Home Schooling - Clyde,MO

You kind of learn right along with your student. I've been homeschooling for 12 years now and my oldest is about to finish high school. I probably made all my mistakes with him but he's doing great. I'm homeschooling 4 of my kids and it gets easier as far as academics go. Math is actually my best subject. I love it!! I had to relearn everything as I went along but the teacher's manual makes it easy for moms.

ADDED: Socially they do better homeschooled unless they spend the day in a closet or in front of a TV without parents at home. Learning social skills from other kids their age is a myth. My kids are all well adjusted socially, better than most, probably because we have a big family as well as extended family. Also, because we're involved in church and homeschool groups. But even if it were just family (or just me) they were exposed to, they'd still be well adjusted socially.

Well, can you handle kindergarten math? That's what you start with and go from there. :) Homeschooling curriculum is so different from public school curriculum. It tends to be conversational style in that it is engaging, and you just learn as you go. One of our goals, and you will see this with many homeschoolers if not most, is that they learn to teach themselves. They learn how to learn without being spoonfed. We have so many resources available to us: online classes, co-ops, online groups for Q&A, etc. Check out teachingtextbooks.com. It is the math curriculum we use. The kids put their CD into the computer and get the lecture (very engaging), and do their problems online. They are graded as they go, and it keeps a record book for you, so you can see exactly how they are doing, what they are missing, what their grades are, etc. And, for foreign languages, there is Rosetta Stone, along with other interactive programs (of course many co-ops offer this).But, as their teacher, you are building your knowledge base as you go. I always joke that I am getting the best education I ever got. I never learned what I am learning now. History is actually engaging and interesting and fascinating! I never knew that. It isn't dry and something to just endure. It's fabulous! You can chose one of thousands of ways to teach your children. For example, we can't stand workbook based education. Boring! But, it's available if you like it. Or you can do unit studies where you study one particular thing and weave it into all (or most) of the subjects. Like Baseball. You can study history, biographies, angles (math) of the balls being hit/pitched, sportsmanship (character), etc. You can do a study on rocks, or whatever interets you that week or month. Or, you can do a classical approach, or a boxed curriculum, where everything you need arrives in one box and you're good to go. We tend to more of a classical approach, but not purely. We read real sources. We don't just read about something. We read what the people at that time actually wrote. For example, Thanksgiving/ Pilgrims/Puritans. We will read William Bradford's On Plymouth Plantation to see see what *he* said about life there, rather than what some historian (with a bias because they all have biases) said about it. Of course, we do get some of the historian viewpoints as well, but we don't just leave it at that.

I guess I'm rambling. My point is that you have so many resources available to you with homeschooling. You can do it. Research has shown that a parent can homeschool better than a public school teacher can. The statistics just don't bear out that in general it is ever better to send them to a classroom environment instead of teaching them at home. Check out http://www.nheri.org/ Dr. Brian Ray has published many peer reviewed reports about homeschooling. He speaks at NEA events about education, and home education in particular. He is highly regarded in these circles, although they aren't very happy with what he is finding. You can do it. It is a wonderful adventure, a difficult one, but worth every bit of work to do it well.

I agree with everything that's been said. Homeschooling is a wonderful experience for not only your child...but you. Who better that you to teach your child. You have an investment that NOBODY else has. I don't care how wonderful a teacher is, and there are wonderful teachers, they can't do the job that a parent can.

FYI, when I got to High School I used a computer curriculum to help me along. My oldest has graduated and doing well and my 16 year old prefers to teach herself...she's a straight A student too.

If you really want to homeschool, you'll be a success. I have never met anyone who wanted to homeschool that didn't do well!

M.

..."you would need to be very smart in all subjects."

Pshaw. Nope!

Outsourcing. There are MANY different ways to do this. From outside classes (there are classes in every subject at every level taught by pros out there),to family members/friends, to co-ops, to tutors, to interactive learning programs (like mathUsee or time4learning). Homeschooling doesn't USUALLY mean you teach your children everything. It more commonly means that you're the PRIMARY teacher, but that you ALSO act as a conductor.

Although... there's a line from the Bitter Homeschooler's Wishlist that is pretty apropos:

#12 If my kid's only six and you ask me with a straight face how I can possibly teach him what he'd learn in school, please understand that you're calling me an idiot. Don't act shocked if I decide to respond in kind.
http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/001/bitter_homeschoo...

Because, carts and horses here... as long as you know how to add, subtract, multifply, and divide... you've just covered the ENTIRE math curriculum for the first 3-4 years of public school. Worry about algebra and geometry and trig and calc AFTER they know how to add and subtract AND you've figured out what you enjoy learning and what you prefer to farm out to someone else (dad, grandparent, friend, outside class, co-op, tutor, interactive online programs, etc.)

___________________________

Supplementary programs? Oh. Gosh. GAZILLIONS (like toys in a toystore)

For math alone I have maybe 40 or 50 (all from k-prealgebra) that span from pbskids and other websites that are totally free, to ClueFinders / Carmen SanDiego (and other CD games, at about $5-10 each), to complete montessori albums (free) from prek-alegebra including how-tos and pictures on how to make your own manipulatives, to partial curriculums (like Singapore Math, MathUSee, TimeForLearning), to workbooks of many many different kinds. Sooooooo much out there.

BIGGEST DON'T IN STARTING HOMESCHOOLING (that most of us fail miserably at our first year)

DON'T GO BUY A BUNCH OF STUFF.

Learning styles and teaching styles aren't sorted yet. Spending a bunch of money out the gate is usually all "lost" money. Free trials. If something doesn't have a free trial (where the kids can use it, and you can see how it works)... think 2 or 9 times before buying it. School-in-a-box curriculums are the "worst" at hundreds or even thousands of dollars. I mean, a $10 computer game... no biggie. But $100, $250, $700+ dollars for untested materials? Don't do it. Even if it's a "deal" for the whole year, instead of the monthly cost. THAT AND THERE IS SOOOOO much out there that's free and BETTER than the expensive stuff.

So far it has worked for me and I am not the smartest person. My kids score well on the standardized tests and each year they are progressing. I have had to brush up on many subjects and I have found that my education was seriously lacking in some areas. Sometimes the kids and I learn things together or I seek out someone that can do it better. I would see if there were any conferences in you area and hit one. Conferences have lots of venders so you can get your hands on curriculum. They can also point you in the direction of local groups. Good luck.

In this day and age, the information and tools are out there. There are tons of very expensive programs that you can do that are accredited. But the colleges are becoming so friendly towards homeschoolers, it's not that important anymore. Most colleges only require placement testings or high scores on the ACT/SAT.

Math is my hard subject too. There is a program called cosmeo that is put together by Discovery channel. There are over 30,000 videos on there and a Math Tutorial service. The tutorials are beyond belief. They are actually geared towards students in all public schools. So they represent all the textbooks that are common in school today from 3rd grade to Senior in highschool. There is NO way to miss anything. Your child is sitting there watching every kind of math problem being worked out with a teacher as they highlight, explain, define, and demonstrate. The program allows them to work problems on their own and try them, then they are explained. So it's interactive. Best thing, it's only 9.95 per month for the whole family.

As far as teaching goes; it's not like that really. They are learning how to learn and how to work things out on their own. That's what they will have to do when they go to college. No one ever holds their hand and guides them through every step of the class. A syllabus is handed out at the beginning, and they are expected to know what is required and when. We also use a program that helps college students plan for taking CLEP exams. We use it as a way to memorize trivia across all subjects and to give us ideas for further studying. We have our daughter write one essay every single day a long with many other requirements that keep her on track. But we give her the ability to choose her subjects with only guidance from us.

We also use youtube. We look up lectures that are taped on there and they are ENDLESS. Even though my daughter is only 11 years old, I often have her watching lectures that are given at colleges all over the USA. I have her watch programs geared to freshman's, so she gets a lot of info about how to study and how to survive college. I believe that she's being given a valuable advantage for when she gets to school in the future. She's going to have the proper study techniques, know how to research, and how to please a variety of teachers.

This is our 4th daughter that we have homeschooled. Because I love to learn myself, I often just feel that this is my way to keep myself interested and engaged in some kind of learning. I'm not a teacher, so why try to be?

look at the public schools website for your county, and find out if they offer virtual school. We do the Florida virtual school program through K12. I know it is available in all of the states, but not sure if it would cost you something or not. It is still considered public school since we have to attend 180 days per year, but it is all done at home. I am the kids "learning coach" and they are assigned a teacher. I guide them through the curriculum that the county and K12 provides. It is a great curriculum! I LOVE IT! The whole program was free for us in our county, and even came with all of the books and materials. I would check into that as well.

I homeschooled for some of my kids' education, and was pretty adept at the reading, history, English, etc.

But for math, once they got past counting, I was in over my head! So I bought a math curriculum, and I literally read the teacher's manual word-for-word to my kids. It would say "now look at the student, and say ......" and I would look at my kids and read it verbatim. There are good math programs out there, like Saxon and MathUSee and lots of others that provide a very solid teacher guide.

For foreign languages, there are so many CDs available. Plus many towns have homeschool groups that meet to give the kids group science labs, foreign language instruction or math/reading tutoring. Take advantage of those.

Hi there!
You got very good responses H.! I just want to share with you that I am one of those many moms who home school also, and I am very glad I made this decision. It is very important that you actually know why you want to home school your children and what you want for them so it will be easier to plan, create or find a good curriculum to fit your needs, theirs and also their learning styles. Kids are very different when we think of learning types, and it helps a lot when you know that well.
Missouri is a friendly state for home schooling. I suggest you to be familiar with the regulations for HS in MO. It is a good resource www.hslda.org. where you will find many answers too. I also suggest you to read "The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child" by Linda Dobson. It's an interesting book about the real world of home schooling with lot of information, web sites and list of resources you really will need.
As one of the moms said H., the myth of socialization is just that: a myth. You will find PLENTY of activities and sports to do with your children and for your children to share with people of different ages and gender and have fun and learn. Don't let other people who actually don't know convince you that there is no socialization when you home schooling.It is not true.
You don't need to be super knowledgeable about everything. There are MANY curricula out there (on line, books etc.) religion based (I use Kolbe Academy Home School, in California) and non religion based . There are many as the one I use, that give you everything you need to start and not being confused like the forms you will need, course plans, attendance records, syllabus, etc.You can also create your own but takes more time and patience. Also you can mix different curricula. Home schooling is flexible that is the best part. Every day is different, and not every day is magnificent, there are ups and downs, but still is a wonderful journey and rich experience for you yours kids//for the whole family!
Start little, do not buy everything that is sold for home schooling, you don't need to spend a lot of money and never, ever compare you or your kids with other home schooling families, every family is different and everything works different for each family, Do your own and be happy with that, still learn from others but enjoy what you do and share that joy with your children. Good luck with your decision!!!

Hi 3BoysUnder3,

I am in my third year of homeschooling and love it! I have 2 boys, an 8 year old and a 51/2 year old. I do have a college education, but not in teaching. I use a homeschool based curriculum. I use the Abeka program. They have both teacher (parent) and student books. All of the homeschool curriculums have both teacher and student books. I am also a member of a homeschool group that meets at my church. My 8 year old can read at a 3rd grade level and my kindergardener can read 3 letter words. When compared to public schools my boys are ahead. With the Abeka program's advanced learning my 8 year old was in first grade he was introduced to multiplying. Go to www.HSLDA.com. We live in Florissant and the library does a homeschool program for us once a month. Th Magic House has homeschool days. Do start early, I would start to teach your children preschool. I started my youngest last year with the Abeka pre-k program. He really retained alot and is easily going through kindergarden this year. Hope this helps a little.
L.

If Math intimidates you, never fear. There are so many curriculums available with very detailed teacher guides and student workbooks. I have found Horizon Math to be appealing to my 6 year old and so thorough and easy to teach. In first grade, she is learning to tell time, simple fractions, addition of 2 or 3 two digit numbers, and basic subtraction. It's very basic, and she picks it up QUICKLY each lesson. I was intimidated about teaching my daughter to read, but I need not have worried. I started her on the Abeka K4 curriculum at age 4 and she was reading well in 3-4 months. I feared I couldn't adapt to teaching my child since in my line of work I was accustom to educating adults (I supervised and taught resident physicians at the local County Hospital). A little patience, well organized curriculum and a couple hours a day with my daugther has worked wonders. Oh, and you can start teach a foreign language early and I recommend you do so. My first grader is learning Latin and then we will move to Spanish this Spring. Nurse Midwife Mom
Where is Clyde, MO? I grew up in SE MO and attended both NMSU (now Truman State) and Mizzou.

It would help to know why you want to home school.