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Homeschooling: For New Homeschoolers

 

On This Page

Ad Farms

Accountability
Thinking About Homeschooling
Books About Homeschooling
Public-school-at-home via computer also known as, charterschooling, e-schools, cyber-charters, or online charters (apparently 'for free') -- see Subsidized public-school-at-home
Cheapschooling
Criticism of homeschooling
Curricula
Department of Social Services/Child Protection
De-schooling
Diplomas
Famous 'Homeschoolers'
General Observations
Glossary
Legality of Homeschooling
Opinions
Publications
Styles and Methods
Subsidized public-school-at-home
Websites


Ad Farms

Attention Potential Cash Cows! 

Steer clear of those tidy pages bursting with rows and rows of homeschool links.  They're just online business pages that have 'harvested' homeschooling information from around the Web, and sometimes they don't even get the links correct, so that when the hapless newbie clicks on the link, all that pops up is a File Not Found page.  

The more reliable pages tend towards individualization, and often have a point of view. Either the point of view will be a method of homeschooling (such as unschooling, Charlotte Mason, The Well Trained Mind, unit studies, etc.), a target audience, usually a state-specific group, or even the website for a book or specific product.

As always, read sites carefully and use the library to read through books by a new-to-you author to see if their point of view is a good fit with theirs. If you like the book, buy one to support homeschooling authors and the work they do to keep the information flowing.

Most of the mass-link pages are probably click-though money-makers, and haven't got a lick of sense as to what constitutes reliable homeschooling information, nor do they probably care about homeschooling itself.  For them, homeschooling is a money-funnel.

For authentic information, look for the personal touch.  When you find that, there's usually a real live homeschooler 'behind the curtain.'  Most of the others are only sniffing at your pocketbook.

Accountability

From Atypicalhomeschool: Unschooling and the need to know

Stolen from Judy Aron:  "Every child has a right to public education, but public education does not have a right to every child."

  • My riff on Judy's statement:  Testing is supposed to weigh the system, not the child.
  • A friend's comment on my riff:  "No matter how many times you weigh the cow, it doesn't get any fatter."

Thinking About Homeschooling

When making your decision as to whether or not to homeschool your children, you want as much information as you can get.  Soon after making this wish, you find yourself inundated with recommendations for books, curricula and all manner of gee-whiz doo-dads guaranteed to bring you homeschooling happiness.

If only.

When looking through books, magazines and websites (even this one), do yourself a favor and cut some of it. 

  • Tell yourself you're going to spend only X-minutes/hours today looking for what you need.
  • When you use a search engine, don't go past the first page of 'hits' if you're short on time or feeling frazzled.
  • Remember that you can homeschool any way you want, but you can't homeschool every way you want. 

Give yourself limits so that gathering the information does not take so much time; a process that is easier to do is one that is more likely to be done.
 

Books About Homeschooling

Cheapschooling

  • If cost is an impediment to trying homeschooling, there are materials and strategies homeschoolers can use to minimize the outlay of money. The simplest one is not to use a boxed curriculum. This can cut the cost so that a family can afford to use materials they enjoy rather than just 'utilize.'

    "Gen. Ed. books" can be used to rough-out a family guideline that can be supplemented as-needed.  Many books are available through the library, and the resource librarian or children's librarian will be able to point you in the direction you need to go to find what you're looking for. 
        E. D. Hirsch's series What Your _________ Grader Needs to Know
            Susan Wise Bauer's The Well-Trained Mind
        World Book encyclopedia's Typical Course of Study

    'Walking the stacks' in the library is a good way to build connections in your mind so that when you come to the study of X, you just might remember that A, B and C were nearby on the shelves.  A quick reference guide for most library shelves is the Dewey Decimal System, one of the systems of organizing materials so that searchers can find what they're looking for.  In most libraries today it's easy to use the computerized catalog to type in a search term and see what pops up, but that removes the possibility of serendipity because computer systems (as yet) don't make intuitive jumps.  The programming may also cause the search to return titles whose relevance leaves you scratching your head.  'Walking the stacks' and having at least an elementary understanding of the library's organizational pattern can jump-start your own intuitive leaps.

    While thinking of books, consider making your own.  One way to make 'cheap textbooks' (and produce mementoes) is to have the kids do their 'subjects' in blank art/sketch books [see also Lapbooking].  Read to the kids and then let them pick the part they 'liked best' from the day's reading, and illustrate and caption it in their art books with colored pencils and markers. Not only does the synthesis of drawing and captioning what interested them make the material more memorable, but they are more likely to go back and re-read what they've done (reinforcement).

    Reading aloud to children is another cheap-schooling tactic.  Reading aloud  decreases much misinformation, such as how a word sounds.  If a passage makes no sense to the children, they can  request clarification.  A comment from a listener such as (and I quote verbatim), "Well, that's stupid," is what is known as a 'teachable-moment.'   While listening, the kids all get what each needs from a text without having to fight with the words for relevance, and they can chug right along in their understanding. Reading aloud also cements the concept that books are tools for finding out what you want to know, not instruments of torture.  By reading aloud to your children you'll need only one copy of each book, which will save money and weight on your household goods weight allowance.

    Don't discount the children's own activities as valuable experiences. Both of my daughters liked sewing animal clothes while I read aloud whatever it was we were doing that day (the girls didn't like dolls but they adored stuffed animals). They snipped, they stitched, they littered the basement, all while using fabric scraps to concoct entire wardrobes for the various plush beasties they'd accumulated. Now, years later, one of them is employed in a tailoring and alterations shop (she worked in her university's costume shop for her 4 undergrad years). She recently called to say that she might buy the shop -- with a little cooperation from the bank, of course (the shop owner wants to go back to school [update:  the shop owner changed her mind so My Little Seamstress hasn't yet entered the property-owning class] ). The other daughter just finished her 2nd year of veterinary school, and all that sewing helped her, too; she's getting A's in surgery. I know this doesn't directly address the concern about costs, but the 'throwaway activities' children engage in on their own (and with probably little cost to you) are valuable. You never know what's going to be useful later on.

    Homeschooling on a Shoestring
    Homeschooling on a Shoestring-Used Books
    "Welcome to Homeschooling on a Shoestring - Used Books, a subsidiary of Homeschooling on a Shoestring. This group is for posting wanted to buy (WTB) and for sale (FS) used curriculum for educators and homeschoolers."

    Other freebies or cheapies:

    Reading lists: Newbery and Caldecott winners; booklists on web pages. Also consider recorded books from the library.

    Free e-books from The Gutenberg Project  (public domain books and classics)

    Science: magazines such as Ranger Rick, My Big Backyard, Scientific American, Discovery (often available at the library); catch tadpoles and fireflies (then let them go), watch anthills, hang up a birdfeeder, watch clouds, count one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, etc. when you see lightning, . . .

    Handwriting: do a web search for Zaner-Bloser, Italic, D'Nealian and Palmer, then pick the alphabet you like best

    Social Studies: read the newspaper every day for Current Events; read historical biographies and old stories

    Art: drawing in those art books

    Language (or English, as you prefer): captioning the drawings in those art books

    PE: riding bikes, taking hikes, swimming, soccer, etc.

    Math: 'bite the bullet,' give up some cash, and buy a good series

    After a while you'll develop your 'curricular talent' and learn what to buy (or not). If you are able to be a member of a support group you can sell your 'duds' to someone else (what doesn't work for you isn't always a dud for someone else).
     

  • TeachingTotstoTeens email list
    "    This group is for public, private, and homeschool teachers to post their "For Sale" and/or "Wanted to Buy" ads for schooling materials, new or used, for Grades PreK - 12."
     

Criticism of homeschooling

Curricula

  • Oftentimes the first question a new-to-homeschooling-parent asks on an email list is "Which curriculum do all of you use?"   After the flurry of replies from the list-members about each one's method and strategies, the new homeschooler is often quiet for a long time trying to make sense of it all:  how could there be so many different ways to teach kids?  She doesn't remember schools being that . . . varied. 

    Another situation is when a new homeschooling 'product' is released and the producer of that product joins many email lists and posts what she or he feels are 'news releases' meant to bring succor to the beleaguered homeschoolers.  "This is just what you've been looking for!"  No, it isn't.  And thanks, but we've got plenty of other choices with longer track records.  Still, every new business begins with no track record.  So how does the prospective homeschooler (or the homeschooler looking for change) make a decision?

    As in homeschooling itself, there is no 'one right way,' but there are guideposts useful in navigating the increasingly commercial homeschooling waters.  We're a 'real market' and people looking to start businesses, regardless of their homeschooling-savvy, know that parents care so deeply for their children that they'll go to great lengths to provide the best for them, and they will write ad copy that speaks directly to that concern.  Be aware that we are being 'marketed to' and we're being told what we want to hear.

    Advertisers specialize in:
    -- creating a demand where none exists
    -- creating a message to 'influence' the 'prospect'
    -- 'flash' (the 'hook' that keeps you reading, but this goes for all writers who want to be read)
    -- using images that draw you in
    -- having 'swipe files' for inspiration
    -- 'harvesting' existing business

    To homeschool yourself in the techniques used to sell, google "ad copy" or "effective selling." Then read the ads with an educated eye.  Of course there are people providing services who deliver what they say and the product is one of quality. 


    When checking out an organization that is unfamilar to you:

    -- ask email-group listmembers if they've heard of it, or used the 'school'
    -- if not, Google the enterprise: 
        ... if a website has various claims on it, use a search engine to see if those claims pan out.  If a 'school' says it is accredited by a particular accrediting agency, google the agency's name and use the search function at the site to see what the agency says about the 'school' claiming to be accredited through that agency.
        ... look to see where the 'school' is located, and put the address in a search engine just to see what pops up
        ... go to the Secretary of State's website for the state that the school lists as its location and search under 'corporations' at the site (you may have to look around the site to find the information).  Entering the name of the 'school' should bring up it's business information allowing you to see who the responsible parties are, or perhaps the site will produce a school listing with the appropriate information.
        ... how long has the organization been established?
        ... does the 'school' have a physical location?
        ... is there homeschooling-related information online connecting the business-owner to other homeschool information (articles, interviews, or other reputable homeschooling sites keeping in mind that 'bigger' isn't always more reliable)

    If you have any doubts, ask to see the product and get a specific breakdown of services.  When you're spending your money, you have a right to ask for full disclosure.  When you're educating your kids, you have a responsibility -- to your children -- to make sure everything is on the up-and-up.

     
  • Curriculum page
  • Curriculum Reviews
  • Tammy's (Mostly) Home Schooling Curriculum and Book Reviews
    "I like hanging out at some of the home schooling bulletin boards. It seems like some of the same curriculum questions keep popping up over and over. So I've put a few reviews up here to live permanently."
  • World Book Parent Resource Center
     

Department of Social Services/Child Protection

Deschooling

Diplomas

Famous 'Homeschoolers'

  • Famous 'Homeschoolers'   
    "Famous homeschoolers" is a deceptive category because until the rise of mass-schooling, just about everyone was 'homeschooled' in some way.   Before the term 'homeschooling' came into use, there was no special word for the process of learning and living at home any more than there is a special word in 2004 for members of an unforeseen, and as yet non-existent (or not specifically recognized), social group that will be common in 2204.   Yes, 'back then' people went to schools of various sorts, but still, it is entertainingly useful, as well as inspiring, to read lists of people who made a satisfying splash in the history books without the aid of state-sponsored mass-schools, federal programs, teachers unions or preschool.

General Observations

  • Dear New Homeschooler (Acrobat PDF)
     

  • My answers to the question, "What are the three things you most wish you had known when you first started home schooling?"
    1. That having the kids at home would be a grand adventure not an educational destination.
    2. That the family relationship was more important than whatever information I wanted to impart.
    3. That I'd miss it so much when it was all over but, to every time there is a season so make the most of it.
     

  • Q.  What is the one most important thing to know about homeschooling?
    A.  That there's no one right way: not for families, not for kids, not for the same kid at different ages and not for learning experiences.
     

  • Beginning to Homeschool
    "Deciding to homeschool can bring about a freeing, euphoric kind of feeling,
    which might be followed immediately by the panic of 'Oh no, what do I do now?'
    Here are some tips for getting through the 'Oh no!' stage.
     

  • Decompression by Cafi Cohen
     

  • Do You Know What Law Enables You To Homeschool? by Deborah Stevenson, attorney, NHELD
    My military version of Ms. Stevenson's article is, "Know thy regs."
     

  • The homeschooling-parent-2A.M.-willies' ("Aaack!  What do I think I'm doing?") usually go away in the morning - even those that happen after the kids are grown.
     

  • Bean dip:  what do you do when someone interrogates you on your decision to homeschool?  Want some bean dip?
     

  • Benefit of homeschooling:  Time
     

Legality of Homeschooling

Opinions

  • Ten Signs that You Need to Find a Different Kind of Education for Your Child
    An article by Jerry Mintz, a long-time alt.ed advocate and founder of The Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO).  In the book excerpt I empathize completely with Mr. Mintz's observation, "It often infuriates me how our culture accepts the idea that kids don't like school - it's almost a joke . . ."  Think to yourself how many cartoonists can use the hatred of attending school as a punch line. Think how easy it is to identify with Calvin of the Calvin and Hobbes cartoons, and to both identify with Miss Wormwood, his teacher, and to understand why her name is what it is, or with Bart Simpson's teacher, Mrs. Krabappel -- pronounced kra - bappel.  Some children hate going to school, some merely dislike it, others tolerate at, and some enjoy it.  But the cartoonists, jokemeisters, and silly-song inventors sure don't home in on the ones who do enjoy school.  "School's out, sauerkraut, teacher let the monkeys out."  We must have some powerful denial going on not to see it all.
     

  • Jerry Mintz isn't the only one who has online articles I've found relevant for this Not Back to School update.  Click and Clack, The Tappit Brothers, of NPR radio fame.  They're still in the school-mode, but apparently (from an unschoolish, home-ed standpoint) making progress.

    The Education Forum & The Education Forum -- Part II
    The New Theory of Learning
    Education:  The Learning of Skills We Will Never Need

 

Publications

Styles and Methods

Subsidized public-school-at-home

  • Many states have the option for families to receive 'free' curriculum, supplies, and sometimes even computers to use at home for their children's educations.  Some states even refer to this subsidized public-school-at-home as homeschooling.  In the Ohio example, though, it doesn't state that Ohio homeschoolers are excused from complying with the compulsory attendance statutes, but children enrolled in online public charters at home are not (read the fine print at the bottom of the page).  In other states there may be similar differences between the requirements for homeschooling and online public charter enrollment.

    Using an online public charter school may fit a family well and the education may be as legitimate as any other form of schooling.  The requirements levied by the public school charter, although more free than brick&mortar school, may be more stringent than homeschooling.  The parents are not, for the duration of the contract, the final arbiters of their children's schooling.

    In various accounts of diverse public charter methods, it has been mentioned that some schools are lenient regarding the family's stipend, and that the money can be paid out for items other than books and 'normal' school materials.  Despite the benefit to individual families it would seem to be an unfair practice unless both public- and private-school students are afforded the same benefit.

    Additional information about public-schooling-at-home can be found on other pages on  this website.

Websites

 

 

 

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The Military Homeschooler is a private web site and is not affiliated with the US government or the DoD.  The opinions stated on the site are those of the site owner and the content is provided for information only. The Military Homeschooler  contains links to other Web sites. These other sites are not under the control of The Military Homeschooler and The Military Homeschooler is not responsible for the contents of any other site. The Military Homeschooler  provides the links only as a convenience to this site's readers, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by The Military Homeschooler of the site.   You are responsible for your own viewing and any dealings with other sites.

Regarding any legal opinions expressed, I am not a lawyer.  If you have a legal problem, check with JAG or retain your own legal counsel.

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(The clickable hyperlink has been disabled.  To write to me, copy "the_military_homeschooler" with the underscores between the words, and then put in the usual @hotmail.com.  I'm tired of reading the subject lines of spam about watches, cheap consumer goods that are a waste of natural resources, enlargement, medications I have no earthly use for, and  invitations to view extra-curricular activities that don't interest me.  And as for "adult interests," my opinion about them is here.)

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This site was last updated:  Friday, 15 February 2008

Hit Counter  counting began 24 September 2003, but the counter broke in September 2007 when the website got a 'headache' (that's a technical term), so counting probably started over