Homeschooling

My experience has taught me some precious lessons. When someone questions your decision to home school your children, you should not take it personally. The question is often times a reflection of the person asking it. They don’t believe they could do it, and therefore tend to doubt another’s  ability to home school.

There are tons of different programs available for homeschooling. You will absolutely find one that works for you. It may take a couple of tries, but you will find a program that is a good fit for you and your kids.

One of the first things you should know about me… I do NOT think that homeschooling is for everyone. There are families who would not benefit from bringing their kidddos home and trying to take over the education process. If the public school option works for you then you should use it. It has some fantastic aspects. However, if you are interested in homeschooling your children then I can help you.

Some things to consider when choosing a homeschooling program…

• You need to decide upfront if you want to purchase a preplanned program or if you want to start from scratch.
  • There are so many great programs out there that are put together in a very orderly fashion. The lesson plans are complete and the work is divided out into a daily schedule for you and your child.
  • There are also insanely amazing books available to help you plan a totally individualized curriculum for your child. My personal favorite is The Well Trained Mind, by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise. They outline the best resources and provide you with reasons for their choices. It is the most complete guide for planning an individualized program that I have found.
• Do you want your child to have a high school diploma?  Some states recognize home school as a legitimate schooling program and will allow the parents to create a diploma, but some states will require a GED.
  • If you are not willing to let go of that diploma, you need to plan on researching some of the accredited programs. They are typically a little more time consuming, when it comes to busy work. I have my master’s in education, and I chose an online “public” school program for my children. I may change in the future, but for now I am not comfortable walking away from the stigma of having a diploma. (See how well trained I am?   I am outside “the box”, but pressed right up against it!)
• Do you want to do a primarily online program, or would you like to utilize more of a traditional “book based” school plan?
  • I personally like the interactive nature of online programs. This is definitely not the case for all homeschooling parents. Traditional books are also a great way to educate your kids. There are programs that incorporate nearly equal amounts of both books and internet, and there are programs that focus on one or the other. Look at all your options and choose the best one for you and your child.
• If you are going to home school your kidddos, I strongly suggest having extracurricular activities. Kids need to have time to be with their peers, and it is a wonderful opportunity for your children to learn from someone else.
  • I know this can get a bit expensive, but it is well worth your time and money. Each of my children has one activity they picked, and a few I picked. I have had each kid try out a number of sports, crafting classes, and music lessons. For our family, we have stuck with piano for all, and one sport for each. I am also the resident crafting expert. Let me amend this… my husband is the king of sewing and has become exceptionally adept at making stuffed animals from scratch. We own the only rainbow butterfly patterned unicorn that I have ever seen.

These are just a few of the factors I think are important when picking out a homeschooling program. I would love to hear more from you about your experience and your concerns.