New to the idea of home schooling.

xoxocammyxoxo

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First and foremost, I really haven't done much research into homeschooling because I've been really caught up in a lot of life changes so please bear with me as I'm still learning.

My son is almost 2 years old and with all the things that have been popping up on the news of children in schools and what they are taught or in my opinion herded into believing. I've been seriously considering homeschooling my son, and any children that may follow. When I spoke with my cousin about it, who went to college for early learning in hopes of being able to home school her daughter, she told me that she had changed her mind because it was to expensive for her. She told me about partial homeschooling options that I guess she has her daughter in, or a supplemental homeschooling option? I don't know, we really haven't talked much about it because she's so confrontational about things and has to voice her opinion rather than just listen to what I have to say and have a discussion.

I want my son to have the best education he can have and be exposed to all those things I feel have been lost in the traditional schools of today. I worry about not being able to afford it and about whether or not I can work and still home school him. Like I said I haven't done much research on it and I plan to but it would be nice to hear from others who actually home school and possibly start building some sort of support system so I don't bend to the pressure and chicken out.
 

tortoise

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You need to check your state's laws for homeschooling. Some have more oversight than others. Some allow partial public school attendance, some do not. In my state (WI), homeschoolers can attend 2 classes per semester in public school.

I chose a public virtual charter school. My son can attend 2 classes at public elementary, just like with homeschool. The district pays for his curriculum. It's been about $600 per year for books and online program, plus a laptop (value $750 every 3rd year.) We get to keep the books and computers! We have A LOT of freedom in picking curriculum. We are in a Common Core state / district, so it must be CC-aligned. Most things are CC-aligned, so that really not a problem. I also have freedom to supplement with other materials. If his curriculum doesn't teach something in a way that works for my son, I can skip it and teach it with different materials that fit his learning style better. We meet with a certified teacher to pick curriculum. I've never had a request turned down. (yay!) With public virtual charter, LESS record keeping and fewer HOURS are required. My friend homeschools - her son has to complete 875 hours of schooling. My son has to complete 125 "attendance days", which adds up to 375 hours.

Public virtual charter is a no-brainer over here. ;)
 

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One thing many parents don't expect is the curriculum picked for the eldest child is unlikely to be suitable for younger siblings! If you homeschool, budget for EACH child. Don't plan on re-using materials.
 

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You need to check your state's laws for homeschooling. Some have more oversight than others. Some allow partial public school attendance, some do not. In my state (WI), homeschoolers can attend 2 classes per semester in public school.

I chose a public virtual charter school. My son can attend 2 classes at public elementary, just like with homeschool. The district pays for his curriculum. It's been about $600 per year for books and online program, plus a laptop (value $750 every 3rd year.) We get to keep the books and computers! We have A LOT of freedom in picking curriculum. We are in a Common Core state / district, so it must be CC-aligned. Most things are CC-aligned, so that really not a problem. I also have freedom to supplement with other materials. If his curriculum doesn't teach something in a way that works for my son, I can skip it and teach it with different materials that fit his learning style better. We meet with a certified teacher to pick curriculum. I've never had a request turned down. (yay!) With public virtual charter, LESS record keeping and fewer HOURS are required. My friend homeschools - her son has to complete 875 hours of schooling. My son has to complete 125 "attendance days", which adds up to 375 hours.

Public virtual charter is a no-brainer over here. ;)

What do you mean he attends 2 classes at public elementary? Like he goes to the school for a couple classes and then comes home? I've heard about the virtual schooling before. The alternative high schools made them popular with all the high school drop outs. I really don't like that core stuff.... It's one of the reasons that I don't want him in a regular school.
 

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Do you research on Common Core - it's not what people think it is. It is a set of learning targets based on the Classical model of education (funny, that's the model most anti-Common Core people seem to prefer!) What the curriculum writers and teachers do to meet the learning targets is totally a different matter. CC is a great tool for homeschoolers to guard against the possible problems from cobbling together curricula to meet a child's needs. It's not perfect, however. Since it is based on Classical education model, it has a lot of breadth and not much depth in any give grade level. That works beautifully for a neurotypical child. My son is not neurotypical. He is in a group where repetition (like revisiting a topic several years in a row only adding a layer of depth each time) reduces retention. My son learns better with lots of depth, less breadth. It woks out beautifully since less repetition frees up time to cover more topics in that depth. It's a bit of a challenge to use CC-aligned curricula to meet his needs for depth. Revisiting the CC learning targets helps me ensure that I meet all the topics in the depth required that his public school peers will get.

My son has been going to public school for art, music, and gym classes. They rotate in one class period and are considered 1 class. I pulled him out of art though. He was getting the idea that he is "bad" at art, and art skills cannot be learned. He's actually above average in art, when he can get past the anxiety that started in public school. He is advanced in music, but he is regressing with the public school instruction. We're discussing private music instruction for next school year also.

My son's virtual school only requires 1 online class in grades 1 - 5. We do one online - and picked one that doesn't have online instruction so I can teach him away from the computer. The rest we've used reading-heavy textbook curricula because it works well for us.

His virtual school requires ALL classes to be online by high school. We won't be staying in that long! I'm hoping to transition him into middle school. He may take a middle school class as early as the second semester of next school year! :eek: We're trying to get him into a particular cluster classroom - late enough that it goes well socially, but early enough that he hasn't passed the academic level.
 

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Ok well I guess I can't say I don't like it because I haven't looked into it. I just don't like the new math system they set up making everything more difficult with more steps. I will have to look into what you're talking about with going to school for a class. Of course I have three years to look into this as my son turns 2 on May 1st. I'll be back later to post more. Need to go grocery shopping
 

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The new math system is actually NOT part of Common Core. (Thank god!!!!) My neighbor's daughter was struggling badly in math class. First the school stopped teaching math facts - a decision they reversed because it was a huge failure. Then they switched to that complicated math system. Well, if you don't know your most basic math facts by memory, there sure are a lot of opportunities to make mistakes! I showed her the traditional algorithm for multiplication. She was AMAZED at how easy it is and understood right away!

I agree completely about that math instruction. I would pull my son out of school over that alone!
 

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I talked a lot about our take on homeschooling in response to your post on another thread. And just because your son is 2 doesn't mean you can't start homeschooling now. After all, you've been teaching him all along- teaching him to walk and talk and feed himself, perhaps potty training and dressing himself (don't know how advanced he is in those regards yet). At 2, your child is full of wonder about the world around him; now is the time to capitalize on that.

We never bothered with "new math". I taught my son arithmetic and math the way I was taught and to HE-double-heck with them! No one will ever ask how your son got the answer to a math problem once he becomes an adult (unless the answer is wrong! lol) Most adults use calculators anyway.

Studies have shown that children who enjoy various arts and crafts do better overall in learning-- something about the process unlocks synapses in the brain. Studies have also shown that when kids go to college, the ones that get a degree in science or engineering are more successful in their future careers (regardless of what kind of career they settle on!). Something about the disciplines learned in those studies, apparently.

Oh, and another thing I am seeing in DS, who is now 25, is that he still enjoys learning, unlike many high school graduates who only learned that learning was boring and have no intention of ever reading a book or watching a documentary ever again.

So go for it girl! Take him to museums, enroll him in gymnastics and soccer, find other homeschooling parents-- often times you can trade tutoring depending on different adults' strengths. Done right, homeschooling should not be a chore for EITHER of you, but a glorious adventure!
 

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At 2 years old, everything is learning - including play! I highly recommend the book "Let Them Play" for parents with kids under age 5. Unstructured imaginative play doesn't mean you CAN'T start teaching pre-K skills. But the book sure helps put everything into perspective for parents!
 

xoxocammyxoxo

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I'll have to look into the book for sure. Sorry I've been MIA, busy busy around the house. We've been trying to come up with a plan because the fact is without two incomes (two very good incomes) we wont be able to afford to buy our own place anytime soon. Right now my SO is working night shift for Amazon full time making like $13.50 (or something) an hour and I'm working part time for Walmart making $10.20 an hour. We don't have many bills but the rent on this place is $1,000 and the utilities for the past two months that I just paid off with this last check were $740, $200 a month in electrical!!!!! Part of that is my roommates who need to go. They leave the window open and the heater on. Four adults taking showers daily with probably an old hot water tank adds up. My son and I rotate. Anyway long story short (I'm rambling I just woke up)

The ever growing probably normal dilemma with the want to homeschool any child is my SO and I need to be working full time if we are ever going to save up the money to buy a house and get out of here. This struggles has been going on with me for years. I really want to work full time to make cash to be able to do the things we need to do, but I want to stay home and raise my son and do things around the house. UGH!!:barnie
 
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