Home schooling questions

[shawnba67]

I know there have been several posts on this, but my search fu failed me. I remember a member here that was offering advice or direction in the process or at least information on getting started with home schooling. Does anyone know who it was or who I might contact in south central indiana?? Thanks for any help.

 

[actaeon277]

View Profile: 88GT - INGunOwners
88GT had some info.

 

[Cameramonkey]

I;ll second that. She gave us the final push over the edge.

 

[eldirector]

88GT is on my list for this fall as well.

My wife has actually been asking ME about homeschooling for our daughter. So, time to dig in and "get educated" on the topic. (See what I did there?)

 

[88GT]

What can I do you for?

 

[shawnba67]

What can I do you for?

My son is 17mo so I've got a little time, but I would like to "get smart" on my options for home schooling. See if what I think it entails is at all like the actuality of the situation. How to go about the actual schooling ect. Any help is appreciated

 

[chipbennett]

We're homeschoolers as well. Of course, we're new to homeschooling in Indiana, so really, I'm just commenting here to follow what others have to say.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Im no expert and GT will point you in the right direction for resources, but to start I'll say "dont overthink it" Its simpler than it sounds. You will be surprised how easy it is. Not to say its easy per se, but its nowhere near as hard or complex as you imagine right now.

 

[ziggy]

Been there; done that. My suggestion is to seek out a local homeschooling group and start getting acquainted with the people there. You will likely find some one or more that you can relate to and they can give you hands on advice and information.
Check with churches in your area. They can often direct you to homeschooling groups or families. There may be several different groups right in your back yard, so to speak. You can also check with a local library as sometimes groups or families go there regularly to get materials. Of course, you can also check online to see if any groups are listed. (Some people try to stay low-profile so they may not be listed online.) Check local sports activities. There are some homeschool soccer clubs, volley ball clubs etc.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

I would do homeschooling, but I'm a notably bad teacher. I just satisfy myself with correcting the errors of the pubes and adding in the important things they leave out.

 

[shawnba67]

I would do homeschooling, but I'm a notably bad teacher. I just satisfy myself with correcting the errors of the pubes and adding in the important things they leave out.

I am most interested in leaving out the unimportant things they put in. The actual academics are not my biggest worry.

 

[Cameramonkey]

There is a LOT of curriculum out there to take the hard work out of it. Believe me I know. I swear Mrs. Monkey has purchased half of it.

 

[88GT]

My son is 17mo so I've got a little time, but I would like to "get smart" on my options for home schooling. See if what I think it entails is at all like the actuality of the situation. How to go about the actual schooling ect. Any help is appreciated

Cameramonkey is right. It's easy to overthink it. When it comes right down to it, it's just something you have to jump in and do.

The first step is to familiarize yourself with the legal requirements. Then it's a matter of making it what you want it to be. There are countless online and print resources available for "getting started." I usually recommend Cathy Duffy's 101 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum. Despite the title, it has a fabulous section introducing homeschooling. It is the only book I strongly recommend parents purchase. It has some questionnaires to help parents with their decisions. It's much easier to have your own book to do this than to have to make copies from the library's book.

Homeschool conventions are also a great way to absorb info. The Indiana Association of Home Educators (IAHE) sponsors a yearly convention. The 2015 convention is March 26-28 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. And they are offering a FREE workshop the first evening for all new/considering homeschoolers. Great Homeschool Conventions is sponsoring one in Cincinatti April 9-11. I've been to both. In fact, the Cincy one is a mini-vacation for me every year! The big benefit to conventions is that they offer a wide variety of workshops on every possible topic relevant to homeschooling ( and then some), plus, they have a huge vendor floor where you can get your hands on real curriculum.

I wish I could be more specific in the answers, but the reality is that homeschooling is unique to each family.

 

[shawnba67]

Thank you very much, you have given me the answers I was looking for. I may have to schedule off work for that convention. Thanks much

 

[Rocdenindy]

My wife and I started home schooling our children this year through K12. My son is autistic and my daughter has behavioral and minor mental issues that we are working on. It seems to be doing ok. Not what I expected but it is what it is. The only thing I don't like about it is that with my son, he is in 6th but is really about on a 3rd grader level, is that they don't really have a way to tailor it more towards his need in terms of homework and test. We may switch to a more traditional either at Christmas break or possibly next year depending their testing results.

 

[NyleRN]

Me and my wife started home school this year. Best move ever. My wife was the same way with being nervous and all with curriculums. But we had a couple of friends from church that already was doing it and helped us out. Plus my wife's sister home schooled her 5 kids and sent us all her old workbooks and curriculum for the grades our kids are in.

 

[jrainw]

Be ready for this.
She will want to buy curriculum it will be $400+ and she will say, "I know it's a lot but we can use it for more than one of the kids."
Expect to buy a second $400 curriculum for the next kid. Kids learn differently and she will have changed her mind by the next year.
That is just the way it is, roll with it, smile and say "great idea honey".

 

[RockofStrength]

From my experience being homeschooled from 2nd grade all through highschool:

1. Flexibility is definitely one of the best assets a homeschool teacher/family has in educating your children. Whether you buy a curriculum of make it up from scratch, some of the best education will probably occur without textbooks. For example, I gained my strong and abiding love for history because Age of Empires 2 made it come alive for me in a way my schoolbooks failed to do. To this day I clearly remember the Battle of Agincourt the way I fought it better than the boring way those Europeans did. Think outside of the box if your curriculum doesn't seem able to get through to your child or just to spark some additional interest.

2. Gonna second the advice to find a homeschool group or co-op. Not all are made equal, but a good one can be a great knowledge resource in addition to being a great place to pick up extremely cheap textbooks as other families outgrow them.

3. Use the Internet! It's amazing how many sites there are for even the simplest math questions or language problems that can offer a different way of looking at the situation if you or your son have trouble wrapping your head around it. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't, but it rarely hurts to try.

 

[CathyInBlue]

I would do homeschooling, but I'm a notably bad teacher. I just satisfy myself with correcting the errors of the pubes and adding in the important things they leave out.

No, no! Bad Cathy! Keep it clean! That set up was too easy!

I have some "homework" for 88GT. Book reports. Two books I've been looking at:

Lisa Rivero, The Homeschooling Option: How to Decide When It's Right for Your Family (2008)
Brad Miser, Absolute Beginner's Guide to Home Schooling (2004)
and a bonus book I just found that might be of some utility for homeschoolers:
Ian C. Friedman, Library in a Book: Education Reform, Revised Edition (2011)

 

[88GT]

My wife and I started home schooling our children this year through K12. My son is autistic and my daughter has behavioral and minor mental issues that we are working on. It seems to be doing ok. Not what I expected but it is what it is. The only thing I don't like about it is that with my son, he is in 6th but is really about on a 3rd grader level, is that they don't really have a way to tailor it more towards his need in terms of homework and test. We may switch to a more traditional either at Christmas break or possibly next year depending their testing results.

K12 is public school. I don't say this to disparage, but to make sure that those who are considering it understand that it is NOT home education. It is public school at home. And as you have discovered, it doesn't offer near the flexibility or student specificity that traditional homeschooling does. It is also governed by all the state standards and requirements.