Home schooling Solution

Besides lesson plans, the hardest part of establishing a home school environment in the home will be choosing the curriculum. When it comes to what and how you will teach there are a few options that can be explored. Planning well in advance means a well thought out curriculum once the first day of class arrives.

What is your philosophy of teaching? Many parents may think that they don’t have one but if you have a reason for taking your child out of public school, then you do. The philosophy is directly related to those reasons. You want to influence change that will give your child a better education. The public school is not doing a satisfactory job in your opinion or you would be considering the option of teaching your children at home.

There are several curriculum plans in existence today. Each is based on a different philosophy of teaching. Some curriculums are less stringent which allows for children to experience a variety of subjects and teaching structures. Children can experiment with their learning process to find what fits.

Other programs are quite rigid. Every aspect of each subject is planned down to the day as to what will be taught and in what order. For the new home schooling parent, this takes the guesswork and headache out of the structure of the learning process.

Home school curricula are not just based on academics, but religion. Spiritual components of education resulted in Christian home schooling. These programs comply with the state requirements but emphasize Biblical education.

Once parents become comfortable with home schooling, they can move from a rigid program to a less structured one or a curriculum guide. Curriculum guides are cheaper but only serve as rough guidelines. The parents still have to purchase worksheets, study guides, and other materials for teaching. This is not a concern with complete packages because they include everything for your dollar.

Some curricula have an online component as well. Part of the program involves book work and activities that kids can do online. It is easier to record keep online than with a paper and pencil. Some people like paper and pencil though because computers crash or get temperamental and lose your stuff. After all of that, it is time to do a lesson plan for each class for each student grade level.

Before the fun of teaching your children can begin, you need to have a plan. This is the tough part. It will involve a lot of head scratching and sweating, but once it’s done, the next time will be easier.

The choice to teach a child at home away from the public school life is a major undertaking. If the child ever attended public school the transition may be jarring. Parents used to be in charge of their children’s education, but have long ago put that responsibility in the hands of others. To take charge again, what are the qualifications needed to home school a child?

Home schooling doesn’t require an advanced degree or that you write a dissertation. What it does require is a love of your child and a love of learning. Because a parent understands their child and their quirks, creating a curriculum to fit their unique needs is a bit easier than a cookie cutter program created to fit everyone.

As a part of the research into home schooling, check with the state to find out what specific qualifications are needed to pursue the title of home school teacher. States may require that a parent be observed by a licensed teacher for a school year to evaluate technique and the thoroughness of the program. Along this same line, the state can require that the schooling consist of the same amount of instructional days as public school.

There are no qualifications such as a teaching certificate or a bachelor’s degree. Parents who are not familiar or strong in a subject can hire a tutor to aid in teaching the subject matter. Any state testing can be administered by a licensed teacher if it is mandated by the state.

All of these legal and state educational requirements can be found online. Begin far in advance preparing the paperwork that has to be filed and letters of intent to home school your children. The state probably wants to see that a curriculum is in place already before they allow a child to participate in alternative education, especially if a child is removed in the middle of the school year.

One bonus to purchasing established curriculum packages is that they already comply with the state requirements for home schooling. Part of the package includes grading services, administrative needs pertaining to recordkeeping, report cards, and other services. A parent can speak to customer service personnel for support, information, and help with any additional paperwork.

Persistent parents who care for their children are not daunted by rules and regulations. The education and safety of their children far exceeds any frustration they may encounter. In the long run, no one is better qualified to teach our children than the parents who have their best interests at heart.

Over the past twenty-five years, parents have really begun exploring the option of teaching their children at home. There are a number of reasons cited for doing so, but opponents to the home schooling curriculum state an equal number of reasons why kids perform better in a public school. Here are a few of the pros and cons to the decision to home school.

Kids love the idea of home schooling at first. They get to sleep late, watch television, hang out at home, and have a lax schedule. Unfortunately for them, parents take the idea of home schooling seriously and those dreams are quickly shattered. These are just some of the preconceived notions about the entire process of home schooling. Kids get more time to play and less time to work. Actually the opposite is true.

Pros:
1.

Home schooled children score higher on standardized tests than public school children. These facts amaze people, but think about it for a moment. The problem in public schools is the size of the classroom. At home, the classroom is made up of the parent and the child(ren). Individualized attention translates into a better understanding of subject material.

2.

Home schooled children have their academic and social needs met adequately. In a classroom setting, the teacher has fifty minutes to teach the lesson for that day. He or she doesn’t have time to address different learning styles. At home, the parent can tailor the curriculum to meet each child’s individual needs so they learn better.

3.

Less worry about the child’s safety. The social dynamics of a school are unpredictable. We’ve all heard about bullies, shootings, and other incidents on school campuses. Protect your child and help them concentrate on a love of learning at home where the social pressures that plague public schools are less relevant.

Cons:
1.

Parents struggle with teaching subjects that they are not good at. Every parent is not meant to home school their children. If a parent doesn’t understand the material it will be hard to teach that information to the child.

2.

Home schooling is expensive. When just starting out, most parents use an established curriculum to give them guidance. Depending on the grade level of the child, these curricula can cost from $500 to $2,000.

3.

Time is a problem for busy parents who decide to home school. Kids need quality time spent on school subjects, not just busy work. Coordinating the proper amount of time along with getting housework and job commitments tended to is a difficult task.

Home schooling is not for everyone. A thorough researching of the subject will let parents know if it is a feasible option for their family.