Information/advice on Homeschooling

M.,
I am a homeschooling mom. I have 4 daughters. My oldest 2 daughters, ages 13 and 11, were in public school for a couple of years. This is our 4th year to homeschool. There is an abundance of information and curriculum to choose from. We very much enjoy homeschooling. I took a letter into the school stating that I would be homeschooling my daughters. HSLDA is a great website to check into. IAHE is another. There will be answers to many of your questions. Please let me know if I can answer any more questions. It is normal to have a bunch of questions, and not sure that those questions end, even after homeschooling a few years! I do know people that have pulled one child out of school before the year was ended, and left the other child in school until the following school year. Indiana is one of the easiest states to homeschool in. Good luck and God Bless! D.

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M.,

There are a few support groups in the indy area for homeschooling.Parents have pulled their kids out in the middle of the year. 2 yahoo ____@____.com
and ____@____.com are great. They have a sample letter to give the school. They also have social events, field trips, and classes. There are also Christian HS groups...Burdenbearers, Heritage Builders, and the IN christian homeschoolers assoc.

GO FOR IT!!!!!!!!!

D. Carter

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Hello. My name is J. and I have 4 children, 7, 5, 3, 1. There are 2 boys and a girl. My sons are 7 and 5 and are in second grade and kindergarten. My oldest completed kindergarten in the local school district which sucks, but I did not know that until we were 1/3 of the way into the school year. I have home schooled his since the first grade and began kindergarten with my second son this year. I plan to continue this with all of the kids. I was very hesitant to start because the vibe given by educators is that I, as a parent, am not properly equipped to teach my own children. I didn't know where to begin. A friend of mine lentme a copy of The Well Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer, which ended up being my roadmap. They have detailed suggestions for curricula, coursework and planning. After my experience teaching my kids, I will never blindly trust public education again. I have enjoyed the task, but could not have done it as well without referencing that book. I don't think you can go wrong taking control of your children's education.

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It is so funny to hear that someone is thinking about doing th same thing as I am. Only my reasoning is to build my daughter in her faith and character more before she is out of the home for so long during the day. I haven't decided whether I will take her out after Christmas break or if I will go ahead and wait until next fall. The material I just went over suggests waiting and taking the next few months to prepare. I have thought about still taking her out and just begin the academics next fall. Anyway, the info I have found has been WONDERFUL! The website is www.fwahs.org and they sent me an information packet within a few days. It has been very helpful. The website also has support groups listed and recommends books on how to get started. I hope this information was helpful.

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Hi M.! I was home schooled 5th through 12th grade. I loved it and would highly recommend it to anyone that has the time! There are so many support groups out there that could help get you started! Go to http://www.chek.org/. Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions!

1 mom found this helpful

M., my mother has been homeschooling since 1997. I have 2 brothers still at home - 1 homeschooled and one in public school. If you would like to, send me a private message with your email address and I will pass it along to her!

I am a public school teacher, and I can tell you from experiences that I have had that I believe you should leave your daughter in her school. It would be my suggestion that if you have the time to homeschool her, you should instead attend class with her! : ) That way, she gets one on one help, but she also gets the benefits of being in a classroom setting with other children, socializing with her peers, experiencing working with others, and dealing with the ins and outs of getting in the lunch line, visiting the library, participating in gym class, doing art with other kids, etc.

I would work with your daughter's teacher and special ed teacher to work out a schedule for you to attend with your daughter...sit next to her in class and help her with the work or work with her in the special ed teacher's room when the regular classroom is not appropriate...BUT, have your daughter participate with the class whenever possible.

I appreciate you wanting to help your daughter in any way that you can...I know that you are trying to be a good mommy! : ) It must be difficult to deal with the school when they don't seem to know what's going on or how to help...how frustrating!

Best of luck! Hope my suggestions helped! : )

As the product of public school and 2 parents who taught public school, I am very against home schooling for various reasons, but especially if you have no background in education. My parents have gotten kids in to their classrooms whos parents thought "anyone can teach" and will testify to the fact that NOT anyone can do it. It takes training and education to teach others. I understand that your circumstances are a bit different, but I would advise that if you want one on one help for your daughter, you do it either, by finding an aid to attend school with your daughter, or find an educator who does tutoring either in your home or their own.
Good Luck!

I have never considered homeschooling although my sister in law was homeschooled. I can't help you in getting started I'm writing to just comment on one of your comments. You said she needs the one on one attention, which truly it sounds like she does. Why would you then take your son out of school and take that attention away from her next year, especially if he is doing well in school. This is your decision but it sounds like she is the one who really needs the homeschooling, not him.

M.,
Homeschooling is a wonderful option for those children who learn differently! In most states, the rules are very easy to abide by. Usually, All you have to do is send in a Notice of intent to homeschool to the attendence officer at your board of education and at the end of the year either get your child tested (the westest) or have a portfolio graded by a licensed teacher. Check your local resourses for the rules in Indiana. It sounds like the latter would be the best option for you unless she "tests" well. Both of my children "learn differently" and my younger child has multiple behavior/learning disabilities. I can see by your "about me" line that you'd be a fantastic homeschooler! Good luck!

Hello,

I went to part of Elementary school with one girl i meet when i moved to tow, after elementary school her parents started homescholing her. It was good and bad for her.She loved not having all the pressures of school and peer pressure but at the same time we were in sports and extra curriculars. In high school we were all dating and still in our sports and she was kind of forgotten about we really grew apart.

I think that if you want to home school your children thats greta they will really do well and not to mention all the time youll get to spend with them. However make sure they dont loose touch with the friends that they already have.

Good Luck!

I am currently the homeschooling mom of my two daughters ages 15 and 10. I actually got started by talking to a mom who had a diabled child much like yours. She and I both agreed that being able to help your child learn at THEIR pace and in ways they can best work, is one of the best benefits of homeschooling. As mentioned before, Indiana is one of the easiest states as far as recording. Really the only reason you should register is because of pulling her out of a public system...this way she won't be truant. By notifying the Dept. of Education, you should be fine.

I will warn you that once you get into finding cirriculumn to use, it can be overwhelming. You might want to just use what she's been using in the public school, or find one that you find easy to use. In the spring, the Indiana Home Educators Association holds their annual convention. Besides workshops and lectures, they have an exhibition hall with TONS of supplies, cirriculum, etc. Again, it can be overwhelming, but it can give you a great idea of what is out there. THere are also used book sellers too which can save you lots of money. Here's their website: www.inhomeeducators.org.

Also, some a websearch of home school materials and you'll find tons of individual websites.

One thing I want to point out about homeschooling. You'll get a lot of opinions about it. I know you can do it if you want to and you can find a system that works for you. Every home school in unique. Some people set up a special room and it's just like a classroom and they work in a certain time frame, etc. Some are more lax. Some people work well within a homeschool group where many people can pool their efforts, and others tend to work individually. That is the beauty of it. My objective is to encourage my girls to do as much on their own as possible as to teach them HOW to learn....but providing the resources they need. They are very independant workers, so it works well for us. Also, I let them create a setting that they feel is best for them to work in. One likes to spread out on her bed. The other one works at a desk part of the time, but curls up on the couch to do her reading. Each child has their own learning style, as you've already discovered. Don't be afraid to try something new and adapt it to work for you and your daughter. I think most moms agree that TV and radio can be a distraction and should be limited.

As far as doing something different with your two children, I would not be worried about leaving one in public school and the other one at home. My friend I mentioned before did this and it was fine. In fact, if the one really enjoys and thrives in public school, it might cause resentment to pull him out. In my opinion, homeschooling is just another option. And, I'm all for doing whatever is best for the child to learn and get the best education possible. We are all different, so let your children be different.

Lastly....sorry, this is so long!!....people have a lot of opinions about public and home schooling. You know your children best. Don't be afraid of doing what YOU think is best for them. Most of the arguements against home education is just not founded. However, public education isn't all bad either. I had some wonderful teachers...some of them were also great Christians and taught good morals as well. But, homeschooling does give freedom to learn and grow much differenly than public school, so it's hard to compare sometimes. But, don't be afraid.

And, if you are discouraged...CALL ME!! LOL Just like anything else, you'll need encouragment along the way. I'd be happy to help you in anyway I can.

Good luck!!

Getting started for homeschooling is quite easy but i know it varies by state. You need to contact your board of education and tell them what and why. Some states will make you take a test to show that you are capable of teaching your child..or they may just check college/school transcripts. They supply you with a curriculim and a timeline for when things need to be learned by. But how cool is that. But if you do homeschool and for some reason it gets to be too much, dont be afraid to push for the school system to begin a program for your daughter.....because she is not the only child that learns differently. But a lot of parents are afraid to step up and say what they need for their child. So good for you for being a strong supportive parent to your children. You sound like you are doing a wonderful job, so im sure you will do what is best for your children.
My boss homeschooled his son for 4 years of highschool and and he told me that they all loved that extra time. He says the extra effort is really worth it if its whats best for the kids.
Good luck

My cousin had a learning disorder. He was in the public school setting for quite a while. It didn't help. My Aunt after consulting with other teachers and parents decided to pull him out and home school him. He is smart as can be now. I'm not sure of all public school special education programs but my aunt was told by other teachers that the program was more fun and games than learning. It was also a place to put problem kids who didn't work. I cannot speak for the schools you looked into but I believe that most special education classes at public school aren't for children like your daughter.
On the other hand I believe that it is not only book smarts you learn from school but how to behave socially so to make up for taking her out of school, put her in some programs or clubs to help build her social skills.

Hello M.,
I just started homeschooling my 11 year old daughter (6th grade) about 2 weeks ago.
I called the school and they sent me information and 2 forms to be filled out, one goes to the school that releases their teaching my daughter into my care, and the other was a form you fill out (real simple form) and send to Indiana Dept. of Education.
Also you'll need keep record of 180 days/years attendance to give to the local superintendant.
From the information I received, there is no other requirements for Indiana.
I'm glad I made the decision, and have heard alot of positive things about homeschooling!
I am also bringing my children in a christian environment.
God bless you,
M. T