Any Homeschooling/cyberschool parents with cf?

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mamaScarlett

Active member
Hi, I'm wondering if there's any parents with Cf, doing school at home with their kids?
We are strongly considering cyber due to the consistent routine and teacher support.
Any tips on how you manage it all, and still maintain balance, downtime, etc, would be helpful. Also, during your doctor visit days, do your kids bring their work on the road, or do you get sitters?

fyi, We have a soon to be 1st grader and 2 yr old who's in the exploring phase, lets say.

Thanks so much!
(NEB)
 
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jshet

New member
I have home schooled with using a cyber school since my son was in 4th grade. He will be entering 11 yh grade in the fall. He also has autism so it is just a better fit for him. It is not for everyone. I cannot stress that enough. My son has no desire to interact with other children so the lack of socializing was not an issue for him. I think for your kids, it's important that they are able to spend time with friends outside of school. But I'm sure you have already thought of that.

Keeping on the same schedule daily, as much as possible is very important. We start at 9. It's important that they know this is school time which means my son is up, dressed, and has breakfast before starting.

One nice thing with home schooling is assignments are posted up to 2 weeks in advance so it is easy to work ahead.. When you know your child will not be able to work on a specific day because of appointments, you can do that work before the due date and not have to worry that they will have a whole day of school work to do when they get home.

you can also submit an excuse and have extra time to complete the work when the are absent.
because you can work at your own pace, it does not take the typical school day time to complete their work. We do treatments (after the vest) during class. He uses a mask so he can be working on a math sheet and do his pulmozyme at the same time. I save the work he does writing to do while he does his treatments. He can't listen to a lesson while doing them. You can see what needs done for the day and decide what assignments you should do when.

My son has less illness from not being in school each day. This has worked great for us. It is a huge commitment and a lot of work! I think it's important that your child get to have a say in it too. If they are not happy with the choice, it's not gonna work.

good luck with your decision and if you have any other questions, please ask. Janelle
 
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mamaScarlett

Active member
All excellent points, thank you for sharing!
i love the suggestion of using a face mask instead, to be hands free.
As the parent with Cf, I would like ideally to have my treatments competed before our school day begins. I know however, this isn't always reality. So I may have to be working while I'm vesting.

The thing is I can't be speaking, and don't want my treatment quality to suffer. So that will need to be worked out.

May I ask which type of cyber your son is in? I'm speaking with international connections academy, the private chapter.

Yes socialization is a huge concern, of course. Our daughter is already in gymnastics and dance for this reason. And as a family we are heavily involved in congregation group volunteer work. This way she will socialize with not only peers, but all ages too.
 
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jshet

New member
My son is enrolled in Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School. They are able to offer special education classes for my son.
 
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heidikk

Guest
what state are you in, MamaScarlett? The laws of your state might factor into your decisions about what your homeschooling looks like. In Wisconsin we are blessed to have a large measure of freedom. I'm not the one with cf either, but our family has been through times of upheaval - moving, harvest, birth, death and grieving times - during which the freedom to fit school around our lives was such a blessing. Choosing to homeschool year round also gives us the option to have a lighter load during times of more stress and busy-ness. I also like to pick and choose what we use for curriculum so for me, cyberschool is not the best fit, but I know many are very happy with it. I have been homeschooling our ten children for over 21 years now and have at least 18 to go. Keep in mind that one on one teaching is much more efficient than trying to teach a whole classroom. A first grader can often complete everything easily in a very short amount of time. You can also speed up and slow down at his pace, sometimes flying through several days' lessons at once and sometimes sticking with just one lesson for 2 or 3 days until he truly understands it. At your kids' ages, I'd base my decision about what to do during doctor appointments on what they can handle and how they behave as well as the availability of babysitters rather than anything to do with school, personally. Feel free to ask questions along the way. :) - Heidi mom to Dekorrah - 6mo son with DDF508 CF
 
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bloggymom

Member
I have CF and and I homeschool my son.

We do year round school so that when I am doing a tune up we can take off for 2-3 weeks at a time. I create my own lesson plans... based on our state's requirements for the grade we are doing. We don't do school online... school time is one time of the day I can keep on son off the computer and his nose in books.
 
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cabadie1

New member
We are about to start the k12 program. It is a free online public school. They provide all of the materials and still give you the freedom to work at your own pace. There is a certified teacher that is available to help your child. I have 2 that will be in the program, an 8th grader and kindergartener. I also have a 2 yr old and 7 week old so I liked having a teacher available online to help them when I am busy with the little ones. Feel free to message me if you like.
 
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mamaScarlett

Active member
Thank you all for those replies!
if we do this, it will definitely be private cyber. There is no public cyber in my state. And we prefer the teacher support and lesson plans of cyber.

So can anyone give feedback on the workload you feel as a parent, with at home schooling compared to brick and mortar school?
 
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mamaScarlett

Active member
bloggymom said:
I have CF and and I homeschool my son.

We do year round school so that when I am doing a tune up we can take off for 2-3 weeks at a time. I create my own lesson plans... based on our state's requirements for the grade we are doing. We don't do school online... school time is one time of the day I can keep on son off the computer and his nose in books.
Click to expand...

So tell me about your typical daily schedule...when do you do treatments?
 
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bloggymom

Member
MamaScarlett.... I do my treatments in the morning while my son does his morning lessons (9:30) and then in the afternoon while my son does his afternoon lessons (2:00). We do half of our morning lessons while I vest in my bedroom and then we move to the school room for the rest. I bring my hand percussor and my nebs into the school room in the afternoon. While he does his "personal" reading, I can close my eyes and rest for about 15-20 minutes. When the weather cooperates we go for a walk for his physical education.... I get my cardio exercise.
 
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cabadie1

New member
My kindergartener is the one with CF. I was a teacher for 8 years and definitely do not want her to experience what I saw. There are some really awful teachers out there. Parents send their students sick all the time. I want to keep my daughter as healthy as long as possible. She has never been in the hospital I would like to keep it that way if I can. She is in dance, and looking into a soccer league this fall. She has a ton of neighborhood friends. She is doing well socially. She does not take naps, but she needs her 12 hrs at night still. She wakes up about 9. We start treatments right away, when she is done she eats. We then start school work. I have been doing a pre-k curriculum with her since January to have her ready. I give her privileges if she finishes things like school work and eating in a timely manner. Please feel free to call or email. I know all of this can be a challenge, but it will be worth it. My number is 337-591-2232, and email crystalabadie@hotmail.com
 
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Melissa75

Administrator
I'm going to throw in a few words for the other side of the argument. I live in a town with a well-regarded public school system and my kids' needs are fairly standard (though not totally). So, anyway, I realize I may be trying to compare apples and oranges here, but...

My number one argument for not homeschooling is that from roughly 9-3 I can do treatments, work-out, grocery shop, cook and maintain a freelance job. That is a nice chunk of time.
Number two: We've never had a bad-fit of a teacher, and if we did, I would consider that experience--once in a while--to be good for my kids. We've had years that were maybe less inspired or the class makeup resulted in what felt like a lot of time allocated to discipline and wait-your-turn. But my kids always come home having learned a lot, and not just in math, language arts, social studies and science. Also have art, music, Spanish and PE. And schoolwide anti-bullying education (grade appropriate), a TV turnoff program, afterschool enrichment classes in subjects like dance, glass-fusing and bridge-building. They go on field trips that are related to history, science and art ..etc. And performers and speakers come to the school.

Of course, all this can be done by a homeschooling parent, but while they're doing that amazing stuff, I can be working or resting, exercising or going to the doctor. Then, at three pm, believe me, I'm all about supplementing their education with my beliefs, vocabulary and ideas about the world.
 
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mamaScarlett

Active member
Melissa75 said:
I'm going to throw in a few words for the other side of the argument. I live in a town with a well-regarded public school system and my kids' needs are fairly standard (though not totally). So, anyway, I realize I may be trying to compare apples and oranges here, but...

My number one argument for not homeschooling is that from roughly 9-3 I can do treatments, work-out, grocery shop, cook and maintain a freelance job. That is a nice chunk of time.
Number two: We've never had a bad-fit of a teacher, and if we did, I would consider that experience--once in a while--to be good for my kids. We've had years that were maybe less inspired or the class makeup resulted in what felt like a lot of time allocated to discipline and wait-your-turn. But my kids always come home having learned a lot, and not just in math, language arts, social studies and science. Also have art, music, Spanish and PE. And schoolwide anti-bullying education (grade appropriate), a TV turnoff program, afterschool enrichment classes in subjects like dance, glass-fusing and bridge-building. They go on field trips that are related to history, science and art ..etc. And performers and speakers come to the school.

Of course, all this can be done by a homeschooling parent, but while they're doing that amazing stuff, I can be working or resting, exercising or going to the doctor. Then, at three pm, believe me, I'm all about supplementing their education with my beliefs, vocabulary and ideas about the world.
Click to expand...

all valid points! My daughters school is also very good and we're satisfied with her education so far. My issue is that it seems my asthma component of Cf can no longer tolerate the winters of the northeast. And when she brings home a cold I have no ability to fight it during winter. I end up being sick and mainly home bound all winter long, which isnt great for our family. So winters, or parts of winter, in a warmer climate seem to help me quite a bit, enough to possibly make that change worthwhile.
That being said Melissa75, your points are some of the same things i consider too.
 
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Melissa75

Administrator
I see your points too. :) If I could travel somewhere warm during the winter, I might do it too.

In my case, though, I am sickest in the fall and spring, and not sure anymore that my kids are my biggest source of initial infections. They don't seem to be as constantly contagious with something as they were in the pre-k era. Not sure if it's that most toddlers are colonized with haemophilus or that younger kids slobber on you and your home more, but that aspect of things got better when they started elementary school.

(I think July may be the only month I've never had an exacerbation in since getting DX with bronchiectasis. Knock on wood.)
 
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