Introducing our Homeschooling Family! My gifted son, Common Core and the Special Education System!
I started this blog 4 1/2 years ago when I first decided to take my son, Avery out of public school to homeschool. He had just completed elementary and as a gifted student he was bored. I began to be increasingly concerned with the new Common Core education system and I didn't like how my son was less and less interested in learning.
I had also seen the trend in California towards more and more medical tyranny and less freedom of choice when it came to things like vaccination.
I remember the first day of school, we moved from another town so Avery started in 1st grade. He was nervous and had a rough first day. Later in the week when I went to drop him off, I was waiting by the door and the teacher approached me. She said he was so anxious the first day and was having a hard time sitting still but had been perfect after that.. 'Did you give him his medication?' She asked... 'Huh? No.. he's not on medication..' He's only 6 and he was nervous starting in a new school is all. That pretty much sums up modern day school atmosphere.
By third grade, they told me he was gifted and would be moved into the GATE program. When I asked my son what he thought of the gifted classes, he said 'it's just more work... but at least they let me use the computers.' He started asking to be homeschooled and when I asked why, he thought for a moment and then turned to me and said.. 'because in school, I don't get to learn what I want.. If I am homeschooled, I can learn about what I want to learn and not just what they force me to learn..' I thought that was a good answer.
He's now in 9th grade, a year ahead in science taking Chemistry and several classes at the community college, including Japanese 2. He got an A in Japanese 1 over the Summer.
After 2 years of homeschooling, Avery, I decided to do the same with Aydan. My son, Aydan who is vaccine injured has a diagnosis of severe autism. I had spent years dealing with the special education system since he was 3 years old. In California early intervention for special needs is taken over by the school system at age 3 and I regret allowing this to happen. He was too young and not ready to leave home. As the years went on it was a constant struggle. Struggle to get the right therapies, struggle to get the proper placement, struggle to even get the school to deliver the therapies correctly or at all.. We sued the school when he was in the first grade and the lawsuit did not get settled until he was in 3rd. We spent two years, 1000s of dollars and in the end we had to settle for less. Don't get me wrong he had a couple of really good teachers and a fantastic para-educator (1-1 aide) for much of his time in elementary but it was a constant struggle and very stressful to us all.
In 4th and 5th grade he was moved to another class and it was fine. We kept it fairly status quo and so did they.. But by the end of 5th grade I had to consider his new placement for middle school. I went on a tour and spoke to the new instructor, the aides in the class, school principal, etc. The class was a 'dude' class.. Run by mostly men and full of mostly big guys, like my Aydan. I was happy to hear that they went on daily hikes and spent a lot of time outdoors. I agreed to the placement but at the end of July during Summer School, something happened. I was called in for an emergency IEP by the staff and told that this class had fallen through.. The teacher and aide lined up for Aydan's class had both left for various reasons and they had a new hire but we're concerned with Aydan's occasional aggression given his size and felt the 'dude' class would have been better but it wasn't available anymore.
They offered a new placement, a school I had heard mixed things about. Some families loved it and others ran from it.. When I mentioned to people in the field that he was being considered for this school, shocked faces looked back at me.. What's the issue? I would ask, and most would say it simply "wasn't for Aydan." It was a school for kids with severe behavioral problems and although Aydan did have his issues they were infrequent. I went to look at the school anyway, with an open mind.. The staff were fine, the students were fine though there didn't seem to be any others at Aydan's level but something disturbed me about the environment. It was locked in with gates and chains, complete with a padded room and no windows, for children who got out of hand.. Granted the room was colorful with pillows and a yoga ball not as bad as it sounds but still.. I wasn't sure.
Then we sat down in the principal's office. The representative from our school, myself and the principal. I heard them say something that I didn't understand.. Aydan was some acronym that I can't remember.. When I asked what it meant, they said it meant he wasn't expected to go onto a work program but to just learn 'life-skills'. Ahh.. well no wonder we had to fight for services from a system when their expectations were so low. I understand this wasn't intended as an insult to Aydan, they were just doing their jobs and basing their beliefs on their assessments but I am his mother and my assessment process is different. I happen to know he's far more capable and intelligent than any of us can possibly asses. It's not that I'm in denial of what is, I can accept the reality of now without putting a cap on the what could be.
So that day, I went home and begin convincing my husband to allow me to admit another student to our homeschool. Mythos Academy..
The name by the way, came from Avery.. He was given the task of coming up with a name and mascot. He chose Mythos Academy as he was obsessed with the story of the Ancients.. Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece.. He had read all the Percy Jackson books and wanted to dig more into the mythology, so I spent the entire Summer before 6th grade collecting books and information.
Hence our assignment to make an Ancient's inspired GAPS diet feast: http://mythosacademy.blogspot.com/2014/12/an-ancients-feast.html
But before the year was up he had discovered Japanese Anime and well.. Out went the Ancients and in came Japan, Japanese language and cutlture. That was fun too..
Anyway, this is my family and we humbly thank you for joining our homeschool journey.
