The Fundamental Characteristics

While there are many ways to homeschool, let us limit our discussion to the most basic situation, or what can be called the paradigm, of homeschooling. By understanding this case, we can pull out the key characteristics of the definition of homeschooling.

First, parents who homeschool have made a conscious decision to manage the education of their child to a much larger degree than present in any other schooling option. In essence, homeschooling parents have decided to control the education of their child in every detail. The homeschooling parents decide what material will be studied, what books will be used, how much time is spent in class, and many other details. The homeschooling parents do not give these decisions over to any other person, such as a school principal, an individual tutor, or even a government official.

Second, a child who is homeschooled does his schoolwork at home. This seems rather obvious, but again we are looking at the most fundamental characteristics of homeschooling. A homeschooled child does not go to another location for their education, not a school, not a church, not even the house of another person. While a homeschooled child may take a specific class elsewhere, the central location of education for homeschooling is the home.

Third, homeschooling parents are responsible for the actual delivery of the educational material. While a third party can be hired for a specific topic, the parents hold onto the final responsibility of the delivery of the material. The parents make sure the child does the work, the parents make sure the work is graded, and the parents are in charge of the records of the child’s education. The parents can use outside resources to help them with this task, but the final responsibility is with the parents.

Who Does the Teaching

A homeschool teacher can be any member of the family; it does not have to be a parent. A grandparent, sibling, uncle, or cousin, just to name a few possibilities, can be the teacher for a homeschool child. Having said that, usually the main teacher of a homeschooled child is either a parent or a grandparent, for obvious reasons (discipline, responsibility, etc.).

While a child can take a class taught by someone who is paid, having a paid tutor as the main teacher in a homeschool can sometimes be problematic. Some states require that if someone is paid to homeschool a child, that person needs a teaching license issued by the state. If you are thinking about hiring someone to teach your child at home, you need to check with the Department of Education for your state to determine the precise requirements.

What Needs to be Done to Homeschool

There are two different sets of requirements you need to meet in order to homeschool your child. First, there are the legal requirements of the state where you live. These can sometimes be confusing, so make sure you research these requirements thoroughly. Some counties will also have specific requirements for homeschooling, so you need to check with your local board of education as well. Be persistent with government officials because they may very well try to prevent you from homeschooling.

The second set of requirements is putting together the resources you want to use for your homeschooling effort. This is usually a set of books and a collection of normal school supplies. The books can be either a prepared curriculum or simply a set of individual textbooks. Both of these can be found online, and many states have conventions for homeschooling where you can buy books as well. You should start off simple, with your focus on the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. You can add other subjects later, once you have started; however, if you want to start with other additional subjects (art, history, science, and so on), certainly you should do so.

Call to Action

Many parents are dissatisfied with the education their child can get in the existing school systems. If you are one of these parents, I would strongly suggest that you consider homeschooling as an alternative to sending your child to a school every morning. From personal experience, I can say that homeschooling is one of the best ways to educate your child.

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Religious View

The “oldest” reason for homeschooling has been the idea that homeschoolers are doing what they are doing in order to support and reinforce their religious convictions or Judeo-Christian worldview. This still remains a primary reason for motivating some families to homeschool, although it is clearly not the only reason any longer. But, it is not possible to group the denomination or religious perspective into any single category any longer. The beliefs and worldviews that motivate homeschoolers are expanding all the time.

Moving Family

Another common reason for homeschooling is when families live the “wanderer” lifestyle. This can be as a result of many things. For instance, some families have chosen to homeschool because the primary breadwinner may have a job that requires frequent relocations. That can be difficult to accommodate from public school to public school, so families in this situation opt for homeschooling. This is the case for missionary families, oil-industry families, military families, etc.

Health Reasons

In many cases, families are led into homeschooling, not by choice, but by necessity due to health issues or limitations that have made going to a traditional brick and mortar public or private school impossible. Most traditional schools are subject to attendance standards set by state or local governments. Therefore, a student with too many absences will cost the school district a loss in tax revenues, so they require minimum attendance days. If health issues cause a student to miss too many days, they are resigned to repeating that grade level by their district’s standards. Homeschooling allows families to work around these health restrictions and make forward progress academically at the same time.

Private School Mentality

Other families choose homeschooling because they would like to have a private school type education – small classes, customized curricula, mastery learning, etc. – but they cannot afford private school tuition. Homeschooling can be done on a variety of budgets, but in most cases, a diligent, well-planned homeschool program can be done much cheaper than a private school, especially when you also consider the costs of uniforms, travel expenses, sporting event fees, fundraisers, and other fees that get added into a typical private school education.

Curricula Choice

Another primary reason for homeschooling is in the ability to approach the curricula like a menu. If a student excels in English, but needs more work in Algebra, a homeschool student can work above grade level in one subject, such as English, but at or even below grade level in another area. This allows homeschooling families to ensure that their children are getting a solid academic foundation in all subjects by meeting the student where they are and working forward from there. Many, many homeschool students find that they are in a variety of “grades” based on the curricula being used, but they are growing in knowledge, not frustration, because of their choice to homeschool.

Knowing their reasons for homeschooling will help to determine how and where to interact with homeschoolers around you. If you sell curricula, know their motives. If you offer athletic memberships, be sure to consider a variety of needs. Thinking about offering classes in your area or niche? The homeschoolers in your area may need you, but don’t assume – do the research in your area. If you are considering homeschooling yourself, be sure to understand your motivation. You will need to “hang on to it” when those around you challenge your methods.

No matter how you interact with homeschooling families, it is safe to say that you can no longer make any assumptions about their motives until you have gotten to know them individually. Homeschoolers are an ever-growing component of the educational marketplace, and knowing their needs will help you to better fit this market as a conscientious business owner or homeschooler.

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You can easily become overwhelmed by the demands of your responsibilities as an educator. You can better any homeschooling by using classes as well as seminars.

Designate your housework to the kids or get help from outside. It is unrealistic to think that you can be hard to do everything all by yourself. You will quickly become exhausted if you attempt to keep up with all household duties in addition to your own. Accept any help if you get it and don’t feel bad about it.

One of the major benefits of homeschooling is maximizing your child’s specific learning needs. This will improve your child is a successful learner.

Find out any laws in your state when it comes to running a school in your home. You can easily visit the HSLDA’s website to find out about your state’s laws. A homeschooling organization can help prepare you when you’re questioned by the BOA or CPS. The assistance they provide will be worth the investment.

Reach out to other homeschoolers like you. People choose to homeschool for a number of reasons now. You can likely find or create a homeschool group of others with interests and viewpoints similar goals as yours.

Homeschooling groups are also a great place to get advice and support that can really help you if you’re new to it.

Are you thinking of home schooling multiple children? You need to know if your current disciplinary strategies will work in the school environment. It can be hard to keep your students orderly if you don’t currently have clear expectations or rules of behavior for them. By knowing where you may need to tighten up discipline, you will be able to increase the chances of your children succeeding academically.

Homeschooling is a perfect opportunity to flex your crafty side to use. You can make certain resources that you need. You can make flash cards with some laminating simple index cards. Have your students take part and they’ll learn even more!

Realize that home school won’t always entirely enjoyable. There will be times when you have to push your children harder. Studying flash cards and reading about subjects they aren’t interested in isn’t fun for them. You can use reward schemes to bribe your children to study topics which they have little interest in.

Homeschooling is an alternative for kids that are having difficulties in school. This will cut down on the level of stress and anxiety your child’s life. You will also be able to bond with your child via homeschooling him or her. This is a great option when your child in an uncomfortable and challenging situation.

Make sure you still maintain proper family time. Spending some time with your spouse can help maintain free time that might be lost to homeschooling. Make sure that you let them know how important they mean to you by going out to dinner or a movie regularly. Doing things with your family when you can make a world of difference.

It’s easy for you to get overwhelmed when you’re a new home school teacher. Classes and seminars can offer some hands-on inspiration and guidance for almost everything involved with homeschooling.

Make sure that you have all of the proper qualifications before attempting to homeschool your children.Think about relationships with your parenting relationship to reveal whether you have to resolve some issues before homeschooling can start.

Homeschooling will call on all your role as well. You may need to refine or redefine your roles slightly to accommodate being a parent to a teacher. Be sure you think this whole thing through prior to becoming a teacher that home schooling.

These are tools and not blunt your own creativity. Invest in quality tools that can be used to instill your own take on the lesson tailored to your child. This is the great aspect of homeschooling your children.

Hands-on lessons can make teaching your children a very effective way to teach children. You could cook a dish from the topic they’re learning. An example of this is making cabbage rolls and perogies if they are learning about Stalin. If your theme unit is about WWII you can make German or a historical site. Learning will allow your child to more fully understand the topics.

Find ways to get kids to become independent learners. You do not want to have to stand over your child and supervise their every move. They will know the expectations and give them timelines for completion. This experience teaches them independence as well as confidence and they will soon learn that putting off their work will only reduce their free time.

Know that homeschooling doesn’t only have to sit at a desk to homeschool. One of the great things about homeschooling is that it can be done anywhere. You can go on vacation and learn or even to a relative’s house. This is what can make homeschooling function well. This variety helps to keep things interesting and let you get other tasks done while teaching.

If your budget allows for it, consider hiring help for cooking, cleaning and errands. Homeschooling is a full-time job and household errands. This allows you to focus more on lesson plans and educate your child.

Make a budget plan for your homeschooling venture accordingly. Each child should have their own budget. Make sure you account for unexpected expenses.

Now you are armed with plenty of information, it’s time to put together the ideal homeschooling plan for your children. Use what you’ve learned to make sound decisions and create a great school environment. Sheer will and fortitude can make you the best teacher for your kids. The children are very lucky to have a parent as their teacher.

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