Bball

Basketball Season has started...Thats all I have to say! :-)

Vaccinations & Bloodwork

So I just finished reading the book “What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children’s Vaccinations” by Stephanie Cave. It is a very interesting and easy read. You know the saying “Hindsight is 20/20”? Well that definitely applies here. This book goes over the pros and the cons of every vaccination. It even goes into the controversial parts, like vaccinations maybe causing Autism, ADHD, etc. I told my husband that is I have another baby I would not follow the CDC’s recommended vaccination schedule. That is not to say I wouldn’t get him/her vaccinated but I would probably follow the recommended schedule in this book. There is just too many diseases/death incidents associated with the vaccinations.


It got me thinking…Maybe it is my fault that my child is ADHD…because I let the doctors give him vaccinations. From the time he could crawl he was always busier than any other child I had met but I don’t remember him having some of the emotional issues then. He was busy but he was happy. I can’t pinpoint when he changed though…I have been trying to figure it out, since reading this book, if he changed after receiving one of his vaccinations but nothing stands out. Every parent wonders at some point if they caused something in their child. One thing that will be changing is that if the doc wants to give my children a booster shot he is going to have to check his blood titers to see if they even need it. If your blood titers for a certain vaccination are so high then they are immune and they don’t need a booster shot. Most doctors don’t check these though, they just give the shot. I will also make sure that all their shots are mercury-free. Since ADHD kids are known to have high levels of mercury.

This week we go to the doc for J’s appointment. I have a list of blood work that I want the doc to run. Cross your fingers that the appointment goes well!

We will have fun!!!

We have been in school now for about 6 weeks. The first 2 weeks were great!! The kids were excited. They did their work quickly. The next two weeks -not so much fun… My oldest and youngest were not the issue…although the oldest didn’t want to do his work either. It was mainly the middle one. It was a struggle to get anything done. And it was taking all day to do the work. This should not be taking that long!! It was frustrating us all…except my youngest who can take school or leave it. So last week I asked myself why am I struggling like this. Is this why I chose to homeschool? To sit at the table all day and fight with them to learn anything? So I decided to become a little less structured. We are going to do a unit study one day a week. Which is why we did our weather study last week (See the first blog in Oct). We are going to do experiments. We are going to go outside and build forts and take walks. Every chance we get we are going to get a group together and have fun stuff. I did not start homeschooling to be stuck in a “classroom” for 7-8 hours a day. We will have fun!!!

So do bears Hibernate or are they Dormant?

We use Apologia for our science curriculum. I love it because I can have a “science class” with all grades and then just assign work according to their level. Yesterday for our science lesson we were learning about bears. According to the lesson bears don’t hibernate- they go dormant. Hibernate means that breathing slows and body temperature drops to the same as the surrounding air. Dormant means a temporary state of inactivity, kind-of like a long nap. So bears are actually experience dormancy and don’t hibernate. Anyways the boys have been taught in public school that bears hibernate all winter. So here is our conversation:


Me: “Do you know what many bears do during the winter?”

Jason and Kenneth: They hibernate.

Me reading from the book: “They sleep! Because of this, some people say they hibernate, but that’s not really true.” I go on to explain the difference between hibernate and dormant. And the fact that they can even give birth during their dormancy.

Jason: So they don’t hibernate?

Me: No they don’t.

Kenneth: Well why did they teach that at public school?

Me: I really don’t know but now do you understand why I have chosen to homeschool you??

This is not the first time in the last few weeks that we have had a similar conversation, where they boys have found out that something they learned in public school was not correct. It just reaffirms one of the many reasons why I homeschool.

9/30/10


It was pouring all day today so we decided to do a weather unit study. What a great day to do this on since we could actually see some of the things we were talking about!

First I did a search for unit studies. I found a great one that was perfect for a one day subject study: http://www.homeschoollearning.com/units/unit_09-17-01.shtml

We looked up weather vocabulary words:

Flood Plain, Downdraft, Occluded Front

Anemometer, Whirlwind, Psychrometer

Wind Shear, Virga, Microburst

Cirriform, Katabatic Wind, Thermograph

Ball Lightning, Gully Washer, Isotherm


We talked about tornadoes and other weather. I had a few weather books so we read them. We did 3 experiments I found on this site: http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-experiments.htm . We made a bottle tornado, thunder, learned about rain gauges and how to use them, and learned about rainbows by a color experiment (http://www.weatherwizkids.com/experiments-rainbow-colors.htm). Unfortunately I didn’t get pictures of the color experiment.

The Bottle Tornado (http://www.weatherwizkids.com/experiments-tornado-bottle.htm)

The Rain Gauge (http://www.weatherwizkids.com/experiments-rain-gauge.htm) We had almost 3 inches of rain in less than 24 hrs!!

Slowing Down

Can someone tell me how to slow down? Seriously. I always feel like I am hurrying try to catch up. It isn't as if I have stuff scheduled all the time. I didn't even sign all the kids up for sports- in fact N is the only one playing this year. As for busy days...the only really busy one is Wednesday cause we leave home at noon and only return home for about 1 hr (long enough to eat dinner) and then we are gone until 9pm. But I still feel like I am always running! Maybe it is just a state of mind...I can only hope!

My "Baby" becomes a big boy!

Tonight I am feeling kind-of down...I am not exactly sure why. Our school week went really well. I am excited about the progress we made. The only thing we didn't get to this week is apple picking and I am going to try to go tomorrow.


I think my mood has more to do with my baby reaching a milestone...My baby is becoming a big boy. Of course I knew that - I mean the boy did turn 5 yrs old not to long ago but he is still tiny and ...my baby!! I felt the same when the older boys reached a certain age or achieved a certain thing. I really can't remember exactly what it was but I distinctly remember literally crying when the older one reached the place where I didn't consider him a baby anymore. The same for the 2nd son...but this is my baby! I don't plan on having any more babies so he will forever be it...but he is growing up. Mama must admit defeat and let him become a big boy. For tomorrow my "baby" will play in his FIRST soccer game. I am going to go to bed now and cry myself to sleep...

First week of the 2010-2011 school year...

So we have one more day to complete our first week of homeschooling for the 2010-11 school year….I have to say it has gone pretty good. We did not start slowly- we started with all subjects, just as we will through-out the year. My schedule, which may change later but seems to be working now, requires us to get up around 8am. Chores and breakfast have to be done by 9am when school starts. We have a calendar on the wall with the lesson plans so the kids know what they are to do. The first subject is Spelling, which we do together. K is older and can do some subjects on his own. But we also do science, our last subject of the school day, together - which is usually around lunch time or right after. I know I am going to tweak a few things around. Next week K will not be doing the same spelling as the younger boys and will require a different time. I have already switched K’s history and math times so that I can instruct J in history and then K in history. The math K usually can do mainly on his own. But the structure should remain the same.


Our first day went relativity good. I jokingly told family that we had a great day- J only said he hated school twice! :-) In reality he basically had ½ meltdowns that I was able to corral before they became full meltdowns. But we still were able to get through the work and lunch by about 1pm.

The second day went better for J but not for K, the oldest. He became very frustrated with his mistakes and started saying he was “stupid”. After a break he was better. On a side note J did not want to get up this am. He was very grumpy during our chore time, but eventually got over it. I guess I wore him out on the first day of school!! :-)

The third day (today) we all slept in a little. I didn’t hear the alarm go off at 8am. K woke up around 9am, woke me up, and started his chores. J was definitely in a better mood since I “let” him sleep in! He did, though, have issues with staying on target today.

So every day is a different challenge, and requires different solutions. I am still excited about the school year and think that as long as we can stay on schedule (and get up on time! LOL) we will continue to have a great year

ADHD & Aspergers

So since starting my research I have come across many articles that suggest that my son may have been misdiagnosed as ADHD instead of Aspergers or may have both. I am not sure exactly how I feel about it. Aspergers would explain a majority of his symptoms. I have found some great websites that have lots of info on them: http://www.retrainthebrain.com/autism.html and  http://autism.lovetoknow.com/ADHD_and_Asperger




According to http://www.retrainthebrain.com/autism.html below is a list of characteristics associated with ADHD or Aspergers.



Autism (or Aspergers) Behavioral Checklist



• Difficulty mixing with other children; My son has this.



• No real fear of danger; My son use to have this - now he seems to fear alot of things



• Tantrums: displays extreme distress for no apparent reason, He has this to a degree- he overexagerates.



• Inappropriate giggling or laughing, In preschool he would get in trouble for laughing at another child's injury.



• May not want cuddling or act cuddly, This varies- sometimes he wants to cuddle, sometimes not.



• Noticeable physical overactivity or extreme underactivity; hyper



• Little or no eye contact, When he was little he could not make eye contact and I use to make him look at me when I talked to him. He would fight me on this but I wanted to make sure when I talked to him about safety issues he was listening. To this day he still doesn't usually make eye contact.



• Works impulsively; often makes careless mistakes: work is sloppy, This is him!



• Uneven gross/fine motor skills I am not sure exactly what they are talking about with this one. So I am not sure whether it applies or not.



ADHD Behavioral Checklist



• Cannot talk or play quietly; disrupts others with talk or actions, This varies-sometimes he can play quietly but other times he cannot.



• Difficult awaiting turn in games or activities, yep!



• Engages in potentially dangerous activities, This is accelerated when he has red dye.



• Plays without normal caution or consideration of consequences, definitely!



• Severe temper tantrums, He use to have these all the time. THey went away for a while but now they are back in the form of "You’re hurting me"



• Interrupts, disrupts, talks and acts inappropriately, Yes



• When younger, difficulty accepting soothing or holding, Sometimes



• Always on the move, overactive, even during sleep, especially when he has red dye



• Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly, I have to repeatedly call his name and make him look at me to make sure he is listening. If I don't see his eyes then he probably doesn't hear what I am saying.



• Often does not give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in school work or other activities, Yep!



• Uneven gross/fine motor skills. Again I am not sure what they are referring to...



This site also said that Aspergers/Autism can seem to suddenly develop too. So it seems according to this my son has both ADHD and Aspergers but according to the DSM he doesn't qualify for Aspergers...So confusing!!

ADHD; Food Allergies; Seasonal Allergies; and more

I am sitting here trying to decide where to start...I have learned so much info over the last few weeks it is frightening! I guess let me start with my ADHD son's diet...if you read previous blogs you will find out that he has a red dye and gluten allergy. While researching food allergies in general I learned more than I ever wanted to learn! LOL I met another mom who has an autistic son. She changed his whole diet and he has now improved so much that he would be considered a "high functioning autistic". Then my sil and I were discussing some of the changes in the autistic child's diet and she was telling me what she had learned about certain food items. Then I read this book: "Animal Factory". If you get a chance you should read it. It is an intense book about how America's food is being processed and how bad it now is for you. Anyways so after reading that book and everything else I had learned I took a step back and looked at what my family had been eating...It wasn't a pretty sight. I started incorporating more veggies and fruits (organic and local grown) into our diets. I started cutting out processed foods...I am no saint so believe there is still processed foods in my house but I am hoping to convert my family to all whole cooked foods within the next year. This will be particularly hard for them since they seem to be addicted to Mac&Cheese! I am also slowly changing over to local farm meats, antibiotics and hormone free. I also started my kids on probiotics, Fage (which also has probiotics), and vitamins, particularly the Omega 3s. The probiotics replace your good bacteria that any antibiotics will kill. If you ever have to take an antibiotic you should always take a probiotics. Fage is basically an unsweetened yogurt but much better for you than yogurt. I add honey and fruit to it for the kids. I had read lots of research that said Omega 3s are good for ADHD kids (and any child on the spectrum-Autistic, Aspergers, ADD, ADHD, etc). I want to add fish oil, zinc, magnesium, vitamin K supplements at some point since there is also research on these with the spectrum kids. So over the last 2 weeks or so I have changed our diet and I saw that for my ADHD son this has drastically improved his symptoms. He has been sleeping better, hardly any hyperactivity, and better concentration. While his physical symptoms have improved his emotional have become worse. Some of these emotional symptoms I am not even sure he had before...He acts like he has been mortally wounded when anyone touches him. He is suddenly very afraid of things he didn't fear a month or so ago. For instance: at the beginning of summer I had to constantly watch him when we went swimming because he liked to go into the deeper water (even though he couldn't swim very well). Now he is terrified of going into water above his waist-to the point where he won't even do swimming lessons. Even if I hold him and go in the deeper water he freaks out, afraid I will let go of him. As far as I know he hasn't seen any movies/shows with drownings, etc so I am not sure about this change. And it isn't even just the water -it is other things too. These are not symptoms that I have found to be linked to ADHD in any of my readings...I have seen them linked to Aspergers though...So I have started researching Aspergers. I am lucky to have a friend who has an Aspergers son and I can go to him with my questions. My son does not exhibit the necessary requirements to be diagnosed Aspergers. However I think, given that they are all on the "spectrum", just as Aspergers share some of Autistics traits, ADHD can share some of Aspergers traits. I am just wondering why it seems like these symptoms have appeared all the sudden...

Death and Kids

All the Little Things

From “The Rest of Us” by Jacquelyn Mitchard

“We were barely settled after arriving for a week’s visit with friends in Washington, D.C., when it became apparent that their nine-year-old son’s hamster, Hank, was headed for the big aluminum exercise wheel in the sky.

That may sound comic. But the situation actually was pretty grim. Like many modern kids with mobile parents, our friends’ son, Zachery, unable to have a big dog or a furry feline, transferred all that affection seeking to Hank and Nerissa, his pals in the neighboring cage on the laundry-room floor. …kids then laid …Hank…to rest under the big tree where others of his tribe had gone before him.

“This is why I resist getting my kids pets,” I told Gayle, who answered that this was actually part of why she did get them pets. We stood there uncomfortably, watching our children play in the yard. “I just don’t want to be surrounded by things that are so fragile,” I said.

“But you already are,” Gayle said.

She brought a new hamster (Nancy) later that day.

A few days after we’d left, Gayle called to tell me that Zachary began crying hard one night in bed. “It’s Hank, it’s Hank,” he said. “I can’t get over it.” She murmured comforting things, about the good times, about the end of pain. Zach seemed momentarily comforted. Then he began to cry again. What is it? His mother asked. “It’s death, it’s death,” Zachary said. “I can’t get over it.”

I’m with you, kid.”

We have had many family deaths within the last year. My oldest son had experienced the death of his great-grandfather when he was about 5 yrs old. I am not really sure if he remembered that. I don't remember him really asking any questions about it. My middle son was 2 yrs old at the time so he doesn't remember that funeral. But this last year and a half we have had 3 family deaths on my husband's side of the family. The fist death, even though it was the kids' great-grandpop, didn't seem to really faze them. This may be because it was just a memorial service since Pop was cremated. Then in May their great-great grandma died. She was about 100 yrs old and hadn't been herself for a long time. The boys didn't even really know her. But this was an actually funeral with the graveside service also. My middle son was extremely concerned that they were going to put her in this hole in the ground. He didn't understand since he had never witnessed this before, therefore we had not had to explain the burial process. Once I explained that it was just her body that was going into the ground he still was very concerned...it took him the rest of the day to accept it. Even now, he occasionally brings it up. And now we have another funeral to go to- my husband's uncle (the kids great-uncle). This time it is just the memorial service but I am dreading it. I am sure this time my middle son will have lots of questions about why there isn't a body in a casket and why we aren't burying him in a graveyard. I just am not sure how I am going to answer them. 

As I read the above short story from Jacquelyn Mitchard's book it just touched me and I thought I would share it.  

My "Different" child

This short story reminds me of my ADHD child. I hope someone gets some hope/ encouragement from it.

My Son the Warrior

Taken from “The Rest of Us” by Jacquelyn Mitchard

“Until now, we took a fair amount of pride in the fact that we could raise boys we described as sturdy but gently. Boys who could throw straight but also liked to cuddle, and who made guns from their breakfast toast only occasionally, not every day.

Then along out of babyhood came our youngest son, now rounding the curve toward age three, and we have to admit we think this boy is an alien life form.

Martin, who has been raised exactly like his brothers have been raised, sleeps with a plastic scimitar tucked into the band of his training pants. He sidles up to the couch evenings, and with a beseeching look in his almond-shaped brown eyes, says, “Mommy, may you fight me please?” He often carries two swords (spoons will do in a pinch) for this purpose. And so I sit, desultorily whacking away in a moral combat with my toddler, who crows when he lands a direct hit, “You’re dead now, Mommy. Please fall over.”

I know that Martin loves me—after all, he must depend on me to give him food since he is too short to reach the cabinet handles. But when I hear him sing his version of his favorite song, “Ol’ McDonald had no mommy, ee-ay-ee-ay-oh….” I am unsettles. And recently, he performed a Freudian maneuver that was an even greater source of consternation.

We have a children’s wooden crèche next to our Christmas tree, and we had versions of making it work in the style that French families do—you know: The Three Kings (called the “Wise Guys” by our sons) start out a few feet away from the manager and move a little closer every day throughout Advent.

Martin took an interest in the crèche this year, and I noticed immediately that every night at bedtime, Baby Jesus was on the roof of the stable.

“Why is he up there, Marty?” I asked.

“He is hiding from his mommy,” Martin explained with his customary intensity. “She always tells him no, don’t do that. He can’t stand her.”

This, I thought, is an angry young man. And I get further evidence all the time that Martin is the toughest cookie in our jar.

The other night, I was helping him put on his pajamas—an indignity he no longer suffers gladly. Taking pity on his restless cried, I soothed him, “There, there. You’re Mom’s little puppy….”

“No!” he cried. “I’m ling of the wild frontier.”

I suppose it is difficult to be king of the wild frontier and still have someone count out the carrots on your plate. Martin’s nature brings home to me again and again the truth that our sons and daughters are only passing through. At first, they are of you, born to come to your arms. Rapidly, they are with you, pausing only long enough for you to dab a few hurried strokes of paint on the canvas they are becoming—they are on their way to belonging to themselves, and then to the world. If we are lucky, they always will consider our home their harbor, but they are headed out to the open sea, almost from the first.

I sit tonight, looking at Mother Mary, her head softly bowed as she waits inside the stable for her little son to get over his fit of pique and come down from the roof. And I think of thousands of years of mothers of growing children who bowed their heads and hoped for the best, as they wondered, What child is this?”

Homeschooling Year 2

So I finished Year 1 of homeschooling my oldest son (grade 5)...Overall it was a good year. One thing I have learned is that I need to be more organized!! I am one of those people who piles stuff but always knows where something is as long as noone moves my stacks. LOL




We have decided to homeschool all 3 boys this year. My oldest will be in 6th grade, second (ADHD) will be in 2nd grade, and third will be in Kindergarten. This should be an experience! :-)



I wanted to write about my convo with my son's 1st grade teacher. Obviously I won't name her as I don't want to cause any problems...Anyways this woman has been teaching for years. She has been nominated "teacher of the Year" at least once that I know of. She is an absolutely great teacher!! I personally felt that she bypassed the "red tape" and tried to help my son learn by using all sorts of different things. The funny thing was that when I contacted other parents they all said something along the same lines! She is definetely a wonderful teacher. Anyways. I approached her one day toward the end of the year. I told her I had debated on telling her some info but didn't want her to feel that she needed to hide it from administration. I had decided to go ahead and tell her and if she was questioned by administration she could tell them, therefore she wouldn't be caught in the middle. My info: I had decided to homeschool my second son this coming school year. Guess what she told me!!?!?!? She said I had made a good decision - that my teacher choice for this coming year were not the greatest (at least for my son). I was amazed!! I thought that same thing (along with other reason) but never thought she would agree! Doesn't it say something when a public school teacher agrees with a parent that the teacher choices for the next year are not the greatest? Flabbergasted but feeling extremely ...verified...(not sure if thats the word I am looking for but it seems appropriate)

No More Ridalin Treating ADHD without Drugs

If you haven't read "No More Ridalin Treating ADHD without drugs" by Mary Ann Block please do!! It is a fantastic read!!! The funny thing is that I had bought this book 2 years ago when I had issues with my 7yr old  in preschool but I had never read it! The author became a doctor because her daughter was sick and the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. It is very interesting. I can not stress the importance of reading this book. There is so much medical info that it takes a little bit to digest. Most of what she talks about I have learned over the last almost 8 years of dealing with my son. We learned he has a red dye sensitivity in Oct 08. We recently learned he has a high gluten sensitivity when I started baking my own bread with high gluten bread flour. He also has bad seasonal allergies and recently developed asthma as a reaction to his seasonal allergies. But the book also talks about how most ADHD kids are vitamin deficiency, particularly Vitamin D and magnisium. Another problem with ADHD kids is low blood glucose...which I had never considered. So my search for a doctor who would be willing to run some vitamin deficiency tests and supervise my suppliments. Our regular pediatric doc refused to do this. Needless to say that will most likely be the last time we see her...So my search continues for a "holistic" doctor (as our pediatic doc said).

ADHD

I also deal with a son who has been diagnosed ADHD. We do not medicate him, instead we use behavior modification. This method has worked over the year very well for us. Let me say I have nothing against medicine...but if it is only being used to "calm" the child down I don't like it. A lot of our schools, even though it is against the law for them to even suggest it, really push meds onto the "disruptive" kids. The parents I know, who have had THE meeting, say they really feel pressured to administer meds to their kids; that they feel ganged-up on. I know a teacher who once told me "if your child had diabetes wouldn't you put him on meds? Your child has ADHD the same should apply- he should be on meds". I really took offense to that comment and totally didn't (and don't) agree with that at all. For one, diabetes is a medical condition you can die from and, as far as I know, ADHD has never killed anyone. A child who has ADHD could die due to some of the symptoms (i.e. impulse control resulting in death, depression resulting in suicide, etc) but the actual diagnosis has not, as far as I know, ever killed a child. And while I really liked this teacher, I would NEVER have allowed her to teach my ADHD son, since it was obvious to me that she already had made up her mind and would not be receptive to behavior modification. That said, putting your child on meds is your choose, not mine. I choose not to...


I really did lots of research on ADHD before my son started school. For him, the problems started in preschool. He was unable to control his impulses and was being threatened to be kicked out of preschool! I was shocked!! The child was 4 yrs old!! Having been a preschool teacher I understood the reasons as to why they would think about dismissing him but also due to that same experience I knew that there was an underlying problem to the situation. Come to find out that he wasn't the only child misbehaving and the underlying problem was that there wasn't enough stimulation being offered to the children. The talks at circle time were much too boring to the children. There were no manipulative, pictures, etc. There was not a constant adult in the room. Needless to say this was my first battle in our journey of ADHD. I fought to make the school changes some of the things they did or didn't do. These changes really helped the class as a whole. He did not get expelled and from the preschool on an upbeat note.

I plan to continue writing about this journey so stay toned...



"Why Gender Matters" by Dr Leonard Sax is a good book to read, particularly if you have boys or tom-girls, or if you have a child labeled as ADHD. If you live near me I know that the Samuels Library has a copy of this book. Dr Sax also has a new book out "Boys Adrift". This is also an interesting book to read.

Virginia Homeschooling regulations

There are 4 options to homeschool in Virginia.

Option I: Home School Statute. Va. Code Ann. § 22.1-254.1. “Home Instruction”
1. Parental instruction of children is an acceptable form of education. Va. Code Ann. § 22.1-254.1(A).

2. Parents must annually notify their local superintendent of their intention to home school by August 15. If moving into the school district or if starting home instruction after the school year has begun, parents must notify “as soon as practicable” and thereafter comply with other requirements within thirty days of notice. There is no requirement to use the local school district’s form.

3. Approval is not required. "Approval is automatic so long as a proper notice is filed." State Supts. Memo No. 105, June 6, 1984. The same is true for families starting after the school year has begun: "...subsequent to providing the school division with a notice of intent, such parents can begin home schooling and they will have 30 days to submit the other information required." Supts. Memo No. 124, June 9, 2006, referring to the legislature's 2006 addition of the word "thereafter" to the notice requirement.

4. Parents must satisfy one of four options: (i) have a high school diploma, or (ii) be a “teacher of qualifications prescribed by the Board of Education,” or (iii) provide a curriculum or program of study, or (iv) provide evidence that the “parent is able to provide an adequate education.” State Supt. Memo 105, June 6, 1984, stated that in determining whether a parent can provide an adequate education, a local superintendent should determine “whether the document itself exhibits a mastery of language by the writer; whether it includes plans for instructional activities; and whether it presents a reasonable scope and sequence of content. The [local] superintendent does not have to approve or disapprove the activities or the content and should not pass judgment on whether the curriculum is a satisfactory substitute for that of the public schools. That should be left to the parent.”

5. Parents must submit a "description of curriculum” which is a list of subjects they intend to teach. Families are not required to describe the content of individual courses.

6. Anyone aggrieved by a superintendent’s decision may appeal within 30 days to an independent hearing officer.


Alternative Statutes Allowing for Home Schools:

Option II: Religious Exemption Statute. “A school board shall excuse from attendance at school any pupil who, together with his parents, by reason of bona fide religious training or belief is conscientiously opposed to attendance at school.” § 22.1-254(B)(1). Homeschoolers may receive an exemption under this statute according to § 22.1-254.1(D). This exempts them from all requirements under the home school law. § 22.1-254 (H)(5).

In Johnson v. Prince William County School Board, 404 S.E.2d 209 (1991), the Virginia Supreme Court agreed with HSLDA’s arguments and ruled that the “sole test is the bona fides of their (a home school family’s) religious beliefs.” The state’s interest in education cannot be considered. The court also held that a family only has to demonstrate religious opposition to attendance at public school, not opposition to the home school statute or private school attendance. In HSLDA’s case, Dusan v. Cumberland Co. School Board (Chancery No. 2102, Cumberland Co. Circuit Court, Judge Snoddy, Sept. 15, 1993), the Court agreed with HSLDA and favorably applied the Johnson case and reversed the board’s denial of the parents’ religious exemption.

Homeschoolers choosing this option, therefore, need to prove: (1) they have sincere beliefs that are (2) religious, not merely philosophical, which (3) demonstrate their objection to attendance in the public schools. Homeschoolers should prepare a letter describing their religious beliefs opposing public school attendance and submit to the school board. Also, homeschoolers should include an affidavit from their pastor (or other religious expert or authority) stating that their beliefs concerning education are religious in nature, and two or three letters from friends who can vouch for their sincerity.

Option III. Certified Tutor Statute:
If a parent is certified in Virginia, he need only provide a one-time notice to the local superintendent that he will be tutoring children (the name of the children who will be tutored should not be included) and verify that he is certified. § 22.1-254(A). Two courts have ruled that homeschool parents can use this option. One was HSLDA’s case, Prince William Co. School Board v. Charles Berlin, No. CH-34982, Prince William Co. Circuit Court, Judge Richard Potter, Nov. 24, 1993. Subsequently, a State Superintendent memo advised all school districts to follow the Berlin ruling.


Option IV. Private or Denominational School:

Groups of homeschoolers can create private schools with each home a part of the campus and each parent a teacher. Private schools are not regulated. § 22.1-254. An individual home school cannot be a private school. § 22.1-254.A. A private school can establish a distance program (or virtual program, or satellite program) where a student is enrolled in and under the authority of the private school, but the student is taught primarily by his parents at home.

 
Standardized Tests:
Only for parents choosing Option I, and only if the child was 6 or older by Sept. 30. By August 1, submit one of the following. Va. Code Ann. § 22.1-254.1(C) 1. Results of any nationally normed standardized achievement test showing the child attained “a composite score in or above the fourth stanine” (i.e., 23rd percentile); or 2. An evaluation letter from a person licensed to teach in any state, or a person with a master’s degree or higher in an academic discipline, having knowledge of the child’s academic progress, stating that the child is achieving an adequate level of educational growth and progress; or 3. A report card or transcript from a community college or college, college distance learning program, or home-education correspondence school; or 4. Another type of “evaluation or assessment which the division superintendent determines to indicate that the child is achieving an adequate level of educational growth and progress.” If you plan to submit an assessment under test option 4, it is strongly recommended that you discuss this with the school system early in the school year.
 
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Homeschooling

I homeschool my oldest son. He had attended a public school until this year. I "pulled" him for many reasons but mostly because I think the public school was not giving him the education that he needed. He is a smart child, advanced in science & math. The public school didn't want to accelerate him- in other words give him the education he needed. I tried to work with the school before I withdrew him. I gave them another year- I had a meeting with the principal. She said certain educational things would happen that year, which didn't happen. So I felt I had no choose but to withdraw him.

Since withdrawing him from public school I have heard from many families who felt the same way (that their child wasn't getting the education he/she needed) and have also withdrawn their children. I would LOVE to do a survey on families who withdrew their children from public elementary school and are now either homeschooling them or sending them to private school. I would ask if they did so because they felt that their child wasn't being challenged acedemically. I would think that as a school board, especially with the financial crisis right now, you would want to know why families are withdrawing their children. This would be an interesting survey.