Homeschool, anyone?

[tinkerbelle75]

After dealing with the terrible conditions at our local public schools for 3 years, I decided to put my children in private school. Well, that worked for about 2 years until things just got a little too much to bear also. Last month we decided to try homeschool, and so far we love it!! I was just wondering if any of you also homeschool your children and if you can offer any advice for a newbie??

[RocknBev]

Although I don't homeschool myself since I am an assistant principal in a public high school, my sister does homeschool her four boys. I will comment from both perspectives.

My perspective: Be sure to commit the hours each day to the studies and make sure your child knows the material before moving on to the next level...and don't fudge. It is very sad when homeschooled children try to return to the public school during the high school years for various reasons and they are very behind because they haven't truly had the courses they think they have.

From my sister's perpective: Get involved with other homeschool parents...the support groups help and gives you ideas of things you can do as well as the opportunity to join in on field trips and social outlets for your children. Also attend homeschool conventions and stay abreast on the latest information available on the homeschool movement.

I believe homeschool can be a very positive academic opportunity for some children if done correctly. It also helps when the children are self-motivated but even if they are not, if the parents are disciplined and keep to the schedule, the student can have a positive learning experience.
Good luck with your homeschooling experience. My sister absolutely loves it!

[DVCWDWMEMBER]

when we started having problems with one of our children in school we decided to pull him out in 7th grade to homeschool. the following year we homeschooled our other 2 children. All three went on to college and had no dificulties at all keeping up with the college programs. I do agree that you have to have a schedule to follow and to make sure that your children do the work themselves or it will not be to their advantage at all.

[jrkcr]

I homeschool my 3 DD's. DD turning 17 in a few days(11th grade), DD just turned 15(also does 11th grade) and DD 9(3rd grade).
We wouldn't have it any other way!! But the day I pulled the kids out of public school was a leap of faith. My parents did not think we should do it, and I knew no one in our small town who home schooled. And my hubby was living/working out of state. But I prayed alot, and just did it.

We use a mix of materials to teach, but always use Saxon math. We make out schedules every month, and try to stick with it-but always have to make up time about one weekend a month. And we take vacations during the "regular" school year-never in the summer!

We are very happy with the level that our kids are at. We have them take the Stanford standardized test every spring, and our 2 oldest are above high school level. We don't put much emphasis on those tests, but it is nice to have some proof that they aren't falling behind in any area.
But I know our weakness is that we don't have a science lab. A few years back, just doing kitchen experiments was enough, but thats not enough anymore. So probably next fall we'll send them to a tec college for science and a writing course.
I've been homeschooling for almost 7 years.
Find a schedule that works for you,(we go year-round) and books your kids don't get bored with! (hard to find!)
Not to brag too much, but my kids are the nicest kids I know.
Good Luck!

[MickeyMousse]

We homeschool our oldest DS, who is in the 6th grade while our youngest DS is in 1st grade in public school. They are 2 totally different children, the youngest loves school and wouldn't have it anyother way. Our oldest is bright, was not being challenged and was bored in class. This resulted in his talking too much, getting in trouble, etc....you can see where it was going. I had it and after 5th grade graduation, decided to homeschool. It was the best decision we ever made for him.

We use Calvert, which is regemented, and we need that. At least for the first year. I agree, you must put in the time daily, but we tend to complete an entire lesson of 5 subjects in about 3 hours. That gives him time to do practice lessons (homework), projects and what he loves:art. If you can join a homeschooling group within your area, do so. My son keeps in touch with his school friends and the hs group get togethers usually are in the afternoon, which is hard for me to do with my youngest in public school. For the most part, the groups give me suggestions, support and guidance.
Congratulations on your decision!!! Feel free to contact me directly if you'd like.

[Jeff]

As a HS Guidance Counselor let me recommend that you follow an established curriculum from a Home School organization. Use an internet curriculum or some such organized, documentable curriculum. We often get home schooled kids who want to enroll in our high school but the parent has kept no records and/or has not worked through an organization that posts credits. Therefore, the student has no recognizable credits to transfer to us and they are far behind. Those who use an organized home school curriculum and have a recognized credit granting "institution" transfer their credits easily. We have home school kids who decide to come to us for various reasons (band, technical or advanced type studies, vocational studies, athletics).

Good luck. For some families and some students homeschooling is an excellent option.

[Jasper]

After 15 years in human resources I have seen the results of both good and bad home school situations. The worst thing you can do is to decide to home school for the wrong reasons. In other words, be brutally honest with yourself about why you want to do this.

I have had parents say that they home schooled because their child was having a hard time in regular school because everything about the "system" and the "staff" was against their child and that their precious little one never did anything wrong. In those kinds of cases the problems were really the result of poor parenting. When the kids from those situations came to me for employment they often times had no real ability to work for someone else.

However, when I heard parents saying that they didn't like the way things were being done across the board and they accepted that their kids weren't perfect then I usually found that their kids were well adjusted and capable of holding down decent employment!

So again, be brutally honest with yourself about why you are doing this!

[MickeyMousse]

My cousin homeschooled their 5 daughters from Day One. Talk about accomplishments! Pediatric Oncologist, Pediatrician, Biochemist...the other 2 are still in homeschool. I can't wait to see what they end up becoming!

[magicofdisney]

We're a family that's been homeschooling since day one also.

My oldest son is in 5th grade, my twin girls are in 3rd grade and my youngest will begin pre-k next year.

While it has its challenges, especially with my girls being in the same grade, using the same curriculum, but with completely different learning styles, it's wonderful. You've already received some great advice so I'll expand on a few.

There are countless numbers of curricula to choose from and finding the perfect one is impossible. Some are better than others and some may need to be tweaked to fit your teaching and your child's learning style.

Know your state's laws and abide by them to keep your program on track.

I prefer end of the year evaluations but some states require the results from standardized testing. Even if your state requires test results, an evaluation can set you on a better path for the next school year. They also give you a better sense of the connection you and your child share academically.

Support groups are a blessing if you have access to them (or start one of your own).

Use this time to nurture your relationship with your children.

GL! This is a wonderful opportunity for your family and I hope you enjoy the journey.

[PirateLover]

As a teacher, you might expect me to say that kids need to be in school! But honestly, with some of the things I've seen (And I'm only 2 years in!) I sometimes think that I would home school my [future] children if I would be so fortunate as to have that luxury. Like everyone says, you just want to make sure you are using an accredited program and that you find other methods of socializing your kids through extracurriculars (sports, dance, music).