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chanamiata -> RE: Homeschool-aphobia (5/13/2008 12:26:07 AM)
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Hi everyone. I have been lurking on a few boards for a while, and finally decided to post. I am a new homeschooling mommy- I kept my son home after Christmas break. He is a 4th grader, and this school year was just all we could take. He started having trouble at the beginning of last year, I guess- he tested very high, and they kept having to switch his groups for reading and math, and finally ended up putting him in a different classroom for those subjects. This last year he was in the G&T classroom- they don't have them at that school until 4th and 5th grades- but even there, the whole class wasn't G&T- it was a small group, one of 4 groups in the class, all working at different levels. Long story short, he wasn't always completing his work because he was spacing out- thinking about other things, and said he was bored. When he did his work or when he was interested, he completed it quickly, with no problem. He does have some trrouble staying focused sometimes, but the teacher admitted that he was probably bored with the work- their G&T had them working with the 5th grade texts, and 6th grade reading material- but they tested his reading on the 11th grade level, and his comprehension at 9th. Knowing he was bored, I asked her what they were doing to keep him engaged, if the work was so far below where they, themselves, tested him. His teacher told me that she "didn't have the time to cater to his individual needs educationally and he would just have to learn how to pay attention and sit through it, even though it isn't on his level, because she has 32 other students." that's when I said "forget it, I can do better myself". I love that I can teach to his strengths, about stuff he's interested in. Right now, I'd say we're still kinda "de-schooling", so we're really laid back, although in my state (MD) we have portfolio reviews, so he has to complete written work to go in the portfolio. Anyway, I'm trying to connect with other hs-ing moms, because there aren't any near me, it seems. My husband is supportive (he doesn't quite "get it", but he's one of those "I trust your judgment" kinda guys when it comes to school; my parents, of course, are so concerned about socialization and him being around other kids- although he is at church, and extracurricular activities, but they're still worried. I'm not, because Mark is, and has always been, really introverted- he hasn't missed school one bit- it was very stressful for him,, especially these last few years- but I just need some encouragement from folks who have been there, and people I can talk to about it, since I don't know anyone else who does it. I apologize for saying so much all at once!
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