Posted on 03/22/2004 4:52:51 AM PST by LadyShallott
The remedy for this is to insist on even-handedness -- i.e., public schools must be held to the same performance standards, with any that fail to meet them being shut down.
Not sure what you mean. But, if you've already begun homeschooling, congratulations!
I'm surprised at how much the State has left us alone to this point actually. Speaking from personal experience, of course, and not addressing the wider aspects of government action.
Even more surprising is that we live in a liberal state, Maryland. We've also found that our local school district is woefully unaware of the State Homeschool laws, and we spend a fair amount of time each year during our annual review re-educating them about what they should expect.
It's been easy up to now. We meet with a representative once a year in a neutral location, generally the public library. My wife shows them a sampling of his work, and that's all.
Last time, they asked why we didn't submit our notification, and my wife had to present to them the legal ruling won by HSLDA that says we only have to notify them of our intent to homeschool once. Not once a year.
The lady accepted that, and said she would let the rest of the local staff know that.
They are ALWAYS shocked at the level of work that's being completed. They're also sort of curious about why people would homeschool at all. My wife doesn't feel any particular need to share our reasons with them. The general rule in our house is that they get the absolute minimum required by law.
Pretty well sums it up IMHO!
As you have for your own children. Keep up the great work you and our wife are doing. Thank you for the inspiration, our little one is of preschool age. :)
Im sorry, I didn't mean to imply that there was a time share Freeper Wife. LOL (humor/on)
We've recently moved to PA and everyone told me how "easy" it is here. Then I found out all the requirements. Easy to me is a letter of intent. period. I'm with you about giving the absolute minimum information. I'm going to do my best to get other homeschoolers to think the same way in my corner of the world.
In theory, a highschooler could present work that shows he's learning the multiplication tables, and it would meet the legal requirement.
Now, my wife is like a little homeschool apostle. She wants the local school people to know how well we're doing without their help. She goes a little overboard in preparing the portfolio of his work. She types of a pages-long list of books he's read, field-trips they've taken, a chronology of the Tae Kwan Do belts he's won and tournaments he's participated in, music recitals he's played in...
In my mind, that's way too much work to impress people whose opinions you don't care about anyway. I'd give them a page of each subject to look at, and that would be the end of that.
We could get out of the annual review altogether, if we joined an umbrella school or organization. But frankly, I think they've just become a mechanism to pay cash to avoid the meeting. I don't know anyone who's paid for that who has received any benefit whatsoever other than getting out of the annual review.
You are so dead on right about them not caring in the first place.
We have to do this same thing here. This is my first time ever to have to do this and I've been homeschooling for 10 years. I plan on giving them one page of each subject for each quarter. That's it. Doing any more than the law requires hinders homeschoolers who want to only follow the law. I hear things from the superintendent like, "Well everyone else is doing this why won't you?" Local districts will expect more than what is required because homeschoolers are willing to give it. It shouldn't be like that.
I tend to go overboard, too, even though homeschoolers aren't required to submit anything to the schools in our state of New Jersey (not yet, anyway - the Democrats are trying to push through legislation now to regulate us). I keep records of books read, lessons completed, field trips taken, outside programs, sports, etc., and compile it all into a "final report" for each of my children at the "end of the year". Last year, each report was 10 pages long, and then our C-drive vanished and I lost everything! I retyped it all over again.
Like you, my husband doesn't think so much record-keeping is necessary, either, but I feel more secure keeping a record in case the state ever comes knocking at the door. Also, one day, my children might like to look back through all the work they've completed, and maybe they'll appreciate the records I kept. Or... maybe they won't, but I'll have fun looking through them... sort of like keepsakes. (And, truth be told, I enjoy making lists - if I had the time, I could sit and type reports all day... sick, isn't it? :0 )
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