I'm considering home schooling my oldest son(youngest isn't in school yet). He is ADHD and stuggling so bad, and no he is not medicated, although he may end up being, i haven't decided. Anyhow, his teacher can't fuction with him in her class and I feel my son's self esteem is so low and he feels like no one likes him in his class. I hate that and don't want that for him. Both my sister home school their kids and I'm considering just yanking my son out and see how homeschool goes for a while. He needs some one on one attn and more focus.
Indeed. My son is mildly autistic, and we would never consider putting him into the generic school system. He's quite smart, and would soon become bored and disinterested with the pace.
I would encourage you to read, read, and read some more about the process. It's not as hard as you might suspect at first, and your child will be the better for it if you spend more time with him.
Please reconsider medicating your son. There is a lot of info on FR about this topic, I didn't check your signup date so I don't know if you've been here a while or not. There is a homeschooling ping list, you should get on it, and there is literally tons of info about homeschooling, and many of the homeschooling threads also discuss Ritalin and its affects (and similar drugs used on children). I've got some stuff saved somewhere, so if you can't find anything, freepmail me later and I'll get it for you.
No kid needs to have amphetimines shoved at them in order to be productive people. Every kid is different, they don't all prosper with the same learning methods and treatment. Some kids need more one on one, some need more physical activities, some need more handwork - thing hammers and nails, or knitting needles and yarn. Some are artistic, some are more musically inclined, some do math for fun.
Your child does not need to become a speed addict. That's all Ritalin is, I know adults who had Ritalin when they were kids and they are angry to this day their parents forced it on them.
I have considered the same thing. Meds did not help, just so you know. My schedule is tough, so it would take a lot of sacrifice, but he isn't learning anything in school. I am the nazi mom, so he would be playing catch up for a while. Homeschooling seems to be the only viable alternative.
Please get your child out of school as fast as you can and homeschool at least for awhile while you work on the esteem. Why should he have to put up with that? I think you can give him the gift of life by homeschooling. I am not a big advocate of homeschooling, but your son needs some time out to learn in a loving environment. Just my opinion. I wish you and your son the best of luck.
Yank him out of government school. He's likely very bright, and will bloom if you let him learn what he wants to learn, instead of what government wants him to learn.
Homeschooling is so very liberating (teaching-wise), and it is a wonderful time where you will get to know your child all over again.
My son was diagnosed with ADD and was recommended adderall. I went with it, and had him on the medication for a year. He has been medication free since last May. Not only is he not falling behind, he is doing things other kids in his class last year won't be doing for two more years. Some of it is the curriculum we use, but more than that it is the one on one (for the most part ~ he has a younger sister) attention that he is getting.
(BTW, We are also in the Dallas area.)
I encourage you to give it a try. You sound likie me with my oldest son five years ago. The last straw was when I found out a week before school that there would be 35 kids in his class in a private school fourth grade. My husband said we're bringing him home, that will never work. We now hs our three oldest kids with the youngest in a small Christian half-day Kindergarten.
As to the meds, what ended up working for us is that four days a week he takes the four hour strength adderall...enough to get him through algebra and the other intensive subjects but not enough to ruin his appetite and keep him from sleeping. The difference is amazing at how he can focus and pay attention on the meds (it took me a LONG time to get there...I was adamantly opposed to medicating him at first, but after we tried it I realized it wasnt fair not to give it to him and have him struggle and feel like a failure when it really was beyond his control. Feel free to pm me if you want to chat about it.
Sounds like the teacher is the one who needs the meds.....or a new career.
go to www.homeschooloasis.com and read the "Help! I'm just starting out and don't know what to do" article.