GETTING STARTED

How exciting! You are thinking of homeschooling... There are many things to consider, to think through, and to research – I hope this births a strong beginning for your journey.

I began homeschooling 14 years ago. My oldest son was in kindergarten at the time, and I had not considered someone would not like school! I had been trained as a public school teacher, I had my credentials, had put some days into substitute teaching and a leave replacement – what wasn't there to like about kindergarten?! There was learning! Friends! Crafts! Assemblies!

My son, as it turns out, had severe anxiety about school. He vomited at least once a week! It broke my heart. What were we to do?!

I began to research, and I learned about a homeschool public school parent program through our local district. We visited, I learned, and our journey of homeschooling began!

Research your state's laws. They are right there! Just do a simple Google search and they will pop up! Research what's available in your area in terms of homeschooling support groups. I cannot begin to tell you the benefits of the homeschool parent partnership program in our community! We made friendships, I had the support I needed from other teachers and moms, I learned about curriculum (learning materials), we were embarking on this grand adventure in community! A beautiful thing...

(Possible link: Homeschool Legal Defense Association – a wonderful resource to start you homeschooling, and to help you continue on your journey. They proved invaluable for me when we hit the high school years – answering questions regarding credit equivalencies, testing requirements, etc. You can find them at:
www.hslda.org) Some information is available for free – but other requires a membership. The membership is $130 per year for family (as of Jun 2019.)

When you have done your research, and you find a place where you might begin, here are some other points to ponder:

Homeschooling actually means that you do school...at home! Consider whether or not you have the personality to be intentional about committing to this process. Consistency is a great marker for success – can you establish a routine? Can you stick to it? Yes, flexibility is a grand advantage to homeschooling – BUT - the actual learning needs to happen as well...

Which leads me to the next point – intentionality. Consider your desired outcomes.

What do I mean by this?

Let's say you decide to take the plunge, you know you have what you need to homeschool, you visit a curriculum fair to stock up on school books for the year. You get so excited by what you see and by all the vendors at this fair, you spend $100's – only to get home with a stack of materials you are unsure of how to use or if your child student will even like them! Studying Egyptian pyramids seemed fun while you were at the event, but what learning objective does that actually meet?

You need learning objectives! You need to sit down and actually pencil out what you want your student to learn and know by the end of that school year.

How do you accomplish this? It's not as hard as you might think. I used a wonderful resource starting out – a book by Rebecca Rupp entitled Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School . Of course it is available on Amazon – I would recommend purchasing this book – it is something you will refer to over the course of many years.

This little book was an absolute gem! It was simple, it was clear – it was something I could actually do!! Other resources can be found on the web – and your state will also post learning objectives for you – also found on the web.

Once you have determined what you want your student to know for that year – you need to determine how best they learn. There are oceans of curriculum available – some perfectly laid out for you, year by year (expensive!) Others come a la carte! You choose... But what good is a curriculum if you child will not use it? If they hate it? If they simply don't tick with it?

There are many ways to determine your learner's primary style of embracing information.

Do they need to move while they learn? (kinesthetic learner!) Do they need to listen to something while they learn? (most likely auditory!)

Do they need to manipulate actual materials? Work with their hands? Do they need a lot of direction? Are they independent? Do they enjoy looking at a computer screen? Do they prefer books?

Cynthia Tobias is an author who writes extensively on this topic, and I would warrant that at least one of her books would resonate with you – helping you determine how best your student learns. Check her out at your local library – (you most likely will not need to purchase this book) – once you determine your student's learning style – it will probably not change much.

Other considerations – how much time do YOU have to put into your student's education. Do they need things they can do on their own? Purchase the answer keys! Especially as they get older and you are correctly math/science you haven't had for at least 20 years... Then and only then you can begin to look for resources to use in your school year.

When considering objectives and outcomes – please don't only consider the academic. We are complex and multifaceted beings – and your child has many needs other than just academic...

Consider also the spiritual, emotional, physical, and social needs of your student.

What “extra-curricular” activities will you be involved with? What interests does you student want to pursue?

Our family placed a high value on spiritual development – how could we incorporate that into their learning? Would this meet a need for social interactions? Friendships? Service? Were there clubs they could join and be a part of?

What about hobbies? My husband has introduced our kids to hunting (with both a bow and rifle,) downhill skiing, cross country skiing, backpacking, fishing – both fly fishing and traditional fishing – which also led to teaching them how to tie flies! Our kids have been well-rounded due to the fact that our family also really enjoyed anything outdoors. Some of them have ran with these interests, but others not – they were at least exposed to these activities. What do you love that you could introduce your child to?

Another resource is your local public school. Two of our kids needed speech therapy – we were able to access those services (free!) through our school district. All 3 of our kids participated in athletics – both recreational and public school. Maybe your student has a musical bent – how about a school choir or band?

There are so many resources available – and they are only a friend or a computer away. Simply ask!