Anyone currently or thinking about homeschooling?

Jojo40

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My 9 year old son was diagnosed in February- type 1. He is the only child in a school of over 500 pupils to have diabetes. The school has been fantastic and the nurse has been in to train teachers and office reception staff to test blood and do his injections also how to recognise and treat hypos. This has allowed my son to carry on in his school life without too much disruption.
From the experience we've had I would give the schools a chance.
 
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nicolaryan09

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My son was also diagnosed in Feb, he is 5 and had already started school in the september. It was very scary trusting someone else to look after him but my god they are fantastic! The nurse went down and i sat in while they were trained. And i went down the first week to watch then inject him. He has a 'hypo box' which he keeps at school and if they are ever in doubt with anything they always ring me. They only thing i had to do was move him from school dinner to a packed lunch so i knew how many carbs were in his lunch. But i feel very comfortable he is well looked after. He has the most hypos in school and most of the time they spot them straight away. Once he moves from reception to year 1 it may all change..but for the moment im happy he can enjoy school with the rest of his friends.

I hope you have a positive experience with nursery/school.
 
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acox75

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Idiotic people, know it alls who know nothing, lazy home educators!
Hi Everyone, Been a while since posting but a lot has been going on! Firstly, my son has had a biopsy and it's now confirmed he does not have Coeliac disease although his initial bloods were positive!

He has a place in nursery (1st choice:)) and they have said I can go in with him daily to help with his Diabetes. Yay!! They are feeling a little overwhelmed by all the info and really need help. I have confirmed to them I want my son to do his own thing and I will not be fussing him or being around him as I'm there to help all the children as a volunteer and obviously see to my son in need of testing, bolusing, exercise, etc... I'm sooo happy they have said I can stay and I will most likely continue to do so into Reception and Year 1. I feel much less stressed now that I can be with my baby when he needs me:) He has also been toilet training which he has mastered very quickly except for the very odd accident when we're out and he's too busy playing!

With regards to homeschooling, we took our son to the nursery induction day at the school and he loved it!! It will now be an extreme circumstance in which we will consider homeschooling as he was so happy at the nursery and that is what we want - for him to be happy. As I will be there too, nothing drastic should occur but if so, homeschooling will be a last resort.
 
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gemma.88

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Schools and nurseries are so good with diabetes. My sons school deal with everything they have all the teachers to do with my son trained in hypos n what to do and have 2 staff trained on carb counting and to do his injections, one of the staff is t1 her self and the other is a nurse, I was so relieved when It all got sorted xx
 
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TorqPenderloin

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Homeschooling your children shelters them from the real world. I hate to say it, but I've never met an adult who was homeschooled and who wasn't socially awkward.

Sheltering your kids like that only means they're going to act out at the first sign of freedom. These are the kids who drop out of college becuase they discover alcohol for the first time, or the kids who fail their classes because mommy and daddy aren't looking over their shoulders anymore.


Edited by a mod to remove deleted post and reference to it
 
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Victorri

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I'm a guide leader and we currently have a child with us who is home schooled and you can tell in respect that she doesn't socialise well with the other and actually is quite mischievous and lazy. I'm not saying all home schooled children are like this but from my experience I would not home school my children
 
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acox75

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Me and my husband had already decided we would homeschool our kids even before we got married. It was a mutual decision, though his parents didn't favor our decision. I guess they thought we would eventually change our minds once we actually had kids but we held our ground and today it's been almost three and a half years of homeschooling a son and a daughter, and if I may add, three successful years at that. Here's why I think homeschooling is a good option over the traditional way of schooling:
- Freedom of choice to learn how, what and when you want: And for as long as you want, provided the basics are all covered, depending on ability, maturity and levels of interest. Love Maths more? Spend your mornings and evenings on Math. Science fascinates you? Perfect - devote extra time in this area. Up to you.
- Perfect teacher/student ratio: Whether it be the number of students for which a teacher is responsible or the degree of connection present between the teacher and student or even the amount of dedication a teacher has for a particular child, homeschooling excels on all these fronts.
- Plethora of online resources available: Each child has different needs when it comes to learning, the primary reason homeschooling scores over the traditional method of schooling. And there is such a wide variety of resources available online to choose from. With some research you can mix and match from different sources and zero in on what exactly suits your child. For instance, let's look at it this way: suppose you have a pre-schooler and wish to begin homeschooling her from that young age. Get her started on preschool games like these which will be fun to play as well as will make her learn stuff without even realizing it! Or in case you have a fifth grader and he's very interested in science, there are so many sites out there which will offer you ready-made worksheets and printables you can use to aid learning at home.
- Integrated and consistent education: Being managed by the same person over a long period of time, homeschooling can be looked at as a long-term plan in which the parent is intimately involved with the student and depending upon the particular child's capabilities and aptitudes, can decide how to go about teaching him so that he comes out to be a well-rounded and well-balanced individual in all aspects.


Hi Kathryn, Can I just ask, how old are your children? My son started nursery in September and we're not fully satisfied with his care. We're still thinking about home ed but are concerned about socialising. Did your children attend many groups/activities to become socialised? If so, how often? Thanks
 

acox75

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So, about 3 weeks ago we took our son out of nursery and decided to home educate him. This was the best decision we made! Staff at his school were not really interested in learning about his Diabetes management and we had no confidence in them being competent. I had been volunteering in school since September and knew none of them were signed off to look after him. His education needs were not being met either as they told me he is very advanced in Maths and Literacy but didn't seem interested in stretching his abilities. Although my son is always a happy boy, he has been even happier since leaving nursery. He has no more of "you need to sit and listen", "cross your legs and sit still", "I'm talking so you listen", "magnetic eyes on me", "no you can't do that", etc... He has a lot of new friends as we attend regular groups/meet ups with other home educated kids and his confidence has really grown. He can also read short sentences and can spell a lot of words. Basically, he's thriving!! I am following the curriculum as we want his to be educated well although at home. Message me if anyone wants a chat.
 

Brunneria

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I have met several adults who were homeschooled, and they have all been exceptionally developed in the educational areas their parents valued, and very under-developed in areas that the parents were unequipped to deal with. One woman was incapable of dealing with confrontation (I am talking about normal, healthy discussion, not massive rows), one young adult was incapable of sharing, or working with others... I could list more.

I completely achnowledge that this is as much due to parenting, as it is due to education, but if that is the case, then having parents as teachers is likely to compound any issues the parents may bring to the situation.

Having had to try and work with these (previously homeschooled) individuals, I am concerned that homeschooling can result in problems - not because homeschooling is wrong (it isn't) but because every body else is brought up within the school system, and receives lessons and socialization that allows them to negotiate adult life with a common language. Having a range of teachers, good and bad, is as important as the social side of school. Being at home with a single teacher can be incredibly limiting. Homeschooling can mean other vital lessons may be missed. For example, learning to concentrate when other kids are being distracting in the classroom, or having to speak up in front of 30 others, some of whom are hostile, not being the centre of attention all day, having to share resources and equipment...

I have liked all 8 of the individuals I have worked with who had been homeschooled. But every one of them has been challenging, and I think they found it challenging too. A good friend of mine deeply regrets being homeschooled and says that she feels it robbed her of being able to be normal. I would not wish a child of mine to go through that experience. Sometimes, the most unpleasant aspects of school are the most valuable preparation we can have for the rest of our lives.
 
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TorqPenderloin

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@Brunneria I couldn't agree more. I have yet to meet an adult who was homeschooled and could function in a team business setting much less function in society.

You simply cannot learn social skills from occasional weekly interactions and certainly not with parents constantly in attendance as well.

I don't mean this rude, it's just my personal experience, but it usually begins with the parents who have nesting issues and cannot allow their children to learn life lessons on their own. As you mentioned, these children are often brilliant, but lack social and critical thinking skills that cannot be learned from a book.

Part of life is making mistakes so you can learn from them, learn how to manage them, and hopefully learn not to do them again. Without those life lessons you'll always be relying on someone else (mommy and daddy) to be solving every problem for you.

Aside from children with debilitating diseases or disabilities (diabetes not being one of them) I truly believe that homeschooling your child is essentially setting them up to be "socially disabled" as an adult.
 

acox75

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Well I guess you're all entitled to your opinions but it suits my son better which is what matters. Socialization was a concern for us but he goes to groups/activities daily and does learning at home daily too. He meets new children and regular ones all the time and has no problems sharing or communicating. I am also following the national curriculum to ensure he learns all he needs to.
 
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1Sarah1

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Hi
So I was type1 aged 2 and was at mainstream school. In those days diabetes wasn't very common but luckily my mum managed to keep me ok most of the time for school.
My daughter is just 2 and diagnosed in December and can't tell us when she is hypo. I'm actually on maternity leave now after having twins which is a blessing as honestly I'm so worried about her either going to nursery and eventually school. I'm just not sure how they are going to support her (with a pump).
I hear what people say about homeschooling and do agree about being more rounded at school however until you have been through it yourself or with a child with diabetes from a young age I think it's difficult to know what to do and you just have to work out the best option. It doesn't mean things can't change in the future.
 
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acox75

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Hi 1Sarah1, We always said that we would put our son into nursery and if they messed up then he would come out. The teacher and TA's showed no interest in learning about his Diabetes management because I was at the school everyday with my son. I finally met with SENCO (for the first time since September) first day back to school after Christmas and she said she was surprised I was still at school as she would have thought staff would be signed off within 4 weeks! She advised that I should try and push them more!! They had already had 4 sessions of training with the DN's and felt they needed more! My son is also on the pump and I think they just couldn't be bothered with it. He also has a CGM which has an alarm alerting if he's high/low which was not checked by anyone whilst ringing - I had to bring it to their attention!! How could I possibly leave my son in their care?

SENCO was also concerned that staff weren't stretching my son's learning although they knew he was able. When I asked his teacher, she said it was because he doesn't sit and listen! He would sit and listen but liked to sit with his friends which they would not let him! Why? I felt he was being singled out for displaying certain behaviours when he was not the only one! I watched it all happening since September but felt that was their way of handling all the children but after Christmas, it became apparent this was not so and unacceptable.
There's actually a lot more that happened but you can get the general idea!
 

scoopy1974

Newbie
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Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Insulin
Hi
My sons school have been brilliant also our diabetic nurse, he visits schools and trains staff. My son is 11 but diagnosed at 9 on of his best friends in the class was diagnosed at 2 and this is one of the most reassuring things about him being at school is that the children in his class, friends that have learnt about diabetes now know what to look for and often point out to the staff if they think he's hypo. Yes there's been occasions when we've had to go up the school but I've had to do that with both my other children and there not diabetic.
Not saying either way course it's your choice but just wanted give our experiences to help if it does
Good luck in whatever you choose
 

carty

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My daughter is 31
now and never went to school and she is the most balanced and independent person that you could meet .She is out in Africa at the moment doing voluntary. work and so has been in contact with many different people in all walks of life.She has done accounts for a building site ,shopped in the local market .taken wheelbarrow to be mended and negotiated the price ,driven the JCB and much more When in a discussion about home schooling she waited until everyone had their say before saying that she was educated at home and it was the best thing that her mother did

CAROL (proud mum)
 
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acox75

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So nearly 7 weeks into Home educating our son, everyone has noticed a difference in him! He has become very confident, imaginative and very talkative since leaving nursery. He can do simple addition, has learnt to read short sentences and attends phonics, drama and French sessions weekly. In addition, he has meet ups in between with other Home Ed kids and has a great time interacting and socialising. He spends a lot more time outdoors and enjoys doing many arts and crafts projects. We are following the curriculum and he is actually at Reception level already whereas at nursery he wasn't allowed to be so ahead as the other children needed to catch up. Overall, we feel he is developing very well educationally and medically as the lack of stress has stabilized his blood sugars further.
Basically Home Ed is suiting him and we have full support from family, friends and my son's Diabetes team. We are very proud of him and he is in no way "socially disabled" now or likely to be!