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What Is Homeschooling And How Do I Know If It's Right For My
By Anita York, Sat Dec 10th
What is Homeschooling And How Do I Know If It's Right For MyFamily? Do you know what these famous people have in common?Alexander Graham Bell George Patton Albert Einstein BenjaminFranklin Winston Churchill Agatha Christie George Bernard ShawWill Rogers If you guessed that they were all homeschoolers,you'd be correct. This is a very short list of famous andsuccessful people who were educated at home. If you would liketo expand this list, do a search on the Internet for ?famoushomeschoolers.? There are many websites that list these peopleand some provide detailed biographies. There is even a bookcalled, aptly, ?Famous Homeschoolers,? by Nancy and MalcolmPlant. (http://www.fun-books.com/specials.htm) The point here isto get into the mindset that people can be educated and becomesuccessful adults without attending public school. And because Ican almost ?hear? what you are thinking, no, it is not necessaryto have a high school diploma to go to college. So what ishomeschooling? In the broadest sense, homeschooling is educatingyour children at home. You, as parent, become teacher. Parentshomeschool for more reasons than you can imagine. Some want toavoid having their children exposed to violence and peerpressure. Some homeschool so that they can make sure theirchildren's education adheres to their religious beliefs. Somelive a different lifestyle?perhaps they travel a lot?and wanttheir children's schooling to be flexible enough to fit aroundthat life style. And some, like me, simply enjoy being withtheir children. They don't want the public school to interruptand weaken the parent/child bond that they have been workinghard to create for the first five years of their child's life.Just as there are many reasons to homeschool, there are manymethods of homeschooling. All the way from ?un-schooling?(learning by doing, learning from life, not using textbook typematerials) to ?school at home? (using textbooks at desks set upin a schoolroom at home) and everything in between. It's veryeasy to find hundreds of homeschool Websites by using a searchengine, but just to get you started, try: Jon's HomeschoolResource Page http://www.midnightbeach.com/hs/ When I decided towrite this article, I thought hard about what I could offer thatwasn't being displayed on thousands of Websites on the Internet.I realized that the only thing I have to offer anyone interestedin homeschooling is?my experience. So everything in the articlebelow comes from my fifteen years of experience homeschooling myfour youngest children. I hope it is of some use to you.Deciding to homeschool your child may be one of the mostimportant decisions you ever make as a parent, and it will takea lot of thought and soul searching. To the newcomer, it mayseem impossible, overwhelming and very, very lonely. But likemost huge obstacles, once it's broken down into smaller pieces,it becomes manageable. We'll take it one step at a time, insmall enough chunks to get a hold of. So, if you're game, rollup your sleeves and let's get to work figuring out ifhomeschooling is for you and your child. First things first.Organization is the key. Get a three-ring binder (homeschoolingparent's LOVE three-ring binders) and put a label on the front.(If you've made the transition to digital record keeping, youcan just start a folder on the computer. But it's not as muchfun.) Label it something serious, like ? My Homeschooling Plans?or ?Homeschooling Thoughts.? Put some paper in the binder, finda really comfortable ink pen, and sit down somewhere quiet.Ready? Good. Now, let's get started. What are your reasons forconsidering homeschooling? Even if you haven't actually made thedecision to homeschool, the fact that you are here reading thisarticle says you are curious. Perhaps you honestly don't knowthe
Home-schooling growing in popularity - United Press International
<table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7><tr><td valign=top class=j><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class=lh><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-0&fd=R&url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/01/05/Home-schooling_growing_in_popularity/UPI-29491231173335/&cid=1287081696&ei=asFiSZ3aNtbemQehgunxAw&usg=AFQjCNGCUJlDRzTBsZAnIf9VrM2oYYyQLQ"><b>Home</b>-<b>schooling</b> growing in popularity</a><br><font size=-1><font color=#6f6f6f>United Press International -</font> <nobr>9 hours ago</nobr></font><br><font size=-1>Among the <b>home</b>-<b>schooling</b> reasons given by parents in a 2007 survey were moral and religious factors, along with concerns about family time and finances. <b>...</b></font><br><font size=-1><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-1&fd=R&url=http://www.kxmb.com/News/Nation/316190.asp&cid=1287081696&ei=asFiSZ3aNtbemQehgunxAw&usg=AFQjCNGKnQZt4JFJkB5bMYSZIyaDU2WIuQ">Number Of Americans Opting-Out Of Public Schools And <b>Home</b> <b>...</b></a> <font size=-1 color=#6f6f6f><nobr>Reiten Television KXMB Bismarck</nobr></font></font><br><font size=-1><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-2&fd=R&url=http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000008988.cfm&cid=1287081696&ei=asFiSZ3aNtbemQehgunxAw&usg=AFQjCNEQaOZWfx0QYvKWZ4JVcAXFQ734bQ">Good News: Number of <b>Home</b>-Schoolers Soars</a> <font size=-1 color=#6f6f6f><nobr>CitizenLink</nobr></font></font><br><font size=-1><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-3&fd=R&url=http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20090105/ARTICLES/901050281/1008%3FTitle%3DNumber_of_home_schooled_children_increases&cid=1287081696&ei=asFiSZ3aNtbemQehgunxAw&usg=AFQjCNGA1GGtFtePnKo01a2Q0I5GVDxm4g">Number of <b>home</b>-schooled children increases</a> <font size=-1 color=#6f6f6f><nobr>Daily Comet</nobr></font></font><br><font size=-1 class=p><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-4&fd=R&url=http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7013609383&cid=1287081696&ei=asFiSZ3aNtbemQehgunxAw&usg=AFQjCNH50mIzZn9wGnj2Gae_UtEmxAdw_Q"><nobr>AHN</nobr></a></font><br/><font class=p size=-1><a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ned=us&ie=ISO-8859-1&ncl=1287081696><nobr>all 23 news articles</nobr></a></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
HOME-SCHOOLING: A perfect storm for online learning - Washington Times
<table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7><tr><td width=80 align=center valign=top><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/1i-0&fd=R&url=http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/04/a-perfect-storm-for-online-learning/&cid=1286767204&ei=asFiSZ3aNtbemQehgunxAw&usg=AFQjCNHHAEEzIh8E60rkfzQ286zhbEBvQg"><img src=http://nt1.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=nSCUmpG119gJ&imgurl=media.washingtontimes.com/media/img/photos/2008/06/24/Tsubata__r350x200.jpg%3F0babd24c675f3097b9d1ff106ec8653055db7939 width=80 height=46 alt="" border=1><br><font size=-2>Washington Times</font></a></font></td><td valign=top class=j><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class=lh><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/1-0&fd=R&url=http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/04/a-perfect-storm-for-online-learning/&cid=1286767204&ei=asFiSZ3aNtbemQehgunxAw&usg=AFQjCNHHAEEzIh8E60rkfzQ286zhbEBvQg"><b>HOME</b>-<b>SCHOOLING</b>: A perfect storm for online learning</a><br><font size=-1><font color=#6f6f6f>Washington Times, DC -</font> <nobr>Jan 3, 2009</nobr></font><br><font size=-1>The advantage Brightstorm offers <b>home</b>-<b>schooling</b> parents is ensuring their child gets top-quality teaching, especially in the more difficult subject areas <b>...</b></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
Homegrown education - AberdeenNews.com
<table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7><tr><td valign=top class=j><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class=lh><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/2-0&fd=R&url=http://www.aberdeennews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20090105/FRONTPAGE/901050303&cid=0&ei=asFiSZ3aNtbemQehgunxAw&usg=AFQjCNGhIQ0MZ5DOAbAs1hnScaS7PnhAZw">Homegrown education</a><br><font size=-1><font color=#6f6f6f>AberdeenNews.com, SD -</font> <nobr>12 hours ago</nobr></font><br><font size=-1>The Aberdeen school board has approved 94 public school exemption certificates so far this school year; the certificates allow for <b>home schooling</b>. <b>...</b></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
Children home-schooled aboard RV - Ventura County Star
<table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7><tr><td valign=top class=j><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class=lh><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/3-0&fd=R&url=http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/jan/05/reading-writing-and-road-trips-children-home-rv/&cid=0&ei=asFiSZ3aNtbemQehgunxAw&usg=AFQjCNG2NaGmgI8XZ-G3sN87mpWNIsJ5aw">Children <b>home</b>-schooled aboard RV</a><br><font size=-1><font color=#6f6f6f>Ventura County Star, CA -</font> <nobr>18 hours ago</nobr></font><br><font size=-1><b>Home schooling</b> on the road ?is not common necessarily,? said Loren Mavromati, president of the California Homeschool Network, which provides resources and <b>...</b></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
Home Schooling ? The Ins And Outs Of Do It Yourself Education - Meadow Free Press
<table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7><tr><td valign=top class=j><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class=lh><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/4-0&fd=R&url=http://www.meadowfreepress.com/homeschooling/0,1873,340324,00.html&cid=0&ei=asFiSZ3aNtbemQehgunxAw&usg=AFQjCNHwamfveeux0Uzh6NDXJ-1zgQ9mEQ"><b>Home Schooling</b> ? The Ins And Outs Of Do It Yourself Education</a><br><font size=-1><font color=#6f6f6f>Meadow Free Press, ID -</font> <nobr>Jan 3, 2009</nobr></font><br><font size=-1><b>Home schooling</b> has been around for a long time now and involves more than one million children in the US alone and experience means that are many options <b>...</b></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
Brazilian home schoolers taken to court - OneNewsNow
<table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7><tr><td valign=top class=j><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class=lh><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/5-0&fd=R&url=http://www.onenewsnow.com/Education/Default.aspx%3Fid%3D371778&cid=0&ei=asFiSZ3aNtbemQehgunxAw&usg=AFQjCNEfSwbFckEfaWgfY7QTSdYUJS1rUQ">Brazilian <b>home</b> schoolers taken to court</a><br><font size=-1><font color=#6f6f6f>OneNewsNow, MS -</font> <nobr>12 hours ago</nobr></font><br><font size=-1>One of the judges ruled that the test scores should not even be considered because the quality of public <b>schooling</b> versus <b>home schooling</b> was not on trial, <b>...</b></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
JASON: Home-schoolers - Washington Times
<table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7><tr><td width=80 align=center valign=top><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/6i-0&fd=R&url=http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/02/home-schoolers/&cid=1286292902&ei=asFiSZ3aNtbemQehgunxAw&usg=AFQjCNHKtzLW-PP0NDAQwlt6erruc2fSag"><img src=http://nt2.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=8k3vQcMxFBAJ&imgurl=media.washingtontimes.com/media/img/photos/2009/01/01/fire_001_r329x151.JPG%3Fe315d4515574cec417b1845392ba687dd98c17ce width=80 height=37 alt="" border=1><br><font size=-2>Washington Times</font></a></font></td><td valign=top class=j><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class=lh><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/6-0&fd=R&url=http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/02/home-schoolers/&cid=1286292902&ei=asFiSZ3aNtbemQehgunxAw&usg=AFQjCNHKtzLW-PP0NDAQwlt6erruc2fSag">JASON: <b>Home</b>-schoolers</a><br><font size=-1><font color=#6f6f6f>Washington Times, DC -</font> <nobr>Jan 1, 2009</nobr></font><br><font size=-1>Especially striking is the growth of <b>home schooling</b> among African American households. The US Department of Education reported 103000 black children were <b>...</b></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
Deb Adamson: A well-deserved break from home schooling - MetroWest Daily News
<table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7><tr><td valign=top class=j><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class=lh><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/7-0&fd=R&url=http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/education/x2094347504/Deb-Adamson-A-well-deserved-break-from-home-schooling&cid=0&ei=asFiSZ3aNtbemQehgunxAw&usg=AFQjCNGXWYqeCpx6G0s2QPIFG1Px3a_kcQ">Deb Adamson: A well-deserved break from <b>home schooling</b></a><br><font size=-1><font color=#6f6f6f>MetroWest Daily News, MA -</font> <nobr>Dec 31, 2008</nobr></font><br><font size=-1>She had seriously considered <b>home schooling</b> before ultimately deciding on private school, so she?s obviously supportive and personally enthusiastic about <b>...</b></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
Longview family continues lessons during holidays - News-Journal.com
<table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7><tr><td valign=top class=j><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class=lh><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/8-0&fd=R&url=http://www.news-journal.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/12/31/01012009_homeschool_holidays.html&cid=1286064829&ei=asFiSZ3aNtbemQehgunxAw&usg=AFQjCNGhWLexgiFat2LMH3pklIhjYG0i3g">Longview family continues lessons during holidays</a><br><font size=-1><font color=#6f6f6f>News-Journal.com, TX -</font> <nobr>Dec 31, 2008</nobr></font><br><font size=-1>The McNeelys are a Catholic <b>home schooling</b> family who took the week of Christmas off, but returned to lessons this week, said mother Diane McNeely. <b>...</b></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
Children Need Home-Schooling in Home Skills - PR Web (press release)
<table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7><tr><td valign=top class=j><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class=lh><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/9-0&fd=R&url=http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/12/prweb1799154.htm&cid=1285126018&ei=asFiSZ3aNtbemQehgunxAw&usg=AFQjCNGokS9LvKZuPoyWJCG7sAjKgyGUSg">Children Need <b>Home</b>-<b>Schooling</b> in <b>Home</b> Skills</a><br><font size=-1><font color=#6f6f6f>PR Web (press release), WA -</font> <nobr>Dec 29, 2008</nobr></font><br><font size=-1>Organisehomeguide.com Launches to Help Mothers Give Children <b>Home</b>-<b>Schooling</b> in <b>Home</b> Skills. Far too many children are leaving <b>home</b>, without the basic skills <b>...</b></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
answer yet?and that's ok. The remainder of this article isgoing to try to help you start to find those answers.Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, but each state has it'sown set of laws that must be followed. Compulsory (how I hatethat word) education here in Washington State starts at the ageof 8. Even though I had been homeschooling him from birth, tostay legal once my son reached 8-years old, I was required tobecome ?certified.? That meant I either had to have two years ofcollege education, or take a ?certification class.? I met thisrequirement by taking an independent correspondence class,during which I was asked to put on paper my goals, philosophiesand reasons for wanting to homeschool. I'd like to help you dothe same right now. Start a page--either the ?tree? kind or afile on the computer?and title it ?My Educational Beliefs.? Listwhat personal beliefs you have about education?especially theeducation of your own children. Get as detailed as you canhere--the value is in the thinking process behind the list. Takeyour time, I'm in no hurry. As an example to get you started,I'm going to share with you what I wrote on my list nine yearsago. My Educational Beliefs 1. I believe my child's attitudeabout learning should be: One of continual curiosity and seekingof knowledge. 2. I believe my child's learning should leadtowards a lifestyle that is: Rural, physically active, creative.3. I believe these basic values should be part of my child'slearning: Respect for others Loyalty to family and friendsHonesty Generosity 4. I believe children learn best: Throughhands-on learning experience, reading, workbooks. 5. I believe ateacher should: Provide side-by-side assistance and direction.Interact with the child. Provide the structure within which thechild may explore, experiment, study and achieve. Provide a goodexample of excitement in learning. 6. Other beliefs: I believemy child should grow up to be self-reliant and occupationallysecure in a field of high interest to them. Now, that wasn't toobad, was it? Don't give up on this until you have at leastsomething written down, but don't agonize over it either. Youcan come back to it later if need be. Next, start a paper orfile titled ?Life Goals For My Child.? I want you to write downwhat kind of person you envision your child being as an adult.What are your hopes and dreams for him/her? What educationalgifts do you hope to be able to help them find that will servethem their entire lives? I'll share mine from 9 years ago, justto get you started. ?Life Goals for My Child? 7. Be literate. 8.Be self-reliant. 9. Compete well in their chosen field ofoccupation. 10. Appreciate art, music, and literature. 11. Becreative. 12. Be inventive and resourceful. 13. Be healthy,mentally and physically. 14. Co-operate with others. 15.Maintain a strong sense of self-worth. 16. Maintain a life-longcuriosity, seeking knowledge as a way of life. 17. Look to thefuture with a sense of excitement and adventure. For the lastexercise, start a third paper titled: Why We (I) Am Going ToHomeschool Our (My) Child? (Yes, single parents can successfullyhomeschool their children.) You may not have all the answers forthis one yet either, but just get something down. All of theseideas and beliefs can start getting mixed in with other people'sopinions once we start educating ourselves in depth abouthomeschooling, and you'll be glad you have these lists tuckedaway. Okay, here's my old list: Why We Are Going To HomeschoolOur Children Our family consists of myself, my husband, a21-year-old daughter, a 19-year-old daughter, an 8-year-old son,a 7-year-old daughter, a 4-½ year old daughter, and an unbornson due in 6 months. My two oldest daughters (from my firstmarriage) were in the public school system for the whole oftheir educational years. It is largely a dissatisfaction withthe public schools and all it's attendant problems (academic,social, and moral) that has caused us to make the decision tohomeschool our youngest children. We decided, even before our8-year-old son (the oldest of the younger set) was born, thatsomehow we would find an alternative to the public schools. Wewant to homeschool for some additional reasons. We want addedcloseness with our children. We want more independence, greatercontrol over our family's moral and philosophical values, andbetter awareness of our children's interests. We dislike thethought of any government agency--no matter how wellmeaning--directing the raising of our children. We intend tohomeschool because we do not want our children's academic,social, and moral education taken out of our hands. We believethese areas of a child's education are a parent'sresponsibility, right, and pleasure. I'd like you to spend sometime going over these lists until you feel they accuratelyreflect your feelings about homeschooling your children. When Idid these exercises, I had only a vague idea about why I wantedto homeschool and what kind of education I wanted to help mychildren acquire. These simple exercises helped me to ?solidify?my ideas and provided the basis for our future homeschoolingmethods. I hope they help you to do the same. Keep these listsin a safe place and add to them as you explore the possibilityof homeschooling your child. About the author:Anita York has homeschooled her four children for 15 years. Sheis a contracted Senior Editor, Editor, Copyeditor and ManuscriptScreener for three publishers. Her book "You CAN Homeschool YourChild" is available at: http://www.L7S.net/Item.php?ID=YC000.
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