Homeschooling a 2E child

[sogie]

Hi there
Last February my eldest was diagnosed gifted (99.6 percentile) with learning disabilities (stemming from the fact that his working memory is at the 21st percentile), he also suffers from low self-esteem and social anxiety. He is a great kid, he seems to fit in with his peers, has some friends, etc., but school is just not working for him. He started reading early and was kind of left on the sidelines because he seemed as if he didn't need any help, but once he hit grade 4 everything started falling apart, which is why we took him to get tested.
He is currently attending a special full time 6 week pull-out course from his regular French-Immersion Grade 5 class that he was specially chosen for. The course is meant to focus on mathematics, literacy, technology, and study skills, which, we all hope, will help to level out the gap between the percentiles somewhat.....
The problem is he is extremely bored, and can't seem to get it together at school.
He learns SO well at home, and he always has, but at school he is so disorganized and stressed, and his self-esteem and interest in learning are dwindling, and I just don't know what to do.
My husband and I have been discussing homeschooling for YEARS. I have a ton of books on it, Ontario Laws added to my favourites list, I have researched it beyond anything I have ever been interested..... but I am afraid to take the leap
My issue is that if I pull him out of his French Immersion school and the homeschooling doesn't work out he will have to go back to a regular school (ie. not French) where he doesn't know anyone. I am feeling so stressed about not making the wrong decision that I am not making any decision.
The other issue here is that I run a home daycare.... has anyone else ever successfully homeschooled and run a home daycare?
Please, I am just looking for some advice.... everything I read says that homeschooling is so great for twice exceptional kids because you can work with them through their weaknesses while still feeding their strengths... Any opinions?
Oh, I forgot to mention that I also have a 6 year old (grade 1) who was reading before kindergarten, and is hating school. He says he is bored out of his mind. We haven't gotten him tested yet, but if we go ahead with the homeschooling I would imagine the testing wouldn't even be neccessary because we would just be working at his own pace?
Thank you so much for your input <3

[erinsfamily]

I can't offer too much help for you except to say that my 6.5 year old (grade 1) started reading early as well. We never did testing. We chose to homeschool her right off the bat. Homeschooling was never my plan, but I knew this was the best option for her, it has taken me several years to "get" used to it. I can already see my two year old son being homeschooled as well. I have an almost 5 year old who attends a private school, however.

There are so many different ways to homeschool. Your kids would very likely achieve more, as you've already discerned, at home. Does your son enjoy the French? You may be able to do a blended program where he takes French in a classroom and does his other subjects at home. There are really so many possibilities. I am in Alberta, tho, so things may be different in Ontario.

[Linda]

Deciding to homeschool IS a big decision and one that you and your dh must be at least fairly comfortable with.

Having said that, most homeschoolers (if not all of us) have had the same types of concerns you've expressed. I know I did in the beginning and even after we got going those fears tend to surface from time to time.

My experience with hs'ng, for the most part, has been very positive. I too researched it for a whole year before taking the leap. Even after all of the research, I was very nervous about doing so -- afraid I'd ruin their future. Attending a conference or two really helped -- listening to the various speakers, meeting other hs'ers, talking to people who had been doing it for awhile as well as looking at the various curricula available all helped make me realize I could probably do it too.

We started hs'ng because of our dd...she too had self-esteem issues. We'd planned on doing it for a short time, until her self-esteem improved. I expected it to improve, but not in as short as time as it took. Homeschooling really worked for our family and while we expected to only do it for a short time (started when ds was in grade 5 and dd was in grade 4), we've since 'graduated' both of them from grade 12 and homeschooled them all the way (both in post secondary now). Our youngest (14) has never been to public school and at this point has no plans of going.

One of the benefits of hs'ng, is the flexibility to work in to your family life the way that works best for you. I know many people who work part-time, full time, sporadic etc. and homeschool successfully. I have a part-time, home based business that I do as well as homeschooling.

Ontario is a great province to hs in and your dc sound like they'd benefit from hs'ng (can really mold it to their learning styles and pace etc.). Hs'ng absolutely is very beneficial for working with weaknesses while still feeding their strengths.

Good luck with your decision. If you have any specific questions ....ask away. There are many experienced hs'ers on this board and someone always has an idea or suggestion to help at least point you in the right direction.

Linda

[somewhereinthesnow]

I think a child can learn much more easily in a relaxed environment. My dd is an advanced reader, and the one year we tried of ps (grade 5), was very boring for her, with the exception of Septemenber - everything was new, and June - lots of field trips. So I guess if we could just send her to ps for those two months every year and hs the rest we would be all set!

Seriously, I love the open communication with hs, she can feel free to write little comics to me on her worksheets, I can reply back in kind. The learning spills over into everyday life, we were just researching optical illusions, last night she wrote out the ancient Greek alphabet, both her ideas.

The year we did ps, her personality changed, she wasn't keen on learning outside of school hours, and was bored by the repetitious work she had to do. No challenge, no variety.

I run a home business, (naturopathic doctor), so I have learned to pick curriculum she can do independently. She comes to me if she has a problem, I give her tests so I can make sure she understands the work. Grade six and grade seven, this approach is working very well, ingrade 4 independent work for her would have been more of a challenge... Wendy

[simplycrystal]

My instinct would say that if he is in a constant or near constant state of anxiety while at school then that isn't an environment that's conducive to learning. I would think he spends a lot of his time in a type of 'survival mode' and that shuts down certain brain functions, temporarily. (while he's in that state)

He sounds like an ideal candidate for homeschooling. He can continue practicing french with Rosetta Stone or other curriculum. Heck, even French Smart workbooks. A bit of daily work and he won't lose it.

Best of luck

[KathyBC]

I don't have personal experience with 2E (I don't think), or running a home daycare, but over the years of being part of the online homeschool community have seen several people post of successfully homeschooling under each of those circumstances.

It sounds like homeschooling would fit very well but it is so hard to take the plunge. If it were me, I would pick a concrete date - a natural stopping point - and start gathering homeschool curriculum. Perhaps start planning that he won't go back after Christmas; or that he'll begin grade 6 at home.

A comfortable learning environment that supports the individual child is a much healthier situation, IMO.

to CHB and best of luck with your decision!

[sogie]

Wow! Thank you so much for all of your replies!! Everyone is so encouraging here! I am so glad that I have found you <3
I'm hoping you could answer just a few more questions....How did you know you were REALLY ready to take the plunge? Did you have a whole year planned out ahead of time? Did/do you use curriculum work books? How did you organize your first homeschool year in a way that you felt you weren't leaving out anything important?
I guess my one other concern is socialization.... I am not too big of a worrier about this, but while running a home daycare with little ones we don't really go to the park or anything because there isn't time between naps, snacks, etc, and I don't drive.... How often are your children socializing with other children, and is it just organized groups or playing with neighborhood children?
Thank you so much everyone<3
I sincerely appreciate your opinions

[Linda]

Here are my answers...

1) I never did really know, 100%, I was ready to take that plunge into the world of homeschooling (kind of like deciding to have children....I never completely, 100% felt ready) I was as prepared as I could be....read everything I could on the internet, any books, a couple of conferences etc. I felt as ready as I could be (but still had that bit of doubt in there)

2) I had purchased curriculum for the subjects we had planned on covering (English, Math, Science, Health,). I sat down and figured out how much we would need to do per day and per month in order to be finished by the date in the spring I wanted to be done by. This was kind of a waste of time as I ended up not using the Math or Science program (just did not fit with our family).

3) We did use a curriculum (although different ones for different subjects)

4) I was very worried we'd miss something so I ordered the Ontario curriculum documents. I had planned on cross referencing everything and checking off in the Ontario curriculum books the items we had covered from our curriculum. Again...a waste of time because it just couldn't be done. The more I read, the more I realized that no two curricula were exactly the same, covering exactly the same things in exactly the same year. One might do concept A in grade 3, while the other covers that same concept in grade 4...and vice versa. I realized too that different areas/provinces would be the same way. After a few months, I packed the Ontario books away and just went with what we had.

5) We did a bit of each main subject (English, Math, Science) every day. We did the other subjects one or two days per week.

Having said all of that --- I relaxed over the years as we became more comfortable with hs'ng.

6) Socialization -- This was my first concern too...but quickly learned it's really a non issue. You're running a daycare so your ds would be learning to interact with the young children. He'd also be interacting with their parents when they drop their children off or pick them up.

Socialization happens too at everyday things (when you least expect it .... ....like the grocery store, the bank etc. )

Does your son belong to any after school groups (sporting groups, church groups, cubs/scouts, etc.)? If not, could he join one?

Then there are cousins, neighbourhood kids etc.

I find there are a lot of opportunities for socialization and which includes all ages --- from young children to elderly people. That is different than in school, where they 'learn' to only associate with same age people.

We have done everything over the years, from belonging to a hs'ng group doing a lot of things to being on our own and not doing a lot with other hs'ed kids (more just neighbourhood kids).

Linda

[somewhereinthesnow]

I will speak first about socialization. My daughter is an only child ,no cousins, and from ages birth to seven, she would get together very infrequently with other children, since we lived in a remote location. So, maybe she would play with another child for a hour a week, other times go for a few weeks without seeing other children. At age 7 she formed one "best friend", and for the next two years saw this friend for a few hours on average once a week to once every two weeks. A couple of other children around her age she would see once a month or once in two months. From age two to present, she has always been involved in groups of children as well, gymnastics, Sunday school, swimming lessons etc, but I don't really count them since she rarely spoke or interacted with the other children in these settings.We tried our local homeschool coop classes, but they didn't work for her. When, at age 10, she entered ps grade 5, I wondered how she would get on with the other kids. She did just fine, not making any special friends, but cooperating well with all the children. She had excellent marks in socialization on her report card. So, I think the idea that institutionalized school socializes children well is a fallacy. Obviously, the school had not taught her how to socialize. Her father and I were the greatest influence in teaching her how to socialize. Today, at age 12, she has friends and still gets on well in groups. She is not a "social butterfly", that isn't her nature. (Not her parents' nature either). She has rarely been teased about anything and never bullied. I watch other children when she comes into a room, and they are happy to see her. When she went to summer camp this year, she befriended a girl who was new and feeling uncomfortable at the camp. By the end of the week the girl was very postive and had a wonderful expereince. So I am not concerned at all about her socialization in a homeschool setting.
Now, curriculum. Here in Saskatchwan, we have a lot of leeway for teaching, as long as we provide age-appropriate instruction in the major academic areas. After seeing the amount of work dd did in grade 5, I realized that she was learning far more in homeschool. With my dd, boredom can be an issue, so in earlier years I rarely relied on boxed "curricuum", instead downloading learning objectives, "Evergreen curriculum" appropriate for Saskatchwan. You reallly only need to focus on goals for math and language arts. Throw in some Canadian history and geography, then teach whatever you like in other areas. We currenly use Saxon math and language arts programs, they are thorough and self-directed. We use a homeschool chemistry program, and study French and Latin. Visual arts are self-study, she is in elementary school band, and we are using a Mennonite self-study book for home economics. This semester we focused on major events in Canadian history up to WW 2, having extensively studied Canadian geography previously. Next semester we will switch back to world history and continue into Middle Ages.
So, I have selected both what she needs to learn and what I think will be beneficial for her to learn. She has also taught herself a number of crafting skills, since she is interested in crafting, as well as done a few "mini-movies". Homeschooling is fun for my child, most of the time. It did take me a few years to figure out her learning style. We went through a few math programs before deciding on Saxon.
My advice would be to assemble together what looks like an interesting homeschool curriculum for your son, taking into account the amount of time you will have to administer it. See what works, then adapt. Skip problems, chapters, entire books if he already knows them. Switch curriculum if it is causing too many tears. There are lots of free things available online too. Your school board can likely lend you textbooks as well, not sure what your budget is in Ontario. We have 500 dollars here, I usually spend at least twice that on lessons, classes, activities and books. Hope that helps, you will find lots and lots of educational opportunities along the way. One huge benefit of homeschooling is that the child is actually at home. When we had the Energuide person come to check our home for enegy consumption, I told him that we homeschool and did he mind if my dd joined us as we walked around the house. He was great, showed her how the blower worked, how to work out the volume of air in the house, etc. A lot of this great learning is "hidden" from children who are in school all day. She has often perched, watching as a plumber fixes something or she sees me deal with an "emergency". Wendy