Why We Chose to Homeschool Our MERLD Son
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**Update 12/2019 – This month we chose to unenroll our oldest son from public school as well. He is excited to begin the second semester of this school year at home!**
We had every intention of enrolling both of our MERLD children in public school.
In 2017, we enrolled our oldest MERLD son in public school; and just one week before the first day of school he had tubes put in his ears and his adenoids removed.
During his first year of school, we watched a remarkable change take place, as his expressive and receptive language slowly began to improve.
He is just now wrapping up second grade, and his lag is slowly disappearing.
Mainly what remains is a limited vocabulary and grammar mistakes, which can be more attributed to the fact that he spends more time with me than my husband, and my own vocabulary is limited.
Our oldest has done very well in public school. He enjoys it, and that method of learning is more conducive to his style.
Our youngest is a different story
Early on, I realized that our youngest had his own timetable.
He reached milestones a little later than what charts told us babies should reach them. But he was happy and developing, nonetheless, and no one seemed concerned, so neither were we.
But when he also seemed to have a language delay, as our oldest did, I began to worry.
When he was 3, I began working hard with both of my boys to help them become ready for school, because I saw that their delay would demand more preparation.
Our oldest thrived on school; but our youngest did not.
He’d rather play.
Throughout doctor visits and Kindergarten, we heard it all: ADHD, cognitive delay, sensory processing disorder, auditory processing disorder….
….and we heard what only looks were saying: Autism Spectrum.
Why We Chose to Homeschool Our MERLD Son
The closer we got to 1st grade enrollment, the more anxious I became. Would my child be labeled? Would he be bullied?
Would he be able to pay attention enough in class to really learn?
Would he endure trauma in school?
And when the day for enrollment came, it went worse than we expected. I walked out of the school that day knowing that this wouldn’t work for him.
His introversion combined with his expressive and receptive language delays, coupled with his extra energy and need to for a more kinesthetic style of learning demanded other options.
He needed to be released in math and music to go as far as they would take him, while having the option to focus more on language development.
He needed one-on-one and a tailored program.
He needed school in 3-D: to experience what he learns with all of his senses…and he certainly didn’t need to be forced to sit still in one place for 5 hours a day and be expected to learn.
Our decision was made: I would homeschool him, using a program tailored to his unique needs and abilities.
I want to emphasize that my husband and I did not go into this decision lightly.
A lot of prayer, consideration and conversation went into this decision….and has continued since we un-enrolled him from public school and enrolled him into an online umbrella school.
Also, we know a lot of people are confused by our decision to homechool only one of our children.
I have often said publicly that I believe school is a freedom and a choice, and that parents need to choose to do what they feel is best for their children.
And we believe – at this time – public school is the best choice for our oldest.
He has thrived and developed in ways we couldn’t have imagined. He loves his school, he has made wonderful friends, and he has said multiple times that he does not want to be homeschooled.
So, we have chosen to leave him where he is.
Our youngest, on the other hand, did not thrive in his two years of Kindergarten and his development wasn’t at all impressive.
In fact he developed more and learned far more by working with me at home in the one year of 3-day-a-week homeschool than he did in 2 years of Kindergarten combined.
And when asked, he has repeatedly said he wants to stay home and learn with me.
In just 2 1/2 short months we sill start first grade.
I am excited and terrified.
I look forward with anticipation and terror.
I am sure of myself one minute and questioning my abilities the next.
I am every homeschool mom.
I am a MERLD homeschool mom….welcome to my space!!
Here are the other posts I wrote on MERLD:
6 Things You Need to Know About Homeschooling a Kid With MERLD
6 Things I Learned About Homeschooling a Kid With MERLD
Why We Chose to Homeschool Our MERLD Son
Our Curriculum Choices for the 2019-2020 School Year
5 Ways We Make Summer Learning Fun
My Favorite Homeschool Planner
School Starts Today and Here’s the Thing…
10 Things I’ve Learned After One Month of Homeschooling
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