Should I homeschool dc?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With a homeschool program you really only need about 3 solid hours of work. After that focus on teaching life skills like cooking, gardening, budgeting, home repair, etc. You have a great resource by having someone that can devote 1:1 attention to her, at this age that’s huge. Take full advantage of it and make it as structured as possible while still being fun.

all kids, even kids on the spectrum, deserve to be around other kids and adults and be exposed to the world. relegating the child to 3hrs a day of homeschool with grandma based on mild complaints about a school that frankly sounds unchallenging, would be massive parental malpractice.

the child is apparently academically advanced but going to a tiny “church basement” school she dislikes. It is VERY common for kids that age to proclaim they don’t like school. this is a child who deserves to be placed with similar peers and teachers who actually know how to teach advanced kids.

Also homeschooling would cripple her socially at a time when she needs to be working on her social skills the most.

For SN kids, absent truly extenuating circumstances, we need to fight to keep them from being isolated and pay more attention to ensuring they can interact with the world. This is more important than with NT kids.

If you go down this route OP you could end up with a kid who refuses to leave home or engage at all. I’ve seen it happen to well-meaning parents who give in to their kids who say they “don’t like school.” It snowballs.

OP just wants to homeschool her child, not lock her in the basement devoid of all social interaction.

[Anonymous]

I would not. For me the work of it would be daunting. But even more, I don’t think it benefits kids who are capable of going out to the world to give in to the desire not to leave home or enter somewhat uncomfortable situations. And then you will be faced with reintroducing her back into the world at some point and that’s even more daunting than homeschool.

Sometimes we don’t like life and our obligations. But moving on after a period of avoidance is harder than working through the day to day. Our jobs aren’t to make our kids happy. Our job is to make them successful. And I would think you are doing her a disservice if you homeschool.

[Anonymous]

Op here, thanks and I'll be back here today after work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With a homeschool program you really only need about 3 solid hours of work. After that focus on teaching life skills like cooking, gardening, budgeting, home repair, etc. You have a great resource by having someone that can devote 1:1 attention to her, at this age that’s huge. Take full advantage of it and make it as structured as possible while still being fun.

all kids, even kids on the spectrum, deserve to be around other kids and adults and be exposed to the world. relegating the child to 3hrs a day of homeschool with grandma based on mild complaints about a school that frankly sounds unchallenging, would be massive parental malpractice.

the child is apparently academically advanced but going to a tiny “church basement” school she dislikes. It is VERY common for kids that age to proclaim they don’t like school. this is a child who deserves to be placed with similar peers and teachers who actually know how to teach advanced kids.

You cannot be serious.

I’m dead serious. There’s literally no justification for removing this child from peers and actually trained educators to be homeschooled by grandma just because she says she “doesn’t like school.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With a homeschool program you really only need about 3 solid hours of work. After that focus on teaching life skills like cooking, gardening, budgeting, home repair, etc. You have a great resource by having someone that can devote 1:1 attention to her, at this age that’s huge. Take full advantage of it and make it as structured as possible while still being fun.

all kids, even kids on the spectrum, deserve to be around other kids and adults and be exposed to the world. relegating the child to 3hrs a day of homeschool with grandma based on mild complaints about a school that frankly sounds unchallenging, would be massive parental malpractice.

the child is apparently academically advanced but going to a tiny “church basement” school she dislikes. It is VERY common for kids that age to proclaim they don’t like school. this is a child who deserves to be placed with similar peers and teachers who actually know how to teach advanced kids.

Also homeschooling would cripple her socially at a time when she needs to be working on her social skills the most.

For SN kids, absent truly extenuating circumstances, we need to fight to keep them from being isolated and pay more attention to ensuring they can interact with the world. This is more important than with NT kids.

If you go down this route OP you could end up with a kid who refuses to leave home or engage at all. I’ve seen it happen to well-meaning parents who give in to their kids who say they “don’t like school.” It snowballs.

OP just wants to homeschool her child, not lock her in the basement devoid of all social interaction.

But in practice that is what homeschooling will amount to here - a life for a child devoid of most normal social interaction. And it can snowball from there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not. For me the work of it would be daunting. But even more, I don’t think it benefits kids who are capable of going out to the world to give in to the desire not to leave home or enter somewhat uncomfortable situations. And then you will be faced with reintroducing her back into the world at some point and that’s even more daunting than homeschool.

Sometimes we don’t like life and our obligations. But moving on after a period of avoidance is harder than working through the day to day. Our jobs aren’t to make our kids happy. Our job is to make them successful. And I would think you are doing her a disservice if you homeschool.

Exactly. What’s the end game here? 3rd grade is when both academics and socializing get more real and complex. Allowing a child to avoid the natural progression that starts in late elementary sets them up to fall further behind in MS and HS. And then what?

[Anonymous]

Since she does have friends, I would not move her out of the school. The experience of friendship is so important, especially for kids with ASD. You can say you will keep in touch, but it won't be the same.

Meet with the school to see if they can help you find a way to address the unhappiness. Perhaps you can pick her up at lunch on Wednesdays so that she can have a restful afternoon, for example.

[Anonymous]

Someone else mentioned co-ops, but that may give you a mix of social interaction and also lessen the burden on you as the parents to be the sole educator. You still have to “teach” or do something for the co-op though.

I looked into co-ops in the DC area and they were all religious - I don’t know of that bothers you or not. We are not religious and the co-ops around here had a level of religiosity that I was not comfortable with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With a homeschool program you really only need about 3 solid hours of work. After that focus on teaching life skills like cooking, gardening, budgeting, home repair, etc. You have a great resource by having someone that can devote 1:1 attention to her, at this age that’s huge. Take full advantage of it and make it as structured as possible while still being fun.

all kids, even kids on the spectrum, deserve to be around other kids and adults and be exposed to the world. relegating the child to 3hrs a day of homeschool with grandma based on mild complaints about a school that frankly sounds unchallenging, would be massive parental malpractice.

the child is apparently academically advanced but going to a tiny “church basement” school she dislikes. It is VERY common for kids that age to proclaim they don’t like school. this is a child who deserves to be placed with similar peers and teachers who actually know how to teach advanced kids.

Also homeschooling would cripple her socially at a time when she needs to be working on her social skills the most.

For SN kids, absent truly extenuating circumstances, we need to fight to keep them from being isolated and pay more attention to ensuring they can interact with the world. This is more important than with NT kids.

If you go down this route OP you could end up with a kid who refuses to leave home or engage at all. I’ve seen it happen to well-meaning parents who give in to their kids who say they “don’t like school.” It snowballs.

OP just wants to homeschool her child, not lock her in the basement devoid of all social interaction.

But there will be very little, if school is online and parents are working and unable to support social interaction opportunities. In this situation, social skill development and practice is important, and the parents are not well situated to facilitate it. Homeschooling means you have to make an effort if you want your kids to see other people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With a homeschool program you really only need about 3 solid hours of work. After that focus on teaching life skills like cooking, gardening, budgeting, home repair, etc. You have a great resource by having someone that can devote 1:1 attention to her, at this age that’s huge. Take full advantage of it and make it as structured as possible while still being fun.

all kids, even kids on the spectrum, deserve to be around other kids and adults and be exposed to the world. relegating the child to 3hrs a day of homeschool with grandma based on mild complaints about a school that frankly sounds unchallenging, would be massive parental malpractice.

the child is apparently academically advanced but going to a tiny “church basement” school she dislikes. It is VERY common for kids that age to proclaim they don’t like school. this is a child who deserves to be placed with similar peers and teachers who actually know how to teach advanced kids.

Also homeschooling would cripple her socially at a time when she needs to be working on her social skills the most.

For SN kids, absent truly extenuating circumstances, we need to fight to keep them from being isolated and pay more attention to ensuring they can interact with the world. This is more important than with NT kids.

If you go down this route OP you could end up with a kid who refuses to leave home or engage at all. I’ve seen it happen to well-meaning parents who give in to their kids who say they “don’t like school.” It snowballs.

OP just wants to homeschool her child, not lock her in the basement devoid of all social interaction.

But there will be very little, if school is online and parents are working and unable to support social interaction opportunities. In this situation, social skill development and practice is important, and the parents are not well situated to facilitate it. Homeschooling means you have to make an effort if you want your kids to see other people.

Exactly. I’m kind of shocked that anyone would think this was a good idea for ASD kids after the disaster of covid “remote” school. I can see there being some very specific circumstances where it’s justified but being in school is therepeutic in and of itself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With a homeschool program you really only need about 3 solid hours of work. After that focus on teaching life skills like cooking, gardening, budgeting, home repair, etc. You have a great resource by having someone that can devote 1:1 attention to her, at this age that’s huge. Take full advantage of it and make it as structured as possible while still being fun.

all kids, even kids on the spectrum, deserve to be around other kids and adults and be exposed to the world. relegating the child to 3hrs a day of homeschool with grandma based on mild complaints about a school that frankly sounds unchallenging, would be massive parental malpractice.

the child is apparently academically advanced but going to a tiny “church basement” school she dislikes. It is VERY common for kids that age to proclaim they don’t like school. this is a child who deserves to be placed with similar peers and teachers who actually know how to teach advanced kids.

Also homeschooling would cripple her socially at a time when she needs to be working on her social skills the most.

For SN kids, absent truly extenuating circumstances, we need to fight to keep them from being isolated and pay more attention to ensuring they can interact with the world. This is more important than with NT kids.

If you go down this route OP you could end up with a kid who refuses to leave home or engage at all. I’ve seen it happen to well-meaning parents who give in to their kids who say they “don’t like school.” It snowballs.

OP just wants to homeschool her child, not lock her in the basement devoid of all social interaction.

But there will be very little, if school is online and parents are working and unable to support social interaction opportunities. In this situation, social skill development and practice is important, and the parents are not well situated to facilitate it. Homeschooling means you have to make an effort if you want your kids to see other people.

Exactly. I’m kind of shocked that anyone would think this was a good idea for ASD kids after the disaster of covid “remote” school. I can see there being some very specific circumstances where it’s justified but being in school is therepeutic in and of itself.

I agree -- not a great fit for this kid.

OP, she is probably a little fried from the school year. Keep encouraging her that summer break is almost here. I hope she can relax and see some friends over the summer. Then, hopefully, 4th grade will be new and exciting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would you make it work if you both work? Who would watch her during the day and can you do a few hours a day of schoolwork?

This is a concern. So, dad and I each have a weekday off. My mom (we'll call her GM) picks her up the other days. GM wants to help homeschool her-I never want to burden her with that, but we were talking and GM really wants to. She did help during Covid (as me and dad work in person only job) and it was using the same curriculum program that I might use again (it has streaming/dvd classes with a teacher and kids, plus you get the paper books and the teacher gives the assignment). GM has been relatively healthy, but those of us with elderly parents know how that can change and quickly.

If I didn't work, I would absolutely homeschool her-but I do work so I'm trying to think through all angles.

You really need to commit to more. Do you have a virtual school where you live? That might be better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With a homeschool program you really only need about 3 solid hours of work. After that focus on teaching life skills like cooking, gardening, budgeting, home repair, etc. You have a great resource by having someone that can devote 1:1 attention to her, at this age that’s huge. Take full advantage of it and make it as structured as possible while still being fun.

all kids, even kids on the spectrum, deserve to be around other kids and adults and be exposed to the world. relegating the child to 3hrs a day of homeschool with grandma based on mild complaints about a school that frankly sounds unchallenging, would be massive parental malpractice.

the child is apparently academically advanced but going to a tiny “church basement” school she dislikes. It is VERY common for kids that age to proclaim they don’t like school. this is a child who deserves to be placed with similar peers and teachers who actually know how to teach advanced kids.

Also homeschooling would cripple her socially at a time when she needs to be working on her social skills the most.

For SN kids, absent truly extenuating circumstances, we need to fight to keep them from being isolated and pay more attention to ensuring they can interact with the world. This is more important than with NT kids.

If you go down this route OP you could end up with a kid who refuses to leave home or engage at all. I’ve seen it happen to well-meaning parents who give in to their kids who say they “don’t like school.” It snowballs.

OP just wants to homeschool her child, not lock her in the basement devoid of all social interaction.

But there will be very little, if school is online and parents are working and unable to support social interaction opportunities. In this situation, social skill development and practice is important, and the parents are not well situated to facilitate it. Homeschooling means you have to make an effort if you want your kids to see other people.

Exactly. I’m kind of shocked that anyone would think this was a good idea for ASD kids after the disaster of covid “remote” school. I can see there being some very specific circumstances where it’s justified but being in school is therepeutic in and of itself.

I know a few asd kids still in virtual and doing well but it takes a huge commitment on the parents part.

[Anonymous]

Homeschool for a few years with a co-op and see how it goes. The people claiming there are no social opportunities have clearly never homeschooled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Homeschool for a few years with a co-op and see how it goes. The people claiming there are no social opportunities have clearly never homeschooled.

The no social opportunities concern is due to the parents having jobs.