Homeschooling q's, anyone in NC a homeschooling mom?

[annag86]

I am considering homeschooling my son, he is about to be 10 & is in the 3rd grade right now. He is visually impaired and is having trouble with kids at school not just making fun of him but also messing with his equipment (CCTV, large print books, etc). My husband is also in the army and we make trips to Alabama to see family so it would be easier if his school could go with us. If there are any moms here in NC who homeschool could you give me some info about the state requirements? Do any moms here homeschool children with an impairment? Any homeschooling advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

[clippyclippy]

I don't have kids with impairments, but I'm in NC. It is a very easy state to homeschool in.
Here is the non-public education site where you can read an outline of the requirements:
DNPE Home School Requirements, Reminders and Recommendations

NC has a very large homeschool community. What area do you live in? It might be best to get in contact with a local group, even better, one that has a focus on special needs homeschooling.

[annag86]

i am in fayetteville thank you for the info i apologize for the slack typing my daughter is easting so im typing 1 handed at the moment. Does NC require homeschooling through a homeschool organization? i was homeschooled in alabama & had to go through a homeschool organization so technically i graduated from a christian school.

[clippyclippy]

i am in fayetteville thank you for the info i apologize for the slack typing my daughter is easting so im typing 1 handed at the moment. Does NC require homeschooling through a homeschool organization? i was homeschooled in alabama & had to go through a homeschool organization so technically i graduated from a christian school.

No, there is no requirement to operate through an organization.
There is a large support group in NC for special needs homeschooling. GiftsNC is based in NC but has now expanded nationwide.
Check out the website and hopefully you can find some contacts to get more information for your specific needs:
GiftsNC | Giving and Getting Information For Teaching Special Needs Children

The Yahoo site is pretty active:
GIFTSNC : GIFTSNC

[annag86]

Thank you so much for your help. I think we have decided that this will be our best option. We have been contemplating home school for a while now and the more I research in to it the better it seems to be for us. The fake tummy ache this morning to avoid school was a pretty good indicator that he isn't happy at his current school and he has an "ailment" about every week to avoid school or he does something to get in trouble at school. He is a completely different child at school and every time we talk to him about it he starts naming off specific children in his class that bug him or distract him.

As far as curriculum goes which have you tried and liked?

[uummm]

My friend took out one of her kids out of a private christian school to home school her and they both love it! I know she goes to a lot of home school conferences and she also has her daughter enrolled in stuff outside the home like an art class and a sewing class.
We are near charlotte and there are A LOT of people that home school around here even though we have a christian private school and charter school not too far away.

IMO....NC is known for its very good colleges...but they don't seem to care as much about public elementary, middle and high schools...My opinion is not based on Charlotte Meck school system either (which has been known to have it's problems)...I live in a different county that is much more rural.

[uummm]

Also I don't want to be Debbie Downer...but school won't get any easier socially until he is in High School. I have 3 boys, kids can be cruel. The teachers are short staffed, overworked and underpaid they can't possibly keep an eye on everything like they need too. My kid had a lot of problems in 8th and 9th grade here (we moved here in March of his 7th grade year)... and honestly it wasn't until he was in 10th grade that the problems seemed to subside. There were problems on the bus, problems in school and the worst times were when they had nothing to do in class (like after the end of year/grade testing)...and gym. My kids are there to learn not play the social game that the kids like to play. And yes bullies were a problem too. If you do decide to leave him in school I suggest you let yourself be known in the school with the principal and that this stuff they are doing to your kid will not be tolerated. If they can't keep your kid safe then maybe they should pay for him to go to private school (something I brought up on one of my trips to school). I had to do that in the middle school and high school. I didn't care that they thought I was Witch, my motto is "I'm not from here I don't have to be nice." This is the one time in my life that my NY attitude was needed.

[clippyclippy]

If you are moving your son out of school for social reasons, which is perfectly understandable, make sure you replace the negative social environment with a positive one.

I've observed people who choose to homeschool their kids for social reasons often fail to provide for adequate social interaction, and think that just by taking their kid out of a bad environment, they are doing them a favor. That may be true, but kids really need to get lots of practice and see good examples of what is socially acceptable behavior. This takes special effort and doesn't come naturally contrary to what some people think.
I'm sure you already know this, but I just thought I'd throw that in as some advice.

I have people tell me that my kids are so "normal". I think that's unfortunate, because they are contrasting them with the awkward homeschoolers they see sometimes. I don't think it's by any means common, but the ones who are awkward forever stick out in people's minds and they form opinions based on those few representatives.

I agree with Ummmm that the schools should intervene more when a kid is being picked on, bullied, harrassed. Some of them (bullies) are too smart to get caught though, so it makes it really difficult when supervising the masses to be very effective.

Also, what she said about Homeschool Conventions - YES! There is one in May (always on Memorial Day weekend) in Winston-Salem that I've gone to every year. That is like the biggest thing you can do to learn about your choices, how to begin, how to find support etc... There are lots of workshops for special needs homeschooling.

There are so many curriculum choices out there - Do you know anyone who homeschools who could show you where to begin researching? If not, there are a ton of websites dedicated to those things - I would just start digging in.
I used a variety of different things, and I'm constantly re-evaluating and tweeking. A lot of it depends on your son's learning style and your belief system - do you want to teach from a faith based curriculum, or from a secular one? It's wide open until you narrow it down a little further.

[uummm]

My friend went to that home school thing!
She also learned about the way that she needed to teach her daughter (left brain right brain thing I think) and she is so happy with her progress. She has a few friends that home school too.
My cousin that has 9 kids home schools them...Hey if the Duggars can do it with all those kids then I think anyone can do it..though I don't want too.....

[annag86]

Thank you for all of the advice & help. My husband & I have both been to the school numerous times, I was actually just there on Thursday & it doesn't seem to help any. As far as social interaction, he is very mature for his age and has a great deal of self control. He prefers to spend more time with adults than other children however he is becoming interested in martial arts so I think that maybe one thing that we will do for some social interaction. I'll have to find more.