Category: Traditional School

Child Struggling in School? Why You Should Try Homeschool

12/4/2014

Struggling Learners or Those with Learning Disabilities May Benefit from Home School

by Lyn Lomasi; Owner of Intent-sive Nature & Brand Shamans Content Community

Do you have a child struggling or failing in school? Have you tried the options available (extra help at school, tutors, etc) with little to no success? You're not alone. Parents and children struggle with this issue daily. Could home school be the answer for your family's situation? For some families, there will be many benefits of homeschooling a struggling child, either temporarily or permanently.

As a mother to a child who had some math problems that weren't resolved in public school, I chose to take on the responsibility of schooling my own children. Of course there were many other factors involved in our decision, including the fact that the children were also ahead in many areas. Seeing that the plan to school our children through the public education system was failing for us, we chose to school the children at home instead.

It is my hope that sharing lessons learned from our experience can help others decide if homeschooling is right for their child. Oftentimes, as in our case, a child simply needs a bit of one-on-one time to get steered back in the right direction. In a homeschool setting, a child can receive a great deal of student to teacher time.

The teacher may be a parent, relative, or even a private tutor, depending on the laws of the state the homeschooled child resides in, as well as the choice of the family. No matter who the teacher is, there is no question that a student who schools at home has a much better chance of receiving that individual one-on-one attention that will get the struggling child back on track. Children who are having a hard time educationally may also need a new strategy.

In the public school system, a new strategy plan isn't always possible. Some public and private schools offer programs to help children who are failing. However, not all schools will have a special program for children who are behind for their grade level. Even when the school offers program choices, there are still certain guidelines to adhere to. Those guidelines may not be right for every child.

Some children may need an approach that differs from the standards, such as a customized curriculum or a more relaxed setting, which, in many cases is not available in the public education system. In our case, this is exactly the plan we chose to follow. We found that customizing the plan to fit each child individually, rather than as a whole class, helped the child better understand and learn the lessons being taught.

The child in question was recommended to take her grade level over again, due to her poor math skills. However, in just a short time of homeschooling, she improved immensely and was able to complete the level she had failed in public school, as well as catch up to where she should be had she not failed. Now she is actually ahead in math. Ironically, it is now her favorite subject, whereas before, it was her most hated, feared, and dreaded.

Based on our experience with her, I would recommend homeschool as a valid option for parents. Common sense told us that the one-on-one time would be beneficial, but the actual results were much more than we could have hoped for. The results were absolutely amazing for us, as the child in question had always struggled with math, even crying over it many times. We had tried everything; everything except homeschool. If I had it do again, I would have chosen homeschool in the beginning, at the first sign of struggle, rather than waiting until the problem escalated.

If you, yourself are not good at the subject your child is struggling in, yet would like your child's curriculum program catered to him or her, there are still plenty of options that will allow you to homeschool. There are virtual schools (online schools), tutors, community college classes, home-school co-ops, and a whole host of other options. If your child has learning disabilities, don't fret. There are many homeschooling families who actually homeschool because of learning disabilities. I have heard many mention great benefits from doing so. Click Here to see the HSLDA's information on that. The HSLDA is the Home School Legal Defense Association.

If you are interested in doing this for your child, do your research and find out which options are available to you. Homeschooling is currently legal in all 50 US states. However, the laws for each state differ, as far as what is allowed and what rules, if any, should be followed. Texas is one of the most relaxed states, as far as rules and regulations for homeschool. Interested parents should start their research at the HSLDA, as well as look up home-school co-ops, homeschool groups, tutors, curriculum, virtual schools, and more to get an idea of what plan or program will work best for the child.

Takeaways:

A student who schools at home has a much better chance of receiving individual one-on-one attention.
Some children may need an approach that differs from the standards.
The actual results were much more than we could have hoped for.

For some families, there will be many benefits of homeschooling a struggling child, either temporarily or permanently.

*I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network

Last updated on 12/11/2020

1 Comment

Homeschool Tips: Coping with Sending Your Kids to Traditional School

12/3/2014

0 Comments

Advice for Parents Facing This Difficult Transition

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

After many restless nights (or not), you finally come to the decision that you are no longer going to be a homeschool teacher. Whether that decision came easy or not, there is likely something related you'll need to deal with. For me, the decision to start homeschooling was easy and natural. The decision to end that path and return two of the kids to traditional school, even though it was only for a while, was anything but.

Recognize your reasons for the choice. Perhaps, like I did, you have too many hats on your head and need to add another. I am a freelance journalist with several clients and am founder and co-owner of a media company. Because I cannot halt either of these related businesses (can't pay the bills without a career), the homeschooling was unfortunately the major task that would make room for me to have enough time to work to pay the bills. Once I got into a better routine, I was able to go back to teaching the kids. But at that time, I had to transition two of them back into traditional school.

Don't be too hard on yourself. I have had to repeat this advice to myself several times on this journey. No matter the reason for your decision to end your homeschooling journey (whether temporary or permanent), you made the choice for a reason. Sometimes things happen in life that are out of our power and not our fault.

Feeling guilty won't help you adjust. As long as the new schooling situation is a positive environment, there is no need to feel guilty for this choice. Again, I remind myself of this one. It's true that no one will care about your child's education more than you. However, that doesn't mean you are doing something wrong by sending them to traditional school. Remember that what you have taught them will follow them. Also, you can (and should) still help with some aspects of education, even when they are in traditional school.

Cry if you need to. The feelings can often get overwhelming. That's understandable. After all, these are your kids and their education means everything to you. Crying can help get out those built up emotions and sometimes you just have to. This is a natural coping mechanism and if sending the kids back to school invokes tears, let them roll. Just try not to do it in front of the kids to keep their experience as positive as possible.

Get some exercise. Yoga often helps reduce stress, as does running and many other types of exercise. If you need to relax, opt for stretching and yoga. But if you need to release pent up feelings in a more active way, go for running, bike riding, or even power yoga.

Get involved in the school. Maybe you don't have time to teach the kids all day anymore. But you can still volunteer to commit some time to school activities. Join the PTA, chaperone field trips, help with a bake sale, and more. Whatever you can assist with will likely help both you and your child cope with the fact that you will no longer be the teacher. This shows your child that you do still care and it also may help relieve some of the guilt associated with dropping the teacher role.

*I originally published a version of this via Yahoo Contributor Network

0 Comments

Child Struggling in School? Why You Should Try Homeschool

Struggling Learners or Those with Learning Disabilities May Benefit from Home School

Homeschool Tips: Coping with Sending Your Kids to Traditional School

Advice for Parents Facing This Difficult Transition

Heart 'N Mind Homeschool Journal

Get new posts by email:

OWNER

FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS

Archives

Categories

COMPANY & SUPPORT

ALL SITES