Unexpected Homeschooling

[luv2laugh]

My daughter is only 7 months old, but I imagine she will be advanced regardless of her aptitude simply because we are teaching her from a young age. 

My husband and I rent and also live near some of the best school districts in my State.  We were planning on moving strategically about a year before DD enters kindergarten.  A recent client has me rethinking this.  I have been working inside of a local private school and the type of education they receive just kills me.  It's not good.  For my career, I provide 1:1 academic services to students with ADHD and Dyslexia and I can just imagine so many ways to cater to both the advanced students and the delayed ones in that classroom.  I just can't imagine how a student would be able to thrive in that environment.  I mean, my husband and I did ok.  But, I think my enjoyment was learning the material and then being able to show how good I was at it (if that makes sense). 

I don't know if being so far ahead in material would be helpful for my daughter.  I would think it would just be extremely boring in class.  My husband and I both work, although neither of us do so full time.  I don't know if homeschooling would be a financial possibility, plus I'm not sure it would be great socially.   

Did anyone end up homeschooling past age 5 that didn't expect to?  What was your experience?

[Wolfwind]

I'm not quite in the boat you're looking for; my oldest is three, and I've been entertaining the idea of homeschooling since before she was born, so the fact that the more she advances, the more likely it becomes isn't exactly "unexpected."  But I would say that you have a long time before school actually starts to figure out what will work best for your family.  You may be in a different financial position in a few years.  You may decide homeschooling is your only option and make it work, or you may decide that there is no way it will work for you and pick another option.

But right now, don't let worry about the future deprive you of teaching your daughter now.  Even if she ends up in public school and is very advanced, she'll adapt.  All kids get bored in school, whether they're ahead of the material or not.  School is boring a lot of the time!  You will find a way to make things work for her at whatever level she's at when she starts school.  Have fun teaching her now and see how you feel about her school options in a year, and then a year after that, and so on.  (This is how I converted my husband to the idea of homeschooling, in fact; at first he was against it, but every year as he saw how much our daughter learned from me he became more open to the idea.  It may work the other way for you; you may find the perfect charter school or public school with a gifted program or something for your family later on.)

[luv2laugh]

Wolfwind, I think that was what I needed to hear.  Sometimes, I get ahead of myself and don't even realize it until I get a response like yours.  Thank you for your perspective and for reminding me that my daughter is only 7 months old and a lot can happen in 4 years.

[jacky wilson]

Well I personally think homeschooling is really good and helpful a lot.

[Tanikit]

My daughter was enrolled in a school beginning in grade R (the year she turned 6) - she went for testing at age 4.5 and I asked some questions to which I did not get satisfactory replies - she would have had no differentiation and would have received just extra work - I want more play for my child, not more wasted time in school.

She turns 7 in September and would have been in grade 1 this year at that school. She is homeschooled. I did start thinking about it at age 3 however so the plan was always in my head. She is reading at a 6th grade level (well it is hard to tell now since she can read almost anything) and is doing Math at a grade 3 level (she will start a grade 4 curriculum in the next few weeks) as well as finishing Life of Fred Elementary series in the next couple of months after which she will start the Intermediate level. Her writing - spelling, grammar etc is well beyond the grade 1 level though her stamina to write long passages is still more like a normal grade 1 or 2 child and her handwriting still needs work - she writes well and can write neatly, but if asked to write more than is usually given to someone in grade 1 then the neatness deteriorates, so its a fine balancing act.

I am very glad we homeschool. I enjoy being with my children, I like being able to choose what I do with my child. We have a large homeschooling community here and my child gets to play more with friends than she possibly would if I were at work all day and she went to school. She also gets to do gymnastics that we would not be able to send her to if she was in school. Academically it is definitely advantageous.

[vvaneesa]

My son was ready for kindergarten at age 4. Previously the school allowed 4year olds if they took a placement test. However, they changed that the year my son would have started. The school was rude and said "No, he needs to go play for another year". They gave no alternatives or encouragement so we began homeschooling and never looked back. This year he starts highschool still homeschooling.

Do not try to push her ahead. That added pressure often can lead to burn out and frustration for both the parent (teacher) and student. Just teach at her level when she is ready. If that turns out to be advanced, great. If not, it's not a big deal. I usually won't plan more than 1 year in advance other than a general idea of possibilities. Then in the spring, I will evaluate where my kids are and my goals for the next year then order the appropriate level curriculum. Keep in mind that she may be at different levels for different subjects. That's fine and perfectly normal.

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