Oh and p.s. If I could go back in time knowing what the fallout would be: I would still totally advocate, hard!!!!!!!!!

Neato

Oh, of course! Advocacy is the right thing to do! No question!

I just really don't think I have the fortitude. I consider it a personal failing on my part that I say that. But I just can't imagine going through all that advocacy with the school only to hit the brick wall with the parents. It makes me tired just thinking about it.

I feel like a big wuss over it, but given the choice between advocacy and homeschool, homeschool just looked soooo much easier to me!

Oh please don't say you consider it a personal failing, that's so not where I was going with that!

I just meant if I knew some people would have a big problem with what I've done, I'd still do it, of course when I went back in time I would already have the priveleged information that it all worked!!!!

I think you are so brave to homeschool! I'm still trying to work out the courage to take the plunge! The only reason I haven't fully committed is that I really am afraid.

So, me thinks me is the wuss, not you!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe we both just took the right path given our personal circumstances.

No wusses here. Nuh-uh. Keep it moving people. Nothing to see here...This is a wuss-free zone!

LOL! Unfortunately, it's pretty clear that for DD5 homeschooling would be the best situation for her.
But I am too afraid to "cut the cord" from the world of drop em off and pick em up later in the day!
I have committed to HS is she has another miserable year.

So I guess I can benefit from both party line answers to:

Why does your child need to work so far above grade level?
AND
Why do you homeschool the other one!!!!!!!!!!

Kriston and Incogneato - I'm with both of you sadly. I'm too anti-confrontational to do strong advocating for DS and I'm still too scared to commit to HSing. What a tough place to be in - especially for DS. I have found two people who can help. One friend has two kids in the gifted program and she was able to give me details about it. I was correct in that it's for quirky, out the box thinkers who may or may not be academically gifted. I'm not sure it's a good fit for my son. She gave me the number of a friend who has a son similar to mine and is now in 6th grade. Basically my friend said that not much will be done for DS until MIddle School in our district.

I'm emailing the other person now.

Good for you Dazey! Just keep working on what you are comfortable with.
Gathering info is a good thing and will come in handy if you ever decide to start advocating or homeschooling.

I came to the conclusion after pre-K that if the teacher didn't seem to get DS6 within a couple of weeks, she probably wasn't going to. At that point I was either going to have to put on my big-girl pants and advocate for change or I was going to have to homeschool. Those were really the only options available.

Long story short: K went well, 1st grade did *NOT*. I couldn't foresee a good end to advocacy in our case, and I could see how much work it would require to get even minor changes made. Ugh.

Homeschooling is a lot easier for Spock than dealing with all those <shudder> people... (LOL!)

But seriously, I really do think you have to pick one or the other when you have an HG+ kid: advocacy or homeschooling. Great situations like Bianca's are the exception...and an exceptional exception at that! Banking on finding one without advocacy is like planning for retirement by buying lottery tickets.

Big girl pants! ROFL!

And, how do you keep advocating when your kid is miserable and it just keeps on and on and on? It's hard on him. You don't want to leave him in a bad situation while you keep advocating, but if you keep advocating, maybe the situation will improve. Catch 22 (for me, at least)!