many questions. Below you will find frequently asked
questions posed by new homeschooling families.
1. Is homeschooling legal?
In the United States, absolutely yes! All fifty states
recognize some method of educating children at home.
Some states offer free public school online, others
recognize church or umbrella schools. Some states do
not require parents to even notify the state if they
intend to homeschool.
The first suggestion if you are
considering homeschooling is to check with your state
Department of Education and see what the regulations
are for pulling a child from their existing traditional
education situation and placing them in a homeschool
situation. If the child has not attended traditional
school it may require a different set of notifications.
Homeschooling is legal, but it is extremely important
that each family be in complete compliance with their
state’s homeschooling laws since those laws differ from
state to state.
2. Where do I find curriculum?
There are several options for finding a homeschool
curriculum. One of the best ways to find out about
what curricula are available is to ask other
homeschooling families. Each will have their own
favorite curriculum or combination of different
curricula. Some families go to homeschool conventions
where curriculum vendors present the best of their
wares. Other families search the internet for all or
parts of their instructional material. In states where
a free, online public education is offered, the
department of education might even provide books,
materials, even use of a computer. Libraries are a
great source of educational material, especially where
literature and history are concerned. For early
elementary students there are many sources for basic
math, spelling, and penmanship worksheets that can be
printed from the internet. Don’t forget to include
educational games as part of the curriculum for
everything from multiplication tables to spelling and
keyboarding games.
3. Is homeschooling expensive?
Homeschooling does not have to be expensive. Sources
of educational material are wide-spread. For families
unwilling or unable to spend a lot of money there are
free and low cost curricula to be found online. The
other end of the spectrum are the all-in-one box
curricula which may be quite costly, however they do
offer many services including lesson planning and
grading as well as record-keeping and an interface with
the department of education. Essentially,
homeschooling can be as cost effective or as expensive
as a family chooses. There are many options between
the two extremes that will accommodate families in all
economic circumstances.
4. What if I can’t teach a subject?
Not every parent will feel comfortable teaching every
subject. While most parents will feel comfortable
teaching the basics to younger students, when it comes
to advanced composition, calculus, or chemistry many
parents feel like they are not qualified to teach their
students. Other courses such as foreign languages or
music instruction often require more teaching than a
parent might feel comfortable with. The answer to this
dilemma is to out-source. Check with local homeschool
support groups to see if a co-op offers group classes.
Check with the library to see if they offer courses.
Many times college students earn money through tutoring
so check with your closest college or university to see
if tutors are available. Often checking with fellow
homeschoolers will show a need and you might join with
other families to fund a course. There are always
people who are willing to pass on their knowledge, some
for free, some for a fee. Ask around!
5. Do colleges accept homeschooled students?
In the past colleges might have been hesitant to accept
homeschoolers because they were unsure of the amount of
preparation homeschoolers might receive. However, that
has changed for the most part. Colleges find that
homeschoolers are generally well prepared for college
courses, performing better on standardized tests and
required less remedial work than some traditionally
educated students. Colleges also find that homeschool
high school students often take dual credit courses
which provide both high school and college credit.
Homeschool students tend to be self-starters and are
accustomed to studying and preparing projects. In
fact, many institutions of higher learning seek out
homeschool students because they find that homeschooled
students measure up very competitively with other
students.
Finally…
There are, of course, many questions regarding
homeschooling and how to begin the process of
homeschooling. Families looking to homeschool need to
be legal with their state and local department of
education. Families should look for instructional
materials that teach to the student in the way that the
student learns.
Support is very important, online searches will provide
information on local or regional support groups.
Support groups are a great source both for finding
curricula, and for making sure you are legal with the
state. Many online curricula provide online forums or
help to assist homeschooling families.
The internet and local libraries are great places to
begin researching the questions new homeschooling
families may have. Homeschooling is a growing trend
and as more families choose this educational option
there will be more people with experience to answer
those questions
Linda is a homeschooling parent who uses Time4Learning
Interactive High School for several of her student's
courses. Linda also writes about some of her
homeschooling experiences at Web-Home-School.
Article Source:
http://www.edarticle.com/articles/42822/five-
frequently-asked-homeschooling-questions.php
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