You may be thinking about home schooling your kids for one reason or another. Children often face overcrowded classrooms and dangers such as drugs and violence in public schools. Many parents believe they have the right to decide what their children should be learning, and home schooling allows them to have this control. Yet home schooling is a big decision, and one that requires you to be well informed about what you’ll have to do.
Because of the laws and regulations that control home schooling, it’s imperative that you read them carefully and make sure you can comply. Home schooling is controlled by each state in America, so the laws for one state won’t be the same as another state. It wasn’t that long ago when it was very hard to home school your children, and it was even illegal in some states. Nowadays, all this has changed and you can legally home school your child anywhere. Still, you want to make sure that you’re fully compliant with the laws so you don’t risk problems with authorities, which could mean your kids would be forced to return to public schools. There won’t be any problems if you read, follow, and understand the regulations completely. In a lot of areas, parents who home school have formed groups. See if there is one in your area and join it, if possible. These other parents can be a great source of information and can answer your questions.
Strict laws are enforced in many states, making testing a requirement even though you’re homeschooling your own kids. Formal testing must be done even if state laws do not require it so that you can assess your child’s progress as you teach them. Most people that do homeschooling work hand-in-hand with the school administration under an umbrella program that helps them fulfill state standards. In some states, it’s actually a legal requirement that parents work with such a program. If you want to remain independent, or work with the school, having a choice like this depends upon the state in which you reside. The reason why most parents like this type of program is that the curriculum is already done for them and they simply have to teach their kids. There is little freedom in such a situation, however, which is something you need to consider if it is an option. If you do have a choice, make a choice that complies with what you think is right.
If your child shows an aptitude for art, chess or a certain sport, you may want to bring him or her to a class or teacher to help develop that ability. Just make sure that you look into resources and tools to help fill in any gaps when you aren’t equipped to teach in a certain area.
You need to get a handle on time management strategies if you are going to be a home school parent. When you and your kids gather for the beginning of your schooling on Monday morning, it may appear that time is not a constraint. However, by Friday afternoon it may become clear that you were not able to complete all the tasks set out for that week. One obstacle will be your other responsibilities. Home teaching is not a part-time effort, but requires a full-time commitment. The best way to treat home schooling is to structure the day as much as possible, similar to a regular school. The first thing on your time schedule should be when “school” starts and when it ends. True, the children aren’t leaving the house, but they need to know when to be at their appointed places and ready for school. In some ways, the hardest part about home schooling is starting out with it. In order to successfully establish a home school, your concept of school as a place you send your children to for someone else to teach will have to change, and you must be prepared for the challenges that will crop up. Once you and your family have become comfortable with whatever form of home schooling you are using, you will realize that it was the correct decision to make and you will be pleased that your children are receiving their education under healthy and happy conditions.
