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Have you ever wanted to just homeschool?
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<blockquote data-quote="hexemaus2" data-source="post: 195175" data-attributes="member: 4560"><p>Dreamer - I know exactly what you're talking about. We had the same nightmare issues with the schools & difficult child 1. When difficult child 2 started really having issues with meltdowns, getting kicked out of after-school daycares, etc. I just knew I couldn't take any more.</p><p> </p><p>Every single day there were calls from either the school or the daycare.</p><p> </p><p>I think somehow we wound up with every possible moron the system could cough up at us. Some of the older members might remember some of the horrors we had to deal with. For those who don't, it got so bad that I had to involve our Superintendant of Schools & even THAT didn't help. Not even mediated meetings involving the Director of Special Services for the State, the school itself, and our local Special Services Director did not ease the issues. Before it was all said and done? The Principal was forced into early retirement and difficult child 1's teacher was fired...but that was only after I pulled all of the kids out.</p><p> </p><p>I was so stressed and so miserable back in those days. I couldn't sleep, barely ate, worked 40-50 hours at the office and had to bring another 20 hrs worth of work home with me. I had to fight the schools, the daycares, the difficult child's father & his family. It was just horrid.</p><p> </p><p>It got so bad that in 1 day, with no real thinking on my part, after a particularly bad day with the school where the principle wound up cursing me out in the hallway in front of difficult child 1, I just completely stopped. I quit my job. I pulled the kids out of public school. I fired the daycare. I just stopped everything and everyone, without a clue what I was going to do. Not even a hint. I just called my boss and told him to kiss off, called the school district and told the super that it would be a cold day in you-know-where before my kids ever set foot back in a school in his district, and told exDH if he had an issue with anything, call DFCS on me. I just didn't give a hoot any more. I was going to wind up in the Funny Farm myself if something didn't give. </p><p> </p><p>I only had enough money for a month's worth of bills. I didn't even know that I had the option to homeschool. I just knew that I couldn't take another second of the way things were at that point.</p><p> </p><p>I got a phone call from an officer friend of ours (he substituted alot at the kids' school.) He had overheard the principle threatening to call DFCS on me because of the kids' behavioral issues & the fact that I withdrew them from school. He called to warn me about what he'd heard. I decided to be proactive. I called DFCS myself and spoke to a lady I knew there. She's the one who told me to try homeschooling. She gave me the information I needed to get started, at least in terms of the legalities & proceedures to make sure I didn't get in trouble. (She had dealt with "that woman" before and knew the problems some of her foster kids enrolled at the same school had, so I had something of a sympathetic ear.)</p><p> </p><p>I had the same experiences as Dreamer. Once we got through the first few weeks of adjustments, I noticed a HUGE drop in the issues I was having with difficult child 1. I didn't have anywhere near the trouble with her that the school did. In fact, she was off all medications for her ADHD within 6 months of starting a home school program. (She is actually ADD - no hyperactivity component.) All she needed was to be able to use her iPod so she could tune out background noise to focus on her studies. Heck, she was even doing extra schoolwork whenever she got bored on the weekends!!!</p><p> </p><p>Like Dreamer, we've used alot more unschooling methods than anything else. It's a much more natural way for children to learn, in my opinion. They learn more from actually seeing and doing than you could ever teach them with a book. The best part is that they're actually learning things that interest them because they have immediate real world applications for what they're learning. With all 3 of my difficult children, they seem to learn so much better by learning as they "do" than being taught to memorize from a book. (We've also done remodeling work on our current house, as well as our new house - and the kids were very heavily involved. It taught them math, algebra, geometry, science, and history, all while swinging a hammer.)</p><p> </p><p>Also like Dreamer, I found the kids had more time and exposure to me & my influence. Now that they are older, I can see (compared to their numerous public school friends) they are more mature, more comfortable in their own skins, more self-assured, and definitely they are more inclined to think for themselves as opposed to letting the "group think" mentality steer their opinions & actions. (How many teenagers do you know that listen to NPR or follow the political conventions on TV & debate issues with each other? I hate that stuff - but my kids love it.)</p><p> </p><p>It's actually kind of funny. difficult child 1 & difficult child 3 don't argue over whose turn it is to do dishes, or who gets to have the remote, or whether they watch MTV or Cartoon Network. No. The two of them argue over whether or not Palin was a smart choice for McCain, whether or not Obama would make a good president, and why our local mayor should or should not run for office again. They discuss not just politics, but healthcare (boy - they have a ton of experience seeing how our current system fails their brother on a regular basis) and civil liberties. They explore other religions (difficult child 1 wants to major in theology.) It's actually really neat to see them blossom like they have. It's wonderful to see them so comfortable with themselves - the natural personalities they have, uninfluenced by peer pressure or the negativity that seems to permiate our SD. Dont' get me wrong - they are very socialized...but I got to control what social contacts they had...I got to ensure their friends & "classmates" were positive experiences & positive influences.</p><p> </p><p>And I have to agree whole-heartedly with Dreamer. The energy I spent dealing with school issues took alot more out of me than the energy I spent home schooling. Our house was almost normal, except for difficult child 2's issues.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="hexemaus2, post: 195175, member: 4560"] Dreamer - I know exactly what you're talking about. We had the same nightmare issues with the schools & difficult child 1. When difficult child 2 started really having issues with meltdowns, getting kicked out of after-school daycares, etc. I just knew I couldn't take any more. Every single day there were calls from either the school or the daycare. I think somehow we wound up with every possible moron the system could cough up at us. Some of the older members might remember some of the horrors we had to deal with. For those who don't, it got so bad that I had to involve our Superintendant of Schools & even THAT didn't help. Not even mediated meetings involving the Director of Special Services for the State, the school itself, and our local Special Services Director did not ease the issues. Before it was all said and done? The Principal was forced into early retirement and difficult child 1's teacher was fired...but that was only after I pulled all of the kids out. I was so stressed and so miserable back in those days. I couldn't sleep, barely ate, worked 40-50 hours at the office and had to bring another 20 hrs worth of work home with me. I had to fight the schools, the daycares, the difficult child's father & his family. It was just horrid. It got so bad that in 1 day, with no real thinking on my part, after a particularly bad day with the school where the principle wound up cursing me out in the hallway in front of difficult child 1, I just completely stopped. I quit my job. I pulled the kids out of public school. I fired the daycare. I just stopped everything and everyone, without a clue what I was going to do. Not even a hint. I just called my boss and told him to kiss off, called the school district and told the super that it would be a cold day in you-know-where before my kids ever set foot back in a school in his district, and told exDH if he had an issue with anything, call DFCS on me. I just didn't give a hoot any more. I was going to wind up in the Funny Farm myself if something didn't give. I only had enough money for a month's worth of bills. I didn't even know that I had the option to homeschool. I just knew that I couldn't take another second of the way things were at that point. I got a phone call from an officer friend of ours (he substituted alot at the kids' school.) He had overheard the principle threatening to call DFCS on me because of the kids' behavioral issues & the fact that I withdrew them from school. He called to warn me about what he'd heard. I decided to be proactive. I called DFCS myself and spoke to a lady I knew there. She's the one who told me to try homeschooling. She gave me the information I needed to get started, at least in terms of the legalities & proceedures to make sure I didn't get in trouble. (She had dealt with "that woman" before and knew the problems some of her foster kids enrolled at the same school had, so I had something of a sympathetic ear.) I had the same experiences as Dreamer. Once we got through the first few weeks of adjustments, I noticed a HUGE drop in the issues I was having with difficult child 1. I didn't have anywhere near the trouble with her that the school did. In fact, she was off all medications for her ADHD within 6 months of starting a home school program. (She is actually ADD - no hyperactivity component.) All she needed was to be able to use her iPod so she could tune out background noise to focus on her studies. Heck, she was even doing extra schoolwork whenever she got bored on the weekends!!! Like Dreamer, we've used alot more unschooling methods than anything else. It's a much more natural way for children to learn, in my opinion. They learn more from actually seeing and doing than you could ever teach them with a book. The best part is that they're actually learning things that interest them because they have immediate real world applications for what they're learning. With all 3 of my difficult children, they seem to learn so much better by learning as they "do" than being taught to memorize from a book. (We've also done remodeling work on our current house, as well as our new house - and the kids were very heavily involved. It taught them math, algebra, geometry, science, and history, all while swinging a hammer.) Also like Dreamer, I found the kids had more time and exposure to me & my influence. Now that they are older, I can see (compared to their numerous public school friends) they are more mature, more comfortable in their own skins, more self-assured, and definitely they are more inclined to think for themselves as opposed to letting the "group think" mentality steer their opinions & actions. (How many teenagers do you know that listen to NPR or follow the political conventions on TV & debate issues with each other? I hate that stuff - but my kids love it.) It's actually kind of funny. difficult child 1 & difficult child 3 don't argue over whose turn it is to do dishes, or who gets to have the remote, or whether they watch MTV or Cartoon Network. No. The two of them argue over whether or not Palin was a smart choice for McCain, whether or not Obama would make a good president, and why our local mayor should or should not run for office again. They discuss not just politics, but healthcare (boy - they have a ton of experience seeing how our current system fails their brother on a regular basis) and civil liberties. They explore other religions (difficult child 1 wants to major in theology.) It's actually really neat to see them blossom like they have. It's wonderful to see them so comfortable with themselves - the natural personalities they have, uninfluenced by peer pressure or the negativity that seems to permiate our SD. Dont' get me wrong - they are very socialized...but I got to control what social contacts they had...I got to ensure their friends & "classmates" were positive experiences & positive influences. And I have to agree whole-heartedly with Dreamer. The energy I spent dealing with school issues took alot more out of me than the energy I spent home schooling. Our house was almost normal, except for difficult child 2's issues. [/QUOTE]
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