|
Homeschooling the ADDer!!!
|
Question:
There are a lot of people who are skeptical of homeschooling in
general. When they think about homeschooling an ADDer or children
with an LD, they often think it will be too hard, that they don't have
the capability, that they won't be able to succeed. It's been my
experience, however, that homeschooling a child with AD/HD, another
with abandonment issues, and a third with dyslexia and abandonment
issues isn't nearly as difficult as people would think.
Yes, it is a tremendous challenge, but with that challenge come
definite rewards. I'd much rather homeschool these three children
than go back to teaching 5 classes of 25-30 students each in the
public school. I can specialize each of my children's "class load" to
his/her learning style and interests. It is easier to find ways to
help when one of them is having problems.
An added bonus is that I know each and every person with whom they
spend quantities of time. If there is something that I feel
uncomfortable with or that I dislike, I can approach the person(s)
involved with my concerns.
Here's an article I found that articulates this far better than I have
done: http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/parenting/homeschooling.html/
Homeschooling can be a good option for those who are fed up with
trying to insure that the public school system is doing what is best
for their children. It's worth considering if the public schools
aren't serving your child's needs as well as they should.
Answer:
- The fact is most of the time the schools have too many students to help
students with ADD or LD if their modifications are complicated. Sometimes
the schools refuse to cooperate even if they are required by law to do so.
If you struggle with them then usually you don't win and they may take it
out on your kid. So homeschooling is another choice if you get frustrated
with the schools.
- Isolated? They're less isolated now than they were in public school.
On Tuesdays, they have art classes with a bunch of other kids from our
local homeschooling group. On Wednesdays, we have classes all day
long with the group. We're up to 35 kids taking Wednesday classes and
we just started August 2002. On Thursdays, we have a few kids taking
the test-taking tutorials. On Fridays, 4 kids (not mine) have voice
and piano lessons before another dozen kids arrive for choir.
One Friday a month, we go into Austin for Skate Day, which is for area
homeschoolers. 100+ hs kids in the skating rink. In addition to
that, we do occasional field trips and overnights with other hs'ing
families. They also do a bit of volunteering with local
organizations, including Boy Scouts.
- Well that might be a problem if their peers behaved better and didn't
torment them for being different. I went through regular school and was
just as isolated maybe more so than someone who was homeschooled because my
peers tormented me.
Think if they had no exposure to people making fun of them then their social
growth should be unharmed. What makes students withdrawn is social
rejection not social isolation. If they do not encounter it then they
won't be anxious or as afraid to meet people.
Think about the classical conditioning if encounters with people have alwys
been painful then they will seek to avoid them like mice learn that certain
behaviors result in electric shocks they discontinue them. If they have
never been exposed to a situation or its bad consequences then they will be
more likely to try that behavior.
Since it is better to have no experience than to have a bad experience
usually. Since many LDers and ADDers have a bad time socially as kids and
they become socially unsure of themselves more unsure than a person who's
never had much social experience then HSing is really no problem for kids
with LD since their peers usually treat them badly anyway. It was like that
in my experience we should be worried about whether normal school
environments cause a mysanthropic response to people rather than what harm
separating them from their peers might do.
|
|
