My wife and I have decided to start home schooling our little girl next year, for grade 1.  She goes to a Christian school now, and it is good, but I feel very strongly that home schooling will reap rewards for all involved.  My wife is already a stay at home mother, so that hurdle is over, has been for years.  If this is sucessful, we will home school our son as well, but he's only 7 mo. old so there's a while left for that!  My question for those who have done/are doing it, what advatages/pratfalls have you encountered?  Should we be our own cover school or go through an established one?  Blah, blah blah!  Just fill me in with the "need to knows", if you can.  We are going to use this year to study and prepare for it.  Thanks!

I'm not even married but I already plan for my offspring to goto either Catholic School for a few years then home schooled but I really don't want them to be exposed to the public school system.  They don't need the distractions of peer pressure or having to worry about a social life at such a young age.  

I have always homeschooled my little girl...expect a lot of sh!t from sheeple about not getting enough social time with other children here age but where I live there are to many thugs in kindergarden[:D]

My daughter is keeping up with here friends that attend Public School in her grade level

you get lots of time to with your children this is a bonus...just make sure to check your local laws.

There are almost no laws in AL as concerns it, it's almost too lax.  All of my friends/family already regard me as some sort of revolutionary, so that I've made this decision comes as no shock!  The social aspect DOES give me some reason for pause, as my little girl is VERY precocious and outgoing.  This will present a challenge, to ensure her social life as well as academic.  

My wife and I are planning on home schooling our son until he is in 7th grade.  That way we can make sure he has an excellant foundation in math, reading, spelling, and language.  He will attend a Christian School thereafter.  
Did you know that kids don't even have to diagram sentences anymore?  Nuts!

Check out www.hslda.org (Home School Legal Defense Association)

They have a lot of information about Home schooling, what the laws are in your state, etc...  They have been very instrumental in helping a lot of Home Schooler's defend themselves against the 'anti's' of home schooling - in the school board, and the schools. (oh, and the truant officer) - also, they have lists of 'support' groups - where parents can get together with other home schooling parents (in your area) and talk about curriculum, etc...

Yeah, people will give you heck for the 'socialization' thing... I just didn't want my high school daughter 'socializing' with the likes of those two in Colorado, or the kid in Santee (and we lived about 10 miles from there at one time) - if that's the socialization they get in school, she's opting out.  And she loves it.

As for advice, look at all the sites.  We're using Christian Liberty Academy curriculum - they have both 'grammer' school and H.S. and if the kid goes through th eprogram to graduation you can actually go to Arlington Heights, IL and participate in the ceremony...

Also, another popular one is A Beka - they have some computer based ed, and some video stuff - My kid wants to switch because she learns a lot through looking at stuff - rather than have someone simply talking to her about it.

Feel free to email me if you want to ask any other questions.

Well, I must admit I never quite got why I had to diagram a sentence.  I am, and always have been, quite the cunning linguist.  Thusly, it always puzzled me as to why I must construct a chart to identify parts of sentence when I had already clearly demonstrated my ability to write with great ease and fervor.  Indeed, the written word has been my friend, while math confounds my brain.  Oh, math.  Perhaps I'll be able to learn it now, though, as I must admit I spent the majority of my "high" school years in the pursuit and enjoyment of a questionable vegetation.  How ironic that this is one of the things I hope to minimize my children's access to, eh?

HAHAHA, Cunning Linguist.....that's a good one.

I think I have a different perspective here from most in that I was a homeschooled student.  Went to a private Christian school for grades K-1, and was homeschooled for 2nd-12th grades.

Socialization wasn't a problem, I got plenty of that from church/sports leagues/friends next door/etc.

I'm not married, no kids, but plan on homeschooling if & when I ever get married and have any.

I was home schooled for a while. I'm sure that's what helped turn me into a social retard.
Make sure to find a way to have your children interact with other children at least a few times a week, if not every day. Scouting, sports, church events, etc.
My real problem was that I felt cooped up at home all the time. I wasn't able to learn how to act around other kids, since I was only around my family everyday, and only had friends at church on Sundays(plus I could never use the lie "I don't have any homework"[;)]).
Once I was returned to private school, I didn't know how to make friends very well, and stayed alone a lot. The friends I made in private school were probably worse people than I would have met if I just stayed in public school since day one. When I finally re-entered public school in grade 10, I realized I should have been educated like everyone else and allowed to make up my own mind about things, rather than going to home school, or private schools for so-called "gifted" children. I guess I was taken out of public school for a reason, but I'm not sure it ended up being an advantage.
Also, some classes I had at home school, and even some from my private schools, weren't transferable to a public school. I ended up a little [i]behind[/i] when I returned to public school, and had to re-take quite a few classes, because they weren't recognized by the school.


I can't say I blame my parents at all, though. They did what they felt was best for me.

Thy soliloquy hath wrought the accolades of my fellow mortals, conversely thou hast shown that dissolution of the written word is profitible for education and reproof.

Many kids today can't write a complete sentence to save their lives.  This is probably the result of focusing pupils on essay writing instead of sentence construction.  My wife was a third grade teacher for a time.  Her students were required by the State of Ill-Annoy to learn to write 5 paragraph essays!  Of course the grammer was horrible.  

"Jenny and her brown dog."  

Funnier still, she moved up to teaching 7/8 grades, and their writing was no better.  In fact the penmanship and spelling was worse!  

"Jeny, an she broun dog."

She even had 8th graders not know their times tables through 10!

"8 x 5 = 11", or "4 x 7 = ?  Can't we use our calculators?"

Young kids need practice to learn the essential skills.  Modern public education is turning out a bunch of sophisticated idiots.

I still don't know like half my times tables..

Don't do it. It will F-up your kids interaction with others.

Trust me.

They need to interact, make there own friends, OUTSIDE of "churchy" groups.. and even get into some trouble.


let them grow up making their own choices. just help them with some of the difficult ones.

My children have both been homeschooled for the last year and a half. I gotta say that without the help of other home schooling families in the area, it would be very difficult.
In our area there are about 70 home schoolers.compared to about 50 enrolled in the local school(k-8) district.
Since my kids are older(11 and 13), our biggest problem to start with was getting a routine of actual schoolwork.
Also, the books can be very expensive, which is another reason having other home schoolers around is a big help. The books get traded quite a bit.
We get a lot of our books from Rod and Staff Publishing. I don't have thier e-mail address handy at the moment so I'll have to ask my wife.
I wish we would have started at a much earlier age.

My wife and I were both home teached er homeschooled.  The socialization thing is a bunch of crap except in extreme circumstances.  Our church has a home school graduation class of about 10-15 each year with approximately 70 home schooling families.  We have a very well developed support structure.  Our group excels in music, language, business, engineering, heck I even took my pilot training as an elective my senior year and have taught an engine repair class for about 20 adolecents.

The pitfall of public education is children become so well socialized they cannot relate to any human that is not within 6 months of their own age (tried talking to one lately?).  The homeschooled kids at church change infant's diapers and help with the elderly at the nursing home all in the same day.

As far as choosing ideas for yourself, everyone here should already know that the public schools are the last place you will find objectivity.  The liberal mindset of our nation as of late is a simple parroting of the liberal teachers (I know good teachers exist in the system they just can't do much).

My wife and I have never taken a drink of alcohol, used drugs, smoked cigarettes or had sex with anyone but each other.  Boring to you but it definitely makes the second half of your life easy!

My advise is be ready for the long haul and don't think that you personally have to do everything your self.  Find tutors, mentors, those retired good teachers and others to assist.

The real goal is building character in a nation of vice and softness.  Character used to build itself during the process of survival.  In the USA today survival is free.  Character takes lots of work.

Beware the public school.  Their funding is often tied to enrolement.  Taking money from a beauracracy is like tring to circumcise a Grizzly Bear (they don't like it).  Planerench out.

Homeschooled my two children for 3 years now.  Best damn thing we ever did.  They get more than enough social interaction thru church, friends, etc.  We use a program called Seton (sp?) that is christian based which keeps to state off our backs[:)].  What it realy come down to is two things: how much energy the parents put into it and that each child is different.

One of the big pluses is going hiking/shooting/camping as field trips.  I have taught my kids about nature,computers,history animals, math and english. Without all the liberal bullshit that public schools put with it.  With homeschooling you can teach your kids about things they really need to know!

sgtar15

There is not much I can add that hasn't already been posted but I will try.

We have four children and they are being home schooled and will continue to be.  Our reasons, much the same as others here; lack of quality education/educators, poor curriculmns, poor enviroments, subjects we do not approve of, health problems of our kiddos, and religious beliefs and practices, such as prayer.

Get involved with a home school group.  Like pointed out the Home School Defense League.  Outstanding organization can provide all sorts of info including if you live in a hostile home school enviroment state and they give you problems.

Most areas have local home school groups, who get together have large classes (socializtion) field trips, science fairs, projects and so on.  The HSDL will have info on local organizations.

We use Rod and Staff curriculmns and mix it with computer programs, like Reader Rabbit and a host of others.  There is a plethera of curriculmns and sources for help.  Such as www.crosswalk.com

It is a challenge but a rewarding journey.  If you devote to and take it seriously, you will never regret it.  The time spent with your kids will be invaluable.

Dealing with educators is easy, lay out your reasons, sensiably, especially if you have religious conviction issues and most will see your point.  There is no need to have to have a teacher with a masters degree to educate your kids.  God gave them to you and in the same breath, gave you all the tools to provide for them.

Good luck and have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [bounce]

My home schooling entails correcting the revisionist history taught by first year social studies teachers in the high school where my daughter attends. I don't have to do a lot of it, as she knows the real facts, especially when they try to tell the kids what's wrong with guns. The clown last year tried to teach World history by not using war as a focal point to any era. My daughter quickly showed him how you can't do that.

Hey guys...Ph's wife here.  I would like to thank all of you who have encouraged us to go through with the homeschooling idea.  My daughter and I have been doing "homework" for about 2 years now already.  No set plan, one day we will do math..the next english and spelling...etc. I have aquired several books from places ranging from the Dollar Tree to Wal-Mart.  I have gone to the Christian Book Stores to find the right materials for us to use.  It is a toss up between two..The Alpha Omega and A Beka.  She is working with the A Beka right now in her Christian School, and it seems to be easy to teach.  She goes to school for 4 hours a day, but the work that she does could be done in half the time, and at home she will get the one-on-one attention that she needs.  I know that it will take alot out of "my time" but I am learning just as much as she is.  As far as socializing, we have plenty of friends and family. As well I would like to get in touch with the homeschooling community, apparantly there are alot of "us" out there.
I just wanted to say thanks for the comments and support.  We will do our best to raise our children in a happy, healthy enviornment.

Sounds like you're on the right road already!  We do it pretty much the same way, except that we cover math every day - that's here one spot of weakness - not that she doesn't "get" it, but rather that she is lazy and like all of us at that age (and some of us still) she doesn't know why she needs to learn to factor a trinomial :) (How many recall what a trinomial even is!)

It's been a lot of fun for me, altho she is at the age where I have to sit on her to get the schoolwork done - but then, I'd have to do that anyway...

I think we aer beginning to really catch on - the key (at least for us) is to have a real routine.  Set times when "school is in session" kind of things.

She went to a small (her gratuating class was her and another girl) church school for K-8 and that was almost like Home Schooling.

Also, I would encourage you to join the Home School Defense organization.  Best $100 I've ever spent (that's per year) - we get discounts on a number of items, and if we ever need them for legal, we're covered...

Yeah, but I'm willing to bet it was a graduate of the L.A. public school system who set your backpack on fire.  [:P]

[size=6]All your times tables are belong to us![/size=6]

no

If I ever have me a wife and kids I don't think home schooling would work but a good catholic, private or charter would be in order.

A school should be a place of learning, not a social club or political education center. Keeping undesirables out is also a plus.

In my opinion education outside the public school has many more pluses than minuses.

I would say that's one of the FEW things that the schools are finally doing right!

Please tell me one place where pupils will use sentence diagramming.  I've yet to hear of any business, financial institution, nonprofit, religious institution, newspaper.....  You get the picture.

Mike

And what occupation actually makes you use multiplication flash-cards?  We should in school because it is a powerful learning tool.

People have to learn sentence structure.  If they don't they will write like morons.  Diagramming sentences is a proven, albeit incredibly boring excercise.

I used to think it was stupid, until I realized that many people are clueless about how to read a lengthy sentence, or to write one that was complete.

Most don't understand the benefits of it until they have employees submitting reports with serious and embarassing grammatical errors.  They will say, "What do you mean a sentence has to have a verb?", or "'Facility' is a subject because it is a noun".

This stuff may not matter to some, but is does matter in the business world.

I just think it is another example of "dumbing down" students.

There is a difference?!??!?!

children at young ages need to intermingle with other children. quite a few grow up having trouble socializing and be so called "normal"

I have five kids.  All home schooled.  Oldest guy is now an engineering student at NCSU.  Second guy is joining the Army to be a Ranger.

The boys tend to be ready for conventional school by 9th grade.  Only my oldest made it all the way to the end.  Third guy is at Christian school now.  Girls 12 and 8 are blossoming.  Being at home with Mom is where they want to be.

The point is: Do It.  Do all you can for each kid.  Some do betterwith homeschooling, somenot as well, but there's no question that grade school kids benefit the most from it.

Ditching the second income from Mom will be counted absolutely worth it in future years.

The CRAP that you will prevent from getting into your kids heads will be worth all the trouble.

Your kids will thank you for it.

[sniper]