Need Advice

[mrsrandolph]

A mom, who is a teacher, wants to homeschool her son who is not faring well in private school. She is currently a teacher under contract for this year. She wants me to homeschool her son (along with my 4) until she is released from her contract in May. She would pay me $500 a month.

We could REALLY use the money. He is the same age and grade as my son who is in CTC. But we are in unit 19.

The thing that causes me the most reservation is the freedom we would be giving up as a family. I would have this other child's education to consider when planning what to do with my own children for the day.

For example, our Wedmesdays are pretty full with music lessons, and we usually blow off the rest of the day with fun stuff. But I would need to buckle down and do the nitty gritty of school for this other kid.

But then,, I have always felt that the church needs to step up and help mom's in situations like these and many others to homeschool their kids.

THEN there's the money. I would basically make $4,000.

She would homeschool him after this school year ends.

Please tell me your thoughts? what are the pros and cons you see?

Thanks!

[Gwenny]

These are hard decisions, so many pros and cons. Here are a few thoughts:
do your children get along well with this boy? do you know him well and his behavior and attitude? does he want to school with you all? does he have big learning issues or is he a fairly average student?
I would tell her what it would be like and that he could "come along" with what we are doing. I wouldn't change what I did on Wednesday. If it's fine for your children it's fine for him. He could just start at unit 19 along with your son. If she is willing to go along with what you are doing and you could use the money, then I would probably do it. That is a good chunk of money. If you want to do a family trip or something, then she needs to find someone to care for him while you are gone.

I might think of more.

[LynnH]

I also don't have any great advice, but just some things to ponder. First is it legal in your state for you to homeschool someone's child? I know in our state it is, but in some it isn't. You said that he is the same age as your son in CTC. I know you have felt like your son is always comparing himself to his older sister that is in the same guide. If you add in this boy is he a good student without learning issues? If he is then will this impact your son in a negative manner in that he will compare himself to this boy and come up lacking. I can think of some of my son's friends that if I was homeschooling them at the same time as my son he would end up feeling discouraged because they just get things faster and are above average students where he is an average student. Also you have expressed that you feel behind and struggle to get things done. It seems like adding another student would just make this more of an issue. If you do it I would make sure that expectations and rules are established with the mom and the son. You need to know what she expects from you and they need to know what you expect from him. She also might want to see him use a more traditional curriculum since he is coming from ps and she is a teacher. That would impact a lot of things in your school day.

[Gwenny]

Great things to think about LynnH. I know that I definitely couldn't do it if he couldn't just join right in with whatever I was already doing.

[Mumkins]

I would, providing she's ok with you taking that day off every week. Would he even be able to stay home alone that day and maybe work on English and Math, so he can finish the book this year? At the price she's paying you, would she be able to hire a tutor and keep him in school, for this year? Has she tried talking to the school, explaining the situation and asking them to find someone ASAP?

[Rice]

Another consideration is, even if he's an average to above average student, jumping into HOD is no easy transition, even for a previously homeschooled (in a CM curriculum) student! Narrations, dictation, copy work, etc. All would have to be taught and explained. It might be easier to put him in Preparing or even starting at the beginning of CTC as he will likely slow down your son in what he can accomplish on anything you'd plan to have the two of them do together.

Another consideration is: what about deschooling. For him to jump straight from PS into your home would be a huge adjustment. Would he get some time to deschool, to learn to be part of a family instead of a class, to readjust from the "system" and bells and schedules to the give and take that homeschooling is (and requires) within a larger family? Might you be able to simply give him LA and math for the first month or two (with narrations on what he reads, maybe)? Could you use the CTC books your son has already read, without requiring all the notebooking, etc. for a while?

I think it's kind of an exciting proposition and I hope you can find a way to make it work, if God continues to impress on you that this is the path you should go!

Blessings,