Advice on Homeschooling - Charles City,IA

Hi S.,

I'm a 26 year old woman who was homeschooled from the age of 14 - 18. I found it was totally best for me, but my Mum had to put up with a lot of opinions of how I would be socially disfunctional, not academic enough etc. I went back to high school for my final year then completed a science degree with honours at University and am now very happily married with 1 child. So please don't be put off by what others think, if this is what your daughter wants then it is possible. Curriculum wise, try to stick as close as possible to what is taught in the schools. I was on correspondence school and had preplanned lessons in booklets which I independently worked through each day. Hope it all goes well for you both.

Cheers L.

1 mom found this helpful

not knowing you as a person makes this question hard.

if you are a religious person, definatly get in contact with people through your church to see about religious curriculum, or you can search online for christian homeschooling curriculum.

that is the number one priority i would have to homeschool my kids. i dont know you, so i cant understand if it would be to you, so dont be offended if it isnt something you are interested in.

I do not have any advice for you but I am going to follow this thread as I too am considering pulling my daughter from public school. Can't wait to learn more. Good Luck!

I second the person who said that the beauty of homeschooling is that you do it your way. It would be very hard to give you specific advice without knowing why you are choosing this and what you and she are each like. I would say focus on those things and see where that leads you. You got lots of advice to find a group in your area. If you do that, look for support--you will find lots of it--but be careful about looking too much for direction. It is so easy to just try to copy what is working for somebody else, but it works so much better to custom fit your learning experience to yourselves. Happy trails on this great adventure!

Hi welcome to the adventure of homeschooling. I have homeschooled now for fourteen years now. I have one graduate and two in high school. My advice is take it easy and enjoy the time. I wish I could go back to the early years. Find out what your daughter likes and explore this with her. Keep things fun. Were we use text books now they are not always the best at the begining. I would also say to find a group to join. When mine were little I started a group and we had a blast. Now we go threw a HSAP and it is great for support and extra classes that I wouldn't have had the time for.
Enjoy your adventure with your daughter,
S.

Have you considered online school? Here is a list of free available schools in Minnesota:

http://distancelearn.about.com/od/onlinepublicschools/a/M...

I have a friend who uses one of these schools for her son and also works at home. It is working well for them.

Hi S.,
I am the president of the local homeschool group in the Marinette Menominee area. I would be happy to give you any information. will be going on vacation today and be back Sunday. We homeschool a ds going in to 10th grade. feel free to e-mail.
S.

Hi S.
I am not sure if it has the same open enrollment requirements as public school, but I do know you can do public school curriculum online.

I homeschooled a son through Jr. High and a daughter through high school. Your first move should be to contact a local homeschool group. You will find they all have unique teaching methods and curriculums and this will help you to make your decision on what feels right for you. They will help you immeasurably and will be wealth of resources, possibly used curriculum, and support for the rough times! My son was special needs and public school wasn't trying to challenge him, they labled him and quit trying. He was able to attend a different high school very successfully. My daughter wanted to avoid peer pressures and is now a full time college student. I wish you the best of luck!

No judging here. When I first started homeschooling had the same worries and concerns. The beauty of homeschooling is that you do it your way. One thing that has worked well for me is recipe cards. I write all that I expect my children to get done on the card and there is no TV or computer time until it's all finished. I really like homeschooling. I treasure every moment with my kids and this gives us that much more time with them.

There are lots of homeschool groups out there. You may need to do some searching online for one.

These groups have people who have been through what you have and know the ins and outs of the local school districts they have worked with or around. They will be able to tell you the best curriculum to use that will match your school district's (because if you decide not to continue, your daughter will need to go back and have the credit necessary to do so).

Some also have classes available for homeschooled students. I believe one in this area is H.E.R.O.

Once you know what curriculum you are looking for, you may find it on craigslist or Half Priced Books.

And, as a former classroom teacher, I highly suggest sitting down with your daughter and making a DETAILED plan and routine and sticking to it. You may also want to download the state's standards to follow and use to write your plans. It may be the proof needed to re-enter the school district.

Hope this helps!

Find a homeschool group, the one here meets every Friday, they do crafts together play games and take really nice field trips together. I do not homeschool, but my mother-in-law still has 3 children in school that she homeschools.

good luck and I'm sure that it will be easier than you think!