Anyone Else Currently Homeschooling?

[lcertuche]

I homeschool my 12 year old and 15 year old boys. I decid ed to do it for a year and see how it goes. Right now they are rebelling about it. I homeschooled the 12 year old for a couple of years when he was in 2nd and 3rd grade. The school was having behavior problems and put him in alternative classroom but finally just ask me to keep him at home. When I started teaching him he was way behind and it took most of the first year to catch him up to the grade level. I enjoy it for the most part but am getting tired of the stubborn angry attitude about their new school situation. I just threaten to keep them until they graduate, lol. I think they just miss the social part of school, even though they still see their friends and my older son is still on his basketball team, but now as manager. This summer they will play baseball and they are in 4H.

 

[tortoise]

Icertuche, google "counterwill" and see if anything sounds familiar. DS9 has ADHD and counterwill / oppositional defiant disorder. It was rough! My son had problems with academic fit and not getting to do any non-core classes. He has been doing 2 electives an 1 core class with academic match. Opposition is gone. A medication change helped a lot too. His angry/frustrated/lazy/sloooooooow/vindictive behaviors directly correlate with how well (or not, rather) his ADHD medication is working for him.

Homeschool is extremely difficult when children aren't feeling cooperative!

 

[tortoise]

I think ODD and counterwill overlap. However, counterwill is normal. Its normal for children to refuse commands from people they're not bonded to. It's a survival instinct. When the bond between child and caretaker is weak, the child will naturally resist taking commands. Other childhood problems like ADHD (or any of the other causes of similar symptoms) stress the relationship and counterwill is a natural consequence.

The treatment is to reduce demand, foster the relationship, and seek treatment for underlying attachment disorders. Reducing deman is difficult within a school setting, and fostering the relationship is difficult when there's so much tension.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

That sounds tough....

 

[NH Homesteader]

Haha! That's great!

 

[tortoise]

Yes, why is it that kids do so much better for anyone else, lol. People talk about my polite, sweet, helpful boys and I just shake my head in disbelief.

#metoo! Thankfully I'm seeing good behavior at home too now, but through the worst of it he was awful at home and perfect gentlemen elsewhere.

 

[YoteMeadows]

I educate at home! I have zero other friends who do :/ (something about not having the patience..LOL). My son is 10 and daughter is 3. He was in public school for kindergarten and that was it, we have been homeschooling since then..just us.

 

[NH Homesteader]

I don't have any friends that homeschool either but I live in an area with a lot of home schoolers and groups. DD is 5 and most of the groups start around 6 so we'll be busy next year probably! She takes one class now for homeschoolers that she loves (fiber arts). Otherwise we stay busy on our own too!

 

[Britesea]

It would take a lot of work on your part to organize something like that. Parents I know who have done things like that... it's all they do. Not an easy thing to do.

 

[YoteMeadows]

Exactly why I didn't, I don't have time for that. We don't mind being the odd ones out LOL