Possibly Interested in Home Schooling

I homeschooled my 5 children for many years, 2 graduated from homeschooling in fact. This is my advice.

As many people that reply here that's how many opinions you'll get. It's not a decision to be made lightly and requires a great deal of time, energy and patience from you. AND it's near impossible to do without the support of your husband. BUT it is the most rewarding thing I've ever done. And don't let anyone tell you that you're not qualified because you don't have a college degree. There are so many helps out there for parents it's mind boggling, can be too boggling in fact.

This website offers some great help and advice http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/methods/CharlotteMaso...

If you can find some local families that homeschool that would be a wonderful resource. You can ask them all kinds of questions, perhaps sit in on their day. This is the time of year for conventions as vendors are wanting to sell you their curriculum. Those are great places to go to hear various speakers, get ideas and some great deals. However, you can fall into the trap of OOOO I call it where everything looks wonderful, fun an a must-have and you can go bankrupt & end up overwhelmed. Best to do some homework (no pun intended) before you go in there. Most women I knew went to these things with a literal shopping list having done their research ahead of time.

Best thing you can do is find out what curriculum you want to use & stick to it. It's less frustrating that way, consistent for the children & less expensive in the long run. Right now with the kids the ages they are I would look at a free online resource called www.letteroftheweek.com I used this with my youngest for preschool/K and we loved it.

And we also always belonged to a homeschool support group. One group we were very active with was a education coop where we came together each Friday for 12 weeks in the Fall & 12 weeks in the Spring & did coop teaching. My kids took classes (4-1 hour) in subjects such as Algebra, Science, Drama, Music, Latin, Spanish, History and Writing. It was wonderful!

It's really hard to condense years of experience into a short reply. I know that I treasure most every moment we home schooled our children. Like with other aspects of parenting, there are days I would've rather flipped burgers at McDonald's than teach my kids. But I knew those days would pass & they were few & far between. THe time I got to spend with them, getting to know them the way I do, share my faith with them, and to do things that ps kids didn't get to do was wonderful!!

If you want to talk further, please feel free to email me privately at ____@____.com

Thinking ahead, talking with other homeschooling families, and weighing pros and cons, I think, is a good first step in considering the option of homeschooling.

It can be scary to think of sending our children into environments that we have concerns about... and, yet, staying at home with them and teaching them yourself is a big commitment.... and, ideally, a decision you will make about what is right for your children as well as for yourself that will come from a place of genuine desire rather than a place of fear, so that it can be carried forth with love instead of a sense of obligation. Knowing not only why you don't want them there, but more importantly, why you do want them at home can help you know what choices are truly right for you.

Another possibility you might also consider when thinking of how to educate your children
(sort of between homeschooling and traditional public school) would be any types of alternative schools in your area.

I homeschooled my three children for 4 years. There were things I loved about it, and things I found challenging. Because their ages are spaced far apart, at one point, it became challenging to me to meet all of their needs, and so I found an alternative-type charter school for them to attend that had a similar educational philosophy as my own... my children have attended there for 4 years and I have been very satisfied with that experience.

One thing that I learned is that there is no one right way that works for everyone.
Each family has different factors to consider.

And remember - neither choice is permanent.
You can see how school goes, then decide to pull them out... or you can try homeschooling
and then decide to send them to school. I know many families who have made successful transitions both ways as they adjusted to their family's changing needs and life circumstances.

Some of the biggest things that I think are important to consider are...
how much support do you have? (since you will be spending a lot of time with your kids)
how will you keep your life in balance?
what type of personality do you have? do you feel energized by spending lots of time with people or does being around people drain you?
how do you feel about the other homeschool families in your area? do you feel comfortable with them? do your beliefs mostly match theirs? (they will probably become a major source of guidance and support for you, if you decide to homeschool)

Anyway....
Just some things to think about.
Listen to your inner guidance.... and I'm sure that you will make a decision that is right for you.

Happy Learning - either way!

S.

PS - Let me know if you'd like some book recommendations re: homeschooling.

Hey J.,
I am a homeschool mom. I know that most women responding will be for it. It is hard, but well worth it. Going to spend a couple of hours with a homeschool family, if you can, would be good. Also, you can go to rodandstaff.com to get some workbooks for the preschool/kinder. age group. Start your daughter on these & see how each of you is going to handle homeschooling. This will also help you both ease into school once she gets a little older. The workbooks are mostly coloring but teach the simple things, ie. numbers, letters, colors, shapes. It's fun & easy for the both of you. There is so much info out there on homeschooling so try not to get discouraged by it. You are not committed to any curriculum for life if you don't like it. Remember to have fun with it.

I am not a home school mom yet but I will be in a few years if all goes as planned. My parents home schooled myself and three siblings from K-12. We really loved it and don't regret a thing. It was a great experience for all of us. I think the biggest thing is taking it one year at a time. My parents started saying they were going to home school my older sister for Kindergarten only because they didn't want her in a full day K program. It worked that year so they did it the next year and they just took it one year at a time after that. I will have my son home for Kindergarten for sure because we feel that it is better for our son to be at home with me playing games, reading books, singing songs, and playing with friends instead of sitting in a classroom. I am not opposed to public or private school but home schooling worked for us and we will do it with our little ones as long as it will work and if it ever stops working we will then begin to look for another option. The elementary school years especially are to be enjoyed so you can educate and enjoy the time together at the same time.

Think of it this way...what have you already been doing for the last 4 years? Homeschooling!

My daughter is only in K this year and we had a rough start to homeschooling, but now we both love it! Check schooling ages in your state. In NC a child is not required to be in school until they are 7, so that helped us in making our decision to try out homeschooling. We, because you never know what life will bring have decided to make our decision to homeschool one year at a time.

I had to realize that homeschooling is different than others in that it is a lifestyle! You are always the teacher and they are always the student. That's when it became fun! We have our "sit down and do school time", but then we do "school" anytime she has a question about something or shows interest in something in the everyday stuff.

As far as having a social child or not, you as the homeschool parent are responsible for their social engagements. So, they can be as social as you like. I know that my county has a wonderful homeschool association that you can join even with preschoolers and begin to meet and talk with other moms that are where you are, at support meetings, park days and field trips available, as well as give your child opportunity to meet his "classmates" and make friends. You might see if there is one you can get invovled in in your town or county.

I was at home for the last part of my school years. And we will be teaching our children at home when they reach school age. I really think it's a great opportunity for all children. Children that learn at a fast pace, can work at a pace that's is comfortable for them. And the same goes for a child that might learn a little slower than the average student.

My suggestion to you is, if you think this is something that you might want to do, find a few families that home school, and go spend a day with them. Go to one of the curriculum fairs so that you can actually see the stuff offered. And if you do decide to home school, join support group to have other moms to bounce ideas off of!

There are also co-ops that you can join, they have classes that your child can take that you may not feel comfortable teaching.

I can't think of anything else at the moment, but feel free to ask me anything else that you think of!

Good luck with your decision!

A.

Good luck with your decision!

I agree with Sarah S. My boys are 6 and 2. I only have the oldest in school right now but homeschooling has been in mind for a long time. I have known many children from both sides.... homeschooling and public/private schools. The thing that i have noticed in all of the successful students were involved parents. I encourage you do to what you think is best for you family and if you are able to homeschool great.For me it is not doable. I feel like my son is getting the best education he can by going to kindergarten and me working with him at home. You sound like no matter where your child went to school you would make sure they have the best education they could get.

okay, i know that some people are very against homeschooling, and others are very against public schools. i find myself floating right in the middle. my daughter will be five next month, and she currently goes to a small private preschool. we love it, but can not afford to continue sending her for elementary school. she is a very social little girl, and i feel like she would be bored at home with me. she also has a harder time settling in to work with me at home than she does a teacher at school. i have devised my own public school/home school hybrid. she will go to a public school next year for kindergarten, and we will work on many lessons at home to ensure that her education is as well rounded as i want it to be. i hope i helped, and feel free to message me if you have any other questions about my own system.

Hi J., I am a SAHM of two. Two yrs old and 5 months. I have already made up my mind to home school them when the time comes. I know our public school system her is Lexington is kinda hit or miss and I am not willing to loose my kids is a bad education environment. We can't afford private school so home school was or only other option. I really think it will work our great. Aside from being able to make your own schedule you get a lot of one on one time with you children, which is important not only for learning but for you parent child relationship. You can teach what you feel is important and don;t have to worry so much about a the bad influences your child can come across in public school. Also, there is no homework.....you usually get all you assignment done during the day.....less stress for mom and dad and kids at the end of the day. I have heard a lot of opposer's to home schooling say that your children are not socialized enough and won't be able to cope in the real world.....but the opposite is true. Home school kids are more confident and actually do better in college and in life once they grow up. You can schedule activities during less busy times of the day to interact with other kids, or do a lesson of some sort. Homeschooling, if you really want to do it can be very rewarding, both for you and you children. Continue your research and be well informed of you states requirements. (KY doesn't have any, other then letting the board know that you will be home schooling). If you would like any more info you can message me, I would be glad to help.....good luck
T.

I have the same age kids but, opposite sex. My son is 4 and daughter is 2. I agree there are alot of problems with the school system however, I think it depends on the kid. I was really geared to homeschooling however, as they have gotten older I realize that my kids in particular really need to be around other children. So, we are deciding on moving to a really good school system or private school. Not sure. I figured that if I don't like what I see in the first year I will go back to my original decision. Right now they are in a Moms Day out program and LOVE it! Not really sure this helps you out other than to know that someone else is struggling with the whole school issue! :)