Gymnastics and Home Schooling

[iJaide!!]

Me and my mom have been taking a lot about this lately.
I have many health problems, and the stress of school and gym are leading to more health problems. I have a thyroid disease, and an auto immune disease, and stomach ulcers are well on the way..its a really big challenge for me because there is hardly a day when I do not feel sick. I have missed a lot of school due to this problem. There is a ton of pressure to get up, go to school, and push through gym when I don't feel good. I fall behind because at the end of the day I am too tired and my body is too beat to finish my homework. I was thinking homeschooling would solve this problem because there wouldn't be as much pressure go to school and do my work, and still go to gym. I would get a rest time. I train Monday-Friday from 3:15-7:45 and occasionally Saturday from 9am-1pm. (This does not match my profile because something is wrong, and I am waiting for someone to reply to my Email for help) I get out of school at 3, so I have 15 minutes to get to gym. Just wondering your thoughts on this- How many of you/your gymnasts home school?

 

[bookworm]

I don't know that homeschooling will solve your health issues ... it seems like gym is after school and most of the gymnasts I've known that have done homeschooling have done it to train during the day. You don't say what grade you are in but I am guessing high school...I would try to work out a modified schedule with your school, maybe half days if you need it for your health and maybe you could do an online course when home. If you have a legitimate medical diagnosis that interferes with completing the school day, your school should hopefully work with you. And while on the subject of schedule, you might want to think of training less than 6 days a week until your health issues are sorted out...

 

[iJaide!!]

I don't know that homeschooling will solve your health issues ... it seems like gym is after school and most of the gymnasts I've known that have done homeschooling have done it to train during the day. You don't say what grade you are in but I am guessing high school...I would try to work out a modified schedule with your school, maybe half days if you need it for your health and maybe you could do an online course when home. If you have a legitimate medical diagnosis that interferes with completing the school day, your school should hopefully work with you. And while on the subject of schedule, you might want to think of training less than 6 days a week until your health issues are sorted out...

The way it would help is there would be less pressure. I am in 7th grade. Thanks!

 

[gymgal]

dd is 11 and has homeschooled from the beginning of Kindergarten -not because of gym but because of a philosophical choice we made as a family - but it has certainly helped her in time management, which helps with gymnastics. There is much less stress. She is able to get her work done in about 4 hours most days and has time to rest before gym - and she has no homework after gym or on the weekends (except a monthly project, where we usually make them do a little bit of "out of school" hours to give them the experience of self organization.

I had a really rough time in my middle and high school years because of an autoimmune condition so I know how hard it is to get up every morning and stay focused during the day. It takes a lot out of you mentally,which affects you physically. Homeschool would definitely help in that situation. But as the other poster noted, you may be able to request assistance from the school. Many have online enrollment where you remain a public school student but you have more flexibility in you schedule. There are options out there. It's good you are discussing this with your mother. Hopefully you can find something that works well for you.

as for gymnastics, that does sound like a lot given the medical conditions you describe. You may want to talk with the HC to see if you can decrease for a little while to give yourself another day off. You may not progress as quickly but you'll feel better.

 

[emorymom]

It would help in that, because home schoolers are moving at exactly their own pace, without down time for class changes, PE, waiting for other people to finish, and busy work, and often on a 12 month schedule without arbitrary holidays, they can complete the daily dose of academic work without having to do evening "homework" and without having to get up in the morning before their bodies are rested.

 

[iJaide!!]

dd is 11 and has homeschooled from the beginning of Kindergarten -not because of gym but because of a philosophical choice we made as a family - but it has certainly helped her in time management, which helps with gymnastics. There is much less stress. She is able to get her work done in about 4 hours most days and has time to rest before gym - and she has no homework after gym or on the weekends (except a monthly project, where we usually make them do a little bit of "out of school" hours to give them the experience of self organization.

I had a really rough time in my middle and high school years because of an autoimmune condition so I know how hard it is to get up every morning and stay focused during the day. It takes a lot out of you mentally,which affects you physically. Homeschool would definitely help in that situation. But as the other poster noted, you may be able to request assistance from the school. Many have online enrollment where you remain a public school student but you have more flexibility in you schedule. There are options out there. It's good you are discussing this with your mother. Hopefully you can find something that works well for you.

as for gymnastics, that does sound like a lot given the medical conditions you describe. You may want to talk with the HC to see if you can decrease for a little while to give yourself another day off. You may not progress as quickly but you'll feel better.

Thank you so much. This really helped!

 

[iJaide!!]

It would help in that, because home schoolers are moving at exactly their own pace, without down time for class changes, PE, waiting for other people to finish, and busy work, and often on a 12 month schedule without arbitrary holidays, they can complete the daily dose of academic work without having to do evening "homework" and without having to get up in the morning before their bodies are rested.

I honestly never thought about that! Thanks a ton!

 

[Aussie_coach]

There is a lot to consider. A home schooler needs to be more responsible for your own education. Would you be motivated to get up and do the work every day even without a teacher standing over you or without a bell telling you to go to class, and without peers to work with. Some kids work better this way and some kids don't work at all. Which are you?

Do you have a parent who would support you on this? You would basically need a full time stay at home parent to make it work. Again you may have that or you may not.

Not going to school will also mean missing out on other things such as seeing your friends, playing school sports, going to dances and all the other things you may enjoy about school.

There is also some expense involved in home schooling your parents would need to purchase their own curriculum materials. It's important to consider all these aspects too when looking into home schooling.

It sounds like you have a lot of health issue's and that can happen when you are over training. 22.5-26.5 hours a week seems a lot for a 7th grade gymnast unless you are on the elite track. I presume you are an optionals gymnast in which case if you are going more than 20 hours you are increasing your risk of injury and illness during this time in your life when you are most vulnerable (during puberty). It sounds horrible but if you are on the elite track then you probably shouldn't be. If you are having all the health problems you are then the elite track will not help your health in any way and your health will prevent you from reaching the appropriate level.

 

[maryRS]

I think that cutting back on gym would make better sense with your health issues. Homeschooling could be an option too, but if you are that tired from school and getting up etc., I can't see 20+ hours of gym making any sense in the equation regardless of where you school. Maybe I am missing something but from what I'm reading, if it was my daughter I think we'd back off that many hours of gymnastics.

Me and my mom have been taking a lot about this lately.
I have many health problems, and the stress of school and gym are leading to more health problems. I have a thyroid disease, and an auto immune disease, and stomach ulcers are well on the way..its a really big challenge for me because there is hardly a day when I do not feel sick. I have missed a lot of school due to this problem. There is a ton of pressure to get up, go to school, and push through gym when I don't feel good. I fall behind because at the end of the day I am too tired and my body is too beat to finish my homework. I was thinking homeschooling would solve this problem because there wouldn't be as much pressure go to school and do my work, and still go to gym. I would get a rest time. I train Monday-Friday from 3:15-7:45 and occasionally Saturday from 9am-1pm. (This does not match my profile because something is wrong, and I am waiting for someone to reply to my Email for help) I get out of school at 3, so I have 15 minutes to get to gym. Just wondering your thoughts on this- How many of you/your gymnasts home school?

 

[bookworm]

I think that cutting back on gym would make better sense with your health issues. Homeschooling could be an option too, but if you are that tired from school and getting up etc., I can't see 20+ hours of gym making any sense in the equation regardless of where you school. Maybe I am missing something but from what I'm reading, if it was my daughter I think we'd back off that many hours of gymnastics.

This was my thought exactly MaryRS.....

 

[emorymom]

For what it's worth my doctor has her autoimmune patients drop gluten, as she thinks gluten can be a trigger for patients who have autoimmune diseases other than celiac. But if you are having stomach pain and haven't had the ulcers visualized, you may want to be evaluated for other things first. Celiac does cause stomach pain in some. Also some thyroid patients on T4 only get more energy switching to T3/T4 or a natural thyroid preparation which will have all the thyroid hormones, not just T3 and T4. Also see the article "Training with Dana Vollmer" Splash - November/December 2011 Also of course this is not medical advice any more than I can tell you what kind of schooling you should do. Just trying to brainstorm some conversations to have with your adults about your health.

 

[my4buffaloes]

We homeschooled for 4 years. I think homeschooling could solve your problem. Obviously it wouldn't fix your health completely, but being in a laid back environment with no homework on top of schooling and being able to get enough sleep each night, etc could really change your life. I have often thought about homeschooling again to make life in general, including gymnastics, better for my dd. Next year she will start middle school and have to get on the bus at 7 am! She will be in the gym 16 hours, 3 school nights until 8 or later - then the drive home, dinner, homework, etc. I do not see her getting enough sleep to stay healthy. I would certainly look into it. Good luck!

 

[gym law mom]

It sounds like you and your parents need to have a conference with your doctors and discuss all of this. You mention being so tired its hard to get up and make it through the day. Sounds like some changes to school and gymnastics may be needed to let you get back to being as healthy as possible. Do consider asking your school about doing some work at home.

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

If you have to drop something, drop gymnastics, or at least cut back...gym may be awesome but school is your future. Also, I don't know the details about your conditions, but it seems like gymnastics would be a lot more stressful on your body than school! Sometimes you have to compromise - leave practice an hour or two early if you have a lot of homework; drop a day of gym; don't take a full schedule of classes so you can have a study hall.

Maybe homeschooling would work for you, but I know I personally would have trouble being as motivated without competition with my peers and I definitely wouldn't learn as much without being able to discuss and debate with my friends. Also, a good teacher is priceless, and you might not get that homeschooling. I think the best option would be to take fewer classes if you can...this year I took 8 classes and it was way too much - my first class started at 6 am and I didn't get out of school early or anything.

 

[coachmolly]

I think homeschooling could be a reasonable option provided it's done for the sake of your health, not for gymnastics alone. I have a health issue that made school very difficult for me and I begged my parents to homeschool me. Teachers, social interaction, class discussions, and all of the stuff that comes with going to school could not make up for the other difficulties I dealt with. But at the time homeschooling options just weren't something widely available. Currently, there are so many more options to make home schooling a fulfilling and manageable experience. Even with these, it's still absolutely necessary for you to be a self-motivated learner and willing to take initiative, and a significant commitment on the part of your parents to research to find the best curriculum available and help you work through it and to take you to necessary extracurriculars/co-op activities that are available. Because of the parental involvement required, it's something you absolutely need to discuss with your parents.
Cutting down your hours in the gym is also something to look into for the sake of your health. I would think your coaches, especially if they were given specifics from your parents, would be willing to help work something out. It's better to have fewer hours in the gym that are safe and productive than a bunch of hours where you feel tired and unable to work effectively.
Good luck and I hope you find a solution for the difficulties you're facing soon!

 

[thnkGd4kds]

I've homeschooled my 4 kids for philosophical reasons their whole lives. One of the many reasons I like it is that it allows them to fully follow their interests and passions while maintaining their time to be children/teenagers. In other words, they have time for long practices or rehearsals, for getting home late from tech rehearsals and performances, and to still get the rest their bodies need, the down time their minds need, the time to be creative and curious in their own ways, and the time to socialize with many others (we do a ton of that, as do all of the homeschoolers we know ). It's a great option.

 

[niklum]

Like a lot of other posters, I think that cutting back on gymnastics would be wise to get your health back on track. True, the stress of your busy schedule isn't helping, but so much training isn't, either.

That said, if you want to homeschool, look into K12.com. My DD just started it this year to finish up 5th grade because we have busy schedules and we moved from an academically slow state to an academically rigorous state. So far, she likes it. She gets her works done in 4-5 hours most days without homework. The up side is that she has a certified public school teacher to report to and there's a daily plan determined by the state's public school system. Not all states offer this, so look into your state. I work full time as a coach, so I can't be on top of her every day to do her work, but, since she's a gymnast, she is motivated and disciplined. I've noticed there's been a huge reduction of stress in our lives since we made this decision. It was a temporary choice, but we might stick with it for a few more years because of the flexibility.

Good luck!

 

[iJaide!!]

Thanks for the answers everyone! We decided to cut back on gym... I now train Mon-Tues and Thurs-Friday from 4-8.... I seems to help a little but not a lot. Its difficult because gym is my "stress reliever" so its hard to cut back on what is actually making me happy in some ways. My school isn't really willing to work with us. I may get out of my last 2 periods (PE and computers) so that would be very helpful. Still not positive on what we will stick with though! We drive 45 minutes away from home every Wednesday and Saturday to my doctor to get an IV (of glucose) that takes 4 hours. I will do this for 10 weeks! Thanks again for your suggestions!

 

[gymgal]

Just a suggestion. Check if there is an infusion place around your town that would be willing to administer the iv. Sometimes rheumatologist offices will do this. Cancer centers too.

Getting out of school even an hour early would be a big help for you, to give you more time for homework and rest if needed before gym.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

 

[iJaide!!]

We decided not to do the IV treatment. My mom didn't feel comfortable with it. I dropped my last 3 periods (Art, PE, and computers)... So now I get out of school at 12:30! The counseling center and my district agreed this would be a better choice.