Texasmom, I homeschooled my youngest son, in the school district of which I was an employee, and over the objections of my Superintendent and elementary principal. My wife was even threatened with legal action by the principal; a threat that was never carried through.
We didn't care what they thought. It was a small school district, and I knew every child and every parent in it. My son was about to enter a kindergarten class chock full of rowdies, and he, being easily distracted by the events around him, would not have fared well in his first year in a public school. In addition, I was po'd by the entire situation. A mother of "ethnic" persuasion had been allowed to kick their child forward one grade to avoid a similar situation, and we had asked for permission to do the same, since this would have placed him in a better class with his older brother.
Nothing doing....just wasn't going to happen we were told. When we pulled him out of school, the administration was livid, but we were within our rights according to state law. The district was even obliged to provide us with educational materials. We held him out for that critical first year and, when we felt he was ready, reenrolled him in school.
From my experience in teaching regular classes and special education, I would say your biggest challenge with you son will be his language classes. They are the easiest to screw up in. Garner all the advice you can from educational professionals sympathetic to your cause. Design his reading classes around material that he enjoys, even if it is comic books. The "classics" are fine, but vastly overrated. Also, the point someone else made about their child's classes only lasting four hours a day is a point well-taken. In my opinion, that is all the time that is needed for instruction when that instruction is one-on-one.
Good luck!
Regards, Shuckins
