It's true... no one can answer it but the individual family.

We are sort of have a delicate pickle with DS7.

We can't afford a private school, that coupled with the fact that there are no gifted private schools in Upstate NY. So it's really out of the question.

His current public school is doing things that are pretty remarkable compared to other public schools. But it's still not enough.

He was skipped into 3rd this year.(He was in 1st last year) He said to me this morning, "...I mean whats the point? I went from first to third. I was supposed to go to second. What's the point if the work is the same. If I am going to be board, can't I do it in second?"

I replied, "I don't know how to answer that, other then to tell you that all the kids that you were friends with no longer go to the school, so even if you went back to second, it would be different kids. And the work would be boring."

He said,"It's boring in 3rd, there is just more of it."

So homeschooling is on my mind. But how could I do that and afford it?

I definately think it's what works for you.

We were initially a reluctant homeschooling family. We tried for 4 years to get the public school to work with my oldest daughter to no avail. The administration just isn't willing. Things were to a point that she was spending so much time doing "school" at home I began to wonder about the point in sending her, we toughed it out. Then my next oldest started having problems, she would be starting K. We started her and her twin on a computer based curriculum just to give her extra to interest her and she proceeded to finish K over the summer.

By then my oldest was begging to be homeschooled, she is twice exceptional and with the school doing nothing we decided to try it. I now homeschool my three oldest, my fourth child attends Early Childhood five mornings a week for speech therapy and I have a nine month old at home. For us homeschooling has allowed all of my children to work at their pace, in ways that work for them. Some do better on the computer, my youngest is a very artistic hands on learner. Now they can each be given the tools they need as individuals, rather than by their "grade".

I really love the book Genius Denied and recommend it to everyone with gifted children. It has many suggestions for all types of education. It really depends on your situation and your children. Best wishes in making your decision and feel free to ask questions.

What do you mean "afford it?" Unless you're talking about quitting work to homeschool--in which case, it might be an expensive option for you--homeschooling doesn't have to be costly. I mean, you CAN spend a fortune on curriculum, or you can raid the library and spend not one thin dime! (Our library even has an educator's card, which HSers are allowed to get, with much longer check-out times and no fines for overdue books. It's swell!)

In fact, I think it's not at all a bad idea to spend your first year just reading books that interest your child (cover fiction, nonfiction and poetry for sure!), and then talking and writing about what he's read. DS7 reads aloud to me sometimes, sometimes he reads silently and summarizes for me, and sometimes he reads silently and answers questions I've written up for him.

If math isn't something you feel comfortable winging in this manner, get Aleks or Singapore Math to start, depending upon whether you want to work online or in workbooks, and see where that takes you.

Be sure to check out Home Learning Year by Year by Rebecca Rupp and/or the What Your Xth Grader Needs to Know series by E.D. Hirsch to be sure you're not letting him fall behind in any particular area. This is a nice security blanket. You can also compare what your child is doing that's ahead of schedule with grade levels to see where they're operating. That's pretty handy. The Rupp is especially nice for that since it has all grades included in one book.

This outline is what we did the first year because we pulled him out mid-year and were not at all prepped for it. It was surprisingly low-cost and low-stress, and it worked really well! DS7 made great progress and was HAPPY! Good stuff!

Admittedly, I made life easier on myself by setting the bar pretty low: I just wanted to be sure that we did at least as well as the public school had been doing with him. Well, if he's bored to misery this year and learning zilch, then it's hard to think that you're going to do a worse job, right? That's what I figured as we dove in.

We spent more money on "stuff" this year, but it was more a choice than a necessity. Plus we're not having a regular babysitter this year, so I have more money in the budget to spend on HSing.

There's lots of free stuff on the Internet, too. I'll be happy to point you toward links if you want stuff. Just ask.

Does that help at all? I fear you have the wrong idea about homeschooling...

Yep, that is what I'm talking about. This year I will be a freelance teacher at a local art center. When I am not teaching I will be making and then trying to sell paintings. Which is time consuming and exhausting, but I love it. My husband is a freelance photographer. While we sort of make our own hours it would be tough juggling making a living and teaching him.

I sort of worry about what and how to teach him, but really that would be more about what to include and what to exclude. If we some how got a small winfall and I was able to do it, I think I could easily handle most of it. But he's really is ready to learn programing, we would have to find someone to teach him that. Also he wants to learn guitar. I am not musical- I can't afford lessons. I have tried to work out a trade with some local people who teach it. But no one wants to trade.

Computer programming: have you looked at Alice? It's a free computer programming tool/intro from Carnegie-Mellon, and it's very well-supported so that anyone can use it.

http://www.alice.org/

Just a thought...

Making HSing work with your work schedule: one of the nice things about homeschooling is that you can sort of fit it in when it works for you. There are single parents who have school only evenings and weekends. Or can you paint while your child is present? Reading to you or doing something (mostly) silently? An independent child would help a lot there. If that's not your child's style, it could be harder to manage.

Childcare is often the biggest problem with this sort of arrangement. What can you do with your son during the day while you teach? If you have a relative who could help you for free, that's obviously ideal. Balance your schedule with your husband's so that your son is always with one of you? Can your son come with you to the art center or on your DH's photo shoots? Maybe you can trade childcare with another person in need? If those don't work, then you're paying for childcare. And that is not a cheap proposition.

Please know that a "regular schedule" is not a requirement for homeschooling. Some places do require a specific number of hours of work, so you'd have to check the regulations in your state. But they don't tell you when the child has to do the work. It is entirely possible to fit school in around your family's work needs. It's usually harder to do, I suspect, but it all comes down to what works for your family.

Don't worry about the curriculum questions--that's the easy stuff! I promise! Deal with that stuff later if you decide HSing is even do-able.

No, for you, I think the real question is the schedule and whether it's worth the hassle of working all day and then coming home in the evening to teach your child, or spending most of the weekend on school stuff. It may not be worth it. Only you can decide that. But it can be done without your having to quit painting, depending upon your child's ability to work independently and the amount of support you get from your husband.

I don't know if that helps. I'm happy to answer questions or to talk about it with you more if I can help you to decide one way or the other. I know it's a huge decision!

WOW! that link is great! DS7 will eat that up!

this year it would be impossible.... but then next year is what I'm looking at....

Sure. Seriously, no pressure. You must do what works for your family, whatever that is. Deciding that homeschooling is a bad idea for your situation is a valid choice, and I'll support you 100% in that.

Just say the word if there's more I can do to help you to think through the decision.

ienjoysoup, where in upstate NY are you? I live in the Rochester area and am going through the same thing with my dd. She is attending second grade in public school and except for the social aspects and specials, she is so bored. They are trying, but they have not been able to properly challenge her. I have been researching homeschooling to see if it would be a good fit for her and our family, so I know what you are going through!

HEY RUBY!

I live in Schenectady (it's just north of Albany). But I went to grad school in Rochester! I lived on South Goodman Ave.

I would like to retract this statement!

I just got back from his 504 meeting!

wow!

his school rocks!