One of our
library staff, Maryalice, along with her husband, home schooled both of their
daughters from kindergarten through high school so I asked her for some advice
for parents considering home schooling this year. Apparently this is not the
first time she has been asked, because she came back with a plethora of
information! Here is what she had to say —
Regarding
parental confidence (the biggest factor in a successful experience):
·
Be aware that
this adjustment to new routines may take a week or two (or three).
·
Learning happens
all the time, not just from educational materials. [However] Beware of
using every moment as a “teachable moment.”
Kids get tired of this, and they see right through us. Better to get in the habit of just talking
and listening.
·
You do not need
to replicate the classroom setting at home. This is your unique family;
you have the flexibility to try new things and decide what works.
·
Involve your
family in the planning and activity of your home and school. Everyone will
benefit from investing themselves in the process (and you will be less likely
to burn out). Help your child to discover his or her passions and then find ways
to explore them.
·
Perfection of
technique and style is not required. Loving attention means more than
technical perfection.
·
Patient and
compassionate acknowledgement of each person’s feelings as valid is sometimes
all that is needed to get through difficult times. Try this line when someone is struggling, “I
have confidence in your ability to figure this out.” And then give them
the space to do it.
·
Trust
yourself. You know your family better than anyone else. Have
confidence in your own ability to figure this out. You can do it. It may, however, require some changes in the
ways that you have been interacting.
You’re all in this together now in a very tangible, daily way.
·
Perfection is not required. You don’t have to know everything. Learn to figure things out together and to
draw on your community resources to go further (library, family, friends,
online classes, community members, etc.).
Or let them figure it out and then teach you. (Teaching is a great way to become aware of
what you know and what you thought you knew but didn’t.)
·
Think about your goals for your child:
academic, social, physical, intellectual, artistic, spiritual, etc. When all is said and done, what do you want
them to come away with? Plan your
curriculum activities with these goals in mind.
·
Engage the student in as much of the process
as possible – the planning, the choice of curriculum, the daily routine, the
reporting. They will learn much more
than academics in this process. They
will learn about research and criteria for decision making. They will learn to ask questions and how to
find the answers. They will learn how to
handle things that don’t turn out quite the way that was planned. We learn the most when we are a stakeholder
in the process and the outcome.
·
Include an evaluation for the student to
complete. How did this year go? What
worked? What didn’t? What to keep and
what to change? Ultimately, you make the
decisions, but their input can help. And
save you time and money; curriculum materials that appeal to you may not appeal
to them.
·
Know that there will be days that go very,
very smoothly. And there will be days
when things just go haywire. Life
happens. Let them see how you handle
adverse conditions; give them the tools to handle adversity. Tomorrow will be better.
Regarding
socialization:
·
Each child is unique. Each year is unique.
·
This is a dance. Learn to dance together.
·
Treat each other with respect. Yes, the parent is the responsible authority,
but the child/student is the person who is the biggest part of the
process. Mutual respect goes a long
way.
·
If you are able, as a family, to get along
with each other on a daily basis as well as actually enjoying each other’s
company, then your children will be able – most likely - to get along with
others. Yes, children need to spend time
around other children. But, most of the
people that we deal with on a daily basis are adults.
The
process for the school district:
Though the details of some of the
requirements may have changed, the basic ones are probably the same. There is
usually one person within the district office who handles home schooling
documentation. Call to find out and get
the process started.
·
File a letter of intent to home school.
·
The school sends back information about
requirements.
·
Create and submit an IHIP (Individualized Home
Instruction Plan), including projected dates of submission of quarterly
reports.
·
There is a requirement for an annual
assessment to be filed with the fourth quarterly report.
My understanding is that the role of
the school district is to assess compliance with state requirements and to
compile your documentation. It is not
their role to evaluate your choices.
Two
of my favorite books to recommend -
Homeschooling
for Excellence by David Colfax (1988).
THE COLFAXES DIDN'T START TEACHING THEIR BOYS AT HOME TO GET
THEM INTO HARVARD - BUT THAT'S WHAT HOMESCHOOLING ACCOMPLISHED!
For over
fifteen years, David and Micki Colfax educated their children at home. They
don't think of themselves as pioneers, though that's what they became.
Better Than School: One Family’s Declaration of
Independence by Nancy Wallace (1983)
The author explains why her children are taught at home and
not sent to school, discusses the educational requirements they had to meet,
and indicates the advantages and disadvantages of home teaching
Some
curriculum programs:
·
Homeschool Curriculum
Reviews: https://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/homeschool-curriculum-reviews/
·
Many curriculum materials have a strong
Christian orientation.
·
If you are more of a hands-on, ecologically oriented
family, consider Oak Meadow: https://www.oakmeadow.com/ “Experiential education for curious and
creative learners”
·
Historical fiction is a great way to engage
with history and can spark further exploration.
·
One can choose to follow a curriculum package,
word for word, or to be eclectic and include materials from multiple curriculum
providers.
·
In the elementary years, we used the cultural
literacy series by E.D. Hirsch, What Your
X Grader Needs to Know for core knowledge plus a set of workbooks for math
and for English. For high school we used
Oak Meadow. Many home schoolers take
classes at a community college during their senior year.
Resources:
Free
home school resources:
·
Check with your local library about informal
home school support groups. We started a
group with two other families that grew to over 20. It’s reassuring and supportive for parents
and children to connect with others who home school.
·
If I were homeschooling today, I think I’d be taking
advantage of [public library databases such as] Mango, Learning Express, and
Lynda.com. If I had older kids, Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context would
be really useful, too.
·
https://www.thoughtco.com/free-homeschool-resources-4151635
·
https://www.learningliftoff.com/20-best-homeschooling-websites-and-learning-resources/
·
Preschool through 12th grade
curriculum overview (what to cover when)
·
https://www.time4learning.com/education/curriculum_overview.shtml
Support
Organizations
·
Home
School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA): https://hslda.org/
o
Details specific to NY State: https://hslda.org/legal/new-york
·
LEAH (Loving
Education at Home) is a Christian organization with a network of
homeschooling families to support and encourage you during every step of your
homeschooling journey.
o
NYS LEAH
(local chapter) PO Box 634, Elmira, NY 14902 (1-866-960-9440)
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