Getting Started with Homeschooling

Many parents are curious about what it takes to begin homeschooling. Getting started can be one of the hardest jumps to make, and can be especially daunting for parents with little to no experience with homeschooling families. Often the questions that they have to ask are the same no matter where they are coming from. Here are some of the basic things that a parent needs to know to begin their journey into homeschooling.

The first thing you should look into is what are the rules where you live. Each state has their own guidelines for homeschooling families, with varying degrees from strict to lenient. Some states, such as New York, require that you maintain attendance records, file quarterly reports listing the number of hours of instruction during quarter, description of material covered in each subject, and a grade or narrative evaluation in each subject, and have these records available at all times. Other states, such as Oklahoma, require no record keeping and no testing. A quick search online can find what is required of you by your state.

The next thing that you will want to consider is your child's learning style. One of the best things about homeschooling is that you do not need to try to fit your child into a one size fits all classroom. Instead you can easily adapt what you are teaching and how you are teaching it for your child's strengths and weaknesses. The variety of styles can be intimidating at first glance, but if you take the time to truly look at your child and how they learn you can quickly find a method that will fit. Some parents prefer the ease and freedom of unschooling, a style that believes in child-led learning and direction. Some will prefer to use a package curriculum, of which there are many different methods and styles. Most, however, will fall in the middle with a more eclectic approach, taking what they need from various styles and blending together something that is custom fit for their children. This step is often the longest one for new to homeschooling parents to work through. Taking the time to sort through all the various methods out there and deciding what will work best for you can be time consuming.

Once you have found your state's guidelines and you have an idea of what approach is best suited for you child, the next thing I would suggest is to seek out other homeschooling families. Often there will be bumps in the road, problems, and issues that might frighten a new to homeschooling family. Finding others who have already been through the early steps and came out fine can be a great inspiration for you. Some areas have local groups of homeschoolers that meet regularly, but many areas do not. If you cannot find a group to meet with face to face you can still find support and encouragement online. There are many sites that are specifically for homeschoolers, and many parenting sites have sections for homeschoolers on them. Discovering a place where you can go to ask questions and get support from like-minded people is always a blessing.

The last thing parents should know is not to expect perfection. Sometimes the curriculum you picked out just does not work, some times the kids will not want to do their lessons, some days you will barely get dressed. It happens to everyone, even those who have been homeschooling for years have days when nothing productive goes on. But that is just one of the many benefits of homeschooling. Your days do not have to follow a rigid plan, you do not have to be anywhere or do anything on a set schedule, and no one needs to know if your kids spent the day in their pajamas watching T.V. Education in the home can be a time of fun and excitement, and does not have to live up to anyone's expectations. Too often families new to homeschooling begin to feel like failures because they can not fit in as much as they had planned. No one is expected to learn everything in a day. Relax, and just have fun.