How many Dis'ers homeschool?

[ptrbryant]

Every now and then, I notice someone mentioning they homeschool in other threads, but was wondering just how many there are of us! I've been homeschooling DS8 for 3 years now and love it. Doing some recent online research, I noticed that Tampa, FL has a TON of ongoing activities for homeschoolers...anyone lucky enough to live there or near WDW???

Karla B.

 

[wasabi girl]

I used to homeschool. Both DDs are in college now. We are not lucky enough to live in FL, but there are several homeschooling groups in our area. Have a great time with your homeschooling!

 

[debm]

I homeschool my DD6 and DS11 and have DS9 in special ed at public school and a 2 year old running around rampant! One of the places we could move is Tampa (DH military). I think it would be neat to go over to WDW just for an evening or weekend. My DS9 lives for Disney. Even though he doesn't talk he wants to be an announcer for something. It is really cute! I love the fact that we can easily go to WDW during school times. Except now I'm back in college to learn ASL for my son so it is a bit harder to explain that to a college professor! We did 2 weeks in October though and it went fine. We are going back in 2 weeks but my school will not have started yet. Enjoy having your child at home. We do! Sometimes it is stressful--I think how much I could do if they were all in school but then I remember why I do it! Happy Holidays!

 

[blestmom]

I homeschool our five kids (15, 13, 11, 8, 6). Some days can be long, but overall, I love it. We love Disney, and find it to be very educational, without even trying.

 

[lovethattink]

We live close to WDW and are thinking about homeschooling for next school year. DS will be in 6th grade. This year his teacher quit over Thanksgiving break. Because of this, he is now in a combined class of 5th, 6th, and 7th graders at a private school. There is one teacher and one teachers aid for the 3 grades. I'm stuck paying tuition for this year, so we will finish it out. Most public schools in Central Florida are not that great, so I would not consider that as an option.

 

[sha_lyn]

This is our 4th yr of HSing. DS is 15 and 10th grade. DD is 7 and 2nd grade.
We love homeschooling. We are just north of atlanta so Orlando is about a 7 1/2 hr drive away. We take our "breaks" when everyone else is in school, and head to FL.
We are going to Universal on Jan 20 for a long weekend.

 

[meandtheguys2]

6 years into homeschooling our three, 10, 8 and 5. Still having a good time!

 

[minkydog]

I homeschooled my kids a total of 12 years. My oldest is a senior in high school now, getting ready to quit and finish up at home so he can join Disney On Ice. My middle child homeschooled until this year. She is now in 6th grade middle school, joined the band and sings in a professional children's choir the past three years. My youngest is mentally handicapped, but I homeschooled him until he turned 5. He is doing great in a special ed class.

I sometimes miss homeschooling.It was great to be able to set our own schedule and the kids could pursue their interests without the constraints of the traditional school day. but Life throws you a curve once in a while, so for now the kids are all in school and I have the time to devote to my DH, who is suffering with debilitating heart failure this year. Things have a way of working out.

Cathy in Georgia--mom to John(18), Eleni(11) & Christian(9)

 

[lsteadman]

I homeschool my nine year old daughter. She has never been to a public school and never will! I love the DIS boards full of so much information!

Happy homeschooling!

 

[ptrbryant]

Prayers are with you and your family. My older sister, who lives near Seattle (we're in Kentucky), just was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and also cardiomyopathy (needed a pacemaker at age 48!). I know how these curveballs can make you feel like the rug's slipping out from under you. Hang in there!

And, for the rest of us, I feel grateful each day that, while my DH doesn't have a huge salary, it's just enough to enable us to HS. My DS8 has some language and auditory processing issues, so we feel it's been very important to have the ability to HS.

Maybe someday, WDW will host a Homeschoolers Day!

 

[drumflower]

We have been homeschooling my DD9 and DS8 for 3 years. We love it!

 

[nepean]

My DD age 13 in grade nine has homeschooled since grade 2. She hated PS and in fact during grade one we homeschooled after Christmas but didn't officially withdraw. We went to Disney right after Christmas and came back in mid January with the chicken pox. She never did go back for more than a few days at a time. We are heading out in a few days for 2 1/2 weeks of Disney and now that she is in high school she can submit her lessons on line to her teachers. We have a wonderful on line high school that is free and she gets a regular diploma if she takes all of the necessary credits. Currently we are only doing 25% of our courses with the school and homeschooling the rest. We will then apply for exemptions. Homeschooling is the best.

Nepean

 

[Barb D]

I homeschooled up until this year. DS13 and DD11 are now in public middle school, and DD5 is in a private preschool. She'll be in public K next year. We LOVED homeschooling, but for various reasons this was the year to stop.

My sister homeschools her kids (expecting #10!) near Orlando. Are you looking for activity ideas or homeschool support groups or ??? If you're interested in contacting her I can PM you with her web page. She publishes an e-mail newsletter for homeschoolers, too.

 

[TNKBELL]

Hi great to see there are other homeschoolers on the boards. I have DS 7, DS 5, DD 4, DS 1. I have been homeschooling for 3 years and I am amazed how much they learn and how much the younger ones pick up just listening to the older ones! Disney is great, we live 1300 miles away in the Heartland but Disney is our top Vacation Destination!! Lots of educational opportunities abound the World!!! We try to go 1 year usually in October. There are discounts available to homeschool groups of 10 or more through Disney's Y.E.S. program. It would be great to arrange a group of homeschooled families to participate in the program!!

 

[risy]

We are near WDW and homeschooling three.

 

[harvey]

Just finished our 7th year. Only have one home with me this year, others are in school.

 

[Good Ol Gal]

I homeschool my children DS9, DD7, DS5, DS4. This is my third year homeschooling them. We use a mixture of K12, online, and laid-back! There are some days we do what I call hard-core, and others where we do life-learning. I love what the World has to offer, and the kids don't even realize it's school. Last night we were just playing a game we made up about the World Showcase during dinner.

This past trip we went on Spaceship Earth for the first time and my husband was amazed at what the kids already knew about! My kindergartner said.. "Mommy, I knew that from 1st grade history!" (He has sat in on DD's history lessons before.) DD felt very proud that she knew a lot of the things mentioned at the beginning of the ride also.

Proud moment for Mommy!

 

[ptrbryant]

Barb,
Like many others, our family is considering an eventual move to Florida and I've been curious about the homeschooling world there...if you don't mind, I'd love to either read a copy of the newsletter or visit her webpage, so you can pm me.
Thanks!
Karla B.

 

[ptrbryant]

TNKBELL,
Wow, you only need 10 for the discount? Do you know what kind of discount it is? We may be going at the end of October 2005. Anyone else?
Karla B.

 

[Barb D]

Barb,
Like many others, our family is considering an eventual move to Florida and I've been curious about the homeschooling world there...if you don't mind, I'd love to either read a copy of the newsletter or visit her webpage, so you can pm me.
Thanks!
Karla B.

I've PMed you!