From Public to Homeschool

We withdrew our second grade from public school on last week. We homeschooled during her kindergarten year but then decided to try public school. My heart has always been in homeschooling, so it was a pretty easy decision to go back to it after we had some trouble at the beginning on this school year.

So far our two year old has been pretty easily handled while Madison is doing her work. Meara will either color at the table with Madison, or she'll keep herself busy with toys, watch a bit of TV or help me with chores, etc. She can be a bit of a pest at times, but what two year old isn't? Homeschooling is awesome for lots of reasons, but flexibility & the ability to take a break & play surely have to be chief among them. :) Another homeschooling mom recently gave me some great advice: she has a tub of toys for each day of the week that she'll give to her toddler; this way the toys are "new" and exciting and will keep her entertained for a good while.

You can withdraw your child from school at any time you wish. Read all about it & how to do it here:
http://www.thsc.org/FAQ/default.asp
It's easy peasy, no problem. This is also the site that will give you al the information you need as far as legalities & technicalities. :)

There are TONS of informative & helpful sites; I could overwhelm you with what I've got in my Favorites folder! :) Just start by googling "Homeschool Texas" and spend some time clicking links.

You absolutely do not need to get anything from the ISD! One of the pieces of advice you'll hear over & over again is that you should not try to run your homeschool like a public school; you risk burnout & frustration doing that.

Our materials come mostly from Half Price Books' Education & Homeschooling shelves. There are also a few used-curriculum stores around DFW; my daughter is taking classes at the CERC (Christian Educator's Resource Center) in Rowlett, which is also a little used bookstore & I've found some really great books for awesome prices there. There's another store in Lewisville but I can't remember what it's called. Yoiu can, ofcourse, choose to use a boxed curriculum & I'm sure you'll read all about those as you do your research.

You'll run into the socialization question quite a bit, so google Homeschool and Socialization to put your fears, if you have any, to rest & to be able to let others who will question you know that it really isn't a concern they should have.

There are lots of homeschool playgroups in DFW; here is a link which lists several:
http://www.homeschool.com/supportgroups/default.asp?State...

There are also classes for homeschoolers. As I mentioned, Madison take a couple at the CERC which she enjoys. Some city Parks & Rec departments and YMCAs offer classes for homeschoolers, as does ASI. There are TONS of opportunites out there to keep you busy! We could be out everyday if we chose to.

Homeschooling has made our lives fuller & so much less stressful. We have time to do more things as a family, we do't have to try to shove everything into the weekend when everything is busy & crowded. Our schedule is flexible, so I don't have to be the time-keeping general mom who tries to get everyone out of the house on time, then dinner on time, then hurry up with your homework, go go go, it's bathtime, we only have time for one story tonight, go to sleep go to sleep go to sleep now or you'll be cranky in the morning get up get up get up eat your breakfast hurry up & brush your teeth let's go!

That, for us, was no way to live. We've made a great decision for our family & we're all the better for it.

I wish you the best of luck & happy info-hunting. :) I'll leave you with the link to my favorite site & the one which was most helpful in helping me track down info & what to do:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/

go to the library and check out some books on homeschooling.
There are a lot of philosophies out there on homeschooling, so you will want to get educated.

www.thewelltrainedmind.com
www.sonlight.com

Hi S.,

We've met before when you met with my daughter about babysitting. I don't know if you recall, but we have homeschooled for 10 years. My daughter that you met started homeschooling when she was in the 2nd grade. You live very close to me and I would be happy to meet with you and talk with you about any questions you have. When we started, my oldest was starting 4th grade. My others were 2nd grade, K and a 17 month old. My 5th was born in June after our first year of homeschooling. I know a lot about homeschooling with little ones.

I don't know if you still have my phone number, by you can e-mail me at ____@____.com.

Hi S.,

We just pulled our son out of school, too. I taught in schools for 13 years and loved it, but find the system very frustrating. Next week I'll begin homeschooling my son, and I'd love to take in other kids, as well. This is what we had planned all along, but decided to go ahead and give the schools a try first. If you decide you don't want to teach you daughter, but still want personalized, quality eduction, I'd love to visit with you. Best of luck with whatever you decided!

S.,

Hi! I just wanted to wish you the best of luck with your homeschooling adventure. I took my son out last year due to health reasons (and the realization that his teacher didn’t know a thing about him) and have not looked back! Melissa W gave you a ton of wonderful sites that I use as well. The only one I would add is DLTK’s. It is a great site for ideas and printable sheets. I actually have my son enrolled in Calvert (Calvertschool.org). I use their tools and curriculum. It is easier for me to have a lesson plan as a guide They also do grading and record keeping. We are in our second year with them and I would be glad to answer any questions about their materials and support. I have been VERY pleased with them. My brother (who just graduated High school and just started his freshman year in college on full scholarship) was homeschooled and my mother used Oak Meadows School with him and they were both very happy with it. Again, best of luck and I am glad to answer any questions about the schools I am familiar with!

All the Best!
M.