My kids are 9 and 11. Due to the upcoming death of their father (Stage IV colon cancer, rapidly spreading) I will have to go back to work in a year or so, and want to start easing some things into their schedule so there aren't a lot of huge changes all at once.

My kids are highly gifted so Public, Private, and Charter schools are not an option - I've beaten those bushes to death. I would like to continue secular HomeSchooling by hiring a tutor to come into my house for, say 4 hours a day. It would be wonderful if s/he could drive them to a HS class or two.

Has anyone ever done this? How in the world do you go about finding someone like this? Any idea of salary?

Any help would be appreciated. My kids are alredy getting a raw deal by losing their father, and also losing their SAHM to full-time work. It would be too much to dump them into a school where they'd be miserable - and probably have behavior problems - on top of everything. Sigh.

Thanks in advance...
Mame

Raw deal to say the least, ((((HUGS)))) to you all! I'm speechless at your situation and obvious bravery right now so can for the moment only comment to the tutor issue.

I tutored for a couple of years from about 4th grade through 11th. Depending on the level of the class and the situation of the family I charged anywhere between $20-$50/hour. If you plan to have somebody doing many hours I would think the hourly rate would be at the lower end.

I would start with the school administrative offices. They get Thousands of resume's in starting right at this time of year. Many of them never even get read. I know a local public school received over 3,000 in the spring months and it was a tiny community. I would also check with the individual schools themselves, they sometimes have tutor lists. Talk to any local colleges/universities as well. They usually have job posting boards and you might even find a professor who is looking for something extra or different.

Also, I know the town I'm in right now has a homeschooling group. I'm sure if there is something like that in your area they would at the very least be a good start for some resources for you to search through.

I thot about homeschooling Cody and hiring a tutor also. Any other infor ya might find, please pass on. I haven't really found homeschooling for 7th graders.

I don't know if you've already checked these out or not but this is what I came up with from google. When I happen upon it again I'll check out the local group for homeschooling here. I know the woman who lived in this house was homeschooling her children and the oldest was in 7th grade. She planned to continue on in the years to follow, too.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=homeschooling+middle+school

Thanks Sue.

I wonder if you have considered asking another homeschooling family to incorporate your kids. If you already know someone, that might be ideal, since a lot of personalities and philosophies would have to mesh.

If not, perhaps we could meet. I'm homeschooling mine, ages 5 and 3, and I would be happy to consider blending the two families during the school day if it didn't distract from any of their learning goals.

I understand the plight of the gifted child in both public and private school settings. I attended both and was bored out of my mind until I graduated from a public school at 15. I know how important it is to understand these kids' needs.

Aubrey