Your first step to getting your home school started is to find out what homeschooling requirements are in your state. Different states require different types of records to be kept. Some states require your records to be submitted for review while other states only require that you keep the records in the case that questions arise about your schooling methods. The important thing is to make sure the state knows you are homeschooling your child. Every state has requirements for school attendance of children of certain ages. You must make sure you are in compliance or you could be in big trouble with social services.
Most
often, it is only required that you send a letter to your child’s school
district letting them know that you are homeschooling. This information is
added to their database of home schooled children, and you are pretty much left
on your own. To learn more about your state’s requirements, check the district
website or contact your local school board.
Establishing Record Keeping Systems
The
first thing a homeschooling parent must understand is that you cannot keep
every scrap of paper your child completes throughout the year. You may begin
with good intentions, but half way through the year you will realize that your
home has become overrun with papers, drawings, and tests, especially if you are
schooling more than one child.
Most
states only require that you be able to show proof that your child has learned
the grade level expectations. In short, this means that you should keep all
tests completed by your child. Small quizzes can be kept as well, but they
really are not necessary. As long as you keep all of the tests, you will be
able to show that your child knows the material.
For
younger children, tests are not really given. Instead, you will need to save
the occasional completed worksheet to show their mastery of a given skill. You
may also want to save a few drawings or paintings. Workbooks are great to use
for younger children because you can simply keep the completed workbook as
evidence of what the child has learned.
The
best way to keep all of these papers and tests in an orderly fashion is to
create portfolios for each child. You can use pronged folders for each subject,
or you can get a large three ring binder and dividers. How you create the
portfolio is up to you, but it should organize everything you need to keep in
such a way that anyone can look inside and see immediately what has been
accomplished. Keeping everything in one place makes it easy to stay organized
and comply with state regulations.
You
will also want to keep a time log of your homeschooling activities. Most states
have requirements of how many hours you must spend schooling each year. In order
to show compliance, it is a good idea to keep records of how many hours per day
you spend on various activities. You can do this with a simple time in and out
sheet. The sheet should include the date, the time schooling begins, and the
time schooling ends. A new entry should be made for each session, such as the
morning and the afternoon, if you take breaks during the day.
It
can also be helpful for you to include the subject being studied on this time
log and to make a new entry every time you change subjects. This can give you
insight into how long it takes for your child to grasp concepts for the day for
each subject. If your child excels in math but struggles with reading, you can
begin planning your day and lessons to allow for extra time for reading.
You
may or may not want to keep a grade book as well. Many homeschooling parents do
not keep track of grades. Instead, they simply monitor their child’s progress
and move on when the child has shown knowledge and understanding of the
material. However, tracking grades can have the benefit of allowing an easy
method for tracking how well your student is learning the material, and how
long it takes them to grasp a concept. This can provide valuable insight as to
what learning activities work best for your child, and where you can alter
curriculum and activities to best meet their needs.
When to School
One
thing you will want to decide before getting started is how many months you
will home school. Most states require a certain number of hours per year, without
requiring what months those hours take place. Determining when you will school
your child determines how many hours per day you must teach as well as how long
it will take to get through various activities and topics. Whether or not to
school year round is a debated issue.
Schooling
year round has the advantage of ensuring your child retains the information
they have learned throughout the year. By reinforcing key concepts learned
throughout the previous school session, you can avoid the review time at the
beginning of the next session.
Schooling
only during traditional school months, from September through the end of May,
allows parents and children to have a much needed break. Children who have
friends that attend traditional school will have more opportunity to play and
have socialization during the summer months if they are not schooling. In
addition, taking the summer months off from teaching gives parents much needed
time to focus on planning for the following term.
Where to School
Deciding
where to set up your home school is important. Some parents simply arrange
their dining room to accommodate homeschooling materials using bookshelves,
etc., and use their dining table as their main focus. However, especially if
you have a lot going on in your home, it can be very beneficial to have a space
set aside specifically for homeschooling. If you have an extra bedroom or
study, or even a closed-in sun porch, they can be ideal places to set up your
home school. Having a room dedicated to this purpose allows you to have more
space to store your records and supplies. It allows you a place to hang maps,
dry erase boards, and progress charts or artwork.
Having
a specific place to home school also creates much needed structure for both you
and the child. It is easier to stay focused when you are in a room specifically
for the purpose of schooling. You can take your breaks away from that room. The
children will come to understand that when they are in that room, it is time to
learn, not to play. This way you can all stay focused on the task at hand with
everything you need at your fingertips.
This is an excerpt from the book How
to Home School Your Child: Developing a Well Trained Mind: Proven
Strategies for Unlocking Your Child’s Genius with Homeschooling by
Karina Bartlett
You can get the book on this link:
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