Guest guest Posted September 9, 2001 Report Share Posted September 9, 2001 I think she sounds like a great mother! We all know how much harder we have to fight for our special needs kids than for any others... and I myself will admit that at times i'm just too exhausted to keep up the fight, so I say good for her for taking so much time, effort and persistance in regards to her childs educational needs!!! Got me all riled up... so now i'm going to write up a letter to 's teacher about the work she has been giving him that is totally beyond his abilities... i wrote on one assignment "this is way beyond 's abilities"... a couple days later, another assignment comes home and she writes on it, "this one will be a challenge"... a challenge??? again, its an assignment that is not able to comprehend at his level of development. grrrrr.... anyone ever consider homeschooling?? heehee Angel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 9, 2001 Report Share Posted September 9, 2001 anyone ever consider homeschooling?? yes but I was dx as insane and the kids went to school....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 9, 2001 Report Share Posted September 9, 2001 lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 9, 2001 Report Share Posted September 9, 2001 Angel, I homeschool my since 2nd grade and she is a 9th grader now. We love it and she does great work. She does miss other children but I try to get her into other homeschool activities but she is naturally shy so it was the same in school and the kids picked on her so much and the teachers and principal did nothing and I mean nothing to help so that is why I brought her home. She now also has the opportunities to work one on one with professionals in area of her interest like art and music. She leads a children prayer group at our church and is a member of a few homeschoolers classes. We work on her level which in some area is above grade level and in some below especially math she has trouble with. She is happy at home and I thank God for the opportunity to teach her. Not everyday is great but most are. If I had it to do over I would homeschool her again. I have thought a lot about this and her shyness, wondering if we did the right thing but I do feel for it was right for her. We have had so much fun over the years going on field trips, teaching her to shop, studying together, it's just great. Now I am watching a young woman with her own ideas and she is lovely and it is all grand. If anyone would like to talk to me more about homeschooling please feel free to email me directly at slwiltjmj@.... God Bless, Sharon Wilt mom to MDS15, DS13, and Tommy 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 10, 2001 Report Share Posted September 10, 2001 Hi Angel and others, I am homeschooling Gwendolyn Rose (9 going on 10 September 22) after things not working out at Somerset school. It is true a mother knows her child the best. She was in Montessori preschool in New Orleans for 3 years with a special group of teachers who loved her and she became an independant learner in her formative years which is what Montessori supports. Then, we moved to California when she was 6, with one more year of Montessori in a new school. They recomended a Waldorf program. We put her in a Waldorf Kindegarten for 6 months with a wonderful caring teacher. Being an independent learner it was hard for her to sit still at a desk when an impulse to choose an activity and go to work on it came over her. Waldorf schools are more like public schools in that way. The art and music resonated with her though, and she was at home with the many right brain activities. She did have a hard time with transitions. The 1st grade year did not work out, the teacher was not able to handle her. We pulled her out and I home schooled her for 6 months. I then decided to put her in the local public school. That is when I was introduced to the role I had to learn as a warrior for my child, IEP's etc. After 2 years of seeing where it got us, which was a mixed bag, some good and some not good to make the stoy short, I decided to give a Waldorf remedial school (Somerset) a try. This school had been suggested to us earlier. Last year Gwendolyn Rose had an overall good experience until the end of the year when they started pushing her too hard to run and exercise around the track. I decided to take her out in the Spring, quite disapointed it did not work out, but knowing I was making the right choice. I gave her a try in summer school at the local public school and remembered the stress we were both in the year before. That was when I went to a great developmental psychologist, Kate Sefton, who specializes in Down Syndrome here in California. She gave us great clarity as to exactly where Gwendolyn Rose was operating with her different capacities. Her reading and vocabulary was in the 13 year old range, most everything else was at age level and auditory processing was delayed at age 6; also she was operating at age 6 with signaling, described as seeing a part of the golden arches and knowing what the rest of the picture would look like. This problem can also show up in the social arena with not seeing the whole picture in non verbal signals from peers on the playground. These delays can make it harder to socialize with kids her own age. Kate recomended homeschooling and Montessori. So I am now working with her at home at her own pace, and some of the behavior that she learned from having to cope with her disabilities in a stressfull environment are beginning to diminish and her confidence is returning. Kate also recommended vision therapy and auditory processing therapy which we are beginning. I am excited about teaching her at home. After all, how many more years till she spreads her wings. There is so much I want to share with her, not to mention, time I want to spend with her. Homeschooling does reguire " me time " and that is important for the balance. She also needs me to be " teacher' in the morning and " mother " in the afternoon. Here is a link to a good home schooling support organization: http://www.hsc.org/ Mellin, Mother of Gwendolyn Rose (mds) From: LDSAngel77@... Reply-To: MosaicDS Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2001 00:09:34 EDT To: MosaicDS Subject: Re: A meticulas parent I think she sounds like a great mother! We all know how much harder we have to fight for our special needs kids than for any others... and I myself will admit that at times i'm just too exhausted to keep up the fight, so I say good for her for taking so much time, effort and persistance in regards to her childs educational needs!!! Got me all riled up... so now i'm going to write up a letter to 's teacher about the work she has been giving him that is totally beyond his abilities... i wrote on one assignment " this is way beyond 's abilities " ... a couple days later, another assignment comes home and she writes on it, " this one will be a challenge " ... a challenge??? again, its an assignment that is not able to comprehend at his level of development. grrrrr.... anyone ever consider homeschooling?? heehee Angel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 10, 2001 Report Share Posted September 10, 2001 Sharon... I really am toying with the idea of pulling him out of school for the rest of the school year to see if I can do any better than the schools. I know socialization is what everyone screams about when someone says they want to homeschool, and I believe every parent who homeschools realizes how important it is before they make their decision. With being 8 now, I've been thinking about getting him involved in the Special Olympics program here in our city, especially if i pull him out of school. There's a bit of a conflict though, and I feel almost guilty about it, but i've been going to night school for a nursing degree for 2 yrs now, and next year i would HAVE to go to classes from 6am to 2pm... no night options... so my conflict is, who watches ? Do I see if I can make progress at home, then put him back, or would that be too much change for him? I'm just wracking my brain about it today.... What state are you in? do they have strict guidelines for the mentally disabled homeschooled students? Angel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 10, 2001 Report Share Posted September 10, 2001 , I'm also in California, and online today to try to find out the state guidelines for homeschooling a mentally disabled child, so maybe you have some imput there??? Do you feel Gwendolyn handled the changes well while you were trying to find her 'niche'? I'm considering pulling out the rest of this year, almost as an experiment, but to see if I can make more progress with him at home one on one, than what he's getting from school. The conflict comes in next school year, I will also be in college and won't have the option for night classes, so who watches ? But maybe if we can make some good progress this school year, he can better handle public school next year? Man-o-man...the things we mothers debate in our heads!! Angel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 10, 2001 Report Share Posted September 10, 2001 Hi Angel, I'm in Pa. and yes we have strict guidelines and all work must be reviewed by a special ed teacher. In Pa we can homeschool by the days =180 per year so if your state is like that you can homeschool starting early in the summer and after you get home from your school. It is hard when a parent must work or go to school and homeschool too but it is done. I would advise you to contact you local, county, homeschoolers group and they can give you your state guidelines and there are national groups for special need children like which is there to help us and there is a legal defense attorney group there to help also. Special Olympics is great and your county homeschoolers should have a lot of stuff going for the kids too so they don't need to miss out. This socialization stuff is throw out there to scare parents. If you have any other questions I'll be glad to help. Sharon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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