homeschooling curriculum

Question:
Please send any curriculum information you may have. I am interested in homeschooling my 10 year old in the fall. He has struggled so much in public school that I have to do something. His last report card consisted of all F's. He is in resources classes because he is considered average-low intelligence. I need a curriculum that will make him feel good about himself again.

Answer:
In your situation, perhaps you should consider a time with no curriculum. Usually children who have been removed from the school system need a "detox period". I've heard people recommend the guideline of one month of detox for every year in school. However, considering your son's experience, he might need even longer. During "detox" parents don't give school style work to their children. It's a time for children to discover and pursue their own interests. Or sometimes it works out to be a time where they get so bored that they are willing to try academics again.

One possiblity to explore is that your son is a late reader. It is quite common for boys not to be physiologically ready for reading until age ten or older. (See the book _Better Late Than Early_ by Raymond and Dorothy Moore.) These children often get labelled as slow learners. Does he seem *to you* like he has low-average intelligence or is this merely how they label him at school? If your son is a late reader, then most curriculum designed for his age will not be appropriate. One of my children was a late reader and we used educational software for his math (Math Blaster) because that does not require any reading skills. Once late readers do start reading, they tend to learn very quickly and soon catch up to kids who started earlier.

Even if he is not a physiologically late reader, he may have been poorly taught to read. When this skill is not in place everything else suffers. Spend time reading with him; take turns reading aloud. If he is struggling with reading, then start teaching from the beginning using a phonics based method. "Sing, Spell, Read and Write" has a program especially designed for older children, but it is fairly expensive, so you might prefer something else.