Homeschooling Advice Needed

Just be careful with homeschooling is my only advice. Kids need social interaction with their peers to learn proper behavior for when they become adults.

As an adult I know only two people who were homeschooled. Neither of them fuction very well socially and cannot seem to get a girlfriend for more than a week.

My mom did this with one of her foster kids. She went to the school and told them he'd finish the week and then he'd be home schooled. That was it. She expected to be required to sign something or fill out a form (which is what someone told her should happen) but there was nothing to it. Your school should know what to do. I commend you for doing this, I could never handle home schooling! Good luck!

Hello A.,

I home schooled my kids when they were 3rd grade, 1st grade and preschool. I went through taking them out of the public school as well. I just informed the front office about our decision. They hang on to your sons transcripts until you need them for whatever reason...moving to a new school district..etc. You probably will get a little bit of the Why? And they will feel like you are betraying the public school system....but stand your ground. Do not take is personally. It is your decision for your children. You are looking out for the best interest of your own children..not them. If you are looking for material for your child..Abeka is the best I have seen and used. There are other materials as well that are good...but Abeka is the best so far. Abeka offers teachers on DVD as well the older they get so you do not have to panic about what to teach. You get a certified teacher in your home...your own private tutor. This fall, my two daughters 5th and 8th grade are asking to be home schooled. I am going to have to go through the process again with the public school, however, I see where God has placed certain gifts and talents in their lives and now I get to encourage and nuture those areas in their lives by finding extra classes to further equip them for the future. Keep praying over your decision....God does not cause confusion with the decision making process...it will be clear. Talk with you soon.

H.

A.,

I'm not sure your reasoning for wanting to remove your son from the public school system, but I find that for most it is the large class sizes, and environment in the classroom. i.e. Being exposed to inappropriate behavior, language, etc.

Before you dive into homeschooling, have you considered a Christian school? Christian schools typically take care of both of the above named problems, and are more advanced academically. Plus, staying in the more "traditional" school setting gives them the social advantages that I know some home schoolers struggle with.

My kids all go to a local Lutheran School in Bridgman that's tuition free. While I think we are the only one around that doesn't charge for ANY student, I know that the other local schools are sometimes free for members, or at least have tuition assistance available. Home schooling can be very expensive, and the tuition would probably be more economical.

Also, just so you know, you don't have to be Lutheran to go to a Lutheran School, or Catholic to go to a Catholic School. In the grade school level, religion classes are very basic, and shouldn't teach anything that would be contrary to any other Christian religion.

I'm not necessarily trying to dissuade you from homeschooling, I just wanted to make sure you were aware of all your options.

In the end, all we can do as moms, is what we think is best for our kids, and no one knows our kids better than we do. I'm sure your son will flourish, no matter what your decision. You sound like a dedicated & loving mom... What more does he need? :-)

A.,

You are embarking on a very difficult, but rewarding journey. I have considered homeschooling my only son, who is six, but have found he needs the competition from other children his own age to keep him motivated. However, every summer I put together a homeschooling plan with lessons and activities to keep him up to speed and interested in learning.

Here is one of the most important resources I have found in determining which curriculums will work for our family:

http://www.michigan.gov/som/0,1607,7-192-29939_32383_3250...

This is a page from the State of Michigan website which is dedicated to teachers and educators with all of the curriculum requirements for each grade level. I use this website to determine where my son is academically in relation to where the state thinks he should be. I also use this as a baseline when looking at a company's curriculum to determine if our son will be learning what he needs to have a similar level of education as those who participate in public schools.

As a suggestion, you might want to consider trying homeschooling this summer and see how it goes without notifying the school system just yet. If you find the fit is not right for your family then you can put him back into school without any comments or questions from the faculty, bringing up possible feelings of failure.

If it you find homeschooling works for your family, then you can notify the school in the fall. The resources I have listed below can give you ideas on how to notify the school system.

Homeschooling doesn't work for every family, but it can be a great option to those children who need special attention because they are lagging behind or because they are gifted and bored in class.

Here's one last link I can give you, it is the database for Michigan Homeschool groups by county.

http://www.homeschoolingmichigan.com/supportgroups.html

Try to get in contact with one of these groups now so you can get an idea of what opportunities are available in your area. Opportunities differ by group and county. The parents in these groups can provide you with more resources, homeschool websites, and businesses that provide discounts to homeschool families (such as Barnes and Noble).

Here are a few books that you might find invaluable:
1. "Homeschooling the Early Years: Your complete guide to successfully homeschooling the 3- to 8-year-old child" by Linda Dobson. She has also written books focusing on other age and grade levels.

2. "The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas" by Linda Dobson

3. "Homeschooling: Take a deep breath you can do this!" by Terrie Lynn Bittner

4. "Real-life homeschooling: the stories of 21 families who make it work" by Rhonda Barfield

5. "Homeschooling Today" magazine

6. "Practical Homeschooling" magazine

I have checked these resources out of the library a number of times and have purchased the ones that I found I couldn't live without. I found the book by Terrie Bittner to be the most informative about the realities of day-to-day homeschooling and how to set up an area specific to learning, keeping records, etc.

I hope I haven't swamped you with too much information. =)
Good Luck!

I think it is great what you are doing and it looks like you have obtained alot of information already. So I guess I will say God Bless you and just keep telling yourself that you can do this. You only have to get through today. If you are discouraged at any time...just remember that little phrase.

God Bless

S.

Hi, A.! Our eldest child was in the middle of her first grade year when we made the decision to home school. We, too, finished out the year; and, as it was a small private school, I simply wrote a personal letter and spoke in person with the principal about it. She is now finishing up her fourth grade year, with sisters in 2nd and 1st grades; along with three younger siblings not yet in school. I highly second the advice to go to www.hslda.com to find out about the laws in our state - fortunately, Michigan is currently a very easy state to home school in. I would also suggest that you become members of HSLDA. The $8 per month membership fee offers plenty of peace of mind, as well as confidence and direction should you have any trouble, or questions. Also, I do not know if this would help you or not, but I would be willing to tell you a bit more about our journey and curriculum choices, etc. We used a prepackaged, all-in-one type curriculum provider for our first two years, and this year switched to something more personalized, that was based on assessments that they took. We LOVE this way of schooling, and will definitely continue it for next year. Also, we are Catholic, so if you would like to find out more about that aspect of it, I'd be happy to help. I'm already long winded enough, so I didn't want to go into the whole story here. :) Good luck - you're on the brink of a very tough, fun, rewarding, exhausting, and cool endeavor! Kinda like parenthood in general! :)

Lu

PS - I am part of a wonderful home school group in my area, and I would be lost without them. I am blessed to call each one of these ladies and their families our friends, and highly recommend the support that a group like that provides. We are too far away from you to be of help in that way, but perhaps there is one in your area? Perhaps a call to some local churches would be a good start for finding one? Just a few suggestions. Feel free to e-mail me privately if you'd like to discuss further.

A.,

My sister-in-law has homeschooled all three of her children. They are now 6, 8 and 10. I could speak with her tomorrow and see if she has someone you could contact in regard to this concern. She knows many, many families who also home school. I do know that the school district in which she lives has never questioned why her children have not started school in their city. But, there is no record of them actually being in classes. I think that you just have to tell them that you have decided to home school.

My sister-in-law can also help you with selecting a curriculum (if you need it of course), where to get it and other things like that if you would like. There are also groups that they are a part of that have other home schooled children and famlies. I will speak with her first thing tomorrow and let you know what she says. She has been home schooling them from the start so the situation is different but I'm sure she could get you an answer.

D.

At the end of the school year just tell the office secretary you will be home schooling your child. Is there a curriculum and home school group in your area that you have looked in to in your area? Do you have charter schools in your area? There is no charge for a charter school. Your reasons for home schooling would be important. Are you trying to shield your child from others? You don't like the school system? Your children will always meet people in the world who don't fit their idea of good people but also need to learn problem solving for negative encounters of any kind. Not horrible things. None of that want that for our children. I know I hated when my kids hit school and no more were they these pure our values only, but they have grown into very good, kind, responsible adults. All from public school. It does matter what you teach your children at home and the basic values you instill. They always listen even when they don't seem to be. That is more for the teenage group.
Good Luck on your decision.
D. O

You will want to send a letter of intent to the school even though it is not required in the state of Michigan. It just helps to keep truant officers away when there is something on file. I suggest you send it confirmed mail so they cannot turn around and say it was not received. I handed one to the office of the school and sent one to admin. As others have stated you can just hand it over, but I am a part of a group of over 100 and some have had issues with the schools when doing this. Some districts are not educated on the homechool laws in Michigan. What ever you do, DO NOT sign any papers!! Many schools will try to scare you into doing this. If you do you are now regulated by the state of Michigan and have to follow their strict guidelines, report and test. This is not the law in Michigan as long as you do not sign those papers! Also do a search on yahoo groups for a support group in your area. This is the best place to find field trips and get togethers so your son can make friends with the commonality of being homeschooled. There are ALOT of homeschoolers out there!!
Good Luck,
Heidi
Homeschooling my dd(10) and ds(15)
(feel free to send me an email!)

Check into your local Homeschooler's association. There is also the HSLD or Home School Legal Defense. You have many options, but your best information will be through other home school parents.
Get some good reference manuals and decide what curriculum you want your child to use. You might be amazed at how much further your kid can go with a home program.
Good Luck,
J. A.

Hi Alcia, I was just looking into this. I went into michiganhomeschooling.com and they have alot of anwers there. From what I understand ,you just tell the school you wil be home schooling. They don't have to give you his records.

You need to write a letter to your school and inform them that you wish to homeschool. Always leave on good terms. You may want to place him back in public school setting in the future or have him participate in events in the school and it helps if you leave on good terms. You will want to also check with Lansing on the legal end as well as your requirements.
I hope that helps.
C.