Considering Home Schooling And Need Help (vanity)

FreeRepublic ^ | 10/15/2015 | me

[CelesteChristi]

Good for you, even better for your child.

Liberty University offers K-12 courses. Tuition applies to your child’s college cost if they attend Liberty.

https://www.liberty.edu/onlineacademy/about-online-homeschooling/

And no worries, all this takes is the will — you’ll be great.

[FourPeas]

For information on curriculum, I've found Cathy Duffy's Homeschool Curriculum Reviews to be excellent. She's published several books which I also like.

For record keeping, I really like The Checklist by Cindy Downes. Scroll down on the page for samples. The rest of her website has much to recommend it as well.

[ottbmare]

Congratulations on getting your child out of government indoctrination centers. Let me strongly recommend The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. Follow the steps they recommend and your child will be able to truly think.

[MomwithHope]

We did it for 12 years. I highly recommend a packaged curriculum with some phone or internet teacher support. We are Catholic so we used Seton Home Study School out of Front Royal Virginia. They are accredited. There are other ones out there that are very good. Most are Christian. We also joined a Christian support group. There are probably support groups where you are. Ours had a Thursday morning group program where mom’s taught classes like music, art, sports, crafts. Your best advice will come from finding a local support group. Good luck.

[Texas56]

HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense) is a great place to start. They will have info for homeschooling requirements for your state. Plus, if you join HSLDA they will represent you in any legal issues related to homeschooling should they arise.

You might also look for homeschool support groups in your area to join both for support as well as opportunities for group events, field trips and support for you as a new homeschooler.

Also, you might also look for outside homeschool classes both on-line and locally for subjects you might find difficult to teach. In my area of Texas, there were several consortium groups which offered classes (for fees) taught by other homeschooling parents (with degrees in the given subject).

We chose to use the consortium for a couple of subject classes (such as Traditional Logic, Geometry and Spanish) and fun classes such as acting and band.

Finally, homeschool conferences will offer lectures on “how to”, and offer hands-on review of curriculum before you buy.

Homeschooling in upper levels can be challenging to teach, but definitely doable. I began homeschooling when my daughter was in second grade. She has now completed college.

[PAR35]

Join HSLDA.

Some schools are a lot less friendly to to home schoolers than others. You need state specific information.

[metmom]

HOMESCHOOL PING

This ping list is for articles of interest to homeschoolers. I hold both the Homeschool Ping List and the Another Reason to Homeschool Ping List. Please freepmail me to let me know if you would like to be added or removed from either list, or both.

The keyword for the FREE REPUBLIC HOMESCHOOLERS’ FORUM is frhf.

[metmom]

What state do you live in?

That’s a great place to start because each state has different homeschool regulations.

Also, JOIN HSLDA ASAP!!!!!!

Homeschool Legal Defense Association.

http://www.hslda.org/

Use Saxon Math for math, especially if you can find the older hardcover curriculum.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Don’t be scared. Most decent sized towns have a Homeschool Association and will have yearly events. Go to Home School Legal Defense Assoc., HSLDA, and sign up for their legal plan. Look for Abeka curriculum (through Pensacola Christian School in Pensacola, FL) for most subjects and Saxon Math for math. If your town has no assoc., look in the nearest large town. Attend the seminars every year. Go to your local Christian bookstore. They often have home school resources.

[metmom]

My junior high years 7-8 grade, were hell on earth.

There doesn’t need to be a reason. It’s not necessarily because he’s doing something wrong, which is what the question implies. That’s indicating that he’s to blame for it and that isn’t necessarily the case.

[blackdog]

Homeschooled two daughters. One almost finished law school at Lewis & Clark, and another in her last year as an architect. It was the best and smartest thing we did. We took so much grief from the district as well as threats. It turns out colleges love homeschooling. The kids are much more prepared, less likely to crash and burn in their freshman year, and manage their time much better.

I would recommend Alpha Omega cirriculum for your first year. Do two grades per year. You will find public school is mostly wasted time. You could complete three grades per year if you are so inclined.

[achilles2000]

Here are a few observations:
1. Homeschooling is NOT “school” at home. It is a tutorial model of learning. Consequently, homeschool parents expect their children to be to some degree self teaching. For example, our 13 year-old is doing Saxon Advanced Math (precal). He reads the lesson and does the problems. I correct them (and the tests) and discuss any comprehension issues he may have. When the boys were younger (two are studying engineering now), I would have them read the math lesson to me, and then go through the same process. Similarly, I assign books to read to the 13 year-old, write some chapter questions, and have my son write answers. We then discuss his answers, which sometimes results in having him redo questions. At no time do successful homeschooling parents stand in front of their children lecturing for hours on end.
2. Find a local support group with “veteran” homeschoolers and join it.
3. Join HSLDA and your state organization. There are many, many benefits to this.
4. DO NOT do virtual school. It is the least effective approach to education (there is data). Using some video resources is fine, but thinking you’ll dump junior in front of a screen and go on with whatever you normally do is NOT a good idea.
There are many free resources. If you have an ebook reader, you can download thousands of classics for free. YouTube has many valuable resources that are free. We use, for example, Paul Barton’s piano tutorials, videos of Shakespeare productions, and videos of science experiments. There is, of course, much more. Khan Academy is a great source for some things (not as entire courses).
5. Here is an academically excellent, inexpensive, turnkey curriculum that will, if you want, keep records and provide testing. http://www.shopchristianliberty.com/about-class-homeschools/
6. Even mediocre to below average homeschooling is better than government school. Homeschoolers have plenty of testing data to support that. So, RELAX.
7. There is no “Try”. Just do it. You’ll get used to it and love the freedom and flexibility. You will also get to know your son far better than if he were institutionalized in a government school child abuse facility.
8. Be discerning using dual credit courses at the local CC. At one time CC courses were respectable. Compared to schools 30-40 years ago, however, CC courses in humanities and social sciences would not even be mediocre high school courses. CC teaching jobs in most fields are sinecures for semiliterate leftists.
9. You will have great days, good days, and bad days. Don’t worry about the bad days.

[demshateGod]

We use Well Trained Mind Classical Education. It's eclectic so it's not very simple, but it seems to be working, is customizable, and the philosophy behind it is exactly what Western civilization needs. The good thing for you is your kid can read. The kids do a lot of reading of classical texts.

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/classical-education/

[achilles2000]

You have mentioned excellent choices for homeschooling. Most online programs are repurposed government school crap. “Free” is hardly free when you consider the worldview and the inferiority of the materials.

[achilles2000]

That is a great curriculum

[Chickensoup]

In 8th grade I used saxon math, if he is an average or better math kid, saxon has tests on site to tell you what book to buy.

I used the old used saxon sets they were the best.

[kinsman redeemer]

Agreed. HSLDA is THE source for HS information.

Other points to consider:
Go to a convention. Listen to presentations (formal and informal)
Talk to other HSers - Everyone knows the challenges that a newcomer faces - and most are sympathetic.
Find a co-op in your ‘hood.
Talk to people about the various curriculum.
Don’t be afraid. It’s not that complicated. But is is a huge undertaking.
Don’t listen to the “they’re not socialized” crowd. They’re wrong.
(I have a personal anecdote from just yesterday when my son went to a PS to take a PSAT. What the PS test prompter said about the HS table - contrasting it with the PS student table was amazing! She must have wondered, “Did I just say that out loud?”)
By HSing you are giving your child(ren) the individual attention they need and they will thrive there.
You will have a personal relationship that is otherwise impossible - simply because of the time spent together
You will be in a better position to attend to heart issues (yours and theirs, btw)
Your child(ren) will not suffer from pervasive peer pressures

I hope these quick thoughts are helpful.

[kinsman redeemer]

Great advice. I should have numbered my list.

:^)

[happyhomemaker]

Good for you. Homeschooled(unschooled) my 2 until 9th and wish they would have been home schooled until college. FL has dual enrollment for college so daughter had her AA along with HS graduation. Son did some online HS and now in college. Just take them out and treat them as a young adult who has a mind of their own. They will gravitate towards their strong suit. Just get them out of the bad situation and have fun! Learning should be self directed and kids will always want to learn when not pressured. BTW one of my daughter’s profs for a high level class at her major University went on and on about his best student who was only 19 and homeschooled. She went up to him after class and told him she was only 18 and had been homeschooled. She ended with an A LOL! Just enjoy having your child at home.

[FourPeas]

At no time do successful homeschooling parents stand in front of their children lecturing for hours on end.

If I may be so bold, I disagree. I have a child who needs this interaction and learns best this way. It provides the structure, pace and immediate feedback that he needs.