To Homeschool or Not to Homeschool???? - Sioux Falls,SD

I have 5 children and I've been homeschooling for 11 years. Your child will be ahead because there is so much one on one. Even if you school all your kids together, it's still a good teacher to student ratio. It really makes a difference in learning. You don't have to spend nearly as much time with school as they would if they went to school. I get a lot of books from the library. It keeps the costs down. I spend about $100 per month to homeschool all my kids. That's about average. I actually went 2 years without spending a dime. Good luck!!

I think homeschooling is a good thing, I homeschooled my daughter last year because her grades started slipping in school. She is in High School, there is just too much outside influence, and the school that she was going to was not very good gangs, drugs, and sex it was horrible but it was the only High School we were zoned for. Homeschooling was actually my daughter’s idea at first I thought she just did not want to go to school because she just wanted everything too easy you know kids nowadays are spoiled and mine is very spoiled. Then I did a lot of research on the subject and it was actually a very good idea you could not go wrong. I found that almost 95% of students who are homeschooled pass. Moreover, almost 82% go onto Ivy League colleges, your child can finish school earlier if they work hard enough; my daughter actually finished a year worth of work in 6 months. I did not have to pay anything all I did was register her through my county's school district all classes were online. The only downfall I see in homeschooling is that unless you get your child registered under an umbrella school they will not receive their High School diploma they would have to go for their GED, which I did not like. I would prefer my daughter to get her H.S. diploma. My daughter’s grades went from C's & D's to A's & B's. She did however go back to school this year I would rather her get her H.S. diploma and I know she rather missed being around her peers. However, she is now in military school and the only thing I had to pay for with the military school were the uniforms. Hope this helps!!

I've been homeschooling for 2 years now. We decided to homeschool because the school board panicked and fired a whole bunch of teachers as well as mix up the system a bit. This year they fired some more so the teacher/student ratio is around 1/52. So I am glad I started to homeschool. I don't get as much me time as before, but I know that my boys are learning and happy.

The school dropped the advanced reading program for my oldest son and he was only going once a week for advanced classes, so he got bored. My second son is more reserved at first and doesn't take new situations very well and he wasn't even going to have the comfort of having his older bro in the same school.

Last year, I spent $0 on stuff. Used the library and internet. There are a lot of free resources online and worksheets and everything. This year I spent $250 or so for books. My boys like workbooks. That is something you will have to do, find the style to fit the child. What helps their learn the best. Don't try to just stick with one kind of book or curriculum, evaluate what your kids needs are and put your money there.

The first year was difficult for me and my boys. We were trying something new and needing to adjust several times. I'm only homeschooling 2 of my 4 boys. My oldest is a good self starter and eager to learn, impatient for more. My 2nd is more sporty and likes more activity based learning. We just needed to find our comfort zone and find the enjoyment of learning together.

My mom homeschooled my sister for a year (Junior year) using the Abecca program. Our school system works with that program, and if she'd stayed with the homeschooling, she would've been able to receive her HS diploma.
The diploma was key for my mom too.

My mom had a home business and a college degree, but is not a teacher. My sister was missing a lot of school for health issues. Teachers told her that my sister would flunk the grade and have to repeat. She chose to homeschool her to bring her grades back up. My mom found that while my sister was able to work at her own pace, and around her health issues, there was a lot of stress for my mom. She wasn't prepared for test deadlines, how to handle my sister's procrastination, having to do last minute grading because of it, etc. Ordering the next group of stuff in time, sending the tests and reports in on time. After a year they both decided that her returning to HS for her senior year was best for both of them.

Our blended family is made up of his, mine and ours. So we've done both routes. I had wanted to be a first grade teacher when I started college but never finished. One day my junior high (7th grade) stepson came home from school with something he learned in school that was against what we believed and taught our kids. My sister in law was homeschooling her 3 children in CA so we started to look into that with another sister in law here who was also interested. This was in the early 90's. We four went to a homeschool seminar to get our info - went to quite a few workshops, listened to some speakers and my husband who wasn't as big on the idea as I was came away from that weekend sold.

So I started teaching our 3 year old to read. She has always been a good student, wanting to learn so it's been a good route for her. We dual enrolled her with the public school system so she could participate in electives (Art, P.E., Music) and sports if she chose. I did the basic academics, etc. at home. I also wanted her to know what it was like to be in a classroom setting so she wouldn't freak out one day when she would be in that situation. We joined homeschool support groups and did activities with them so she had the *socialization* plus we come from a huge family (there was no social issues here lol) We mainly used Abeka books which we would buy at an Abeka display each summer - it cost an average of $120/year. We used the library quite a bit too and in the pre-school/early elementary years I just bought some workbooks from Walmart or KMart. She always tested out 1 or 2 grades ahead of what I was teaching her and was a 3.9 to 4.0 student in public high school. She is in her last year of college and has kept a 4.0 there also.

We were happy doing this...we did our lessons in 2 to 5 hours (depending on the year, the day, the month or whatever was going on) - it was OUR schedule. We loved the one on one time and she is very close to her dad and I. If we had to run errands, she would also do her work in the car and we took her books along on vacations cos she wanted to. lol We would "teach" her different things about anything at all times - lots of conversations about lots of topics/issues.

I believe due to this, my second daughter chose to homeschool her 3 children and has done an excellent job of it. She chose to use a CD program after using books for several years.

Email me with any questions you might have.

i've been homeschooling my daughter (2nd year now) and couldn't be happier. there is a huge problem with bullying at our middle school so we're going to send her to high school next year to try it. i can always pull her back out. my advantage is the school system has an assistance program for homeschooling. not sure how many have that. i check out all materials there for free. they also order things for me that i find and want- i just have to return them when i'm done. you can find tons of inexpensive (and expensive!) stuff online. i know a lot of websites if you need. it depends on your reasons and needs. some do it to teach religion or other disagreeable methods the school is using. i love the one-on-one and we go at her pace. at school kids have to adapt to the teacher's style and go at a class pace. i do what works for my daughter and spend more time on anything she struggles with. we also worked all summer but took time off any time we wanted during the year. i actually work and can still get this done (only cuz she can stay home alone and do homework i assign). i recommend dual-enrolling so the kids can be in sports, music, etc. and also any class you need help teaching. maybe home-ec or history or whatever. you'll get flack about them missing socialization. well, you'd be surprised how many families homeschool. we're set up to go on field trips together and places like the library and ymca have special things during the day just for homeschool kids. they can still see their friends - it's not like you're locking them in the house 24/7! everything can be a learning experience, you'll just be more aware of it now. from grocery shopping and housekeeping to a family vacation. i haven't run into any cons, only pros with my decision. my parents were even teachers my whole life so imagine their reaction!!! only you know what is best for your kids (that could be homeschooling some and not the others) and nothing says you can't try it and change your mind later. good luck.

S. m

The alumni board for my University hands out roughly $100,000 worth of scholarships per year. We review over 150 applications from students who want to further their education and apply for the scholarship. The most touching application I've ever reviewed came from a child who was homeschooled for most of his life.

He had a mom who taught him basics and did what she could. For him it wasn't enough. His application stated he was behind with most of the classes because he had a very tough time balancing his schedule to accommodate multiple teacher expectations, tests, homework schedules, etc. With his mom, there was as single person to please. Not so in college. There are many professors with many expectations. Same with a large company, lots of bosses and timelines and goals.

And yes, everyone in the room voted for him to receive a scholarship and we all shook our heads at his story.

My advice is to think long and hard about your ability to be able to prepare your child to take on the world and be productive within it. Being able to learn is but a fraction of what school with other children can offer.

If public school doesn't cut it, there are alternatives. Good luck in your decision.

We are currently researching homeschool. We always have been looking for the pros and cons. The first thing that people are going to say that don't homeschool is, What about socialization? Don't worry about that. There are plenty of ways to get your kids out of the house and around other kids. There are a ton of co-ops, they can be in sports, etc. I know there will be a ton of good information from moms on this site who homeschool. I have posted a couple questions and wanted to share the respones I got. Honestly, I am having a hard time finding cons. The more and more I research it, the more excited I am to start homeschooling my kids next year. Below are my links. Also, I just finished reading, So You're Thinking About Homeschooling by Lisa Whelchel. It was a good book.

http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/16972485104192585729

http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/14201700057266388993

Sorry for the late response. I actually work for a Homeschool company. Well you can either Home school on your own or go through the Academy that is accredited. This will help the students who are 9-12 to receive their credits and graduated through the Academy. You may look us up online and do some research www.aoacademy.com, or if you prefer you can go to www.aop.com and it will give you the options to look over both Home school and the Academy. We work with students throughout the US, and other countries as well. All the work is done online, or you can send your test in to be graded. Their is teacher support for every course. I do know some of the cost: it is for first time enrollment in the Academy is $185 per student every year after it is only $100. Cost per course is $396. We do offer payment plans: Pay in full, 50/50 60 days, or the 6 month plan. Hope this gives you a little incite. Hope you will also use the links and give us a look over and consider us to help in your students future.

T. M.

Here are some ideas on homeschooling that may give you some insight as which way to go...

http://www.theskinnyscoop.com/question/q/109?utm_campaign...

http://www.theskinnyscoop.com/question/q/108?utm_campaign...