I just started homeschooling my oldest, who does have ADHD. I was not happy with the way he was treated at school. I also think he might be borderline sensory intergration disorder, he has issues with the littlest things, everything has to feel or sound just right our he can't relax.

So we started homeschooling him this school year, I thought it would be easier to send my 6 yr old to public school, just homeschool my oldest for one year and then add my 6 yr old to the mix. Big mistake, it is reallly hard for me to keep up with the school work because I am all over the place dealing with public school things.

The best thing for me was to go to our state's homeschool convention. We were able to walk around and check out all of the curriculums and think about what we know of how he learns. We found curriculums that worked with his personality.

If you are worried about teaching something you are not overly knowledgeble in, all curriculums have a teachers edition with all the answers and many of them come with the lesson plans, all you have to do is work with them to find the best fit for your child.

We love homeschooling and I am so glad we decided to do it. Good luck!

This is my third year of homeschooling, and I do NOT claim to know everything, but it was the best choice I've ever made. My son,who is almost 10 has some issues also. He was very stressed in 1st grade. He started having some nervous ticks that ended when we brought him home. Seriously. I now teach him 4th grade and my daughter 2nd grade. I combine them in every subject except math and language.We use My Father's World . Sonlight is also an all in one curriculum.

My son is able to relax and do school anywhere in the house. Example is he likes to do writing in his room at his desk, but spelling and math on the living room floor. He can't sit still, so I tend to let him move around while saying his spelling words aloud, or play with legos while doing math facts orally. He enjoys being able to be free. The trampoline also works wonders when he is feeling a bit wacky. He goes and jumps for 5 minutes, then he can focus again. Or he takes 5-15 min breaks between subjects, to play and relax his mind. He comes back much better and ready to learn.

As for being average in your education don't worry. You learn just along them. I didn't remember ANYTHING!! I was a hot so good student myself. The only subject I remember is math, but I can't teach it, I can do it. :) I have enjoyed looking things up when I don't know the answers to their questions. Better yet, I enjoy THEM looking up the answers. Computer skills. :) Have faith. You can do it. 

You can homeschool.  You really can.  The trick is to find out what way works best for you and your children.  There are so many options out there it can be overwhelming.  But don't try to do it all at once.  Start with the basics - the three R's - Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.  Just take it easy with those things for a while.  Sonlight has a great list of books on their website if you aren't sure where to start with good books.  Writing is as easy as having him keep a short diary or journal and there are lots of good math programs out there.  Don't worry about all the other stuff (science, history, etc) until you've gotten down into a groove that works.  Once you're comfortable with that and things are working, you can always slowly add in the other stuff one thing at a time so it isn't overwhelming.

And it can take a while for you kids to get used to being at home, so expect a transition period.

Just remember to have fun - if you aren't having fun homeschooling your children, you're doing something wrong.   (I'm not saying that there aren't stressful days - b/c there are.  But the overall tone of your homeschool should be one of joy, or you need to change the way you're doing things).

I'm not expert, but I do homeschool 8 children while running home business, so I understand stress. :)

Good luck!  You can do it!!

PJ

I agree with all the above posts. Relax, start out slow, and have fun. Go to the library and let your kids pick out books. Take a look at Five in a Row. It's a laid-back system of reading fun books and finding new things to learn within the stories. My kids love it!

And don't try to look like a public school.  You don't have to have a chalkboard, or a bell, or a teacher's desk, or a 7-hour school day. The point is to help your children learn what they need to know. Such a difference from teaching them to take a state exam, huh? Snuggle up on the couch and read some good books and help them learn to spell, do math, and read.

My oldest son is 8 and I have been homeschooling him from the get go.  The first few years were the hardest because I was trying to be perfect and model his schooling after what I knew which was the public school system.  I ended up overwhelmed and he was frustrated.  Once I took a deep breath, focused on what his interests were and realized I could teach more in two hours than he'd learn at public school all day I was able to calm down and enjoy teaching.  We have so much fun!

I think the biggest lesson I have learned is to be flexible.  There are going to be days where things do not go as planned and that is ok.  Cut yourself some slack.

Find a curriculum that works for you. We use a hodge podge of materials because I am an out of the box kind of person and enjoy the variety, plus, it is cheaper.  I can adapt things to my son's likes and include his two year old brother.  It's great!  (A history curriculum we adore is called Story of the World... just to put a plug in). 

I hope you find peace as you homeschool your son... I commend you for your decision and always remember that you can pop back here for some encouragement from other moms who are doing the same thing you are. 

I don't know what state you are in, but there are usually many options and ways to approach homeschooling.  Homeschool books are written for ease of teaching, the notes are all there to help you teach the lesson.  For other subjects you are not comfortable with, there are often outside classes you can sign up for through homeschool groups.  My high-schooler is taking an outside science class- not because I didn't think I couldn't teach it, but because I couldn't dublicate a lab setting, and I thought that was important.  I was kind of relieved too, to outsource it, I'm teaching 5 kids total.

I am in Ca, and here we have charter schools that are made up totally of homeschooled students, through a charter school I am able to teach my special ed student (auditory processing disorder & anxiety) and they follow the IEP and have a special tutor come twice a week to work with him, which makes me feel better about meeting his neeeds. 

Look for a homeschool group online for your State, a bigger group will usually have a online group of some kind where you can ask questions, this would be the place to find out about outside classes offered, park days, charter school programs, etc.

hoping you get clear direction about the best thing to do for you son,

much grace and peace to you,

We started homeschooling 3 years ago and I also was concerned about how it would work out with our youngest son that was adhd.

Our childrens where 11, 9 and 7 and we had a big task in front of us.  We are a french family so it was harder because there is absolutely no ressource available in that language.

After hours of studying, talking, searching about the subject, we finally took the step of faith and then, little by little, our family was completely change...  I just LOVE homeschooling.  It has been a great blessing for us and my desire for any of my friends is that they would know the joy I have in living this way.

I had no special education, but I have that thing in me that long to help others growing and I love what I do :-)

 

I was thinking about taking my girls out of the public school system, but not because they aren't learning becasue they are. My 10 yr old is having issues with making and keeping friends she is extreamly shy and my 9 yr old has some math and reading issues.  Can home schooling be done at night? I work full time and I am trying to do  the best  for my kids and I do not mind them sleeping in if thier schooling can be done later in the day, or am I just fooling myself?

I would find some other families who homeschool and talk to them about what is available in your area for support.  We have been homeschooling for 7 years and I love it. but I understand it can be overwhelming when you first start. It is hard to know what curiculm works best for each child and for your family. I think it takes a couple of years  to get into a routine and for us i think we still change it yearly.