[riprse]

My daughter is 15 & about to go into her final year of school. She is really struggling with her lessons and her grades have dropped very low. She has told me she hates school because no matter how hard she trys she can't seem to get the teachers attention, so when she doesn't understand something she can't get any help. The main problem for my daughter is that she is dyslexic, and feels that the teachers just cant be bothered to put in the extra effort in order for her to grasp the subject.
so i am thinking of taking my daughter out of school as this is her final year, in order to give her the extra help she needs to pass her GCSE's.

Do any of you have any experience in this, or know of any good websites?

[Fusewire]

Taking her out of school altogether seems a bit OTT to me, why don't you just give her extra classes at home in the evening / weekends.

Perhaps you could go through all the things that she did not grasp / understand in her lessons at school in more detail.

[riprse]

Originally Posted by Fusewire

Taking her out of school altogether seems a bit OTT to me, why don't you just give her extra classes at home in the evening / weekends.

Perhaps you could go through all the things that she did not grasp / understand in her lessons at school in more detail.

iv tryed that, but as im sure you know kids put in alot of time at school by the time they get home the last thing they want to do is go over each lesson that they have had that day.As for extra classes she is attending a private tutor for maths at the moment at a cost of £25 pw if you then add on a english tutor & so on it becomes very expensive. She only has a year left so something needs to be done now

[fortean]

I looked in to this last year for my kids; 7 and 3. If I remember correctly you will have to pay for all the exams as well as the course work study packs.

Have a look on your local authority web site under education for information to start you off. You should find details of local home schooling groups and web sites that can supply study aids etc.

It is a really big decision to take her out of school at this late stage though. You will be entering in to an unfamiliar area with her and risk doing more damage than good. Think some more about after school lessons to supplement what she gets at school. If you can just bring her up to speed then she will do much better at school anyway. It may seem like she will be doing more but it does leave you to concentrate on what is needed and leaves the school to deal with everything else that she has no problem with.

[GBDG1]

Are you sure you're addressing the real problem? I have Dyslexia and although it does make some things hard it shouldn't affect her understanding of subjects. It could be that she is using it as an excuse for not working in class or something else.

[Toasty]

I would recommend you talk to your daughters teachers before making such a big decision. You may find that you are only hearing half the story and there could be further problems you're not aware of that are easier to solve.

[johnscarlet]

A kid that used to be in the same golf class as my son used to be schooled at home , but he was only 8 or 9 . There is an extensive local support network though , which surprised me , and he seemed to be doing fine .
It would be worth talking to the school first ,though .
15 , just before exams , would probably be a mistake to take her out IMHO .
I guess you have talked to the schools about the problem ?
I don't wish to make generalisations , but we are talking about a 15 year old . Sure its just not teenagr angst ? I know at 15 , the whole of my year group , except 1 or 2 ( you know who you are ) would have loved to do home study

John

[riprse]

understand what you are saying but she has been bullied & the school was less then helpfull, to the extent that we had to involve the police before the school took any action. since then the teachers attitude towards my daughter has gotten worse. she will have a full year before she has to take her exams & i do feel that the one to one she will get from home schooling can only do her good. it will only be part time however & im hoping she will still be able to attend school for the subjects that would be difficult to address at home

[Steven]

Originally Posted by riprse

it will only be part time however & im hoping she will still be able to attend school for the subjects that would be difficult to address at home

Wouldn't that put more attention and pressure on her then from her peers, if they are the reason for this thread in the first place?

[riprse]

the bullying problem has now been sorted due to the ring leader moving away.
but the issues with some of the teachers that were critisied during the bullying is still there. mostly she just is not doing well at school & needs 1 to 1 tutoring. i cannot afford to spend the £80 to £100 pounds pw for private tutors in all the subjects she needs, so home schooling seems to the only route. i do have the time that she needs, but would need help from the tutors the state can provide.
this cannot be that hard lots of people do this.
i could just keep sending her to school & hope that she suddenly gets it & does ok or i could take control & teach her at home.

[Ethics Gradient]

The main worries about home schooling I would have:

a) Am I sufficently smart enough to teach the subjects - it's all well and good reading from prepared material, but if a child needs help interpreting the material, do I have sufficient understanding to be able to explain it ?
If for example I struggled in maths or english, how will I go on trying to help someone else understand quadratic equations or the analysis of Wordsworth.

b) Even if I have a good understanding of each subject - or at the very least the skills to be able to translate and simplify the text and material - am I any good at actually presenting it ?

When I was at school, we had some great teachers and some really crap ones .... and depending on whether the teacher managed to help us appreciate and enjoy the subject .... affected dramatically what information we took in.

On top of that, does little Timmy think Daddy or Mummy is 'boring' - are they truely interested in what you have to say.
Some kids are, some kids aren't, and I would try to think very carefully and truefully about the above before jumping in at the deep end.

Me personally, I have a reasonable grasp of maths and the sciences etc, but I am dyslexic .... and also very impatient ... so I don't think I would make a great teacher with a student that did not grasp the basic concepts quickly .... and to that end I would have to think very carefully about how I would impact their learning abilities.

[BrianC]

Originally Posted by Lawrenzini

Are you sure you're addressing the real problem? I have Dyslexia and although it does make some things hard it shouldn't affect her understanding of subjects. It could be that she is using it as an excuse for not working in class or something else.

I'm sure you know that dyslexia affects people differently - for me it affects my aural skills in that I cannot process complex spoken instructions such as directions or explanations for things I don't understand to begin with. I can fully understand that it can be especially hard to get the gist of a lesson, particularly if it isn't in a subject you find interesting and aren't concentrating 110%. Its not helpful if the teachers treat you as if you are thick just because you can't follow what they are saying first or second or even third time.

As much as I'd love to home school my two, school is both too slow and too fast for them, I can't afford not to work. However I do think you've left it too late in your case, she'll be half way through the exam syllabus. I'd settle for some regular bribes in return for guided work directed by yourself on evenings/weekends.

[NackNack]

Originally Posted by Lawrenzini

Are you sure you're addressing the real problem? I have Dyslexia and although it does make some things hard it shouldn't affect her understanding of subjects. It could be that she is using it as an excuse for not working in class or something else.

Dyslexia isn't a black/white thing, it affects many people in different ways, so that comes across as pretty patronising and assuming.

[jenic]

I'm 17 and i'm lucky enough to not have anything like dyslexia and i get quite good grades and i cant think of anything worse than being home schooled.

It would be very difficult fo my parents to have taught me the subjects last year for my gcse's, do you personally know enough to teach her a whole course in up to 12 subjects.

Also she might lose a lot of the socialising that is done at school, therefore falling away from friends.

I think home schooling is not a good idea, the most i would do is switch schools but i think a talk with the teachers might be a good starting point, working with the school is probably the best way for her to realise her potential (small pun there for anyone that knows me who is reading this).

[GBDG1]

Originally Posted by NackNack

Dyslexia isn't a black/white thing, it affects many people in different ways, so that comes across as pretty patronising and assuming.

It wasn't meant to. The point I was making is that if the OP's daughters grades have dropped suddenly and she says it is purely down to her dyslexia, I wouldn't be so quick to believe it was 100% the case.

[riprse]

im not saying it was purley because of that there are many things going on the fact that she has this problem makes things even harder for her.
any way i think i may have found an answer there is a school near by that she can attend on saturdays & evenings aswell as going to her school in the day to bring her up to spend so we will be going tmrrow to check it out

[Ed Selley]

I don't think that there is any way I can say this without coming across as a git but I feel it needs to be said. Every single one of your posts in this thread has at least one spelling and/or grammatical error- exactly the sort of thing that is still marked against in GCSE and above. If you are to be the one doing the home schooling, is there not at least the danger that you will be passing these errors across to your daughter?

Beyond that, I agree with EG said, it is a hell of challenge to get up to speed in time to actual teach your daughter effectively. Even when I did GCSE's (ten years ago), there was a huge amount of specialist equipment used for science lessons in particular. Coursework was helped on hugely by the prior experience of staff and this too would be absent.

Above all I feel socially at 15, removing a child from their peers will exacerbate any social issues futher. What happens, if she has an issue at university or her first job?

[riprse]

thank you for pointing that out. i too have Dyslexia so i know very well the problems she faces.
my duaghters grades have dropped from being well on her way to attaining A* in some of her key subjects to her last report of F & E this has happened in the last 18months. (some teachers do not like you point out that they are turning a blind eye when your daughter is held on the ground while other girls kick her in the head) what would you do if the school was failing your child. i dont intend to teach her english there will be tutors for that. any way as stated in the post before i may have found the answer.

[Ed Selley]

Originally Posted by riprse

what would you do if the school was failing your child?

Change school. I have sufficiently little faith in my ability to teach maths or sciences to risk my child's future on trying to do it myself. If the school really is that unconcerned about the plight of your daughter, I'd probably be less than thrilled with their teaching anyway.

As an aside, in the run up to my GCSE's, my grades went to pieces (I eventually managed 4 B's and 6 C's which was massively below the school's expectations). I'd love to have a reason for it but the truth is that I was lazy and more concerned with the opposite sex, getting served in pubs and some formative investigation into drugs.

[riprse]

like i said before i would not have taught her english all other matters i am very capable of teaching. hopefully the extra sessions at this new school will help her.
the school did nothing till i had the girls charged with GBH. my daughter is a very lovely looking girl she is 6ft tall with long blonde hair & is constantly told she could be a model, the other girls are jealouse & the teachers donot want to admit they have bullys at thier school

[Chox1988]

I'm 18 so probably one of the more recent to his gcses out of these old timers , I honestly think taking her out of school is the worst thing you could do, Home schooling imo would just not be the same- I cant think of much worse, while I sympathise, year 10/11 (unless you're a genius or dont want grades to shout about) are pretty important in terms of what you are learning and they will build on it in college (if this is the path she chooses to take), as above really I would be concerned that there are some things I wouldnt be able to teach if I was in the parents position and a lot of the things the school could offer that just aren't in a home atmosphere.

There may be a great wealth of reasons as to why she is not doing as before, it could just be a lapse, we all go through a time in life like that. Talk to her about it and ask her what she thinks would be best then decide together.

I obviously dont know how your home is but home schooling may lead to a laid back attitude to the school timetable and teaching etc, it is the timetable and the school regiment that is a big aspect of keeping disciplined education wise. I would talk to teachers and at most move school.

All of the above imo of course. Hope her grades pick up and you are both feeling on top of the situation soon.

[riprse]

Originally Posted by BrianC

I'm sure you know that dyslexia affects people differently - for me it affects my aural skills in that I cannot process complex spoken instructions such as directions or explanations for things I don't understand to begin with. I can fully understand that it can be especially hard to get the gist of a lesson, particularly if it isn't in a subject you find interesting and aren't concentrating 110%. Its not helpful if the teachers treat you as if you are thick just because you can't follow what they are saying first or second or even third time.

As much as I'd love to home school my two, school is both too slow and too fast for them, I can't afford not to work. However I do think you've left it too late in your case, she'll be half way through the exam syllabus. I'd settle for some regular bribes in return for guided work directed by yourself on evenings/weekends.

thank you. you understand how frustrating it can be when people assume you are thick because you have dyslexia.

thanks to all those who have responded. i know i invited your comments but the thread was aimed at people who have experience of home schooling.that said it has helped to hear from others who have no emotional involvment. so i have searched for some other form of teaching for her & have found a school that sounds perfect for her.
iv taken this from their web site


"The students work in small groups (maximum 5), at their own pace with lots of encouragement and support from the tutor. The combination of direct teaching, written work and computer activities helps them stay focused and motivated during lessons. Working in small groups means they can share their successes while having the space to develop independent study skills but with the teacher always available.


We welcome:
* Children falling behind because of illness or family problems.

* Children who want a boost to move up a set in English or Math

* Children needing expert help with dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia etc.

* Children who lack confidence when in school

* Children looking for more challenging work to accelerate their learning."


sorry for the long post

Just thought I'd add to what has been said above.

My sister had the same problem as your daughter, although she was 10 at the time. My dad took the hard decision to take her out of school and teach her himself for a year until it was time for her to go to secondary school. She was also very bright, as it seems your daughter is, and was also bullied very badly. There is a fantastic support network for home schooling but it does involve a lot of work. My dad was not working at the time due to a car accident but he said that it felt like a full time job. However, when she did go back to school, she went to a different school and that has made all the difference. She has really flourished, has tons of friends and is no longer bullied. PLUS she is doing really well in all her classes.

Anyway, my advice would be to change schools, the one you have written about above sounds brilliant and it would certainly be less money on tutors, exams etc. Although home schooling is definitely an option, it does mean that the child misses out on socialisation which is just as important as the education received at schools. In order to combat this my sister took up a lot of extra-curricular activities but as your daughter is at GCSE stage this would probably not be a good idea.

Let us know what you decide and if you want any further advice, feel free to PM me. My dad has tons of info on home schooling should you decide to go down that route. Good luck!