Yes, I do all of the grading.

Yes, they have to do it I insist. If they don’t do it they don’t get the privileges that comes with being responsible. For instance TV, video games, swimming. You know the things kids love.

My kids do plan on college. My oldest is 12 and will be taking an internship in a couple of years at a vet hospital and plans to be a vet. My middle is 8 wants to be a cop (today anyway) that means a degree in Criminal Justice. My youngest is 4 so she doesn’t have a career dream yet beyond a dancer.

We chose to home school because the public schools in our state are among the worst in a nation full of failing public schools. Louisiana ranks like 48th. On top of that my oldest was beat up 3 times on the school bus because she has the audacity to stand up for the pre k and kindergarten kids against a 3rd grade bully. The schools response was to do nothing.

Our faith was another reason. We are Christians who believe in ID. Just because we believe that something bigger and smarted may have created this entire universe does not mean we don’t also teach evolution. BUT don’t bring up ID in a public school after all that may be a Christian thing and we can’t teach that because of separation of Church and State or some other bs excuse to brainwash kids into thinking that there is only one way that we could have come about. OK so I’m opinionated as well. renee70466

Be sure to look up the homeschooling laws in your state…each state gets to decide their education laws, so what works for you in Ohio is gonna change once you move to Georgia or for your buddy in Michigan. Local homeschool support groups are pretty good for this; try Googling your nearest metro city with the words “homeschool support” to find a few near you.

The next thing to realize is that there’s a whole spectrum of what’s called “homeschool.” Some people sign up with an online version of public school; that’s really technically not “homeschool,” since you’re counted as public school student and you’re assigned a teacher, a strict schedule, and predetermined workload as determined by the school district, etc. The dirty little secret here is that the district gets to keep the federal funds for you, as you’re a public school student this way. (Quite obviously, your school district will like this option best. Often when one queries the school as to the options available for “homeschool,” the school administrators will smile sweetly and mention just such an arrangement, conveniently omitting the rest of your options. This “lie by omission” quietly implies that this is the one and only way “homeschooling is done.” There’s a quite a debate in the homeschooling community about whether or not this constitutes an effort by the educational bureaucracy to redefine the meaning of homeschool, and what effect that would have on legislation and regulation of more traditional homeschool. But I digress.)

Other people may choose to buy materials from companies and enroll with online schools, but they’re “independent” of the school districts, and they don’t owe anyone a darned thing…their test scores (if any; few homeschoolers in the traditional sense are obligated to take state standardized tests) are their own business, as is the pace, order or depth at which they choose to go through the material.

Other people make up their own curriculum, based on their own personal criteria. Some states want you to keep a portfolio of material to prove you’re doing something there at home, other states want you to submit your curriculum for the year for approval, others may require testing that could send you back to public or private school if you fall below a particular percentile…just in case. Again, depends on the state.

Still other people endorse what they call “unschooling,” and they throw out all books and tests altogether and simply follow what interests them. (See the writings of John Holt, or Google “unschooling” for more on that theory of education.) A good book for anyone over 12 years old is “The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education,” by Grace Llewellyn. Here’s an excerpt:

“Did your guidance counselor ever tell you to consider quitting school? That you have other choices, quite beyond lifelong hamburger flipping or inner-city crack dealing? That legally you can find a way out of school, that once you’re out you’ll learn and grow better, faster, and more naturally than you ever did in school, that there are zillions of alternatives, that you can quit school and still go to A Good College and even have a Real Life in the Suburbs if you so desire? Just in case your counselor never told you these things, I’m going to. That’s what this book is for.”

Even if you don’t hold with what the author has to say, the point of view she has is dramatically different and can be a great springboard to help you get in touch with what you believe school and learning should be like. The book also outlines a very nice reference for curriculum, as well as chapters about dealing with your school, convincing your parents, and getting a social life. It’s meant to be a very usable book.

As with many things, there’s a wide spectrum of “unschoolers,” as well. Many of them have a certain set of concepts they want their kids to get and don’t care HOW they get the information, while others take a much more laid-back approach and allow the student to set the list of concepts themselves…or not set one at all. All of these people will still consider themselves “unschoolers.” K

Where do you get the books?

If you mean textbooks, we get them from the same place your school goes - the textbook publishers, homeschool discount companies (that’s where we got our child’s math books), library sales, other homeschoolers, etc. Many homeschoolers rely on source material rather than textbooks, however. Source material is available at the library.

Do your parents do all the grading?

We don’t use grading. But you are assuming that homeschoolers are all taught by their parents. Our child has seven teachers.

Do you even have to do it, can you just act like you did it?

Why would one act like one has learned when one hasn’t? What’s the point?

Can you do home school if you are planning on going to college?

Yes. Colleges recruit homeschoolers.

Why would you choose home school?

Superior education
Better use of time
Bad schools
Parents were homeschooled
Special interests of student
Knowledge of how school systems work and the desire to be free
Lack of support services for special needs students/gifted students
The list goes on and on.

All the best. ozboz48

Then you can go to Abeka’s website
Bob Jones Website
Peace Hill Press Website
Sonlight Website
Bright Ideas Press website
Ebay
Amazon
Plus hundreds more

I do all the grading for my children yes.

Yes they there school work. They have a much more rigorous schedule than public schoolers. They each do 2 math curricula a year, and American History Curricula a year A world History curricula a year. They do extensive science, an english, writing, literature, spelling, vocabulary curricula. They do health, and geography. Foreign Languages starting in K. We add a new language every 2 years.

They could not “pretend” to do their work. I correct their work daily, I do not allow them to fall below 90%, if they do, the re-do it. My oldest is going into 7th grade she is planning on going to school to be a vet after she graduates.

There are many reasons we chose to homeschool. The quality of education in the public schools in terrible, and we live in a “good” school district (according to their tests) They get Character training in homeschool, I know that they are actually learning in homeschool and I do not have to worry about all the drugs, s3x and violence in a public school. Nor do I have any behavior problems associated with public school nonsense. My oldest was in public school through 4th grade when we started homeschooling. wy_kid_wrangler

I live in a highly regulated state (PA) and we are required to submit a yearly notarized affidavit that declares our intent to homeschool, states that we will comply with all state laws regarding homeschooling (that the supervisor has a HS diploma, no one in the home has been convicted of assault or neglect of a child, that we will instruct said children for 900 hours or 180 days, and provide required proof to the school district that certain subjects are covered) We also hand over our list of objectives for the school year.

A portfolio of materials is due to the school district of residence by June 30, showing progress in subject areas. An attendance record, materials list of curriculum, books, and whatever else the student used is kept. Most keep a list of field trips as well. The whole thing gets reviewed by a certified teacher (on my dime) and her letter certifying progress,(and that we are in compliance with all components required by law) is put on top of the pile. If it is a testing year…standardized test results go in as well. Then it goes off for another look by the school district.

Materials come from publishing houses…just like other schools. Many exist.

Parents are primarily the teachers, but not all use standard grades. Since the idea is, mastery of the skill/concept, many don’t move on until the grade is an A.

I don’t know any homeschool parents who would let their kid just not do their work. In my state, covering that would be tough, anyways. Besides, in most houses…Mom is pretty tough!

Most colleges actively seek homeschoolers.

See previous threads for reasons…to many reasons to list here! Mom

I’m not exactly sure how you go about getting books and grading. There are different ways to do that. There are cd programs that will “teach” and grade your kid through the computer, or you can order text books with a pre-made course for you to follow in teaching it yourself.

Home schooled kids can go to college. He/she needs to get a GED in place of their high school diploma, and take the sat or act (whichever is preferred/accepted by the college of choice). He/she will not be at any disadvantage by simply being home-schooled, it’s the act/sat score that matters the most. He/she should still become involved in community service and extra-curricular activities to beef their resumes when applying for colleges and scholarships.

The benefits of home-schooling include a better/ more efficient education opposed to that of a regular public government school. Your child will have a better education because public schools focus primarily on drilling students to do well on state tests, so that the district will get more money for higher scores. Most public schools also have oppressive attendance requirements with harsh punishments for absences and tardies, encouraging students to have perfect attendance, again so the district will receive more money.

Your child will have a more relaxed school schedule at home, waking up at a comfortable hour and finishing within lunch time. The curriculum’s are easily arrangeable to allow Fridays off, or spontaneously taking a day off to visit grandma or go to the mall. A public school year is a ridiculously long period of time(arranged for political reasons. For example, some states have added days to the minimum length of a school year to account for more women in the workforce.), with breaks and day-to-day schedules arranged by a corrupt school board (In my home town, high school days are changed back and forth from 4 periods to 7 periods a day every few years, just to experiment with state test results and teacher satisfaction.)

The one drawback to home schooling, which I have witnessed from my home schooled friends, is lack of social interaction. They will become shy and at a loss of words when around strangers, and in some cases, will go “wild” when going to college and experiencing freedom for the first time. Because of this, it is important that he/she have and be allowed to visit with friends and be involved in the youth at church, sports, or any group that allows them to socialize with large amount of people. This is especially important when their older, as junior-high and high-school kids are exposed to a wide variety of people with whom they must socially interact with. Even though they learn at home, make sure they spend plenty of time in the “real world.”

Hope this helps! Alpha

I did home schooling for a year with the American School of Correspondence.

They sent me the text books and a booklet with exams. I had to teach myself by reading the text book and doing an exam after each chapter. There would be 6-12 exams per subject that you had to do to finish a subject.

I had to send the exams to the school in special envelopes that I got. They would grade it at the school and then send them back.

You actually have to do the work if you want to get your high school diploma and go to college.

I wouldn’t choose home schooling because it’s harder if you’re used to a teacher. It’s really easy to slack off. I regret getting home schooled and that’s why I went back to public high school. I wish I could go back in time and stop myself from enrolling. Enjoy high school. Those four years fly by really fast. Sleeping and waking up late sounds awesome but it gets really boring being at home. You’ll miss seeing your friends everyday. Vanessa

These courses cost money and it’s just better to go to school so you have friends and can meet the ladies. John C