New To Homeschooling

From Life Take 1:


My Journey
Each of us has our own special story of how we became a homeschool family. I, too, have a story to share with you.
Prior to our wedding, my husband and I took a six-month counseling session as required by our church to get married. During one of those sessions, education our future children was brought up. My soon-to-be husband said he wanted his children homeschooled. His sister homeschools, how hard could it be? So I agreed. I thought homeschooling was when the public school sent all the work to be done, you did it with your child and then sent it back to them. We would do this back and forth. Simple enough! Right? Wrong -- I had no clue what homeschooling was!
A Definition
Homeschooling -- I tried looking it up in my dictionary to no avail. So here is my definition. It is the formal education of ones own children at home rather than in a school with materials they have selected at a pace determined by the parent.
Who Homeschools?
I have been privileged to know a wide variety of people who homeschool Those who live in the city, in the country, on farms, and around the globe. People of all different races and religions. Some have learning disabilities and learning challenges. Some come from traditional families and some not so traditional. Most of the time the mom is the primary teacher but sometimes it is the dad. There are an estimated 1.6 - 2 million homeschool families in America and the numbers continue to rise. I have yet to meet another homeschool family exactly like mine. They are all unique and different.
Why do people homeschool?
This is a harder question -- one that everyone has a different answer to. Just as we are all unique in where we live and who we are. There are a few major reasons why but most homeschool families have more than one reason why they homeschool.
Religious Reasons
To provide a better education than the local schools can provide
To meet the needs and interests of the individual child
To better serve a child with special learning requirements whether that be a gifted child, a medically-challenged child, or one with a learning disability
Safety Issues
Flexibility
Is it legal?
Yes, homeschooling is legal in all 50 states and many other countries as well. To find out what the laws are in your state, order the free guide from HSLDA entitled "You Can Homeschool." With it you will receive information on how to get started and what the laws are for your state. Each state has different laws.
How To Get Started
This was one of my biggest challenges. Where to begin. If you go to my Other Curriculum page, you will find a long list of publishers that sell curriculum and other materials to homeschoolers. When I first began, I ordered every free catalog that related to homeschool as I could find. This is not an exhaustive list by any means but it will get you started. When you receive the catalog, read through it. Do you like the style? Why or why not? You will be amazed at all that you can learn just from these. You will also be surprised at just how many options you do have.
I suggested earlier that you get the publication from HSLDA. Make sure you do this, it will help you a lot!
Next, start researching. The catalogs will give you an idea of what you prefer. Textbooks or living books? Workbooks or Notebooks? Unit Studies? Religious or Secular? Once you start to answer these questions, you can find books that relate closely to your style.
In the beginning, you will need to find curriculum that fits your style. Later on, you can adapt those materials to fit the styles of your children. As you homeschool, your style of educating your child will mature. I thought I had a very good grasp on my style from the beginning but I have since found that the longer that I homeschool the more my style changes into something as unique as my family.
Don't go out and buy curriculum right away. See if your local library has what you are looking for or try to borrow it from another homeschool family. Test it, see if you really like. If you can, the best thing to do is to go to a homeschool convention where you can have the chance to see the materials up close and personal.
Above all -- remember this one thing! Each family and each child is different. There is no right or wrong way to homeschool just different options. Don't compare your child's success and failures to anyone but themselves.
This is doable -- it just takes time, dedication, patience, and prayer!