Hi all,

Could you help me please?

My sister-in-law Julie is considering homeschooling her daughter Jessica who is 8. Hubby Dennis isn't so sure. They have 3 kids but the other two are much older and out of the house now.

Jessica was in a little charter school and apparently wasn't able to sit still and concentrate. (She likes to get up and sing and do her own thing)! She had to get tested and was diagnosed with ADD. (She's on medicine but I don't think it's Ritlin. )

Last year Hurricane Floyed flooded their home and completely wiped out the little school! The kids have been moved around a lot between various trailers and church halls. Enough disruption to affect any child IMO!

Well,this september Julie decided to put Jess in public school and things are not going well. The teachers are saying that although she can read very well, she's unable to comprehend what she's reading. And again they complain that she is very disruptive in class and needs more Psych testing. (Also Julie says this school is constantly sending kids home with catalogs expecting them to go out door to door selling greetings cards etc. etc. They seem to be obsessed with making money). She's getting very discouraged.

I wonder if you would all mind writing an account of your own experiences. What events made you decide to take your kids out of school? How did they react? What is working for you? What didn't work? Just general encouragement.

They don't have a computer but I know Julie is reading everything she can on ADD. She hates having Jess on this medicine. She says when it wears off at the end of the day Jess is very crabby and difficult to deal with. More so than on the weekends when she doesn't give her the meds at all.

I was thinking of printing out your responses on some nice paper, rolling it up and tying it with a ribbon and giving it to Dennis and Julie as part of their Christmas present. Maybe it will give them the courage to take the plunge!

I look forward to reading your accounts. I homeschool our son who's 5 but don't have the experience of taking an older child out of school. They the advice of people "in the know".

Thank you all in advance!!

Pauline in NC

-- Pauline (tworoosters_farm@altavista.com), December 05, 2000

Answers

If I was your sister, I would pull that little girl out of that school right now, and get her off that medicine at once. The medicine is way overused, and NOT good for the child in the long run. The school gets more money for children who are coded with some disability, which is why they try to code as many as possible. I would love to write more on this topic, but have to go to town -- but I know there are a lot of other mom's on this forum who will say all I would like to, and more. Best wishes to you and your family.

-- Kathleen Sanderson in NH (stonycft@worldpath.net), December 05, 2000.

Pauline: I am in about the same situation as your sister and brother in law. Hubby and I are raising our 9 year old granddaughter, who also was diagnosed with ADHD. Had a very stressful life, mom who didn't take care of, lots of moves, etc. Then was left with us permanently by her mom, while her half brother was kept by his father when the couple divorced. Lots of trauma, but she also was diagnosed before all the problems as being ADHD. Put on 3 different meds, but I didn't notice a change in her behavior, and neither did the teachers at school. They thought she was lazy, because she read way above her grade level. We have taken her to numerous psychologists and a couple psychiatrists, and one very good psychologist told me that the brain processes used in reading and using a computer, are different, and that is why usually these kids read well, and can sit for hours doing computer work or games, but not be able to concentrate on anything else, like math. We bit the bullet and pulled her out of public school this year, and most days I repeat, MOST days, she does much better. She is able to accomplish in about 4 hours what would have taken her a couple days to do in public school. If your sister in law is able to be home, or her husband, and can work with their daughter, I would recommend it. There are lots of programs out there available, and the public library has the information for free to use in homeschooling. If you want to email me for more info, please do. I'm glad we made the move. Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), December 05, 2000.

I have a problem with giving a child meds for 5 days straight then off for 2 over and over it has to shock the system .Has Jess been tested for food allergys and also enviromental allergys ?Reactions can differ from child to child.I think home schooling would be a good idea .I would try to put her in some activites to use up all that energy skating ,basketball ect.

-- Patty (fodfarms@slic.com), December 05, 2000.

When my daughters asked to be homeschooled, they were home by the end of the week and we haven't looked back since.

I have a kindergarten kid who would probably be labeled HADD if she were to go to public school. She learned her alphabet and counting to 20 jumping on a trampoline. She can spend all day on the computer with a kindergarten program, but only has a three minute attention span for doing workbooks.

This is why I homeschool. We can learn in a way that is best for her instead of drugging her and trying to make this square peg fit in the round holes of public school. At homeschool, she can be successful.

I know many adults who were labelled HADD as children. Some struggled through without being medicated and some grew up on Ritalin. Guess which ones are successful adults? Educating our children is about raising successful adults, not about jumping through hoops on a time schedule.

There are many homeschool support groups for families with learning problems. Perhaps you can go to some homeschool forums and online magazines for more information.

-- Laura (gsend@hotmail.com), December 05, 2000.

I am an ancient parent who had children before it was legal to homeschool in my state. The school and I had a running battle over the medication thing because my pediatrition did not believe in Ritalin and said my son needed to learn how to work with his energy level. His cousin was put on the meds and I don't see where it benefited him. I ended up teaching my son everything he learned because they didn't know take the time to teach him in the way he could learn. He was a kinetic learner and really needed to be "in motion" to have his brain working right. They had him the best hours of the day and I was left with the leftovers. It is so nice to have the home school option now, and I sure would in a heart beat. So many of the hours in public school are spent on "fluff" and so many children don't really have patience with the "fluff" and end up to be discipline problems. I don't know if this will help your sister but I sure would a given anything to have the option to homeschool. diane

-- Diane Green (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), December 05, 2000.

I am in agreement with the others. Bring her home where people love her and care about what will work best for HER! The ps system isn't really equipped to meet the needs of someone who steps outside of the "norm". To be quite honest in my experience they look at it as a bother. No one knows or cares about your child as much as you do, therefore wont put in the effort you will.

My child did much better without ritalin. We work at our own pace and in the style she learns best. Wouldn't have it any other way if at all possible!

-- Denise (jphammock@msn.com), December 05, 2000.

Hello, I am with the rest of the group. Homeschool this child!!! I homeschool my children, one of which clearly was ADHD and I am also a foster parent who has homeschooled foster children with ADHD. Medication is not always the best route -a very few children need meds but most need a new way of thinking. When you homeschool you can work with the child's most productive time, the child is not faced with "interpersonal interaction " with other children(which for ADHD is often frustrating. The child with ADHD is very sensitive and is often labelled --deserved or not. There are tons of Homeschool resources which will best teach this child. She will learn because she will be in an environment where she is accepted . Board games, flash cards anything which causes them to move is great. The internet is great for finding resources for free--ideas and support in great abundance. Things to keep in mind ; follow the rules/laws of your state (or Province--for us Canadians eh!) become a member of the Homeschool Legal Defense--along with legal advice they also have a list of groups which will provide support. Best of Luck. Keep us posted. Faith

-- Faith (foureverfaith@hotmail.com), December 05, 2000.

Friends of mine had the same problem with ADD. The school insisted on Ritalin or he wouldn't be allowed to return to school. She wasn't happy about the meds either. Someone told her about a connection between ADD and highly processed foods. Has your sister-in-law researched that?

Basically, my friend took her son off anything that was processed. She made everything from scratch with fresh ingredients. Lots of veggies and fruit, no boxed, packaged, frozen stuff. Said it made a world of difference in a short time. Once in a while they break down and take him out for Mc Donalds, but usually regret it later.

Good luck to her.

-- jennifer (schwabauer@aol.com), December 05, 2000.

Does your sister-in-law live in NC? It's an easy state to homeschool in. We took my daughter out after going around and around with the ps she attended. We told her teacher our family was going on vacation, with a lot of educational sights incorporated. Upon our return, the principal informed us that these were unexcused absences. We were supposed to write him a letter, explain when and where we were going, and if he deemed it educational it would be excused. People, please watch out. I know there are some good schools, but not many. Every year the schools want more and more control over your children, and they will take it, if you are willing to give it.

-- Lena(NC) (breezex4@go.com), December 05, 2000.

Here's our story, forgive me if it's to long. I have a 12 yr old son who we just took out of ps earlier in Nov. so we're new at homeschooling, but are having a great time. I'm sure if I'd allowed my son to be tested he would have been diagnosed with ADD but I refused, the ps he started in K and 1st grade was real small and had wonderful teachers, he had no problems, we moved back to our hometown ( a new larger school) but still was doing o.k. A's and B's most of the time he sat close to the teachers desk, or on the front end row, to allow for as little distraction as possible ( I requested this). Starting in 5th grade last year, he went to a new building, and they change classes for every class, don't have a desk just a locker and can't take their backpacks from room to room cause you know they may have a knife or gun!! Well all this commotion in between classes just thru him for a loop, he couldn't focus on what he needed for his next class, was worried constantly about being late for class, wouldn't go to the bathroom, so when he got to class and didn't have the right materials and needed to go to the b-room he got marks for having to make a locker trip etc. which results in detetions if you get to many, he was in tears most nights for forgetting certain books or papers. See I don't call my son ADD, to me it's more of a overstimulation problem, when to much activity is going on around him, he can't concentrate on the task at hand and forgets, loses track of things etc. (sometimes this is called lazy,not caring etc.) the thing was is he did care if he didn't why was he in tears every night. After last year I started remembering him as a younger child, when he was an infant he screamed when i took him to the store, I thought it was because we didn't go many places, when he was a toddler he was a total brat at Wal-Mart, when we had company or any change or excitement in our house he bounced off the walls, even as a older child when we went to the store even though he was forwarned there would be no toy buying and he agreed he could handle it, if we would just go LOOK down the toy isle, well he couldn't handle it, it was to much for him and resulted in begging for things which resulted in me being upset with him and him being disciplined, even today I can watch him at Wal-Mart he is so in awe at all "The STUFF" it's to much for him to take in, therefore when he started a new school where they have all this commotion and activity going on he was beside himself trying to cope. So now today, I see that as an infant the sounds, colors, and different noises were to much stimulation for him, as a toddler I thought he was a brat, he was overstimulated which made him react, once when he was about 7 he took Karate but when they started sparing with each other in one big room, he couldn't concentrate on his individual partner so he wanted to quit. I also have made changes in his diet, all of ours, I try to make all our food from scratch and limit sugar, and NO CAFFEINE or other simulants. My dh wasn't exaclty supporting the homeschooling notion so we started him this year in ps hopeing for a better year, but it didn't work out like that so we pulled him out. I'm just now learning what works best for him, what kind of learner he is, like with his math, he would rather get up to the dry erase board and do his problems in BIG exagerated motions and have me tell him right then and there whether they're right or not, I think he retains more when I read instructions to him aloud, instead of him reading them, or showing him how, so he's not going to be an independent learner even though he's 12, we're still learning though and will keep exploring different methods. He needs to move, we take lots of breaks, he normally has 25 math problems a day and after 10-13 he needs a break then after finishing the rest of them another break, it takes a lot out of him, if I see him rubbing his head, eyes or shaking his head I send him outside for some fresh air and to run around a bit. Well I've said plenty! LOL I'm very opposed to meds, I have a 15 yr old niece who's been on meds since she was 5 and she is really out there in left field. Why do you give a child a pill for having to much energy? Carol in Tx

-- Carol (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), December 05, 2000.

Hello pauline,

I homeschooled my son at the ripe old age of 16 becasue he had, as the school psychologist who evaluated him in western NYS said, "he had a mild case od ADD." Well.... I ended up struggling with him for a few more years before I said "ENOUGH!" And you want to hear the sad part about it? I teach special education in a public school system. I feel that children with ADD or ADHD have to be given a different approach to learning, its more kinisthic, or body movement. You have to provide them with more hands on as they are active and loose focus in a lecture type setting. they also require more breaks in instruction which most general education teachers do not understand... why? because they don't want to be bothered with anything outside of the box. Grant it there are some teachers who will and do try, however, the consensus is most will not. I get so frustrated with general ed teachers and their attitudes.

Thats why i pulled my son and homeschooled him here in VA. I taught in NC for a yr and know they are fairly "homeschooling friendly" In fact if i dig through my files i can find the name of the lady i contacted early on who is located in NC that helped me with my son and the regulations. i would also suggest joining the homeschooling assoc just in case you need their help, they were asking for 100.00 membership but they were there to help if legal issues arose. Since I was already a teacher i was able to home school as a certified tutor and could create my own curriculum. i do know that the home or district school you live in will require you to meet certain criteria by the end of the yr. Its part of accountability and scoring. if your child passes their tests then you can continue homeschooling, if not then you have to put them back in public school. please check this as this was the case a few yrs ago when i did it. it may have changed by now. I at least hope it did.

I wish you all the luck in discussing this with them and hope they will strongly consider it. Did you also know that a child with ADD or ADHD is eligible for specail education services under section 504? Please check it out. I would highly recommend homeschooling if possible, nothing can compare with the bond you and the child will develop at that level and the experiences you can have. It was definately positive for me. I think if school personnel were more understanding then maybe half the discipline issues might be different. I guess i am very opionated when it comes to issues such as this so please forgive my grandstanding. if I can help anyone in their homeschooling pursuits please let me know.... I'd be glad to help.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), December 05, 2000.

What Kate really said, Is that we pulled our kids out because: while in a small school first and second grades were together. Manya was in first grade doing second grade work . Her new teacher refused to give her harder work because it would mess up Manya future teachers!!! Kate then homeschooled until High school at which time they enrolled in a small Christian school. Cedar's Sat score was in the top 5% a year later Manyas' was in the top 3% of the nation. Manya has now graduated from college and is teaching at this little school. Cedar went to college and got her MRS degree, she is now pre- teaching her 2 year old, and plans to homeschool. Oh by the way we ALL had fun doing it! Yours Greg Kathleen's 25 year hubby

-- Greg Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), December 05, 2000.

My questions is: What is this child eating? I have a niece & nephew who eat nothing but sugar and pre-processed foods and their behavior absolutely shows it in every way. When they've been with us for a few days (after their withdrawals- yes physical withdrawals - wear off) you can see a noticable difference in their behavior and concentration levels. People just don't understand the connection between these sugar filled and pre-processed foods and their childrens behavior. Give it a test. Get the child onto some whole foods - no sugar! Try to get Organic eggs, meat, whole grain breads & cereals, fresh fruits & vegetables. You will see a noticeable difference in a few days. My sister-in-law likes to argue about how expensive whole/organic foods are compared to pre-processed, pre- packaged foods, but she's the first one to go out and buy a new video game with the $$ that would be better spent on good food. And, don't get me started on the TV/video game thing, because I firmly believe that it adds to behavior and concentration problems for children. Our little boy (3 yrs old) gets very little TV/video and has a diet full of good food and is much better off because of it. So, I'm not just talking from ideals and not practical experience.

-- Rose Marie Wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), December 05, 2000.

I can't begin to express the joy, contentment, relief, & progress our 8 yr. old son has made, since pulling him out of public school last April. He even thanked us for doing it, he has become so loving, he hugs, kisses, & smiles all the time now. People who have their children in ps, need to realize that things may go on behind closed doors that they don't know about. My son was going to a small school,(12 kids to one teacher) I had always been involved as a room mother, & thought I knew what his school environment was like. Until the day I picked him up & he just let loose. The teacher had been mocking him, embarassing him on purpose, frequently called him a spoon fed baby in front of his peers, & who knows what else. After drying our tears my husband went to the school the next morning & confronted her, she actually admitted it, but of course the damage was done. We took him up to the school so she could apologize to him, & of course he's never been back. So, on top of an attention/learning problem we had to work on getting his self-esteem back. What we've found now is that he never really had a learning problem atleast not to the extent that the school seemed to think he had, in fact I just talked to a mother that's son is in the same grade, she said they are all struggling in math right now, when she told me what they were doing I was elated, my son just finished that (after mastering it), so he's actually ahead in math, not bad for a kid that was always behind & deemed uneducable. After hearing other stories I'm convinced that public schools are largely responsible for destroying self esteem in children, more so the ones that have trouble learning or paying attention, because they are the ones that will get yelled at all the time. I love it that I can work with my son at his pace, make the curriculum fit his needs, & take breaks when he needs them not because it's "time" to. And if he's not "getting" something, we stick with it until he does, rather than go on & let him fall through the cracks. There are also groups to get involved with, we go skating, & bowling with other families,& take field trips. Homeschooling is the best!

-- Lenore (archambo@winco.net), December 05, 2000.

My son was diagnosed at the age of 5 as having ADHD...and it was hinted at that he could be a danger to himself and others as well. The diagnosis was made by a child neurologist (at $200 per visit). We tried 13 different medications....it was a nightmare. My son wasn't learning in school...however he did get compliments on his behavior. He wasn't on medication at this time as we decided against it after our first experience. I removed my son from public school (his sister also). I reasoned that if he wasn't learning in school how much worse could I do. There were some other very important reasons too but I'll stick with the accademic aspects. I've been homeschooling for over 4 years now and this is what I have learned. I truly believe at least 90% of the children that are medicated don't need to be. I found that my son was just normally active and excessively curious...so he asked lots of questions and talked a lot (this is also a sign of intelligence I might add). He is hardheaded and not fond of sitting still inside when he could be outside exploring, fishing, riding his bike etc. I think this is normal. Did you enjoy sitting in a hard desk learning about things that you might have no interest in all day? I have had to be very firm in disciplining him. He is now 12....and as nice a young man as you would ever want to meet. Is he still very active, full of energy and occasionally drive me nuts?....of course! About the only concession I make for him as opposed to his sister is we do a lot of review. His mind is so quick it is like it is always jumping to the next thing, and if he didn't particularly care for what he just learned he'll forget it. Review takes care of that. Unfortunately public schools aren't big on reviewing or teaching the basics firmly either. My children have done so much better in homeschooling there is no comparison. I couldn't put them back in public school now if I wanted too....they are too advanced. Please take your child off of medication and put her in a loving but firm home environment....your efforts will be rewarded. It does take some time and at first it sure isn't easy but it will get to the point that your children are a joy to be around. I'd also like to add that a lot of the 'ADD' behavior some kids exhibit is picked up from other kids at school. Also at home I can monitor what my children watch, listen to and play. I think this also makes a big difference.

-- Amanda in Mo (aseley@townsqr.com), December 05, 2000.

Pauline,

Please, please look into a book called IS THIS YOUR CHILD? by Dr Doris Rapp. (Library usually has it. I refer to mine constantly) It has so much information about this particular problem. My doctor wanted my son checked for ADD but it turned out to be a dairy allergy. Ice creams and cheese gives him a personality change the NEXT DAY! I don't homeschool because I don't believe I can. (I know people, we talked about this before but you don't know my son)

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), December 06, 2000.

16 years ago I pulled my son out of public school in 3rd grade. Teachers said he was slow, wanted to put him in a special class. I told them they were nuts, he just didn't want to DO it. But they insisted that it is up to the child to get an A or an F. They just let him goof off and talk in class as much as he wanted. At home he would get 100% on his spelling test, at school, an F. They didn't care.

He had A+ all the way thru homeschooling, by himself. He actually is very smart, school bored him. He graduated high school homeschooling in 3 years instead of the normal 4. I did try to let him go to junior high in public school, but it didn't last more than 4 months. He completely changed, turned ugly, and all he thought about was going STEADY. At 15. Grades went to D's and F's. Pulled him out. He knew the rules going in, and he blew it, not me.

Actually, nutrisweet is very bad for kids with ADD. Real sugar is better, real everything is better. I never had my son tested, but he had all the signs. I would NOT have put him on the meds anyway, and I didn't want him to think less of himself or have an EXCUSE for not doing his best, so no test. But I cleaned up all the food, got rid of the soda pop, had loving but stict rules and he did much better. Artificial colors and flavors are the worst for ADD. KIX was the only cereal he could have. Cereals have preservatives in the wax paper lining! Read the lables. Red meat has dyes, all these are bad for kids with this.

I know people with kids on Ritalin for years and they let them eat all fast food and microwave "crunchy stuff", and their kids are so overweight they can't play sports or anything. They just sit around and eat and play video games, no activity, no outside, won't even walk to the bus stop, have to be driven. I would rather let the kid be normal, get outside and play.

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@msn.com), December 06, 2000.

Pauline -- First of all, tell her to get the child OFF of the drugs. Drugs for ADD treat the SYMPTOMS of the problem -- the poor kid is living in a haze -- no wonder she's not comprehending what she's reading!!! She's spaced out!

My son is in the same boat. There were complications with his birth and I thought for a very long time that this was part of his problem (I thought he was "born like that"). Well, I wasn't wrong. He does suffer from ADD -- but it's caused by food allergies. Tell Julie to get herself over to the nearest health food store and ask them for any information on Food Allergies and Behaviorial disorders. Doris Rapp is an EXCELLENT author on this subject. Anything they have on the Feingold Diet is also excellent. Even if you don't follow it, it sure is an eye opener. Free to Fly is another book that is a big eye- opener -- but I think it's Canadian (don't know if you'd be able to get it down there -- you might try www.chapters.ca).

Then, tell her to pull the child from school. The public school system, IMHO, is nothing more than a marketing scam. It has been proven and documented that the public school system does nothing more than churn out "workers". They streamline our children and anyone who doesn't "fit" gets shunted to the side, and labelled. That along with all the "fundraising" makes me wonder, what happened to the tax dollars we all pay to "fund" the schools?

A homeschooling family does NOT need computer access. The Internet is a fantastic tool for this, and a wonderful addition, but definitely NOT necessary. The local library is a great starting point.

Another thing you could do for their Xmas gift is send away for some homeschooling catalogues (Abeka is great) and parcel them up, too. Catalogues are free. Another great gift would be Linda Dobson's book "Homeschooling: The Early Years" or any of the "What Your *th Grader Needs to Know". Both are available through Amazon for reasonable prices.

Further than this, if Julie wants to speak to a mom who took the plunge knowing ZIP other than that her child was unhappy and not having his needs met, tell her to email me. I'd be more than happy to give what little counsel I can.

-- Tracy (trimmer@westzone.com), December 06, 2000.

I'm back with a little more to contribute. When we started homeschooling (seventeen years ago) I knew nothing, and there wasn't a whole lot of information available, not like there is now. The first year, we only finished half of the work in the curriculum we'd chosen, and, thinking I'd failed, we enrolled the two older girls in a very small ps for first and third grades. Lo and behold, they were on or above their grade levels!! (No tv and pretty much natural foods helped, too, I'm sure.) Well, after that year, and the experience my husband mentioned above with the next years teacher saying she couldn't allow our daughter to work ahead of her grade level, I decided that we couldn't do much worse than the ps, even if the girls didn't do *any* work at home!! Of course, they did do their work, and always scored high on the achievement tests, which let me know we were doing all right academically and could keep going. I think that any parent that can read, and really cares about their children, can do a far better job of educating their children that any school can.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), December 06, 2000.

I agree with all the people who have suggested no drugs and take the kids out of school immediately. This Ritalin thing is no 1984ish its creepy. Just thought I'd add, for anyone who may be interested in the concept of 'unschooling', rather than just homeschooling, the best book on the subject is THE TEENAGE LIBERATION HANDBOOK; HOW TO QUIT SCHOOL AND GET A REAL EDUCATION. You can email me if you'd like to buy one from a small company. Unschooling is for folks who dont think much of structure, who want their children to grow up free thinkers and believers in their own magnificence, making pretty much their own decisions what and how to study when. It is not for those who prefer lots of rules and discipline,and tend to see things in black and white.

-- Earthmama (earthmama48@yahoo.com), December 06, 2000.

To add another voice of comfort and support, I thought I'd join in. I had a friend with four children, ages 3-9, all with ADHD, and she homeschooled them all. Their reasons were that the small school system just couldn't provide the extra attention for children with special needs as well as religious reasons. My daughter is 8, normal and healthy, but I took her out of school for a number of reasons. I just didn't like the personality she was developing. She became a stranger to me while in school and would come home and flop down in front of tv. She would fight constantly with the younger children and could not make her own decisions. She connected only with peers. Since I kept her home she is far more independent, watches almost no tv, helps around the house without my asking, and is more empathetic and generous with her sisters. We communicate alot better now. Not all can do it, but if it is an option, go for it!

-- Epona (crystalepona2000@yahoo.com), December 06, 2000.

Can I put my 2 bits in?? We are a homeschool family of 10 years. The first reason we went this route was for our oldest boy, then 3rd grade, diagnosed ADD and put on ritalin. The Rx was a big help for him.Just having me sit in the room while he worked made a BIG difference in his life. Not being a problem child for the public school teacher, who just doesn't have the time these kids need, was a major relief in his life. After a few years we discovered video school. By then Joel was off of his meds as we found a nutritionist/chiropractor who discovered that he had food allergies that showed up as ADD type symptoms.He was treated for the allergies, steers lightly away from the offensive food (Who could totally quit ice cream??) Back to the video school. We used ABEKA from Pennsicola Christian College. It is challenging and all inclusive. I just supervise and grade tests and cheer them on. It seems that using a combination of writing(note taking), watching a teacher and classmates, and the listening skills it takes to follow along all worked as a winning combination for him. We have discovered his brother works especially well with earplugs tuned into the set to keep him focused. I'm sure that if he were in government school, he too would have had some difficulties of his own. To encourage you some more, this year Joel and his sister are both in college and doing nicely. Joel will always have his share of difficulties in life- who doesn't. As soon as he quits fighting the Lord and gives Him his whole heart and mind-OH!- the man Joel will be!! God bless. Keep us posted. Q.

-- queen (queenbuffness@hotmail.com), December 09, 2000.

Hi Pauline I am a teacher who has worked in special ed for many years and tutored after that. Right now I'm working in a small private kindergarten which is so great. Anyway I just thought I would let you know that I have lots of good curriculum ideas for kids. Stuff that they really like that can help them move really fast academically. So if you would like any ideas in that area please email me and I would be glad to help. I really think that public school is only good to the average child and certainly not the best place for any child. Homeschooling is a big committment but it can be a wonderful time for both parent and child. Hope it all works out well. Nancy

-- Nancy Steele (nsteele@theofficenet.com), December 11, 2000.