I home school my second grade son. This is a decision that my husband and I made back in January after ongoing issues with his school. I can’t blame the school district. My son was diagnosed with severe ADHD and moderate ODD. This is a battle we have chosen to attack without medications. There is nothing wrong with medications. We just decided that it wasn’t the best decision for OUR family. Since we chose not to medicate we felt that the school no longer wanted to ‘deal’ with our son. He started coming home feeling sad and talking down about himself. Protective momma bear came out at this point. When I requested an evaluation for an IEP, I was declined. They stated his issues were behavioral and not educational since he excelled in academics. Yet his behavioral issues affected his every day life at school. Didn’t add up to me.
My husband and I talked about homeschooling, and talked about it some more. And then even more. This wasn’t a decision we took lightly. I researched the pros and cons of homeschooling. I spoke to my mom, my step-mom and three of my close friends about the situation. It is always nice when you have people that you care about, who support your decisions. I was able to find an AMAZING e-learning program through the school district. It has been a fantastic alternative. He is learning many subjects now that he wasn’t before and we can work his school day around him and HIS needs. On his rougher days we take more breaks and most of his school work is complete while he bounces on a medicine ball. Whatever it takes for him to focus and retain the information is all I care about.
Before you tell me that my child needs socialization, you need to realize that you don’t know my family. We attend a weekly hands-on Science class. A Speech class twice a week. My son plays football, we have friends and family with children he can play with. We often go to the library, parks and local events where he interacts with other children. I support any parent and the choices they make regarding THEIR child(s) education. Because at the end of the day, who am I to judge…
Of course I think there are MANY other benefits to homeschooling also. My son doesn’t seem to do well with his studies in the early morning. We can take our time at waking up and enjoying our coffee (he drinks hot cocoa). We can do schoolwork while wearing pajamas. When school is complete we can head to the park, or library or run any necessary errands. I don’t have to worry about school shootings. We can take vacations without worrying about missing class. And most of all I LOVE watching him learn new things. He gets so excited when something ‘clicks’ and to be honest, it boosts my self-esteem to know that I helped him. These are just a few more of the pros that I feel with homeschooling. It is not for everyone, and that’s okay. For now, this is what works for MY son and OUR family.
Photo Credit to azulinya at Flickr.com
Do/did you home school? What programs do you use?
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The Jewells Within 