I am new to homeschooling. As a matter of fact, i'm still suprised that I'm deciding to do this at all. I always looked at homeschooling parents with awe thinking, "I'd love to homeschool but i'm just not a good enough teacher." I'm pretty fed up with APS and at this stage i'm starting to think.. "Even if i'm no better than the public school system.. there's NO WAY I can be any worse." So I'm going to give it a go.
I have two daughters (ages 8 and 10) who have both been in special ed practically since kindergarten. Both are behind in reading, math, etc. I'm starting to feel like the goal of special ed is to keep kids in special ed. Both my girls have problems with attention and focus. Whenever I visit the classroom, I can see why. It's a mad house in there. The teacher teaches a concept in math, for example, and then the kids work on their math pages themselves. They can walk around the classroom and chat with other classmates, sit on the floor, sit on the tables, etc. It's distracting for me!! I can see how it would be totally distracting for an 8 year old.
My youngest daughter had some medical problems as a baby and spent some time in the hospital. Because of this she has always been behind other children her age. Her IQ is normal but she didn't roll over, sit up, walk, or talk on time. But she did all these things eventually. She's the reason I want to start homeschooling. She has some processing issues and needs more attention than her teachers at school can give her. The teacher to student ratios in APS are appalling. My goal is to start with her and if we're in any way successful, I will pull my older daughter out of school as well. We just moved to Rio Rancho so I think the timing will work out perfectly. I'm not really sure what i'm doing (or if it's the right thing to be doing) but i'm convinced that a bad day of homschool is better than the best day at public school.
So that's where i'm at now. I'm reading some books on homeschooling and stuff but i have so many questions still about cirriculum and socializing, etc.
My biggest questions are..
Does New Mexico requires homeschool children to take standardized state tests? If so, who administers the tests? and how often are they required?
Which cirriculums are the most popular? I've kind of looked at Saxon (online) for math but i'll probably take the whole summer to decide on something.
I'm looking forward to joining the world of homeschooling and meeting other homeschoolers.
Welcome! Homeschooling is a fun ride and I hope you and your daughters enjoy it. The best advice I can give you is to relax. And let your daughters de-school. From what it sounds like they've had a frustrating experience with school. So take some time, months if you need to, and just let them rediscover the joy of learning. Let them read books they want to read. Go on field trips to the museums and parks. In the meantime, you can research curriculum choices. Also, don't feel as if you need to buy the most expensive curriculum on the market. Don't feel as if you have to buy a curriculum at all. Your children will learn, whether you want them to or not . So take a deep breath and welcome to the world of homeschooling.
We've homeschooled 4 daughters for 13 years. (And just recently moved to Rio Rancho) Abeka was good especially because it was all layed out. We didn't do EVERY page of EVERY book. Once they got the conept we moved on. We have also used work books purchased at teacher supply stores or Wal-Mart. Right now I am trying to help the 9 year old with fractions and multiplication so we have checked out DVDs at the library and books as well while we are focusing on these areas. I can't help but mention one other book in another area. In case it ever becomes a problem area for you. My first daughter (now 19) had difficulty with spelling in the elementary grades. We literally tried every spelling program out there. The year we found and started Spelling Power she gained 3 grade levels that year. We're still using it! It has the worst learning curve for the teacher. Took me a while to get the concept of teaching it but soooooo glad I did it!!! I saved the most important piece of info. for last! My now 16 year daughter had great difficulty focusing in elementary grades. We saw drastic amazing phenominal improvements after she began martial arts. If I told you the entire story here I would discover the word limit for this site! Please email me off site if you want more details tlmoody@cableone.net P.S. Congrats on your new decision! Oh and we also use lots of online sites. One is http://www.time4learning.com My 9 year really likes it! I just try to meet each childs need that year what ever it is. The daughter who had focus problems had to help me pick out her curriculum not because of the content but because of the font in the text book. Certain fonts adversly affected her ability to focus!
Welcome! Homeschooling is a fun ride and I hope you and your daughters enjoy it. The best advice I can give you is to relax. And let your daughters de-school. From what it sounds like they've had a frustrating experience with school. So take some time, months if you need to, and just let them rediscover the joy of learning. Let them read books they want to read. Go on field trips to the museums and parks. In the meantime, you can research curriculum choices. Also, don't feel as if you need to buy the most expensive curriculum on the market. Don't feel as if you have to buy a curriculum at all. Your children will learn, whether you want them to or not . So take a deep breath and welcome to the world of homeschooling.
LeAnne
LeAnne already said everything I was going to say! Congratulations on your decision to homeschool. I look forward to meeting you soon.
Mom to 11 year old Ethan. Pet mama to Harvey, Sofe, Autumn, and Tippy
Does New Mexico requires homeschool children to take standardized state tests? If so, who administers the tests? and how often are they required?
No, they don't!
Quoted from 335
Which cirriculums are the most popular? I've kind of looked at Saxon (online) for math but i'll probably take the whole summer to decide on something.
I'd caution you against jumping in and buying one of the popular (ie, highly advertised and expensive) curricula right off the bat. You may end up there in time, but it's far too easy to buy into an high-priced curriculum and then put pressure on yourself and your children to make it worth the money, even if it isn't a good fit.
Check out http://www.rainbowresource.com (and request their humongous catalog) to get an idea of the vast and inexpensive number of resources that are out there.
I echo everyone else in saying, relax and enjoy. You've made the right decision for your family. We've all been where you are right now, nervous and uncertain, and we made it work.
Hello.. I'm pretty fed up with APS and at this stage i'm starting to think.. "Even if i'm no better than the public school system.. there's NO WAY I can be any worse."
I don't have any direct experience with APS, but I hear this a lot, unfortunately. Not just with APS, but when people all over give reasons for homeschooling. Your daughter just can't beat her upcoming student/teacher ratio and the attentiveness and love of her new teacher. Those two new factors mean you have a far better chance of succeeding than failing!
Forgive me for not writing a customized response; but, I think some of this might be relevant to you and so I'd like to go ahead and paste it onto this thread for your reference:
Quoted Text
. . . let me assure you that YOU are ALREADY a so-called "Supermom" because you are CONSCIENCIOUS!!! I think that's the common denominator we all do have in common is that we are in-touch with our intuitions and we prize our children!
Have you ever heard someone call themself an "accidental homeschooler" (meaning, it wasn't their initial intention to homeschool but they find themself homeschooling as a result of some catalyst that called for change)? Truly, I think there is an equal number of accidental homeschoolers and from-the-get-go homeschoolers here in this group - this has always been such a welcoming aspect! (the diversity of both, I mean)
I'm also wondering if you've heard of "deschooling"? It's a process that naturally occurs to a kiddo who is transitioning from public school to homeschooling - there are a number of symptoms you might want to brace yourself for because there is a honest-to-goodness process of "peeling off the layers" that have been imposed upon a kid by the school system . . . some kids rebel, some kids can't stop napping, some kids can't stop reading (or watching TV or playing video games), some kids are elated . . . they all react differently and it can take a new homeschooling parent by surprise. But, if you know to expect this temporary phase, it won't bother you as much and you'll be able to support her better instead of reprimanding the seemingly-negative behavior. It does end. They're just getting in-touch with themselves again . . . usually, they have a lot of tapes to process and you're giving them time to "heal", so to speak. If this common phenomenon starts to play-out in your home, rest assured that it is common and it does pass and there's support for both of you as it is occuring . . . also, considering googling "deschooling" to learn more about how kids sometimes "unwind" for a while when they get their freedom back. It might make all the difference for you - the first year of homeschooling is the shakiest until you find your groove . . . something about the passing of each season (spring, summer, fall, winter) will make the 2nd year feel more familiar - your confidence WILL solidify as you go even though you may question your decision 1000 times before then. Your intuition will guide you . . .
Whenever I visit the classroom, I can see why. It's a mad house in there. The teacher teaches a concept in math, for example, and then the kids work on their math pages themselves. They can walk around the classroom and chat with other classmates, sit on the floor, sit on the tables, etc. It's distracting for me!! I can see how it would be totally distracting for an 8 year old.
LOL, that sounds like my son's classroom and is part of the reason we want to homeschool him too. He has ADHD, in a classroom like that. No wonder he can't concentrate and hardly does ANY work at school. He catches up quickly at home though, and he loves learning still, it just is the wrong environment for someone with ADHD, living without a filter so to speak.
I tutored my brother in math when he was 15, so I know I can do it. And he even said: When you explain it I understand it. Rare from a little brother... Maybe you have some similar experiences with your siblings or other kids? Just to bolster your confidence a little?
No matter what, as you said, you can't be any worse than the school they go to. Good luck to you, I will be starting hs in a few weeks as well, with Singapore Math which seems like the best fit for us. I will add more subjects as we go along.
No matter what, as you said, you can't be any worse than the school they go to. Good luck to you, I will be starting hs in a few weeks as well, with Singapore Math which seems like the best fit for us. I will add more subjects as we go along.
The singapore math looks great. I think it would work well for my daughter. Let me know what you think of it once you've used it for a few weeks.
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. So take a deep breath and welcome to the world of homeschooling.
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No wonder he can't concentrate and hardly does ANY work at school. He catches up quickly at home though, and he loves learning still, it just is the wrong environment for someone with ADHD, living without a filter so to speak. 