Starting out The Things.

I started homeschooling when the local school system sent them far from home. There are at least 10 schools closer, 2 in our neighborhood.

I appealed the placement and after a few weeks they were placed closer.

The school placement didn’t meet with the needs of either child.

Every child is different, and teachers have to make adjustments. Especially for younger children. It's not all cut and dry. They are all VERY different in their needs and learning styles. So again adjustments must be made. Great teachers know this. Their teachers were clueless.

Thing 1

My oldest begged to come back home because he said school was making him stupid. He was 6 and more advanced than children in his grade. He is very bright, adapts well, doesn't need constant repetition to grasp the material, he is a prolific reader, well above his peers. His teacher would not meet with me. He has medical issues, which I have to be able to trust a school and his teacher while he is away from home. I did not trust her. She did not make adjustments for his education, and I was done before the 2 week mark. He was begging to come home by day 4. This was NOT him. He has always wanted to go to school. He loved school last year, and had a brilliant 2nd teacher. He would do well in the school system, the the materials taught were challenging.  

Thing 2

My middle child age 5 (started school at age 4) also couldn't wait to go to school. I met with her teacher. I thought that this teacher was different from my sons. I was wrong. Thing 2 did OK for a few days. She was so excited, but the teacher did not get her. She is not an easy child to teach. She is very busy and very intelligent. She has to have things in her hands and fidgets all the time. She has to touch everything. She is extremely smart and also above her peers (she has scored very superior on IQ testing, twice), although she refused to read. She entered Kindergarten at 4. I think it’s unrealistic to expect not only a 4 year old, but a 5 year old to be an independent reader by that age. Back to the school. Thing 2 started getting in trouble. Every day she was sent to the thinking spot. This was for her being a child. Not because she was being naughty. Her confidence starting falling and she was saying she was stupid. I tried to reassure her that she is smart, but her confidence wasn't going back up.  She is very smart but busy. It's hard for her to keep focus, and unless it's something that interests her, she will ignore it. You have to be creative to teach her. You can not suppress this type of individuality and an institution like school is by far the worst place for children like her. I hoped it would help, but the more I learn about her as a person, the more I am convinced that it is not an option. She learns differently than "normal" children. She has to be engaged, and all of her senses ignited or she will "act up". That doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with her it means you have to figure out different ways to teach.