Dear Mom,

I read your question and tried to think what I would do if I were in your situation. I believe that I would do as you suggest, were you to choose to homeschool. I think that the first place you would find help would be to ask his present teacher to go over his strengths and weaknesses with you. Remember that it is important that you be aware of his challenges as this teacher views them. She is seeing him each day in the classroom setting and she will undoubtedly have insights that will be invaluable.

There are many reasons that a child does not perform up to par. Remember that some children who are very bright may be less than studious because they find the work boring or such. On the other hand there are those very bright children that have trouble with holding their attention so as to master concentration and therefore the subject material. They prefer instead to skip from subject to subject and to be content with merely passing grades.

Take time to sit with your son while he does his homework. Look into the subjects that he is working on and see how he is doing on a daily basis. This is going to give you a great advantage if you should choose to homeschool. It is important that you understand where his challenges are and what method of learning best suits him.

You are correct to consider his age when choosing a curriculum. However remember that if he has already covered some material, to needlessly repeat it in the homeschool will only serve to make him feel that he does not need to study. There is a balance when choosing curriculum desiring to encourage a child to challenge himself to go a little farther than he/she thought they could.

You are very fortunate in that you have time to do some research and to explore the way you will approach homeschooling with your son. It is not necessary to confide your discernment process with his teacher at this point. It is important that she not give you her opinion based merely upon her feelings about homeschooling. This is not about your discernment but about your son and his needs. His needs are important no matter which method you choose to educate him.

I will be praying for you as you travel this journey. I would suggest that you keep a notebook handy for your questions and the answers you will discover. I would also encourage you to speak with other homeschooling families and look through their materials and methods. In this way you can begin now to develop a network of support in the event you do decide to homeschool.

I admire you and your husband very much. Parental involvement is the single most important building block to the success a child enjoys in learning. Keep up your interest and your desire to do what is best for your child. You are your child's advocate.

Let us pray together a Hail Mary for the needs of all parents who find themselves in the middle of the discernment process concerning the challenges that are presented in their children. Lord, we ask that You empower and inspire parents to first and most importantly seek Your guidance through prayer and a docility of heart that longs to do Your will. Please encourage and uplift parents through the strength of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sending out a prayer,

Rita Munn