Hi All!!
I cannot find the words to explain how I grateful I am to have stumbled upon this board!! I started homeschooling my LD son (12 yrs old,6th grade) in January. The schools were trying but he wasnt thriving. I had NO idea what I was taking on!! I find that he is fine and I am having a hard time adjusting. I find myself laying awake at night questioning if he is learning anything. is he falling behind more? am I going to fail him? I question every move I make and I think I do it more so because he is LD and I want to much for him to find his place in life. Is this normal? Will it pass? I am a stress ball over it and would like to hear just one person say “oh yeah, I get that” So if anyone out there can relate can you let me know if this will pass. Also does anyone use special ed curriculum, specifically spelling? Since I only started in Jan. I pulled enough togther to get us through however in Sept. I would like to use more targeted curriculum!! Thanks for listening!!
Kimberly
Re: New Introduction
Hey, when you were a new mother you probably felt the same, questioning everything you did and worrying all night whether the baby was Ok and whether you forgot anything. Listen, most teachers go through this same feeling very often, at least the intelligent and responsible teachers do; there is so much to teach, so little time and so many distractions.
DO get good recommendations, outlines, books, and curricula; winging a curriculum by the seat of your pants is very very difficult, and even after twenty years I still don’t do it, I get good books and use them for structure. But DON’T get hung up on doing every tiny little detail in every single book — you have to keep your eye on the big picture and on your main goals.
I think you may be one of the people who has recently asked for my teaching reading outlines. If so, great, I’ll be sending a batch soon. If not, please feel free to email a request, no strings attached, to [email protected]
Re: New Introduction
HI,
I jsut wanted to say thanks for the replies. Victoria I am doing exactly what you say not to do and that is plan curriculum by the seat of my pants….while I know what were doing etc etc the homeschooling thing happened sooo fat there wasnt even a monet to think. Which is exactly why I am tying to look at the fall and have something more in place. I did what I had to do in the moment but with a fresh start I would like to feel more structured and organized for my own good as well as his. I did email you for the outlines and I look foreard to getting them. Thanks all for your kind words!! Take Care!!
Kim
Nancy3
What I would suggest you look into for spelling is Sequential Spelling (http://www.avko.org ). It is a very different approach from other spelling programs, and there is a lot of spiral repetition included in it. Most parents notice improvements in everyday writing after the first 60 lessons or so. This program works best if the child is reading on at least a beginning 4th grade level (otherwise it may be too frustrating).
Nancy
Stressed Out
Hi Kimberly,
You sound just like I did about 8 years ago when I abruptly pulled my 4th grade son out of public school. I knew nothing about homeschooling, didn’t know what curriculum to use, much less how I was going to teach him. The one thing that I did know for sure was that I loved him, wanted to see him happy, and would not allow him to slip through the cracks, nor would I allow the school, his teachers, or anyone else to destroy his self-esteem, which was happening.
I called the Department of Education(Home Education Dept) who actually was very helpful. They gave me a contact number for a District Person in our County that got me started on my way as far as local support groups, curriculum, etc. After that, I spent many hours on the web, learning everything I could about homeschooling, but some of my best info came from other homeschool moms with experience, just like you will find on this forum.
Homeschooling for my son has been wonderful. He loves it, and tells everyone how much it has helped him. His self-esteem was restored almost immediately, and he has done extremely well. I positively know that would not have been the case in public school. LD kids need alot of one on one.
Regarding curriculum, finding the right one is very important, (check out all the suggestions you see on this site, other sites, and check with other moms at local support groups. I actually used a curriculum that most people would not have used for a LD child, (Abeka), but I used books that were 2 grade levels lower, and I left out subject matter that I felt were not life skills.
I have found that you just have to find which way your child learns best, then adapt to that way of teaching the curriculum you choose. My son’s weakness was mainly in Math. He also has short term memory. Sometimes, it would take years before he was able to acomplish basic math problems. But he has and now he is in the 10th grade and has been able to test on grade level, every year since he has been home.
Just take one day at a time, provide a loving and caring environment where he can work at this own pace and succeed. Homeschooling is a partnership between you and your child. If you are truely dedicated, it will probably be the best gift that you could ever give him.
I wish you the best in your homeschool journey!
God Bless,
Carol/Florida
Okay, this board isn’t highly busy — but the “parenting” one is, and lots of the issues are the same. You’ll also probably realize that an awful lot of time, below average homeschooling would be better than what happens in brick & mortar settings. (My perspective is having been a teacher in a few of them.)
It’s the parents who don’t worry that I worry about :-) I don’t care whether or not it’s normal… it’s right to care.
I put some articles on my website about homeschooling that might be helpful so feel free to wander over. There are also some exercises for reading & spelling and that sort of thing — middle & high & college are my areas.