Homeschooling Bipolar Teenager

Kudos to your daughter! :) Homeschooling it Texas is easy as someone posted below. The great thing about living in Dallas County is that she can take dual credit courses at Dallas Community College for free! We are in Denton County and wish our kiddos could do that. Contact DCC about that for next semester (summer or fall). In the mean time, you have so many options. A prepackaged curriculum like Bob Jones, Aces Paces School of Tomorrow, Abeka, Alpha Omega - Switched on School House, etc. Or she can put together her own based on where her daughter is strong/weak. I personally don't care for the prepackaged programs because I don't think one program is best in all subjects therefore we are more eclectic. She can request a catalog FULL of different curriculums from Rainbow Resource. They send it for free and it is about 4 inches thick. If you want more info or have questions, feel free to send me a private message with your # and I will call you. Starting mid semester will have its challenges for maintaining high school credits.

Also, have your daughter google "homeschool coops in Dallas" or something along that line to see what she can find. There are many coops in the area. I know of one in Carrollton and I believe there is one in McKinney. Also, Classical Conversations is another option. Child goes once a week with the parent, gets it laid out for the week and does the work at home for the week.

Best of luck to her!

I would call Social Service in your area and they should be able to tell you about many programs in your area that will help you with children that have disabilities.

This will help you sort out the legal mumbo jumbo.
http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/tx/

Have her check out k12.com, which runs online schools in almost all states. We currently participate in MN, and I love the program. I checked, and they have a program in TX. Curriculum is provided for free, and the entire school day is conducted at home, with portions in actual bookwork and some of the work online.

This is an easier option, especially if she has never homeschooled and isn't used to putting together a curriculum...especially for a high schooler. Also, you still receive the support of a teacher and other staff (i.e. counselor) but you don't have to deal with being in a classroom.

Mail me if you want more info!

There's not much to find out about homeschooling. It's all about getting a curriculum in a box or making your own and your 15 year old grand-daughter learning the necessities. We've been homeschooling now for two years. The first year seemed dreadful, but now its very rewarding. We use AOP Switched on Schoolhouse 2010 a computerized curriculum and it does almost everything for you as far as planning and 95% of grading. Good Luck.

Just underscoring the importance of making sure she is getting medical and psychological help. Bipolar runs serious risks that can get worse without it. Even dangerous to everyone else...

One reason it can be hard to find HS'ing info in Texas is that Texas is the EASIEST state to homeschool in in the entire country. Here's what the state government has to say about HS'ing in Tx:

"In Texas, we view home schooling as something to be respected and protected - respected for the energy and commitment of parents; protected from the interference of government. Texas does not index or monitor home school programs."

There are absolutely *no* requirements/oversight in Tx... and Trust me... on nationwide Homeschooling boards those of us outside Tx DROOL. I live in a fairly "easy" state, but Texas is the *best*. Especially for those with gifted kids, LD kids, and psych issue kids. (Having an ADHD-c 8yo, I've got all 3 in my one amazing kiddo :).

I'm obviously biased, already being a HS'er, but I believe your daughter's idea to homeschool to be brilliant. Not only will it give your granddaughter time to get her meds straightened out (typically takes 12-18 mo to find the correct meds, combos, and doses) without impacting her academics, but HS'ing is a *huge* leg up for college. HS'ers are accepted at 6:1 against public/private schooled kids in the ivy leagues, and our kids have a leg up on state schools as well (in large part because our kids get to present portfolios of their work instead of trying to cram every bit of *sparkle* into a short essay), although the Ivies actually recruit HS'ers. ALSO in part is that most states offer "dual enrollment" programs. So highschool students can take classes at the community college (college level) for FREE. They can just pad their HS curriculum (for example, a literary kid could take tons of classes in the humanities / or lit dept... a math kid could delve into college level maths... artsy kid into college level art, etc.), or use CC credits *as* their highschool curriculum, or be ready to transfer into a state school with a 2 year degree by the time their peers are graduating highschool.

((Ahem... so as far as curriculum goes, *do* look up the dual enrollment options available in your state.))

But my gushing aside... here's some links to find much more help than I could provide:

Texas (support groups and laws)

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/extras/Search.htm?cx=...

A yahoo group specifically for HS'ing special needs kids. (If you or your daughter doesn't already have a yahoo ID they're free to create. It takes about 24 hours for most groups to approve your entry into them -they're moderated, the moderators make you fill out a brief form to prevent spamming)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homeschool_SpecialNeedsKidz...

A very active secular homeschool yahoo group ((one you're in yahoo group just search ____________ homeschool. Texas Homeschool, Dallas Homeschool, Teen Homeschool, Bipolar Homeschool, Christian Homeschool, Secular Homeschool, etc. Some boards are more active than others.))
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/secular_homeschoolers/

My absolute FAVORITE general homeschooling website. Tons of information on various styles, philosophies, curriculum, etc... written by people who actually practice those styles/ philosophies or use the curriculum, instead of the views on 1 or a handful of people who are biased towards their own favorites.
http://www.homeschooldiner.com/

The BEST curriculum site out there (imho), amazing discounts (we got discovery science for $50 when Discovery.edu price if buying straight from them is $700). Lots and lots of trials / demos, all arranged by subject so it's easy to form your own opinion / let your child try them out ... instead of crossing your fingers and hoping based off of someone else's review.
http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/