Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments More homeschooling questions

I'm guessing we've about a year to go before DS and his math are going to be out of my realm. But there are ways around it. A program like EPGY and a tutor/mentor onhand to answer the things he doesn't get.

I agree with Kriston that going deep and wide are good choices for trying to slow a child down. In addition to the core subjects my DS is learning Greek, studying Roman Mythology, Computer Programming and learning to type.

You can print out the state standards for the year to see what the expected learning is for your childs grade level if you are really afraid of missing something.

I agree, CFK.

I think some places have a lot more options for upper-level work in high school, and that's good to check into. I know some states even have ways for high school students to dually enroll in high school and college, effectively giving kids greater challenge and college credit for free. Those sorts of programs are absolutely worth considering.

I think it is important to note that there's no wrong answer about going back to school or homeschooling all the way through. Either is possible, depending upon the specifics of the situation. I don't think that homeschooling in and of itself necessarily rules any option out. However, what happens between now and then might rule some options out along the way. You just can't predict that until you're there. I think it's hard to know what any HG+ child will need years ahead of time, homeschooled or not.

I can say for our part that we're moving through things much faster than I was expecting to, and there's no way DS8 could return to elementary school. The private GT school in town is a possibility, but I'm not sure. We'll see...

This is our first year homeschooling and I had every emotion that you are feeling. I was a public school music teacher for 10 years and had miles of experience but still was terrified that I would be doing my DD9 a disservice if I decided to HS. I decided that I needed a structured curriculum that would guide us with pre-made plans and lessons (strange, because my school system couldn't afford a music curriculum so I never had that structure during my entire career). We are using the K-12 series as independent learners, that means we are not affiliated with any of the many state, virtual academies that use K-12. So far, I've been happy. I like the structure and scheduling options it gives you and I've been very pleased with all the curriculum content so far. I really liked the placement testing that allowed DD to accelerate in her stronger subjects. We have recently started using Life of Fred as a math curriculum, there wasn't anything wrong with the K-12 math, DD just HATES the traditional math method and needed a change. We still do the core K-12 lessons and assessments but she is using and enjoying LOF much more. I would agree with everyone that you don't NEED to buy anything your first year, it just made me feel better about my decision to "have a plan". Take some time to allow your children to explore what they are interested in and don't get stressed about having some relaxed, fun learning for a while. Then, add some structured lessons a few at a time till you find a balance that works for your family. At this point, almost 6 months into the journey, things are going great and we have no plans to go back to a B&M but, never say never. I may not continue with K-12 forever but it has provided some good training wheels for us as we learn how to make this work. I'm not affiliated with K-12, there are other curriculums that provide the same kind of structure and that would help to bridge the gap. I just wanted to share what has worked for us as new homeschoolers. Good luck! I think you will enjoy the ride and if you don't, you can always get off.

K12 as independents works well for us,too,for many of the same reasons. I think the best advice cull through the advice you get and the research you do, and choose what works for you and your child and is within your comfort zone. Homeschooling ranges from unschooling to scheduled traditional school at home, and you'll find supporters of each and everything in between.

Thank so much for the ideas, opinions, and personal experiences. It really helps in making the best possible decision for my children.

After reading a lot of the replies on here, I called 2 people at the NH coalition of homeschoolers. What great people to talk to! I spoke to one person for about 2 hours. I have set up an appointment with the person I talked to. I will be going over to her house to see a typical home schooling day. I'm hoping this will relieve most of my apprehensions.

I'm very excited about this! I just wish my husband could go too.

Thank you again!

Hi, Tall boys,

I'm late to the party, but just want to encourage you to give it a go, if that's where your heart and circumstances are leading you. I think, for a lot (not all) of boys in particular, elementary school is a pretty rough go, and some time home with mum might be just the ticket.

There are a lot of great free resources out there, if you want to give a few things a try to see what works the best for you and your kids. I think Melissa mentioned the Well-Trained Mind boards--there were several threads earlier this year that listed dozens of sources for free curricula. We love the free math from the University of Plymouth Centre for Innovative Mathematics Teaching, for instance. And the library is such a wonderful resource. We do buy a fair amount of curriculum, now that I more or less feel like I know what I'm doing, but there are lots of ways to get your feet wet without getting in too deep!

We've homeschooled from the get-go, so I can't address any transition issues from personal experience.

I know what you mean about being an obsessive planner--I've been reading university catalogues for at least two years now, and my eldest is 8! So I'm nuts, but there we go, that's not news. Whether or not the lads go to high school or not, I don't know (partly depends on when Frenchie decides to retire), but I figure it can't hurt at least to have some idea of which way we should be steering the ship, just in case we collectively decide to stay the course with homeschooling.

Well, when all the metaphors get too aqueous, I guess it's time to go...it has been pouring here for a month, and I have water on the brain, I think!

peace
minnie

There's nothing wrong with being a planner, and I hope I didn't sound like I was being critical.

I know that IME (and that of the new homeschoolers I've observed), just about the only honest-to-goodness mistake you can make (especially if you are a planner) is to be too rigid, too set on one path, too resistant to changing if something doesn't work as well as it might. It's next to impossible to be underprepared for homeschooling, since you can always find/buy more stuff. One trip to the library or the museum or even the grocery store or the Internet can provide days or weeks of homeschooling material. But it is VERY easy to be overprepared!

I've learned a lot about valuing loosey-goosey-ness since we began homeschooling. Especially with an HG+ child.

I hope that clarifies. I don't want to make it sound like planning is bad. Just that it's easy to overplan and get stuck in on a set-up that isn't workable. And THAT can be really painful for all invoved, not to mention really expensive. Staying with a curriculum that doesn't fit is the one way I know of to turn a child off to homeschooling. Especially the first year, exploration time is key.

Oh, Kriston, I hope you didn't think that I thought you were being critical--you're never anything but kind and super-supportive here of people and their ideas and choices and musings...I was just laughing at myself, looking up the entrance requirements for the kids' current ideas of "what they want to be when they grow up", so we can plan the right high school path! Really, I know that there are other things I could be doing...like, oh, say, vacuuming, or scrubbing the tub surround, or, you know, like that--but it is much more fun finding out what it takes to get into astrophysics for my four-year-old!!!

I myself do find it helpful to think a certain distance out, just because I am a very bad Decider--I tend to have a lot of regrets about decisions I made too quickly (I wish I weren't like this, but you gotta play the hand you're dealt)--so I do like to think a long time and investigate and look at samples, and so on, and talk to other people, and then feel pretty confident that things will suit the kids all right. So far it has worked pretty well--but don't know whether it's luck, the planning, or the general easygoingness of my lovely kids!! Probably the last, I suspect. And I certainly agree that it would be fatal to stick to something that wasn't working, just for the sake of the plan.

Hope y'all had a happy Yankee Thankee!

peace
minnie

Aw, thanks, Minnie. You're kind.

It wasn't your post specifically, and I didn't take offense at all, certainly. I just didn't want to seem to be coming down harder than I intended on planning.

I think really I'm coming down hard(ish) on worrying too much and trying to anticipate ALL the possibilities. There's just so much we can't know ahead of time, and I would hate to think that people might be scared of homeschooling because it's not always a neatly laid out, predictable path. It isn't, but as it turns out, that's okay. It all works out anyway.

You know?

Hello, I am very new here. I would encourage anyone not to hesitate to home school. I fretted over the socialization thing and what not as well for quite some time and I now believe it is a non-issue. In my own experiences at a public school, parochial school, and a prep school, I experienced and witnessed rampant bullying. I also experienced pressure to fit in and what not. Therefore, I think that school can potentially have many negative social consequences. I also think that there are so many activities for a child to participate in as well.

In regards to curriculum and ability to teach, I also think that there are so many options out there that there is no need to worry. I am utterly amazed at all of the resources that are available. The Well Trained Mind message boards have a wealth of information. Plus, there are many Yahoo Home school groups as well as local groups depending upon where you live. We participate in a weekly, all day co-op with classes in addition to using a public cyber charter school.

Best of Luck:)