Homeschool Q & A

I've been asked a lot of questions about homeschooling lately and I thought I'd take this opportunity to answer a few of them.

1.  Why do you homeschool?
I actually wanted to homeschool The Boy from the time he was about three years old.  I wasn't homeschooled myself and I didn't know anyone who homeschooled, I just had the idea one day and it wouldn't go away.  I had a very close relationship with The Boy and didn't want to let him go, even for a few hours a day.  But I didn't think I could do it - I wasn't super smart, I didn't have a teaching degree, what did I know about teaching a kid anything?

As I've grown up and become more comfortable in my own skin, I've come to realize that as a parent, it is my right, responsibility and pleasure to teach my children.  Yes, they can go to public (or even private) school and learn the same basic information, but they'll learn it in a completely different environment.  Here I can control what they learn and at what pace.  If they're excelling, we'll move faster, but if they're struggling, we can take a few extra weeks or however long is needed.  I can also change the method of teaching for each child, to take advantage of their unique learning styles and interests.

So I guess the short answer is that I want to be with my babies as they're growing up and I want to give them the best possible education for them, individually.

2.  Is it even legal?
Yes, and in fact, Michigan is one of the easiest states to homeschool in. Here is a link to the Homeschool Legal Defence Association's guide to homeschooling in MI for anyone interested.

3.  How did you get started?
As I said, I wanted to homeschool, but doubted my abilities.  I wasn't sure I'd have the knowledge or skill or patience to give them the educations they deserve, so I sent The Boy to public school.  He did well in kindergarten, but by first grade he was struggling.  He's very easily distracted and sitting in a room with 30 other balls of energy did not make an environment conducive to learning.  By the middle of second grade, he was coming home in tears, we were being told he had ADHD and should be medicated, the teacher was sending home daily reports of his progress (or lack, as was more often the case) and he was being sent to see the school counselor.

Part of the problem (and I don't mean to brag, this is simply statement of fact) was that his reading level was well above his classmates.  So while they were reading things like See Spot Run, he was ready for Harry Potter.  The school he was attending didn't allow him to go to the more challenging parts of the library or bring his own books, so he was bored out of his mind.  It's easier to be distracted when you're bored.

The teacher/school tried things like headphones, weight vests, time outs, moving his desk to the hallway and several other things.  In the end, seeing my baby come home struggling every single day was just too much for me.  The weekend before Valentine's Day, during his second grade year, I called the school and told them he'd be staying home from now on. 

Then the panic set in.

4.  How do you do it?  Do you have to buy a curriculum?
We started by using the Comprehensive Curriculum books published by American Education Publishing.  The books were available at Walmart (where I was working at the time) and I thought they seemed like a good jumping off point for the basic subjects.  In the years since then, we've used lots of different books, but we've continued using those Comprehensive Curriculum books for the basics.  We've added in some textbooks that Bryant bought off eBay, a few other books picked up from garage sales and thrift shops, plus we utilize the library and Internet pretty extensively. 

The Boy is in high school now and we decided to let him try a correspondence course.  So far he's doing pretty well and enjoying the variety.  I'll do another post about his courses and school in the future, for anyone interested.

For everyone but The Boy, I write daily lesson plans and, to some extent, my own curriculum.  I use the Comprehensive Curriculum books as a sort of introduction to each topic whether it's synonyms and antonyms or fractions and decimals.  After we've covered whatever those books can teach, we move on to other sources.

Subjects that aren't included in those books, like history, science and health, are completely custom written.  I scour books and websites and put together a course of study that will help them meet their goals.  Which brings me to the next question...

5.  How do you know what to teach?
For the most part, I let them guide me.  When they are ready to move on to something more complex, we do.  It's as simple as that. 

But, to be sure we are meeting the state requirements and keeping up with other kids the same age or grade, I do consult several sources.  My favorite is here - World Book has compiled a general course of study, averaging requirements from across the country.  I like this one because it is fairly broad, not state specific and is drawn from a lot of various sources.

Another one I consult is here.  This one is the Michigan Department of Education and is obviously specific to our state.  Of course, following the law is important, so I do try to make sure they are following the state requirements.  This hasn't ever really been a problem though, so I don't stress about it. 

6.  What about socialization?
This question is one that always stuns me.  Parents of public school children ask me often how we socialize our children and I want to snap back at them, "How do YOU socialize YOUR children?"  Sitting in a room full of people at exactly the same place in life and being told what to do with every second of their time is not really socialization, in my opinion.  I'm sure some of you will disagree, but it is my opinion that after high school, that sort of socialization is useless.  We need to be able to interact with people of all ages and stages of life.  I want my children to be as comfortable talking to an elderly man in a nursing home as to a peer or younger child. 

So, in answer, we let them live their lives.  As an example, when we go to the library, they talk to other kids, parents, librarians and sometimes just random people (with supervision, though.  I don't let the little ones out of my sight in a public place).  They are learning how to have conversations and meaningful interactions with people of all walks of life, all ages, races and belief systems.  I'm certain this will benefit them later in life.

7.  What about college?
This was a huge concern for us in the beginning.  But after much research, I came to the conclusion that most colleges don't care, as long as the SAT and any other required tests are good enough.  Some schools even consider homeschooled kids to be better qualified as they are generally  more self-motivated and able to handle the college educational system better than their public schooled peers.

So there you have it - my little Q & A about homeschooling.  Feel free to leave comments or questions and I'll respond as soon as possible.