Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Ready to homeschool - any advice would be helpful

Okay, we're ready to homeschool our first grader LD (first letters of our sons names). I just got back from another morning of volunteering at his school. He's got a fantastic teacher and yet he is still bored and so far from being challenged I stay up nights knowing I'm not doing enough. Last year I chalked up his boredom to a bad teacher (she's nice enough but has no desire to reach out to students much less parents concerns of students) This year the teacher's GREAT! but he's still bored. damn damn damn (I hope I can say that here) MCAS and No Child Left Behind!!!! I have absolutely no doubt that I can teach more than the schools can, at least in the early grades. I was hoping to get tidbits of advice that people have found over the years. I've never had LD tested but I'm pretty certain he'd be considered gifted. He's reading at at least a 3rd grade level. There is no school curriculum for anything but reading so I have no idea where he stands with any other subject. He's doing math problems in school that he easily mastered last year at home. He has an enormous interest in science and social studies. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks so much.

An author you might find useful is Lisa Rivero

_Creative Homeschooling_,
and _Gifted Education Comes Home:A Case for Self Directed Learning_

If your son has been very very frustrated in school, you may want to have him take a month or so off from any kind of learning that he doesn't want to do...many of the moms report this as being needed.

While your son is decompressing, you can bring him to the Library and let him rediscover his love of learning, and get your self ready for the "school" part of homeschooling.

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/gifted_101.htm has lots of guides to giftedness in general and homeschooling in particular.

Alternativly, you can just ask your son each morning, what do you want to learn today, this week and this month. Bring his interests back here for more ideas, websites, books or to your local librarian.

Congradulations on this big step, we want to hear all about it.
Trinity

It doesn't matter if your child tests at gifted or not, all children benefit from the same type of education..which is learn at your own pace type education. I have really had to learn to let go with my children. I have good solid spelling, handwriting, writing, grammar, math programs (because these are the skills, tools, for learning) and now I let them do whatever their hearts desire in the other areas (not video games). The younger I started a child homeschooling, the better they have done. Your child is starting earlier than my oldest two. I gave us the tools, we explore things, we listen to history on tape basically in the car, etc. I do not allow cartoon network and such during the day..just educational shows. They don't have to watch TV, but if they are going to during the day, it must be of some value. When I first started homeschooling, I purchased a complete boxed curriculum. I had textbooks for everything and worksheets and so on. Then I had another baby and then my little ones got older and so on..and I had less and less time to "twach at them." I let loose the ball and chain of a completely filled up curriculum. I recall a teacher in the 6th grade telling me that kids in America were lucky because we had our education handed to us on a silver platter. BUT, gifted children, left to their own devices, and removing the pressure to be "cool" and just like everyone else, seem to really go far. My daughter hated to read when in public school and when following a curriculum. Now that she reads things she picks and on her own, she picks things like the Hobbit. She also is only in Algebra 1 (she is 10 yrs old) but she LOVES looking forward to college level calculus books and Physics books and she actually seems to understand them. She isn't doing this because I have taught her this, she is doing this because she has the time to get curious and pursue her interests. Considering I am very much so type A, I am shocked to find myself able to step back and let things go like this. But it really has turned out very well.

Hi Summer70,

It's wonderful to hear of your sucesses with your children's education.

I love how you state:
It doesn't matter if your child tests at gifted or not, all children benefit from the same type of education..which is learn at your own pace type education.

I wish there was a way for my child to get that at a bricks-and-mortar school.

I've heard a lot of definitions of giftedness over the years, and mostly they all have something important to add, but my personal favorite is: A child that has the capasity to learn material that is one or more years advanced of the chronological age, in one or more academic areas, with whatever nescessary accomidations in place. Short form: Gifted is as gifted does. I don't care what the numbers say, so kids have a developmental path that is quite different from the standard expected one.

I also think that loving teachers who deeply connect with their students have a wonderful role to play in the lives of children. Sometimes these teachers are found inside school buildings and sometimes they are family members. I also wish that schools were flexible enough so that when a "twice exceptional child" finds a teacher who "really gets him," that the child could stay with that teacher for more than one year.

Love and More Love,
Trinity

I just heard about an online curricula that may be of interest:
Compass Learning through www.time4learning.com

Here are some things I've overhear about it -
they split it up into "upper school" and "lower school" - but if you need access to both, they have done it before.

Parents choose the level and get access to material one grade above and one grade below.

They have a risk free trial. 2 weeks.

If you like it you may save money by paying for a
full-year of access for $150.

It has what appears to be an extensive math curriculum up through algebra. They also partner with eIMACS for two of their courses.

For the $20 it covers language arts, math, science and social
studies.

Not sure if your are looking for a full curriculum, but when I read about this, I though of you.

Best Wishes,
Trinity

In case you are still trying to work things out: you might consider looking into this for next year-
Some school districts will allow students to take select classes and homeschool for the rest. I am lucky to live in a district that has allowed my kids to take select classes that are well beyond the standard grade level for the age. (It helps to live in a rural district that sorely needs enrollment.)
My youngest takes music and PE at school. The high school and jr. high have supplied math and science classes.

Wow Rabbit -
That sounds lovely!
Trinity

I unschool my DS4. If I were you I would use the time you have in the summer to give it a shot. No loss. I'm a member of this board http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschoolingmensans/ and they have all kinds of resources. I have learned that my son knows a LOT more then I ever realized! I'm also amazed how easy it is to homeschool. The biggest problem I have is that I was looking forward to going back to "work", getting out of the house, and earning some additional money for our family.

We have fun and I let his thirst for knowledge guide us. We are currently; growing vegetables and flowers in the dining room, rock candy on the kitchen counter, and making a solar system (styrofoam balls) to put in his bedroom. We watch "The Magic School Bus", "Curious George", "Zaboomafoo" and "Big, Big World" and get ideas. We then get books at the library, plan a field trip, etc. on the subject. I realize that as he gets older we may have to establish some guidelines. Now we just use the world around us.

Take a deep breath! If I can do it I know you can too!!

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_08/b3972108.htm

Even I am considering after reading this :-)
Ania

Thanks for the link Ania. Yeah, that's a very tempting article about homeschooling middle and high school aged kids. Who knows?