[dfwddr]

Can you help ? Thanks !!!

[politicket]

First item on the agenda should be a web visit to http://www.hslda.org. You definitely want to be a member. It's very inexpensive and will protect you if you are ever harassed.

Secondly, here is a link to a list of homeschool support groups in Tennessee. Contact a Christian one in your area.

One last bit of advice: Beware of movement called "K-12". It's basically "public school" taught at "home".

Good luck with your exciting change!

[JenB]

Dave's got the ping list. What sort of help are you looking for?

I was homeschooled. It was the best thing my parents could have done for me.

You'll want to check out homeschool law in your state and find what requirements there are.

[IronMan04]

My wife and I although not having the time and resources to home school are working to organize an Education Co-op with others in our community.

Thus far we have in our group: A Math PhD

An Attorney

A Biology Professor from UT

A Commodities Trader

A Chem. Engineer

A Professor of History

A Theologian

A Writer with a MA in English

My wife and I cove two of the above and are looking for a Political Scientist and a Physicist. For next school year it will just be an after school program but we hope to take it full time in 2006.

[AZLiberty]

Consider community college as an option, or as an enhancer. Admission to community college is pretty easy, even for high-school-age kids, but the standards are high, in the experience of our two kids. Our 18-year-old daughter is transferring to a four-year college program she's really excited about. Our 14-year-old son has already taken 3 semesters each of calculus and Japanese, as well as history, chemistry, and computer programming.

For the most part, community college students are there because they choose to be there. Makes a big difference in the atmosphere.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I homeschooled my kids. They are married now, so it's been awhile, but we used the ACE (Accelerated Christain Education) program. I highly reccommend it. It was designed strictly for homeschooling.

Rose has just started using it this past month.

Becky

[ovrtaxt]

We are doing a variation of the home schooling this year. We are enrolling our kids in an online school. They log in and get their curriculum, and work at their pace. They have 24/7 unlimited acces to tutor.com. They can talk to live tutors through their laptops.

The tuition is very reasonable, and the school is accredited.

Here's the one we're using: Ablaze

Here are some others:

http://brilliantschools.com/virtual_school.htm

http://learningbygrace.org/

http://www.k12.com/dg/dg_K12_2.html

http://www.flva.org/

http://www.laurelsprings.com/default.asp

http://www.northstar-academy.org/pages/ushome.htm?11,14

Also, check homeschool.com for advice.

[Cedar]

Wish you all the best. Homeschooling is definitely the way to go.

[I'm ALL Right!]

You may find this online course helpful. How to Start Homeschooling

[Oberon]

There are more good homeschooling resources on the net than you can shake a stick at...even if you're really quick at shaking a stick.

Here are some for starters:

http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/

http://www.memoriapress.com/

And lastly (perhaps most importantly), the Sonlight Curriculum link:

http://www.sonlight.com/index.html?

While all the links I've listed are for organizations that stress Christian homeschooling, they provide classical education materials that can be used by anyone. I especially recommend the Sonlight catalog, as they feature just about every good homeschooling book that ever was.

[Mask316]

Abeka has a very good program and they even have options for them to do the grading and so on...

But it is Christian based so that may not be your thing.

Take Care

[cdrw]

Get to know the local laws / regulations and abide by them. Do NOT give the local school board any excuse to come down on you. If the local laws are adversarial to home school then move. We have found it very easy to avoid legal entanglements.

[cinives]

I'd start by doing two things: take some time (a few months would be good!) and just read up on what homeschooling is or can be. I'd have your child read Grace Llewellyn's book "The Teenage Liberation Handbook" and you read books by Cafi Cohen, Raymond and Dorothy Moore, and David Gunderson and others you'll find. Join email lists on yahoo groups such as homeschool2college and the like.

While you are all doing this, start talking about the future - is she interested in college, what field of study, what are her strengths and weaknesses in the academic arena, and most importantly, what gets her charged up about learning ? What excites her mind that motivates her to get out of bed in the morning ?

All of this will point you in the direction you should head, at least to start. The best thing about homeschooling, besides the fun, is that you can drop what doesn't work and do something else.

I don't know anything about where you live but you need to get her something to do that entails responsibility. Get a part-time job, volunteer at a local museum, animal shelter, library, whatever is handy that she'd be interested in. It's an excellent tool to use to make her accountable to some entity outside the house that has nothing to do with schooling. My daughter volunteers at the local Museum of Natural Sciences once a month and at the local library two hours a week. These are places where they can shine without you being around - it helps a lot with self-confidence.

There's been a lot said about specific curriculums. I for one am an eclectic type - we use a textbook for math and somewhat for science, but not for anything else. Textbooks have no relationship to real life in any job, and IMO hinder understanding of how things fit together. Books are great, labs and hands-on are great, but textbooks - IMO a waste of time. We read real, classical books, use a bunch of different resources for math and science, read mathematicians and scientists in their own words, find ways to use math and science, and write research papers and other papers when a book is particularly interesting and we feel we have something to say on the topic or theme. History and literature just come naturally if you read a lot.

You will have so much fun. We're 4 years into the homeschooling adventure (wish I'd done it from the start!) and I'll be sorry when it's over.

[mrs tiggywinkle]

You have freepmail. :o)

[FreedomHasACost]

I have been in public school, Christian school and homeschool. Home school is my top choice so: Congratulations on taking this step!
A couple of things to add to what has been said:
Don't feel you have to do it the way everyone else does...that is why you are taking your daughter out of school.
Also, know how your daughter feels about this. When I was pulled out of the Christian school I was very upset about it, all my friends were there...My parents were very kind but firm about the new way of doing things and I came to appreciate it greatly. Just know it can be tough for a teenager.
I hope things go well in this grand new adventure!!!

[bearsgirl90]

God bless your decision. Link up with a local home schooling organization.

[P8riot]

Here is a good source of information on the plethora of curricula out there:

http://homeschoolreviews.com/

There is more information on homeschooling on the 'net than you can shake a stick at. The choices are endless. My wife and I are homeschooling our 3 year old son using the "classical" method. He is already at a kindergarten grade level.

[mama2six]

Don't know if you are still looking, but our family is excited about Hawaii Virtual School this year. They do everything for you, so it would be pretty good for a first timer, I think. You basically only have to watch your kids and make sure they are working. They are open to anyone (HI or not). http://hawaiivirtualschool.com/