What are the Laws in MY State?

What are the Laws in MY State?

“HSLDA” stands for “Home School Legal Defense Association.”

If you were to type, “Homeschool Laws” in a Google search, theirs would be the first website listed!  However, to save you a step, here is the link to their “My State” page:  http://www.hslda.org/hs/default.asp

This page has a clickable map of the United States.  Simply find your state and click it.  HSLDA’s website will bring up your states page which includes information on homeschooling laws, legislation, organizations, member resources (for paying members), cases and news tailored specifically for your state!

Understanding the laws of your state surrounding homeschooling is a vital place to start understanding your responsibilities as a homeschooler.

For example, in the state of South Carolina, there are three (3) options for homeschooling.  Two (2) which require state testing, and one (1) which may or may not require state testing, depending on the association you affiliate with.  Affiliation with a homeschool association is mandatory if you choose either the second or third options.

Other details, such as who is the primary educator, the number of days in the school year, and subjects which must be taught, are also mandated, regardless of which option you choose

However, just across the border, in the state of North Carolina, there does not appear to be any membership requirements nor do they require specific subjects to be taught but annual testing is a requirement. 

Sorting out and understanding all these requirements can be distressing.  Trying to meet all of the requirements left me feeling like my first year homeschooling was nothing short of a disaster.  I was flying by the seat of my pants that year!  Everybody was talking about how easy it is, you do things at your own pace, you don’t have to do school the way school does school and so on and so forth.  Nobody said, “But have a plan, here’s how to make it.”  So, being the rather simple and naive creature that I am, I did not create a plan; not that I would have known how to.  That year, I went to the book store and purchased workbooks for each subject of study; very basic!  My daughter also used the internet as a resource and kept an irregular journal.  Embarrassing but true.

Not feeling confident about our first year but not willing to give up after only one go (especially since I knew I was the problem), we ventured into the second year.  That year I purchased her math and science books at the book store.  I was particularly excited about her science as it covered more topics that she was interested in and also provided experiments to be done for additional learning experience.  I also planned two books for her to read and write reports about.

Both of those years, though, little to no planning went into the lessons.

I am thrilled about this year!  I spent the end of the last school year and all of the summer researching curriculums, and planning out the school year, day for day!  (Ironically, what seems to be stressing me out this year is when she does not complete an assignment by the day I have allotted for it to be completed.) I spent much of that time searching for curriculums in specific subjects for her grade, talked with other homeschooling parents to find out what curriculum they used for these subjects, asked questions about how the curriculum taught its subject, etc…… We ended up with a custom curriculum that both my daughter and I are excited about.  She is more encouraged to do the work as well.  It seems there is a direct correlation to my organization and preparedness and her desire to do the work and do it well; a hypothesis.  I anticipate that next year will be even better than this year!

I will discuss (and provide links to) the websites I have used to find our curriculum for this year in next weeks blog.  I would love to hear from other homeschooling parents what subjects you are teaching and what curriculum you are using.  Please be sure to include, in your comment, the web address so I can share it next week!

*Also, I have recently been exposed to a technique called “Unschooling,” which, because of the nature of it, can be a bit challenging to explain or even understand!  If this is a technique you are using or have used or know of someone having used, please comment about it, specifically in relation to “curriculum.” Please also include where we might turn for information if someone might be interested in, or at least intrigued by, this type of homeschooling. 

Here is HSLDA link one more time:   http://www.hslda.org/hs/default.asp

Just Look it up Online!

“Just look it up online!”

Said every well meaning, already homeschooling parent I met as we were weighing out the decision to homeschool our daughter or not.  Surely, the internet makes finding materiel for homeschooling easier than it ever was.  But when you really are not sure what you are looking for in the first place, it just feels like you’re drowning in information when this comes up:

You click a few of the links and the sites are not easy to navigate, much less understand since you are a newbie and don’t know what you’re doing in the first place.  You have never heard of these websites.  You don’t know which curriculum is a good match for your child and you. You don’t know who you can trust.  You’re not really sure what you NEED in order to homeschool well. 

My first suggestion to you, if you are brand new to the IDEA of homeschooling, is find someone in your area who is already homeschooling.  Amazingly, it won’t be as difficult as you think if you just start talking to people about it.  Homeschoolers will come out of the woodwork!  We are proud of our decision to homeschool because, as we see our children develop and our relationships with our children develop, we begin to understand that we are doing what is best and right for them.  So, just start talking about it.  When you find someone who is already homeschooling and doesn’t scare you (and I’m very sorry to admit this, but we homeschoolers get so excited that it can be a bit scary to hear us talking about it like it’s a cult!  There were some homeschooling parents that frightened me as I was searching for information.  But don’t let them push you away.  The best thing about homeschooling is you get to choose your friends!  You don’t have to be associated with someone that scares you).

Ask this person to sit down with you and discuss what curriculum they are using.  Where did they find it?  What’s good about it?  What’s bad about it?  The answers will be different for each family and what works for the family showing you what they use may not work for your family for a variety of reasons.  But it’s a starting place.  It will help you begin to formulate what you want out of a curriculum and what you don’t want.  Then, when you are talking to others, you will find they know or have heard of just what you were looking for and can direct you to a website.  For example, I mentioned on my personal Facebook page that I wanted to teach my daughter Latin.  Actually, what I said was:

A Precious friend commented this information:

which led to our purchase of First Form Latin by Memoria Press(they do offer other languages, not just Latin! If you are interested in offering your child a foreign language, I encourage you to check them out at: http://www.memoriapress.com).

As you begin your journey toward homeschooling, there are some things you need to know in order to make the most beneficial decision for your family and, specifically, your child.  For starters, what are the laws in your state concerning homeschooling?  And, more importantly, where can you find that information?

Again, homeschoolers, please tell me about any and all websites you have found useful and how are they beneficial to your Home School? 

Also, do any of you remember when you first thought seriously about homeschooling?  What well meaning but confusing information did you receive?

What do you mean 'Socialization?'

What do you mean ‘Socialization?’

My apologies for not having this post ready last Tuesday.  A friend provided me with information to get a free e-book, “The Myth of Socialization: Dispelling the Rumors” (from: The Old Schoolhouse Magazine), that I wanted to read before making this post. 

Truly, socialization was not something that crossed our minds as my husband and I considered whether to home school our daughter or not.  She was frustrated with public school and not only sad but, I think, moving toward depression.  I just wanted to get my daughter out of there and into a healthier situation.

Then, after the decision had been made, someone asked it: “What about socialization?”  Huh? What an interesting question; I really haven’t thought about that.  What about socialization? 

Three years later my response is a little more along the lines of, “Yeah, what about socialization?”  I just don’t care much.  And so when we decided to homeschool our son this year it wasn’t a consideration because it was a moot point to us.  I remember school…kids are mean to each other, very mean and unforgiving.  I don’t want my kids being mistreated by other children, much less for them to mistreat others. 

Stephen Palmer made a great point in his post, “What are we socializing them for?”:

“If socialization outside of public school is nothing like, or is at least substantially different from socialization in public school, then what in the name of John Dewey are we socializing our kids for?”

And I believe this sentiment to be accurate and true based on the recollection of my own personal experiences.  As such, I find the socialization of my children to be of little to no importance. 

However, this does not mean that I believe they don’t need to know how to interact with others appropriately.  Therefore, we do provide them with opportunities to interact with others.  And they associate with others of a variety of backgrounds and ages!  That is certainly much more like what they will face in “the real world.”  But they also receive different amounts of ‘socialization’ due to their different personalities, unlike in the public schools where they would always be surrounded by 20 to 30 peers whether they could handle that amount of stimulation or not or need more.

As an additional note, I prefer having more control over who my children are interacting with and knowing when something occurs in their life.  This way, I am able to catch problems before they arise, coach them through the handling of tough circumstances, and support them when things do not go well.  And this will make them more prepared to handle challenging circumstances and individuals later when I am not there to assist them, “in the real world.”

*If you are interested in the e-book I mentioned at the beginning of this article, please email publisher@thehomeschoolmagazine.com to request the e-book, The Myth of Socialization: Dispelling the Rumors

When I was first considering homeschooling, seriously, I found many more people than I expected who were already homeschooling.  And they all told me the same thing.  “It’s EASY.  You can do it.  Just look online.  You’ll find what you need.”  I’m going to talk about this next week but in the meantime, Homeschooling parents, please don’t tell anyone new to homeschooling to look online unless you are sitting down with them and helping!

Please comment:

What concerns have you heard about socialization and how do you abate them?

Also, Homeschooling parents, what websites have you found beneficial as you homeschool and how are they helpful to you?

Education is Discipleship

Education is Discipleship

In my last post I asked,

“WHY is it so important to you to home school?”

It wasn’t an overnight decision to home school our daughter.  It was something I thought I wanted to do since she was born!  Somehow, we ended up at the close of 4^th grade before we made the leap to home school her in 5^th grade.  Initially, it was dissatisfaction with the public school system which propelled us forward in this decision.  However, around the same time, in my personal life, I was being pushed into discovering more about discipleship. 

As I was scouring the internet for information about homeschooling I discovered Dr. James Dobson’s radio program "Family-Talk."  In the episode on homeschooling, Dr. Dobson interviews Jay and Heidi St. John, founders of First Class Homeschool Ministries about, you guessed it, homeschooling.  Heidi made a statement that really stuck with me; I think because it was on a subject I had already been primed to pay attention to.  She said,

“ …Jesus said in Luke 6:40 that when a student is fully trained he will be like his teacher.  We need to be thinking about who is teaching our children and looking at education as an opportunity for discipleship.  When we talk to home school parents or people who are thinking about homeschooling we remind them education is discipleship.  Who is discipling your child?” 

(visit  http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/family-talk/listen/homeschooling-in-2010-ii-131002.html  to hear the 25:55 minutes long episode.  It’s definitely worth it.)

Did you catch that?  Education is Discipleship.  Wow.  Any of us who grew up in church recognize discipleship as a couple of classes you have to take when you join a church.  But a closer inspection of the Bible reveals that discipleship is a lifestyle.  It’s welcoming others into your life and them welcoming you into theirs.  It’s a time to learn and train, by example, in a hands-on kind of way.

Daddy and I chose to home school because DD was beginning to hate learning; her attention was moving toward what others thought of her rather than increasing her knowledge.  I remember being that age.  It was such a hard time to balance education, boys, friends, self esteem, chores, parents, etc…..  We believed that by bringing her home for her education she would not have to worry about wearing the right clothes, being pretty enough, and knowing the right things to say to make others like her.  By removing the distractions she would be able to discover who she was and who she wanted to be without someone dictating to her who she ought to be because they said so.  And she would be able to focus her attention on her education, especially the parts that she liked best!

I must say, although it hasn’t always been easy and she hasn’t always loved it, the changes I am seeing in my daughter make me proud.  While she was in public school I felt like I was losing her.  Choosing to home school her gave me my daughter back.  And I couldn’t be more proud of her or more happy with our decision to home school.

So?  Why is it so important to ME to home-school my daughter?  Growing up, one of the things I disliked most about my father was his ‘Do as I say not as I do’ philosophy on rearing his children.  Some of the things I hate most about myself now are things I grew up seeing my dad do.  Heidi is right, education is discipleship.  And my opinion is that discipleship is leading by example.  I didn’t like the example her teachers were providing her with.  And despite my imperfections, I felt I could provide her with much better examples of how to live while giving her an education the public school system could only dream of providing.

When I started writing this, I was planning to go in another direction with the next post.  But I believe this post, with all of its talk about removing my daughter from the opinions of others and their “bad” examples, lends itself to a question commonly asked of parents who have made the decision to home school and is a pivotal  consideration for those thinking about home schooling:

What about SOCIALIZATION?

New Beginnings

New Beginnings

8:20 am, August 20, 2012.  That was DD's first day of 7^th grade.  The beginning of our third year home-schooling.  The family all piled into the mini-van and headed down town.  Daddy had a meeting to attend.  DD brought her school books; I brought my camera and subject, DS.  C:

 

While Daddy attended to his meeting and I photographed DS  (he will be beginning his first day of 2^nd grade in a few days), DD got to work studying about America’s first state, Delaware and taking her very first math pre-test of the year!

Afterward, we took DS for a haircut and went to a new pizza place for lunch (it was REALLY good!)  Finally, we headed back home where DD finished up her school work between short breaks.  It all went smoothly and, at the end of the day, I was pleased with the way it turned out.

That’s not to say I didn’t spend some time breaking up sibling rivalries or reminding/encouraging DD to continue plugging away at her work.  Or even reminding myself to stay calm and patient (I apparently woke up on the wrong side of the bed  yesterday morning and just had an overall bad attitude to overcome in addition to all else that was going on).  Despite all of it, I felt prepared and organized for the work of the day and really, of the school year.  A far cry from the first day of our first year of homeschooling when I felt inadequate, incompetent, and, generally, ill-prepared to be a homeschooling mother.  One word describes that first year: Chaotic.

Sadly, the first year is pretty much evidence that I was ill-prepared to the task at hand.  Not that I was unintelligent, I just didn’t know where to begin.  I didn’t know what to teach or how to teach it or even where to find it to teach it!  Although the internet is an unparalleled resource there is also such a thing as information overload.  The amount of information was overwhelming.

There were many well meaning individuals who encouraged me toward home-schooling saying how easy it is to do.  But, despite being more prepared than I have been in the short three years that I have spent home-schooling, I still don’t find home-schooling to be “easy.”  I don’t say this to discourage you from home-schooling your child.  In fact, I have been known to tell my husband, “If it’s the hard thing to do, it’s probably the right thing to do, too,” and, “It’s ‘hard’ is not a valid reason for not doing it.”  That is the time you have to delve deep into it and figure out if and how it works for you.

As I chronicle the events of this year week by week I hope to provide you with assistance in figuring out how and where to get started and help give you that forward momentum needed to keep going on!

The first thing I will address and would encourage you to weigh heavily as you decide whether you will home-school your child is:

 WHY is it so important to you to home-school? 

Prep Work

Well, H has fallen in love with "Johnny Tremain."  I'm so glad she is enjoying it so much because it is a book I thoroughly loved when I read it.  She will have a book report to write on it once she is finished, which, at the rate she's reading it, shouldn't be too long.  Then, at the suggestion of a friend, she will read "My brother Sam is dead" and write a comparison report on the two books.  Once we finish that, I will rent the movie "Johnny Tremain" because she has asked to watch it.  Maybe I'll have her to write a comparative report on that, too!

On a side note, I have purchased some workbooks for her to use next year.  But right now, I will be using them to create a more well thought out plan for next years lessons.

A Month!

Wow!  I can't believe it's taken a month for me to make another post.  I have been very busy, though.
Let's see, I quit my job at the hotel so I could be home with my children when they need me.  I have started "working" for my husband.  Also have applied for a position at a farm that will only be a handful of hours for the day, so there will still be some income.  Shoots have increased, too, providing some income; I'm especially excited about that!

But, once again, H has fallen behind on her work.  Some days she has worked very hard to get caught back up but on other days......  We have a friend who owns several horses and does lessons, he has offered to provide lessons to her for free!  This is something she has been wanting for a couple of years now but it still doesn't seem to be enough motivation.  However, we did get her a Johnny Tremain (by: Esther Forbes) to read and do a report on and she hasn't hardly put the book down!  At least she's reading!!!

Also, since quitting my job, I have been more able to look at what needs to be done to make this homeschooling thing work...mostly a plan...and have begun to get a bit more organized about it.  Hopefully, I'll get a good plan together quickly not to mention a schedule (ewwww, I'm not a big fan of schedules.  Unfortunately, they are rather beneficial).  Once that is done, maybe next year will run more smoothly.