Re: Considering establishing a homeschool coop in D.C.

[Guest guest]

I think it is a great idea, we are too far in NJ to be able to

attend tough.

In the private schools I have visited for kids with AS/NLD

they use some sort of a program like inspiration to help teach

them how to write (written expression). I would look

for that in a school.

And math is sometimes a problem for some AS kids with

visual spatial issues like my daughter. I would want to know

how you will teach that if I was a perspective parent in your

school.

It sounds like your school would be appealing.

Good luck,

Pam

> In the intervening year of researching and applying for the charter, I would

like to try out some of the ideas I have for the ideal school:

> I would take the DC standards or better ones from another city and teach using

visual, kinetic, physical methods †" getting students to act out history,

inviting artist and writer friends in to lead special projects, using computer

programs to teach difficult concepts, using kids’ particular passions to teach

them what’s difficult for them (for my very verbal son the disciplines of

reading/writing/critical thinking/essay-writing are tedious, but I could do it

through his special passion †" prehistory). I do not want my son to spend any

more of his energy learning how to sit still and force himself to do work below

his cognitive ability just because other kids do that.

>

> I know some wonderful people in the city to partner with on a few projects --

outdoor education, music, creative writing.

>

> I want them to have field trips almost every week. I want them to have fun

physical exercise every day. I want them to have excited, enthusiastic, fun,

sympathetic, individualized instruction.

> My bias is a little bit away from very rigid and controlled days dominated by

special services and special assistance. My goal is to make my son feel less

like a problem and more like a talented kid who can have fun like everyone else

†" just with careful empathetic “scaffolding, " and to build skills slowly,

perhaps to integrate with mainstream schools in the near future.

>

> Ideally, I could find 5-10 kids, some like my son and hopefully some very

different from him, who would mesh well, and a few of whom have parents who

would be willing to design and run this co-op with me. It would be great if 3-5

of us were willing to take responsibility for part of the curriculum, and would

be willing to contribute $ to hire help with behavior and with addressing

individual needs. We would have to brainstorm on how to get our kids their

related services, like speech and OT etc.

>

> If you are interested in at least meeting about something like this, please

respond to at cathrobnew@... and if you are willing, let me have your

phone number so I can call and we can discuss.

>

> Thanks so much,

>

> on

>

> About me: I have a doctorate from Northwestern University in Performance

Studies and have taught and written about language, image, and communication

from a humanities perspective at several colleges. I have also worked

tangentially with the justice system, and last year I worked with the See

Forever Foundation helping establish a new school at Oak Hill, the juvenile

detention facility for D.C., where I helped get a school with multiple needs and

challenges up and running. This year I have been researching alternative

education in the district for a Casey-funded report and have gotten to know

something about the political complexities of education in D.C.. Also my son

was in the first year of the startup of the wonderful Model Asperger program at

Ivymount, and I got to see there some of the realities of putting a new school.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Pam,

Thanks so much for the feedback! You're right, I'd better think about how I'd

present curriculum and teaching methods.

I'm curious if you have a school that's working for you in NJ...

-- In , " susanonderko " <susanonderko@...> wrote:

>

> I think it is a great idea, we are too far in NJ to be able to

> attend tough.

>

> In the private schools I have visited for kids with AS/NLD

> they use some sort of a program like inspiration to help teach

> them how to write (written expression). I would look

> for that in a school.

>

> And math is sometimes a problem for some AS kids with

> visual spatial issues like my daughter. I would want to know

> how you will teach that if I was a perspective parent in your

> school.

>

> It sounds like your school would be appealing.

>

> Good luck,

>

> Pam

>

> > In the intervening year of researching and applying for the charter, I would

like to try out some of the ideas I have for the ideal school:

> > I would take the DC standards or better ones from another city and teach

using visual, kinetic, physical methods � " getting students to act out

history, inviting artist and writer friends in to lead special projects, using

computer programs to teach difficult concepts, using kids’ particular passions

to teach them what’s difficult for them (for my very verbal son the

disciplines of reading/writing/critical thinking/essay-writing are tedious, but

I could do it through his special passion � " prehistory). I do not want my

son to spend any more of his energy learning how to sit still and force himself

to do work below his cognitive ability just because other kids do that.

> >

> > I know some wonderful people in the city to partner with on a few projects

-- outdoor education, music, creative writing.

> >

> > I want them to have field trips almost every week. I want them to have fun

physical exercise every day. I want them to have excited, enthusiastic, fun,

sympathetic, individualized instruction.

> > My bias is a little bit away from very rigid and controlled days dominated

by special services and special assistance. My goal is to make my son feel less

like a problem and more like a talented kid who can have fun like everyone else

� " just with careful empathetic “scaffolding, " and to build skills slowly,

perhaps to integrate with mainstream schools in the near future.

> >

> > Ideally, I could find 5-10 kids, some like my son and hopefully some very

different from him, who would mesh well, and a few of whom have parents who

would be willing to design and run this co-op with me. It would be great if 3-5

of us were willing to take responsibility for part of the curriculum, and would

be willing to contribute $ to hire help with behavior and with addressing

individual needs. We would have to brainstorm on how to get our kids their

related services, like speech and OT etc.

> >

> > If you are interested in at least meeting about something like this, please

respond to at cathrobnew@ and if you are willing, let me have your phone

number so I can call and we can discuss.

> >

> > Thanks so much,

> >

> > on

> >

> > About me: I have a doctorate from Northwestern University in Performance

Studies and have taught and written about language, image, and communication

from a humanities perspective at several colleges. I have also worked

tangentially with the justice system, and last year I worked with the See

Forever Foundation helping establish a new school at Oak Hill, the juvenile

detention facility for D.C., where I helped get a school with multiple needs and

challenges up and running. This year I have been researching alternative

education in the district for a Casey-funded report and have gotten to know

something about the political complexities of education in D.C.. Also my son

was in the first year of the startup of the wonderful Model Asperger program at

Ivymount, and I got to see there some of the realities of putting a new school.

> >

>