North Alabama Homeschool Forum

Age : 42 Joined : 15 Feb 2008 Posts : 1

Hey everyone, I live in Northwest Alabama, but I could not find a support site solely for that part of the state, so I hope it is okay to post here.

I have never homeschooled my children, ages 12, 11 and 6, but I have considered it through the years.

My question is this....... I am having a nightmarish time with my daughter's sixth grade teacher, she is an immature bully and I have exhausted my resources. I have talked to the principal, the guidance counselor, the teacher herself and the superintendent of education, (Bill Moss Mad

) and have received absolutely no results. My daughter is bipolar and can be somewhat difficult to manage in the classroom. It is a very long story, but my daughter is emotionally drained from the bullying from this teacher and she has gone from an A-B student to a D-F student and is in danger of failing the sixth grade.

I was wondering would it be possible/feasible for me to take her out of school for the rest of this year and homeschool her and get her to the point of passing the sixth grade and then if she wants let her go back and try again next year as she will not have this same teacher anymore. She has lots of friends there and I do want to leave that avenue open for her.

I am just so confused. I have no clue where to start, who to talk to, what resources I will need. Please, somebody, anybody help me. Thank you so very, very much.

Teresa

Joined : 11 Apr 2007 Posts : 56

Hi Teresa,

I understand completely about trying to deal with the school system and teachers with unprofessional behavior. My sons went to school through 5th and 7th grade. We had some wonderful teachers and we had some nut jobs!

I am so sorry you are not getting more support from the school to help provide your daughter with the best education she can get. Even if she has special needs, the school's goal aught to be to help her reach her fullest potential. Unfortunately, they don't sound like they are willing to see the difficult hand life has dealt her and have compassion.

I would highly encourage you to give homeschooling a try. She may find that learning groove again in a less stressful atmosphere.

If you decide to do it, in the state of Alabama, you just need to find a coverschool, which we be operated by a church to give you legal status. Some churches ask you to do very little paperwork (just a progress report and days of attendance), others might want more info. The coverschool will usually charge a fee because they have to keep some records and will usually take care of filing a form with your local school board confirming that you have enrolled your child in a "church school" . Not all schools require you to be a member of their church or any church for that matter, so don't be put off by the religious thing, it is just the way the law is written.

Some coverschools will provide a co-op, that is, classes for fun and enrichment. This gives homeschoolers a chance to get together. Many cities have support groups that arrange skate days, swim days, etc.

As far as resources, you would be amazed at what is available. If you should decide to give it a try, please remember you don't want to try to duplicate having a school at home, that is, make it more relaxed and find what is right for your child. You can homeschool as inexpensively or as expensively as you want. Don't run out and buy anything too quickly.

If you would like specific help locating some coverschools in your area, just post what city or county you are in, and we will try to help.

Also, I would suggest checking out http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/weblinks/specialneeds.htm

Besides addressing special needs kids (not sure if bipolar was talked about), you will find this an extremely helpful website.

Also, here's an article from Amazon that sounds encouraging http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/D4N2XJY6RSWI

Hang in there! Feel free to ask more questions! ~ Carrie