Considering homeschool? Here's how to get started
Back-to-school sales have started, alerting many families that it is time to gear up for another year of trudging off to the bus or driving the kids to school. There are lunches to pack, schedules to keep. Maybe this is the year you say no. Perhaps this will be the year your kids venture into the yard during school hours while the neighbors wonder what you are up to. This could be the year you, too, start to homeschool.
A recent state supreme court ruling, later vacated, appeared to limit homeschooling in some contexts within the state. Shortly thereafter, our governor, several members of the state legislature and even the state superintendent of education expressed support for the choice to homeschool.
Talk to me about homeschooling, and you are likely to come to one of two conclusions. You might read about our trips to the dump or how we raised chickens in a corner of the kitchen and think that we have misplaced most of the common sense God gave us. Or you might start to think that home education looks kinda fun and completely doable.
Either way, you are correct. We are a little unconventional at times, and I have a tendency to drag the family along on adventures they really would not have embarked upon otherwise.
Asking how to homeschool is a lot like asking how to go on vacation. One family might pick a travel package that includes a minute-by-minute itinerary with scripted tour guides leading the way. Others may grab a map and hit the road, planning each adventure on the fly.
Our family is sort of in the middle, both when it comes to vacations and to homeschooling. We set a general course, pick some definite goals and then try to fit in other experiences along the way to round out the learning and the fun.
Many families in California choose to homeschool completely independently, filing an R-4 affidavit with the California Department of Education. Others, lured by free curriculum and assorted services, choose a charter school that has an independent study program. We've tried both options and, like any other decision about homeschooling, there are benefits and pitfalls to each method.
If you are just considering homeschooling or just getting started, the best piece of advice I can give you is not to become overwhelmed by all the choices. You don't have to make all the decisions on the first day and you and your children don't have to learn everything at once. That is part of the fun of homeschooling. There is time for exploration.
The other advice I would give to a new homeschooler is to spend some time figuring out how your children like to learn. Watch them, sit with them, read with them. Above all, read with them. Take your time. I've read the stories where the kids gather at the kitchen table each morning, fresh-scrubbed and eager to learn. I assure you that most homeschools don't look quite like that. Set a few goals to focus on the basics. The rest will come in time.
A sense of adventure and wonder is beneficial to homeschoolers, but even that is not required. All that is necessary is a dedication to exploring the best educational opportunities you can find for your child. That might mean enrolling in intensive music lessons, dissecting on the kitchen table, or it might mean piles of workbooks and utilizing video or online lessons.
There is no need to call a travel agent to start this adventure. You can begin today. Read a book, go for a walk, enjoy.
Rose Godfrey is a speech pathologist and homeschooling mom in Hallwood. Her homeschool blog can be found on the Appeal-Democrat Web site at www.appeal-democrat.com.
