Considering the switch to homeschooling...

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KKropat
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Considering the switch to homeschooling...

Postby KKropat » Wed Nov 14, 2007 9:54 pm

I apologize in advance for the long, drawn out post. I'm a mother of a 7 year old with special needs in NY. I did do some browsing of the forum already and I'm glad to see there are other parents going through the same in my state. I'll explain more as the post goes on, but I just generally want to know from the more experienced homeschoolers on here on whether it would be beneficial to him or do him a disservice to homeschool.

I have considered this option for a while now. He had an IEP meeting today that has just left my blood boiling all day. It's my understanding, so far, that in NY he is still entitled to receive OT and Speech Therapy through the district. So, that's one concern alleviated. His other impairment is ADHD. The committee is pushing to have him re-evaluated by a specialist because they feel "ADHD is not enough of an impairment to cause his learning delay". Since Pre-K he has been in a self contained class environment mixed with k-2 graders. He received a lot of 1-on-1 guidance to complete his work. At the beginning of this school year his IQ was tested to be 91. Right on the ball for state guidelines.

3 weeks ago we moved into another school district. Here's where things get infuriating. They retested him and his IQ dropped 30 points into the 60s. In NYS, that is considered mentally handicapped. This current district he's in doesn't have specialized classes because (and I quote from today) "He's the only one in the district with a disability that needs attention. We can't make accomodations for one student." So, needless to say, he's been placed into a mainstream class where (surprise, surprise) he's struggling to catch up. His teacher made comments today along the lines of "I can't deal with him. I can't be a babysitter and look over his shoulder every minute." On a good note though, they did state that behavior wise, he's excellent. As for curriculum, he was doing the same work in the self contained class previously as they are doing now in his new district. Just at a slower pace.

Here's the part that really got to me. The committee placed a lot of emphasis on him being on track, but he needs the 1 on 1 attention that the school can't give him. They want to place him in a local specialized school. I am familiar with this school and it's honestly more of a school for kids with behavior, truancy, etc issues and those whom are severely mentally handicapped. Even then, there is no guarantee that this other school will even take him. It'll all be based on their evaluation. When I tried to exemplify his strengths from my observations and solutions (like integrating the computer with his lessons because it keeps him highly focused), I got replies along the lines of "Again, we can't babysit him or give him special accomodations". "He's too far behind, he'll never catch up". "The scores never lie, time to accept the situation for what it is". The entire tonality of the meeting gave me the impression that they just wanted to pass the buck. It puts my son in such a catch 22 though. Sure, he's not learning at the pace of his peers, but he's not so far behind that it warrants going to this other school. His problems are retention and independence. In a non distracting environment, like home, he does the same level work on his own and he does it correctly. Only once in a while I have to push him.

The pros weighing my decision are-As his mother I'm aware 24-7 of what works for him and what doesn't. He could work at a pace appropriate for his disability and not be influenced by a mainstream pace or one geared towards a class of 5-7 year olds mixed together. It would be structured and he would get his 1 on 1 attention they so eloquently demand. Not to mention, I'm actually disappointed in the way teaching in NY has become. It seems that every curriculum is made to just pass the state tests. Due to that, it leaves very little opportunity to supplement the class with broader knowledge.

The cons of course-I'm afraid my lack of teaching experience would do him harm. I was warned by the committee that home schooling would just cause him to regress. That he would never get the structure he needs and it would further prevent him from ever being mainstreamed in the future.

I say that homeschooling would give him the special attention that they stress and he would flourish :)

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Postby iamnettie » Thu Nov 15, 2007 2:01 am

As a former Public school teacher I can tell you the district is feeding you a load of crap! They have to accommodate him in "The least restrictive environment". Therefor if 1 on 1 is what is IEP reads then it is 1 on 1 they must do. Personally if you do not want to home school him, get a layer on this school districts butt! Also DOCUMENT DOCUMENT DOCUMENT....keep track of all conversations and everything that is said.

As for homeschooling, you can do it. Just take a deep breath and do it one day at a time. Since you have 365 days a year you can go as slow or as fast as your son is able. To make things simple for starting I would just do the basics, figure out where he is in the basics (what level he is at) and start from there. If you find he is behind in one subject more then another, just do more in that subject till you feel he is caught up. As long as he is making progress things should be great.

Also if is IEP says he is to get OT and Speech and you choose to homeschool I would look into continuing those services, I am guess (although you will have to double check on this one) that the school will have to provide them even if he is homeschool, simply because they have an IEP on him, thus they have made them selves accountable in that respect.

KKropat
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Postby KKropat » Thu Nov 15, 2007 3:16 am

If homeschooling will be beneficial for him, compared to his current schooling, I'm all for it. This forum has provided me with a plethora of info and I'm glad I checked it out while doing the research :)

Here's the real kicker though..They say he struggles so much, yet his mainstream teacher admitted herself that when she can dedicate an aide to him, he does the same work fine. He brings home spelling tests that are As and Bs. He can read fluently, but has no comprehension or vocabulary. Today he brought home Math exercises that he acheived a 100 and 95 on. This is the potential that he has with the right structure!

I find it hard to believe that in a district which covers 4 townships, he is the only student with adhd or some other disability??

He is similar to any other student with adhd. He needs redirection occassionally, has rentention problems, and gets quickly bored or frustrated. I don't consider that mentally handicapped as they are labeling him, he just needs the curriculum presented to him in a way that keeps him interested.

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elliemaejune
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Postby elliemaejune » Thu Nov 15, 2007 12:04 pm

Well, if he were my son, he'd be out of school tomorrow.

Actually, I'd wait until Thanksgiving vacation and just not send him back. In the meantime I'd be acquiring whatever teaching materials I planned to use and be joining Home School Legal Defense Association.

Furthermore, I'd pretty much ignore the schools' test results as much as possible.

You couldn't possibly do worse than the teachers. Really.

My suggestions would be these:

Writing Road to Reading (the manual for the Spalding Method) for all his English-related skills: reading, spelling, penmanship, composition, etc. Spalding is good for all dc, but it is especially good for children who have learning difficulties. http://www.spalding.org.

Mathematics Made Meaningful (http://www.etacuisenaire.com/catalog/product?deptId=CUISENAIRERODS&prodId=020011&parentId=MATH), which is manipulative-based program (not the same as Making Math Meaningful). It is very easy to use and covers all the math concepts that a little 7yo person needs to know.

Everything else required by NY law can easily be covered with library and other resources.

Check out NY laws at Home School Legal Defense Association's site:
http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/New_York.pdf

If you do decide to hs, I have some other information posted by a NY hsing friend which does a wonderful job of explaining how to get through NY hs requirements without becoming too crazy, lol. NY is one of HSLDA's "red" states, having very burdensome requirements...but you can do it.

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Postby Ramona » Thu Nov 15, 2007 1:15 pm


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Postby iamnettie » Thu Nov 15, 2007 2:03 pm


KKropat
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Postby KKropat » Thu Nov 15, 2007 2:58 pm


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Postby danamarie » Thu Nov 15, 2007 4:53 pm


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Postby ahalleran » Sun Nov 25, 2007 12:22 pm

Last edited by ahalleran on Mon Oct 24, 2011 3:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

danamarie
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Postby danamarie » Sun Nov 25, 2007 5:49 pm

That's my point: Homeschooling may very well be the solution. But it doesn't matter what others think; it's what KKropat thinks, as the parent, that matters, in this case. She is the one to "walk it out", so to speak.

I like the idea of homeschooling for American children too. I have homeschooled since 1998, with my oldest ds now in engineering college - But it is my policy, based on experience, never to try to convince someone else to homeschool - they have to make that decision themselves and not be coaxed into it, just because I, or someone else, thinks it's the greatest thing. If I am asked about it, I certainly promote it and tell how wonderful it works for our family.

Thanks for writing, Andy. I appreciate your thoughts.

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