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Important
Steps to Begin Home Schooling
Know Your
State Law
- Each state in the U.S. has a home schooling law that gives parents the freedom to educate their children at home.
- Obtain information concerning your state law from one or more of the following sources:
Home School Legal Defense Association - a national organization that offers legal counsel for a yearly membership fee. Their web site, www.hslda.org, contains helpful information concerning home schooling and a free copy of each state's home schooling law.
Administrative office of local school district - a governmental agency that regulates the local public school system and in some states is the registering agent for home schoolers. Check the local phone book for their listing.
State home school organization - an organization that offers home schoolers a membership which entitles them to participate in many educational activities and receive counsel and encouragement. These organizations are posted on the www.hslda.org web site.
Obtain Curriculum
- Most states expect
you to obtain a reliable curriculum, although some states have the authority
to approve or disapprove your choice.
- Most states expect
you to teach the academic disciplines such as reading, spelling, handwriting,
English, math, science, and history.
- Obtain quality
curriculum from a reputable Christian publisher to be assured your material
will contain no objectionable pictures, themes, words, or stories.
- Purchase basic
curriculum first and then add extras such as charts, maps and manipulatives
as needed.
- Purchase curriculum
that contains daily lesson plans. Lesson plans take the guesswork out
of what you need to teach your child on his or her grade level.
- Purchase curriculum
early (possibly 2-3 months before teaching) in order to become familiar
with the format and to prepare for daily lesson plans.
Set Up Your
Home School
- Establish a special
place in your home.
- Equip your teaching
area with necessary teacher and student school supplies and resources,
including encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc.
- Use student desks
or tables and chairs as well as a chalkboard or marker board.
- Organize your curriculum
and resources in bookcases for easy accessibility.
Keep Records
- Many states require
certain records to be kept and maintained.
- Keep all important
home school documents in a special file such as Letter of Intent, Attendance
Records, standardized test records, etc.
- Keep samples of
your children's work for each subject as well as grades.
- At the end of the
year, store records in a filing system by school year and by child.
Organize Your
Time
- Develop a school
schedule based on the number of school days your state requires.
- Determine when
your school year will begin and end.
- Determine when
your school day will begin and end.
- Include field trips, seasonal activities, ministries, holidays, and vacations in
your school planning.
Prepare Lesson
Plans
- Plan at least one
week's lessons ahead of time, gathering materials for lessons, collecting
resources for lessons, preparing visuals, etc.
- In preparing lesson
plans, record lesson numbers and pages, activities, and student textbook
and workbook pages in a daily lesson plan book.
- Highlight vital
information such as concepts, key words, and directions in your teacher's
edition that will help you effectively teach the lesson.
- Review the evening
before to refresh your memory and to put materials in place for the
next day.
Find a Support
Group
- State support groups and some local support groups are posted on the www.hslda.org website.
- Attend several
meetings to become acquainted with the group and its purposes, goals,
and activities.
- During support
group activities for your children, assess standards to be sure they
are in keeping with those you have established for your family.
- Support groups
can provide information about state home school issues, suggest good
resources such as magazines and newsletters, and often conduct curriculum
fairs and seminars.
Contact Us
Have more questions?
Need some advice? Our Home Education Consultants are here to help you.
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