Does anyone have any knowledge of themselves or someone they know home schooling for a short period of time (6 months to 1 year)? Not sure I have the patience / ability for it but school is not working well for our 6 and a half year old at the moment. Has been identified as probably gifted by couple of people at school Do the socialisation skills improve with time? Was told he had social maturity of 3 and a half year old last week (I think that's a bit harsh but then his brother who's actually 3 and a half is probably immature too!). Concerned that taking him out of school would actually make social side of things much worse. I'm not overly social myself, so not the best guide for him there and to be honest I find it difficult with him when we're out sometimes (as I know that he is perceived to be so quirky). His younger brother is also not your average child & I'm not convinced he's going to have the advantage that the older one does in terms of being "bright".
I don't have long-term experience of home education, but I have taken my oldest son (8.5) out of school this year. He was exhausted, disengaged, angry and stressed. He bottled it up all day at school, then brought it home to dump on his family. Because the issues were so many, expecting the school to change to accommodate the child was silly, so I decided to change at our end!
He has been home educated for around 5 months now and there has been a great improvement in his energy and attitude. I did find my partner was very resistant to taking the kid out of school. His main concerns were time (adult), and how the child is to "fit in". I found that the proposal to trial home education "temporarily" helped to support my cause. Meeting other home educated children in our area also helped, as they were more polite, friendly and accepting than, er, "average". It was also obvious that they were not socially retarded at all!
It is also necessary to explore which method of home education is going to work for your child and you. Meeting other HS families is really interesting, because they all have different methods and structures. In my son's case, I have gone with a very unstructured approach. He has relaxed enough now, to re-engage with learning. Yay!
I think that socialisation and "fitting in" are different things. To state the obvious: quirky kids are going to have a hard time "fitting in" to a conventional classroom (of 30 kids their own age). These same kids may have no trouble socialising, when they are in their actual peer group... "Peer group" is not the same thing as "class at school".
One more thought in this long rant!
I read somewhere recently, a very super concept about faliure, effort, and success. It went like this: faliure is an important part of the learning process. A person makes an effort at a task, and may have to fail several times before they experience success. In this case, perseverance at the task is rewarded with success.
However, if that person fails over and over and over again, it is the faliure that is reinforced in their minds, not perseverance and success. It is important to recognise when this is happening, and change course, to get the person out of the "rut" of faliure.
How? Identify the areas in which the person is failing, and formulate a plan to support them. Enact this plan for 6 weeks. If there is no real change in the person's rate of success/faliure, then quit that area. It will always be there in the future! It is better to move on to a different area, and experience success.
ok, I'd better stop typing now! Hope this gives you some ideas.
Jay,
That's great thanks. This idea has to be at least my "fallback" position if things remain the same or I don't even want to think it, get worse. If I don't have some idea in my mind of what the next move could be, it is too hard!
Hi moz
I did just this I had a baby when my 2e daughter was 10
as I was going to be away from work, idecided to take myvery pliant quiet daughter out of school after I went to parent teacher conference and the teacher couldn't put his finger on who she was!!!!! She was so quiet Ina class of 6 girls and 18 boys . She had been accidentally kickedin the head ,injured while playing class soccer, quiet, introverted peaceful artistic she loved her own quietspace to learn but not a girly girl very practical outdoorsy and science maths art and animal loving.
Taking her out for that year is a gift thatshe is stillvsograteful for. She , read, fished, cooked with me ,rode horses inthe day, with other homeschoolers went to art swimming ballet drama gymnastics after school . it was one of the best things we ever did. Shewent back to school the next year and teiddled her thumbs for a few years before leaving again at 165 to stArt a career in ghe arts she is 19 now and Is very popular and sociable but stI'll needs her quiet space and is still a patient a kind girl ( what imtryi gtosay is that homeschooing gaveher confidence and allowed her to be more sociable I think )
i don't know if it would work the same for everyone but it worked for us! And i would say go for it!! It is a year I will always treasure!!
It's legible and thanks for posting it. As someone who is considering this for next year, your statemtn "a year I will always treasure" struck a chord.
Not only do I need that, our children (gifted ones who struggle with the school system) certainly need memories like that.
Thanks moustache, that was great feedback. I am not sure whether we may be forced into a situation where we have to take a break from school, so I want to get myself ever so slightly mentally prepared. It's good to know that there are some real advantages and that it can actually be a really positive exprience for a child.
Thnask for that moustache, that gives me hope. my 5 year old is so unhappy at school, I am thinking of home schooling him....I am scared that I am not patient enough....Stef
Hi. I was interested to see these posts as I am contemplating home-schooling my twice exceptional 9 year old son for the remainder of this year. His teacher has indicated that she is not prepared to make adjustments for his Aspergers, dyspraxia and central auditory processing disorder. He has never been difficult or disruptive and isn't far enough behind for anyone at school to worry about him. They'd rather just pretend he doesn't exist. Can anyone tell me what is involved in getting set up to home-school, how long it takes before you are legally allowed to pull your child out of school, etc. Is there some period of time that is legal for children not to attend school before you have to show that you are homeschooling? Also has anyone ever home-schooled part-time, having their child attend school part time?
You need to ring the local ministry of education and get the exemption application forms. Your local homeschool group will be well versed in providing guidance on writing your exemption. Write your application, send it off and wait for your exemption. Some places the exemption is 3 weeks, others can be a little longer.
Stress is unhealthy and if your child is stressed I'm sure you'd within your rights to get a medical certificate. The holidays are not far away either.
One idea is to come out of school completely, relax into your own flow together, allowing time for you all to adjust to a new change, and then review things. School will always be there.
http://www.nchenz.org.nz/ = nz council of home educators. Click on the network page for a list of different homeschool groups.
Good luck!
We have just decided to go on dual enrolment, that is half the day using correspondence course at home, half at school. This could be one step towards full-time home school. My son is 2E- gifted and aspergers, not engaged at school, feels very+++bored, but loves learning on the computer. We do maths, science, spelling and writing at home, with a few online programs . I have to say he is so different at home and at school. I am starting to believe some kids are just better be at home. I 'd love to speak to families that are in the similar position.
Hi, thought I'd reply to your post because its so similar to where we were six months ago. Our son is 2E gifted with dysgraphia and asperger traits. Knowing what he was capable of in self directed learning and seeing how much he struggled and hated the whole school experience we decided to homeschool middle of last year. What a difference - he's happy and confident now. Hes learning so much more and while he still struggles with social situations this is improving because he hasnt got the school experience always in his mind. We also do one subject through correspondence school though will probably drop it as we find hes much more suited to the unit style of learning. Go with your gut. Talk to people already doing it. There are heaps of information online to tap into. There is a lot of support out there and I've been amazed by just how many 2E are turning to homeschooling. Some children just don't suit the school environment and if your kids one of them then look at other possibilities. It's a challenge homeschooling but its very very rewarding. Bare in mind its a lifestyle choice and one your whole family will take for it to work. Any questions feel free to email me but even a temporary reprieve from school may suit your situation. If your anything like us you're exhausted about now and very disillusioned with school. Once you separate yourself a bit you realise schools are wonderful places for the majority of kids - they just don't seem to be able to work for some. Enjoy what ever choice you make! Good luck!
