How to Start Homeschooling

N. ~

First of all, kudos to you for considering this very challenging feat and doing all the research you can on it. It is a very important decision, and one my husband and I made a few years ago, when my son Michael was preschool age. I read everything I could get my hands on, including a secular book by Rebecca Rupp (I forget the title), and The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling, by Debra Bell. I don't know if you are looking into homeschooling for the same reasons I was, but the most important thing to me was that my son would get a Christ-based education, and my homeschooling group at church was willing and able to help out with any resources I needed. There are also numerous homeschool groups/co-ops online to check out. Christianhomeschoolers.com, bellaonline.com (click on education), homeschool.com (there you can look up support groups by state and lots more), homeschooling.about.com, and many others have Christ-based or secular ideas regarding curriculum, activities, field trips, ways to network with other homeschooling parents, printable worksheets, etc. The library is a homeschooler's dream. There is so much information to be hunted there! Many of the books I found were from just typing in "homeschooling" in the card catalog computer. Plus, you can meet a lot of homeschooling families at the library during other kids' school hours.

I'm located in El Mirage. Whereabouts are you? I have more localized co-op information I can send you if you're on the west side of the Phoenix metro area.

All this can be really overwhelming if you don't take it a little bit at a time - that's what happened to me. But I got help from other parents whom I knew homeschool and I chose a very simple, yet visually stimulating curriculum (A Beka). It also helps to have the full support of a helpful spouse. :)

If you need anything else or have other questions, please feel free to contact me at ____@____.com of grace to you and your daughter, N.!

~ R.

My only concern about homeschooling is the lack of social interaction which is so important. I do know that some moms do it out of fear of sending their kids out into the world. If your motives are right on and you can find groups that homeschool where your daughter gets social interaction with other moms and kids that are doing it as well, that might work.

Hi N.,
Check out this website. www.k12.com. It is a publicly funded homeschooling program. You get all the books, supplies, computer for free. It makes homeschooling easy because it tells you exactly what you need to teach every day. HOpe this helps.

I did homeschooling through SFCS, but there may be better sources out there. Start with the Home-schooling Association's Newsletter. There are a lot of schools in there, many of which are fully accredited. If you can afford to stay at home and teach your children, more power to you. There are many books for all sorts of grades and ages in bookstores and libraries. When they are younger, the curriculum is fairly easy. When they are older, it gets to be more interesting. You may have to start learning right along with them. Only do it as long as you can adequately handle it. By this time, they will have a strong enough foundation that the traditional schools won't be able to mess them up. There are also a lot of social activities in your local paper and through support groups, such as La Leche League. There is also the NCACS alternative schools conferences that happen in different parts of the country every year. The newsletter should also cover that. They may also have a website. You can go to any of the schools websites or write them for more information. One of them is: SFCS P.O. Box 2241 Santa Fe, NM 87504.

Hey, congrats!! I am very excited for you! Homeschooling is not only the most challenging and entertaining way to train your child, but it is the most effective. Your child(dren) will have the advantage of a well rounded education and you will have the glory in knowing you helped them achieve their success. One word of caution...don't listen to ANYONE who say's your child will turn out "not right" that is a biased, biggoted lie, it's based on ill information...coming from the line of thought like this.."Black women are..., or mexican, or indian.....yeah it sounds a little different in those terms 'eh. It's the same for all thsoe "wierd homeschooled kids". Biggotry doesn't fly for me. It really upsets me because I know many homeschooled children and I know for a fact their behavior reflects their parents. Period. Some parents are wierd, and many homeschool families are different, but thank God everyone is not the same, I think alot of people who encounter anyone out of the norm are a little jilted, and either take the time to understand or they automatically place a label...like "wierd", or "not right".
So as far as getting started....I say, find a good Homeschool group in your area, get online and look,Arizona is the BEST state to homeschool in, go to the Az site. www.AFHE.org I hope that is right if not look around online. Then set your goals, find your childs' learning style, and find a good curriculum, start slow and pace yourself, if you child isn't learning well at something don't freak out just step back and evaluate, am I going to fast, is she/he distracted for some reason. You will know what to do when you meet other moms and tap into the resources out there, because there are a lot! God bless and if you want to email me go right ahead, I'm here for you! It's not easy for anyone and you will get alot of naysayers! Keep the path and don't give up. God bless you. T.
ps my family uses K-12

I like the John Taylor Gatto books. If you can ever make it up to Tucson, the Sonoran Desert Homeschoolers meet Tuesdays at Ft. Lowell Park from 10:30-? Announcements are at 11am. It is a great group for secular homeschooling support and resources-even if your child isn't school-age. Good luck!

Personally I am not a fan for home schooling. I thought about it for my daughter. I was worried because I knew any school she went to wouldn't be able to hold up to my expectations. She is currently in kindergarten and as of the first quarter has already accomplished everything they plan to teach. They have started her on first grade math and reading. What they don't give her at school I give her at home. (I simply look online for whatever I want to teach her.)

My point is that I decided to let her go to school and supplement her education at home. I have known MANY kids who were home schooled, so has my husband. They are very nice and well behaved kids, but they just aren't "right". I don't know how to explain it. They haven't been introduced to real life, to real people and they just don't "fit" with the rest of the kids their age. They have only been really involved with other kids who have been home schooled. Learning isn't only in the classroom. They learn on the playground also. My job is to guide her education, but my job is also to prepare her for life beyond me.

My daughter is also two and we are considering homeschooling also. We get whatever books we find at the library about homeschooling and read them. I haven't looked much on the web yet but I think that are many sites to visit. We already do things with an east valley homeschooling group like park days and cultural outings. It is a great opportunity for my daughter to hand out with kids of all ages and for us to meet people. We have only been in Phoenix a year and a half and have met many people through the homeschool group.

We are not considering homeschooling for religious purposes (we are not religious) but for educational and social reasons. School for me was mainly boring and it didn't really foster good learning habits. I think homeschooling may be a good way to prepare her for real life not a life of conformation and materialism.

Another good group to look into is Roots and Shoots. It was founded by Jane Goodall and the group does educational and service outings. If you are in the East Valley feel free to contact me at ____@____.com

J.

try www.cova.org , the web site is full of info