How does homeschooling work?

How does homeschooling work? How can I homeschool? What do I need to do? and other similar questions are what parents or children ask all the time especially this time of year.  Many want to homeschool but don't feel they can. Many students want to be homeschool but don't know how to approach the subject with their parents or want to know if it can be done without Mom's and Dad's approval.

Children and Teens: You need Mom and Dad (or just one parent if you live in a single parent home) or whoever your guardian is to approve and act as the administrator of your homeschooling. You can't just simply be homeschooled because you want to be.

Parents/Guardians:  Every state has it's own homeschooling laws so what you have to do in terms of registration, letter of intent, standardized testing, notifications, logging hours, number of days, are determine by your STATE laws.  So the first step would be to familiarize yourself with your STATE homeschooling laws. One resource to do this is: HSLDA State Laws

After you familiarize yourself with state laws the next step is decided what METHOD of homeschooling fits your needs or your child's needs the best. There are many different methods and one is not really better then the other.  It's just a matter of what appeals to you more and which one will fit your personality better.  It's similar to having cats or dogs or fish for pets. They are all fine animals, and more good pets, it's just some people are not cat people -- and that's okay.  Maybe your method is more of "school at home" where it is very much like school, textbooks, quizzes, worksheets, you might even have a school room. Or maybe your method is more child-led where your child picks a topic and you help facilitate that with giving them access to everything and anything they may need to go deep into that topic -- or maybe you a mix of the two or something else all together.   Knowing what your child's learning styles are might help you determine what METHOD is best too.

Once you figured out method and learning styles, or at least have a very good idea what you want it's time to look at curriculum! However before doing that. You should stop and ask  yourself a few more questions like: Cost? What I'm a willing to spend? Do I want Catholic? Christian? Secular materials?CCS (common core standard) aligned?  CCS independent? Have a little bit more of an idea of what you want before you step on to the curriculum lot. Early on in my homeschooling career I was told to think about curriculum shopping like car shopping. You don't walk unto a car lot without and idea of what it is you are looking for and what you are willing to spend.  Granted once you get on the car lot and start looking at options, prices, and what's available your budget or desires might change, but you didn't walk unto the lot blindly. You had an idea of what you were looking for.

The same is needed when curriculum shopping. You need an idea of what you are looking for before you step onto the lot! Why you might ask? Well Homeschool Roadmap which categorized resources and curriculum options by CCS statuses has over 2,600 options listed. They are always adding to the list too. So with over 2,600 options and counting available you kind of need to know what you want. Again you get an idea of what you want by knowing what method you want to use, what learning your style your child is, what you want to spend, what is your worldview (Catholic, Christian, Secular), what you want in terms of CCS (no CCS or yes CCS), etc.

Summary:
How to homeschool?

1. Know your state homeschooling laws
2. Know what method you want to use
3. Know your child's learning styles
4. Have an idea what you want your curriculum to be like
5. Buy curriculum (or not if you choose to go more 'unschooling')
6. Just do it! 

Just do it: Might sound scary and a huge step and a big leap, but honestly you are not going to know what is like or how to do it until you just do it!  Know you won't miss your kids up, Know that you really cant fail them if you have a plan and goals and do your best to carry them out, and Know that whatever you do -- especially if you are pulling them out of public school or even private school for that matter that it will take TIME to adjust. One of the best pieces of advice I got was to give it 2 school years before you say Nay or Yay.  The first year is adjusting getting your feet wet learning about your kids styles, your styles, figuring out what works for you. The second year is more of that, but now that your feet are a little wet and you have been doing it for a bit more of a groove starts to form and you get a true sense if this going to work out for you or not!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something.

Why do you homeschool? The TODAY SHOW wants to know!

I just came about this tidbit of information. The TODAY SHOW on NBC is looking for feed back on "Why You Homeschool?" They say that your replies MIGHT be featured in a story on todayshow.com (note the .com). Fill out the Today Show's Questionnaire.  The Today Show Questionnaire is apart of  Today Participate.

Fill out the Questionnaire Today and let the Today Show and others know why you homeschool!

Movin' On Up??

Why, why, does Superstar do things better then me? I want to be doing what he's doing? I want to be doing the same work? That was what Web-princess was saying to us over the weekend. She wants more work, she wants to work over the summer, she wants in the fall to be doing "everything" that Superstar is doing.

For "school work" the kids do the majority of it "together". It's just really Math, Spelling, Grammar, and Reading that they do separate or out of different level books.  (That perhaps would be more clear if I truly posted lesson plans like I have been wanting to do).

So we had a family discussion about it. Superstar at first did not like it. However the more he talked the more it became clear that he was afraid that she would just copy his work. He didn't want that to happen. If she was going to be doing the same work for everything then he wanted me to be sure that she was doing the work and not just copying him. I assured him that I would be sure she did her own work on things like math.

They are 10 months apart and honestly if their birthdays fell different, if he was a September birthday and she was July baby, then they would have been in the same grade in public school. It just so happen that they were in separate grades because he was a June baby and she was an April baby. So it's not unrealistic for them to be in the same "grade".

I'm willing to give it a shot!  I'm willing to help her see her goal and give her the extra work and work over the summer. They do a lot of together already so it wouldn't require much. Just extra work in Math and Grammar/Spelling.

Math the one subject that has been a headache for us in the pass.  This also is going to mean pushing her to work harder and to overcome her convergance insuffinicy more. More math work is not only to chanellege her math skills, but it's going to be a phyicial chanellege and strain on her eye muscles.

Again I'm willing to give it a try and work WITH her. Worst thing that could happen is that she can't truly handle the course load and if that's the case it's okay! She's not going to be "behind" in anyway. She just didn't make the cut to "skip" a grade.  The joys of homeschooling! I can work with my daughter and help her meet her goals of skipping a grade and doing everything that her big brother is doing!

Oh and as far as Superstar is concern, his ego has not been crushed and he doesn't really care if his sister is in the same "grade" as long as she does her own work. He doesn't want her copying off of him! He told me that's not good for her to just copy off of me or anyone else. She doesn't learn then! Hey NO ONE likes a cheater!

Yesterday we were with some of the extended family members and were telling him about Web-princess' goals and how we were going to work her. They said "Why not just give Superstar the year off?" I said you mean like a "sabbatical".

That got a funny look, so I said isn't that what's it called when you take time off.  (Either I mispronounced the word or they didn't know what it meant. Most likely I mispronounced it)  I doubt that I could allow Superstar to have a sabbatical because of the homeschooling laws, however it was a nice suggestion.

Why Homeschooling?

Why Homeschooling? That is a question I get asked every so often. Especially, when people learn that my kids did go to Public School. This school year (2009-2010) is our second year of homeschooling. We became "official" homeschoolers June of 2008.

Socially: There is simply the OVER sexualization of children, especially young girls. I knew that I would have to "battle" make-up, clothing, waxing, etc with my daughter. I figured that this most likely would happen in 5th-6th grade, but I also realized that it could happen as young as 3rd grade. Oh, I was so wrong!!

My daughter came home from KINDERGARTEN wanting a bikini waxing, eyebrow waxing, and make-up because that was what her peers, her classmates, were doing. That is just flat out wrong! It's interesting to note that within months of us deciding to homeschooling, MSNBC ran an article about the trend across the nation to send young girls (10 and often younger) to the spa for hair removal. One spa owner in CA, stated that 20% of her clients where Tweens. Tween being between the age of (9)10-13 year of age. Not, to mention that several spas are just for "kids".

This was what I was up against, I figured I would be at some point, but seriously not at 5 years old!  It was more then I could tolerate!  Given this; is it really a surprise that the UN is proposing teaching about masturbation to 5 year old, as the standard international norm?? I had to deal with waxings, clothing, and makeup. I'm afraid by the time my nieces and nephews get to school my sisters and sister-in-law will be dealing with explicit sexual education. I don't really know if they want their 5 year-old being taught about masturbation. I don't think any parent really wants that! 

You can read the whole guideline here: UN International Guidelines on Sexuality Education

Education: Aside from the messages they were picking up with their peers, I was seeing issue with the education.  First, I know that at least here the PS (public school) does try; it does have some really GREAT teachers! However, even the great teachers can't reach everyone. Every teacher I have met will say they are teaching to the "middle". They are hoping that those that are above the middle will not loose interest and that they can help those that don't understand. They also hope that those below the middle will come up to the middle so at least they can get "by".

I was watching my daughter struggle with certain subjects. Subjects that I tried to work with outside of school, but in all honestly she was done! She was 5 year old and had already spent 7 am -3 pm at school. She didn't want any more schooling! On the flip side my son was doing really well in some area; areas where he simply wasn't challenged. I know the teachers were doing all they could do, but I could just see this wasn't working. I wanted something more tailored for each child. I wanted them to be challenged in all areas. Challenged, not over challenged! I wanted them to have the time they needed for each area. If it needed to be slowed down then I wanted that. If it needed to be sped up then I wanted that. They can't get that tailored education in the schools as they are now.

I wanted my kids to be themselves: I wanted my kids to remained sweet loving children! My son's first grade teacher would tell me how every day my son, with his sister, would stop at his locker and drop off his bag and stuff, then he would walk his little sister down to her kindergarten classroom. When they got to her classroom, he would look around to make sure no one was watching and would give her a quick kiss on the forehead. He then would go to his classroom.

Everyday she would allow this and everyday she would watch. She told me that it was amazing to see a child care so much about his sibling. I would share that with my husband and would worry that someday he would stop, because of the teasing that may result from it.  That he wouldn't want to hold his sister's hand and walk her down the classroom, because the other kids would make fun of him. It was clear he was somewhat worried what others thought, because before kissing his sister's forehead he would looked to make sure no one was watching.

I wanted my kids to be kids! I want them to learn at their pace,  but most of all I wanted them to be themselves and not be afraid to show love and compassion for other people, especially their sibling. That is why we homeschool.

Why do you homeschool?