSing will be a problem for you, I think. Some people just need a spotless house, and HSing is not conducive to a spotless house.

Fortunately or not, I'm not one of those people for whom spotlessness is required...You can tell by looking at my not-spotless house!

Thanks, Kriston, he is GT and his behavior has gotten worse with full time first grade. He is not challenged at school, although his teacher and I disagree about that. The childcare is a wonderful idea. I didn't even think about that. My house-cleaning leaves a lot to be desired anyway.