Help!

[The Learner]

I need to pull my son out of school, and really have no other option than to homeschool.

That being said I have no idea where to start, nor what curriculums to look into.

Any help will be appreciated.

[Reason&Hope]

Okay, take a deep breath. :hug It sounds like something happened at his school?

The first thing to do is PRAY and ask for guidance.

Second, go to HSLDA's website. Click on the link for "in your state" and then your state and on the right hand side should be a couple of links named "Laws" and "Organizations". You see, you need to know what the requirements are for your state. They vary a lot! And, if you get in contact with a local organization, they can tell you which forms to file with whom. (You cannot simply keep him home; you have to legally withdraw him from the school.)

The organizations they list will not be complete, because that's the official list. For instance, in Washington state, we have the Washington Homeschool Organization. I belong to that and go to the conventions and get newsletters and information, etc. However, for support, I have homeschooling moms at my church and I belong to two co-ops. The latter are not listed on the HSLDA site.

So, HSLDA and your state organization will give you guidance on what to do legally. As to curriculum, oh my, I don't know where to begin. There are books upon books on the subject and different ways to do it -- from packaged curriculum where every subject comes in a box from the same publisher (Abeka, BJUP, . . .) to picking your curriculum cafeteria style (math from BJUP, science from Apologia, grammar from Easy Grammar, history from Beautiful Feet. . .).

I'd be glad to help you with further questions. You can post here or PM me.

[The Learner]

Thank you so much for your response, and yes this year has been a nightmare. The problem really started socially, for whatever reason my son started to get alienated and picked on this year. This started a downward spiral that my wife and I just do not want to see come to fruition. He is under far too much strain and pressure for a 6 year old.

Thank you so much for your resources, I am a bit overwhelmed at the moment.

[NewWorldOrder]

:hug Hang in there Learner. The really good news is that six years old is a perfect age to start homeschooling. Take it slow, don't try to do everything, it's not necessary to do every subject every day. Start with the basics, take your time, and ease into it. In fact, if I may suggest, when you take your son out of public school, take a couple of weeks off and do fun stuff that is still educational. Go to the zoo, spend time at the library, or go to a museum, it will help relieve a lot of the stress your son has been under and put him at ease.

[Reason&Hope]

He's 6? That's a great time to start! I totally agree with NWO above about doing fun educational things for a bit.

If he's been having a tough time socially, you need to get him into a situation where he can have a good time socially, such as not being picked on. Does he have church friends or neighborhood friends?

Have you spoken with the teacher or principal to find out what is going on?

[Halls_Keep]

Hello Learner... I hope you continually update your thread as we, too, just started homeschooling our two daughters.

My 12 year old was coming home from school everyday and spending the ENTIRE evening doing homework, and still sometimes did not finish. The school she attended would NOT let kids work on homework assignments if they happened to have free time. According to them, homework is to take home. Period.

A fellow homeschooler's son was actually punished for doing homework when he finished his lesson in a class early. She and her husband pulled him out of school immediately.

I drove my daughter to school every day the first semester of this school year. Every day... and I do mean ... EVERY DAY... she would moan as we drove up to the school. It sounded like she was joking about not wanting to go, but now that we've pulled her out... it was plain that she was just miserable.

We took both girls out of school after this past Christmas, although my 7 year old seemed to be doing fine. It has been just amazing how they have both blossomed. My eldest daughter has actually lost weight because she's not stress eating and is getting more "exercise" ... we do a lot of things outside the home.

I know how you feel about being overwhelmed, but just do as some of the other posters suggested... first and foremost, find out what your states regs are on homeschooling. For instance, I know in Illinois you're only required to keep attendance records; where as here in SC, I have to keep attendance records, a lesson plan, present my cirriculum if asked for by any Officials, and I have to allow my children to be tested or interviewed at the Districts discretion, should they decide to do so.

I was scared to death as the prospect of homeschooling... and still am a bit... but I know that for certain that it was the best move we've ever made so far concerning our daughters' education.

God be with your family as you step into this new territory. I believe you will find it to be much more fun than you might anticipate. Not to mention the closeness you will gain from spending all this time with your son.

[The Learner]

Thanks for the support.

It was pretty terrible this year. My son fell behind pretty early with phonics, and despite our pleas for assistance nothing was done. We have just about killed ourselves doing 4+ hours of homework and studying every night, and as a result we weren't able to catch him up while simultaneously trying to keep him current. I don't mind the school, but his teacher this year is absolutely terrible.

Then there was the social issue. Last year he was very popular, but this year he is being teased, being called stupid and so forth. This is unfortunate and it is killing his self esteem. It is also untrue. My son had to be tested to get into speech class (he has a mild speech impediment), and his IQ is 127 (higher than me, my wife, and both of my parents).

I went to the schoolboard today to get the necessary slip to "enroll" him in homeschool. Monday I am pulling him out of school.

Thanks for your continued support and prayers.

[The Learner]

I think I am going to use the A beka curriculum. I had this curriculum when I was a child and remember it being very thorough in phonics. I have been doing research and for the most part A beka seems to be fairly popular, and one of the easier ones to get your feet wet with.

[NewWorldOrder]

I think I am going to use the A beka curriculum. I had this curriculum when I was a child and remember it being very thorough in phonics. I have been doing research and for the most part A beka seems to be fairly popular, and one of the easier ones to get your feet wet with.

A Beka has a very good phonics program, but if you plan on teaching penmanship A Beka prefers cursive starting in Kindergarten, if you want manuscript you have to ask for it. If you decide to use their other curriculum as well, remember, it's designed for use in Christian Schools and is very "schoolish", if that makes any sense. They have a recommended schedule to use and everything, but you do not have to go by that schedule or use their grading system, you can do what is best for you. I taught both my kids to read using A Beka.

[Reason&Hope]

Cursive in Kindergarten? Good thing one doesn't have to use every text. If my boys had had to do that, they would have become school-haters.

Other than that, I've heard some good things about A Beka. The beauty of homeschooling is that the more you work with your kids, the more you figure out what works best for them - and it's okay to not know in the beginning.