OT - anyone here homeschool your kids?
Kelly -
My educated (no pun intended) opinion - I think it's important to get to the root of the anxiety for your nephew. So many things can create anxiety in a child. I don't believe until it's root is determined is considering homeschooling appropriate.
I share the same moral and ethical code as my parents, but we do not share the same interests or skill sets. Kids are not the identical blueprints of their parents and shouldn't have their potential limited because their parents do not see the value in (fill in the subject here). There is no way I could address deeper-level, critical thinking questions in all subjects, and I have a pretty extensive educational background. Just yesterday, I was asked questions that compared the Haymarket Riot to the current Occupy movement, how the recession of the 1890s compared to the recent recession, and the history of Libya/death of Qaddafi. If I were asked the same types of questions in Physics, Prob/Stats, or even British Literature, I know I couldn't do it.
~Jen
RNY, 8/1/2011
HW: 348 SW: 306 CW:-fighting regain GW: 140
He who endures, conquers. ~Persius
How would you suggest going about getting to the root of his anxiety? I think that school is probably the root of his anxiety. How would we determine that for certain other than homeschooling him for a while and seeing if the anxiety went away? And why would it be better to continue putting him in an anxiety-provoking situation every day while trying to determine the root cause? Wouldn't it make more sense to remove him from the anxiety-provoking situation while trying to figure out the root cause?
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
I think the suggestion I was trying to make was finding out why school is causing him anxiety if that is what it is. I read your background last night, and it's early so I apologize if you have already answered some of these questions...does he exhibit anxiety around others in groups outside of school? Is his inability to complete a task successfully cause anxiety, and at school it might manifest? I think those are the kinds of things I would explore.
Some comments were made about socialization needing to be reserved for "outside school" - but that's not realistic. Humans by nature are social beings. It's natural and healthy for us to be exposed to new and challenging situations. I think most kids are anxious at school in the beginning. Some kids take a bit longer to adjust. I think the environment attendance at school provides is a great foundation for children to learn at a young age how to work with others, team build and problem solve. It sounds funny, but if you think about it, we deal with these skills daily as humans throughout our lives - and probably learn a lot of these skills at a very young age. I think the experience of being with others that are not part of our family is very important.
Again, this is all my opinion, but it's built from my education background and experience in the public school system. I hope you find out what is causing the anxiety with your nephew, and think that it's best to have him work with the school psychologist initially, or an external psychologist or counselor.
Keep us posted on what is decided and how he progresses!
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
No idea how you'd prove you could pas the GED test either. Goofy.
We are so busy proving "No one owns the fat, dumb, ugly kid" that we don't really look at the inate gifts the child has. We are so busy trying to laundry list how bright, athletic, talented our children are we are not seeing gifts that are not measured by a test or a game or a dance recital. Hopefully your sister will listen to her son and take cues from him and have patience. It may work out just fine w/time but if it doesn't improve I hope she will work with her pediatrician and teachers to find a good balance for her son to be successful. All the best.
He seems to get along well with others and he shares. A couple months ago I stayed with my sister for a week and one day we made homemade ice cream. He asked if he could invite the two kids that live next door over to share some ice cream with them. I also went to the park one day with him and he played nicely with a little girl that was there, that he had never met before. He doesn't seem particularly shy or awkward in social situations.
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.