Posted on 05/21/2007 2:54:41 PM PDT by taxcontrol
Folks, I have 3 kids, and for the past two years, they have been enrolled in a private christian school. Prior to that they were struggling very hard in public school.
However, their school as asked that they not return due to being two years on academic probation. My kids have brought a 30 F up to a 70 F in two years in their weekest subject - Math. However, this does not meet the schools' requirement for continuing with the school.
So, my wife and I are giving serious thought to homeschooling but we dont know where to begin. There is so much information and some of it not very useful. Is there anyone who can point us in the right direction? We were hoping that there would be some kind of structured DVD / video and workbook type program that:
1) Provides STRONG support for students who need lots of repetitive exercises ... esp math (we have to go over some basic building blocks still)
2) Works with phonics and spelling - 2nd weakest area
3) Can work in an environment that has 3 kids - 2nd grade, 6th grade and 7th grade.
4) Has a strong christian theme
Thank you
I know someone who used Switched on Schoolhouse quite successfully with a teen who was ADHD and ADD and heading for JD. The public school kicked him out he was so bad. This was not a Christian family but he really did turn around.
ping
Switched on Schoolhouse is great they have really improved the software since I started using it. My daughter still uses it, my son however I have switched over to the Florida virtual school as it is free if you live in Florida as I do, and it has the added advantage that I am not the only one nagging him about completing his work in a timely manner he has a teacher assigned for each subject to bug him about his pace chart. I know very well his procrastinating tendencies since they come from me. He is borderline adhd as well and they seem not to do well in a very structured environment like school. Florida requires testing or other evaluation yearly and we have always tested and he does very well 90 th percentile or better on his tests.
Beyond academic performance, I would wonder what the struggles have done for the kids' emotional condition. If I were in your shoes, I would be more conscious of that than pressuring to get up to some standard.
At home, you can find out what it is that may be their talent and gift better than you could ever find that in any school setting.
Never fail to let them know that their worth is not tied to grades and test scores.
I am sure you will find a lot of practical advice and many opinions here. Take what you need and leave the rest.
Most of all, I commend you for giving it a try.
If you use the traditional home school curriculum as designed you might be merely repeating a mold that your children are not designed to fit. You may need to apply it differently.
If there are some learning disabilities you might want to consider that some abilities will improve as the brain matures and that the time schedule of traditional learning benchmarks might be adjusted for your children's struggles. If you have control over their education you would not have to follow the traditional benchmarks that actually may not be appropriate for your children.
For example, lets assume that math is right now difficult and that it is not uncommon for math abilities to grow as the brain matures. (I don't know if that is true but would expect it to be). Then assume that your children are stronger at language and or reading. Assuming this scenario, you could design a schedule that emphasis's their stronger abilities while putting off those more difficult areas to a later time when they have better capacity. This would allow the child to be successful in areas that they are stronger in, give you and your children a better start with lower frustration and give your children a better matching of learning to ability.
It is strategies and questions like the above scenario that I would want to discuss with professionals who have experience with the disabilities your children have. The mold they are being forced into may be the problem more than the method of delivery.
You’re getting lots of help here, obviously. Here are my two cents worth..
1) listen to everyone who tells you to FIRST join HSLDA to CYA for all homeschoolers. It’s just like having insurance...it feels like a waste of money every month, but when you need it, boy, are you glad! (FYI — HSLDA is only $60 per year).
2) I am single and homeschool four (4) elementary children. I use several different curriculums that I custom build for each child. But the simplest, most effective for basics and skill building (we do TONS of it)
I think are Alpha Omega Lifepac series (5 subjects available), and Rod & Staff out of West Virginia (Mennonite material — love the simplicity and the biblical theme intricatly woven throughout.
I also use a lot of Scholastic material, even though it’s not very “PC” among homeschoolers, since it’s more structured and lots of public school teachers use them. I think, whatever works for your kids should be all that matters, yes?
God bless..and have fun in our world! Best decision you’ll ever make....
I second ABeka especially for grammar and math. Very
traditional way of delivering the material. You will learn, too!
Also if you want e-support and a flavor for the Internet homeschooling community (comes in many flavors, btw), visit homeschoolbuzz.com. Current home ed news and links to many homeschool blogs.
God bless!
Don't be overwhelmed. It starts on the first day, cracking the first book, laying the very first brick in what will be a cathedral of learning , love and fun.
Most important, have no doubts: have faith.
Within a short time, you'll discover what works...orient yourself and your kids..and go off on productive tangents you never thought you'd find. It comes naturally...if you simply think about it. And you will.
You'll figure it out. Your flexibility and 'big picture' will provide the very best educational opportunities available to unique kids...tailored to their particular bents.
I won't bore you with what we did. Suffice it to say it turned into something very unique.
Six years since the last day we closed the books on that adventure. Success. I won't bore you with the details.
Were now messing with our grandchild. Bwahahahaha!
You CAN do this. You WILL do this. You SHALL succeed.
Some states, cities, and regions have excellent support groups set up already. Here in Memphis, I think we have among the best. That is your best bet for finding help. Your cover school (I think that is near mandatory wherever you are) should be able to aid you in finding local resources. I can try to have my wife contact you if you still have questions at the conclusion of this thread. Simply send a private reply.
Homeschool networks are VERY helpful. Some plan field trips and exchange materials to help keep the costs down. Check it out in your community and get connected.
More and more people are looking into this. We need more support.
A lot of lights went on for me when I discovered "Asperger's syndrome." School can be hell for the brilliant, inept kid, the one who will not, indeed can not, "fit in." Bullies serve the same purpose in schools as rapists do in prisons -- enforcing the norms, punishing the misfits, inculcating a sense of impotent rage. As a mid-50s grownup, I can make light of the syndrome -- "The world is really an interesting place when you see it through my eyes!"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
We did math throughout the entire year ( except for a week or two family vacation and very major holidays)>
I recommend starting from the beginning with all of your children. Test all of them for mastery of their math facts ( addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.) Use flash card. If the can not give you the answer on a flash card within 8 seconds, then they do not know that fact well enough to proceed.
Flash card should include:
Addition and subtraction ( all combinations) from 0 to 20.
Multiplication and division ( all combinations) from 1x1 to 12x12.
For you children old enough to do long division and multiplication of large numbers:
Learning these algorithms takes time. I merely did one of each for my child every day. Then as he learned the steps he would do one. When he couldn’t proceed any further, then I would take over and finish it for him. It took about 6 months but they finally became very comfortable with it . ( This is a very painless way to learn these algorithms that must be committed to memory.
Only after have complete master of the above were my children able to have success with math. We then moved into Saxon Math 4/5.
Reading:
I can’t help you on this since I no longer remember the publisher of the books we used. It was the “Mac and Tab” phonics books used by our local Montessori school.
We used phonic flash cards every morning for about 3 years with each child. If it were me, I would also test your older children for mastery of these basic phonic facts.
Spelling:
In the back of our dictionary were a list of spelling rules. I asked the children to learn how to spell the most common 1,000 words in the English language. These words account for 90% or more of all the words used in business writing.
Literature and Social Studies:
Children love to read to aloud. I read to them while they ate breakfast and lunch every day. They **loved** this. We literally emptied the children’s library. We kept a time line and maps to mark events discovered in books.
Reading:
I read with the children every morning, and my husband and I both did it again in the evening. I would read a paragraph; the child would read a paragraph. The librarians helped us find books appropriate for them.
Grammar and penmanship:
Sorry,,,I have forgotten the name of the book and the publisher.
I didn’t bother to teach grammar until they were about 10. I found any attempts younger than this was an exercise in frustration.
Religious curriculum:
We tried Abeka but found the curriculum dull, and religious inclusions seems forced and obviously contrived.
We are a very religious family ( my sons have gone on 2 year missions and my daughters married returned missionaries). We found that it was not necessary to have a specific religiously oriented curriculum.
Pray always! The Lord will bless your efforts, and the Holy Ghost will whisper guidance to your heart.
Here is my input:
1. Join HSLDA
2. Use Saxon math
3. Use Bob Jones for everything else.
4. Join a home school Co-op if there is one in your area. If not, start one!
Do Switched on Schoolhouse your first year.
It sounds pricy at 300.00 per year but it’s inclusive and does all of your scheduling. Check ebay for cheaper prices. Don’t feel that you have to get the newest version. We have 2001 versions and they are great. Very bright and easy to learn. They are non-consumable which means that it can be used for multiple children.
We love it
Go for it. Homeschooling is the most meaningful thing you and your kids will ever do as a family, because it truly promotes family bonds and leads to a great support base for kids to succeed at any dream.
That said, I started homeschooling mine 6 years ago (we’ll finish this year, and I’ll miss it). When we started mine was very weak at math but a good reader and speller, yet poor in grammar skills. Now - she’s competent and more in any academic and social area she chooses to participate in.
After quite a bit of trial and error, I highly recommend the following:
Saxon math. There is really nothing better, esp. for struggling math students. Best of all it encourages self-teaching - you just provide a bit of insight and help as necessary. For the 7th grader, either take Saxon’s placement test or if the kid is test-phobic as mine was, meaning the placement test will not show valid results, just start at Math 54 and march on. The kid will whiz thru the stuff already known, giving confidence, and will be able to master the concepts that are poorly understood. Then do Math 76, Math 87, and from Math 87 go right into Algebra I - skip Algebra 1/2 which is a book developed for kids starting Saxon math in 8th or 9th grade.
Science - use the Rainbow Resources catalog (my personal favorite) to look for science books and activities. The Apologia science books are excellent, Christian-oriented, structured, and have suggested labs that complement the book. Look for a homeschool co-op in your area that does science labs and such - it’s a great source of fun and inspiration. Additionally, if you live near any museums, have your oldest (and then the others as they get older) volunteer. They will learn all about the exhibits, have to explain them to others, enforce discipline in visitors, cooperate respectfully with all types of people, and have the ability to perform a lot of jobs they’d never see otherwise until they’re much older.
Reading/Phonics - if you have a classical bent, you can’t do much better than the Robinson curriculum www.robinsoncurriculum.com. It is a complete Christian-centered program (other than math, but they give you a discount on Saxon math books) put together by a homeschooling family, where you print out the books and have the kids read them. The books are classical in nature, some have been out of print for a while, and they teach good literature and history as well as good grammar and spelling. It also contains a phonics program that works quite well. Read the web site and enjoy the conservative thought you see there. And - Arthur Robinson is one of the scientists who lead the letter signing and is an outspoken critic against the Algore global warming scare.
Re phonics - pick up a copy of the classic book “Why Johnny Can’t Read” by Rudolph Flesch and read it cover to cover. Not only will you get an insight into phonetic reading, but it also contains a complete phonics program that will have your kids reading phonetically within about 6 weeks.
Writing - Just have them write something at least once a week of at least one page (less for the youngest), go over it together, and they will get into the habit of putting pencil to paper. Make them factual reports, science topics, some creative writing, and for the older one some argumentative writing. You can try Writing Strands for some help with this. Have them write about things that interest them - it’s self-motivating that way. Something we did that was tremendous was to seek out the local Toastmaster’s Club - many of them do programs with kids (appropriate for your 7th grader) that are of course extemporaneous as well as prepared public speaking meetings. Us adults participated as well and we all learned a tremendous amount. And the kids loved seeing Mom or Dad having to do a two minute extemporaneous speech and struggle - just like them !
Go on trips to local museums, festivals, reenactments, historical points, join an astronomy club, join 4-H if available in your area (great for science for the youngers in particular), and just add a lot of experiences in your lives, and your homeschool will vastly exceed your wildest expectations.
Enjoy the journey.
You have received a lot of great advice thus far.
Some things to keep in mind...
1. At first you will need to begin one subject or topic at a time and gradually introduce each into your schedule.
2. Don’t try to recreate school at home. It’s more stress for you than it’s worth, and chances are that the children will not respond well.
3. read, read, read. Read as much as you can stand to and with the children.
4. Go to the library and ask the librarian about homschooling reference materials. These days libraries have pretty good resources for homeschoolers.
There are many quality Bible studies out there. Bible studies can get expensive. Our first year we used the Calvary Chapel Bible study for kids because it was downloadable and it was free.
We also used a science curriculum called Considering God’s Creation. It was great - plus it was Biblically based.
There are so many math programs available that your eyes might pop out. I am going to recommend a math tutorial for you. Once you get your children up to speed, you can then choose what program best fits your children. I recommend ** http://mathmammoth.com ** because these are inexpensive, topic based e-books. There are many free worksheets your can get from that site to help you decide if it’s what you need. They are not grade specific, though the site does also have grade level options. Once you go through one or two (or however many you need) of the books, you can move on to grade specific programs like SaxonMath, RightStart, SingaporeMath, Math-U-See, Miquon Math, etc. Another resource for math is http://livingmath.net - literature books about math. You may want to read some of these books with your children over the summer.
Lastly, an easy way to know what to teach when - check out the CoreKnowledge books “What Your ——th Grader Needs to Know” This is a classical approach to education. I know that many charter schools in Colorado use these books to develop their own curricula instead of going with published curricula. I use it as an outline to know minimum standards of what to teach each year. It’s a good place to start.
Do not forget to check your state for legal obligations. Some states are more homeschool friendly than others - they may have requirements that you file with the state as a homeschooler, or that you send your grades in, or even that your children have to take standarized tests.
I forgot to mention phonics - It’s a time investment but worth it to use Spell to Write and Read.
Saxon Phonics is okay, but SWR teaches using the most commonly used words in the English language and teaches all the sounds each letter or multi-letter phonogram makes. The goal of the program is spelling and writing. The side effect is reading. A good reader is not necessarily a good speller, but a good speller is a good reader.
You should first spend some time discovering the type of learner each of your children is. A single type of educational package probably won’t work best for all three.
Some are auditory learners, some visual, some kinetic.
Some can learn best by reading, some by hearing the lessons, and others by doing manual/physical exercises.
The best repetitive-exercise math series around is Saxon, but not all kids take to it well.
Two words...Saxon Math. Best math program in the universe.
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