Getting Started in Homeschooling
WATCH welcomes you to the wonderful world of
home-education. It is our prayer that you will find this season in the
life of your family better than you ever imagined. To that end, we are
providing you with some answers to FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)
as well as links to help you surf the internet with skill and purpose!
Remember: YOU CAN DO IT! Throughout the year WATCH
will have opportunities to encourage and educate you as you homeschool
your children. In the meantime, we encourage you to seek out experienced homeschoolers for
advice a practical tips. WATCH sponsors events throughout the year
that are geared towards encouraging you in your homeschooling journey.
We hope to see you at a WATCH event this year!
You can also contact us at leadership@WATCHhome.org with questions , and someone will be happy to get in touch with you.
Visit You Can Homeschool for wonderful information and useful tips on getting started.
Blessings!
Bill Waring, WATCH Board President
What is Homeschooling?
There are several ways to find homeschool support on the web. But
first for newbies & the curious, what exactly is homeschooling?
Homeschooling means to educate your children at home rather then in public or private school. It exists in a myriad of ways:
Unschooling or child-led education is when you follow your children's natural interests & curiosities to educate them.
School at home is when you purchase the textbooks for all subjects & follow much the same ideology put in practice in traditional school.
Another approach that is gaining in popularity called the Classical Approach or Trivium.
This approach goes back to the old ways of teaching, concentrating on
the basics, classic languages such as Latin & Greek, & higher
order thinking skills.
The Montessori Method is named after its founder, Maria Montessori. This method is very natural & uses a lot of manipulatives.
Unit studies
are a way of integrating most, if not all subjects under a single topic
of study. For example, if you were studying Ancient Greece, you would
cover the history of ancient Greece, the science of the time period,
practice writing skills through reports, short stories, etc. based on
what you have learned, & you may practice reading by reading the
mythology of the times.
Many people also use a mixture of the above or sign up with a satellite school
which can perform different tasks or help you with different tasks for
your homeschool, such as designing a curriculum, having the security of
a teacher you can communicate with, writing transcripts, etc.
REPORT FROM CHRIS KLICKA 9/17/2005
Just Released: The Annual ACT Scores
8075 home school
graduates took the ACT college entrance exam this year. They scored an
average of 22.5 and comprised about 1 percent of those who took the
exam.
The national average was 20.9.
Chris spoke with the
ACT representatives and they said the homeschoolers scored
"significantly higher" than the national average. (www.act.org)
- 1. Are parents qualified to teach their children?
Answer:
Yes, most parents have what it takes to homeschool their children.
Parents love their children more and know them better than anyone else.
They also want the best for their children. It is this love, knowledge
and desire that makes the parent well suited to be the teacher for
their children. That said, it does take effort to learn how to
homeschool. The first thing we study is our children. The better we
understand them, the better we will be able to teach them. We also need
to study educational philosophies, learning styles, curricula (what
kind and what's available) and how to teach different subjects. So,
parents who love their children and are willing to put forth the effort
make the best teachers for their children.
- 2. What about socialization?
Answer: This
is one of the most commonly asked questions about homeschooling. The
truth is that homeschoolers are generally better socialized than
children who go to institutional schools. Parents are the best
socializers, teaching their children how to get along with others. Many
people have the misconception that homeschoolers are isolated and kept
away from other children. This is not true for most homeschoolers.
Homeschoolers have many opportunities weekly to be with people outside
their family. One difference is that homeschoolers have an opportunity
to socialize with people of all ages, not just their age mates.
Therefore they learn to get along with different ages. The age barrier
is not as strong with homeschooled children as it usually is with
children who go to school. Studies bear this truth out. There have been
several studies to evaluate the socialization of homeschooled children
and they have all shown that the homeschooled students have social
skills on a par with or better than students taught in a classroom.
Homeschool students tend to be more inclusive of people who are
different from themselves, and homeschool graduates believe that
homeschooling better prepared them to engage the real world.
- 3. When can we start homeschooling?
Answer:
That depends on what you really mean by that question. If you mean when
can you actually start working with your child, that process begins at
birth. As you parent your child, doing all of the things that a good
parent should do, you are homeschooling. There are appropriate learning
activities at all ages, and there are books available to teach a parent
about these stages of development and what can be done at each stage.
The time to start book work, such as reading, writing and arithmetic
depends on the readiness of your child. In Oregon, the compulsory
attendance age is seven. Inn Washington, it is eight. So, if you have
started in the early years, the year that your child turns seven or
eight you need to notify the state that you are opening a homeschool.
For older children, it is recommended that you notify the state in the
middle of the summer before the school year starts.
- 4. Where do we get our books?
Answer:
Homeschoolers generally get their curriculum and other resources from
two main sources, book fairs and catalogs. There are a few bookstores
that carry homeschool materials; check with a local support group about
this availability. Don't forget the public library. Wise homeschoolers
will get to know how to use and what's available at their library. We
are their best patrons. Annual curriculum exhibits are also run
throughout the region. The internet has become an invaluable tool for
buying used curriculum and other wonderful Homeschooling tools. Ebay
and Addall.com are among the favorites. Be sure to ask a seasoned
homeschooler where he or she buys her books!
- 5. How do I know what books to buy?
Answer:
There is no simple answer to this question. There are many good
products for homeschoolers to consider. Homeschool parents must study
and research to determine the best curriculum for their family. There
are books that describe the resources available. It is a good idea to
talk to other homeschoolers about what has been successful and
unsuccessful for them. Parents need to select leaning materials that
fit their child's learning style and their family. Be sure to check out
our curriculum link on this site for wonderful links as well.
Washington Legal Home Schooling
Compulsory School Age "eight years of age and under eighteen years of age"
Establish and operate a home school
Attendance:180 days or in grades 1-12 "an annual average total instructional hour offering of one thousand hours."
Subjects:Occupational
education, science, math, language, social studies, history, health,
reading, writing, spelling, music and art appreciation
Qualifications:Either:
1) be supervised by a certified teacher, or 2) have 45 college quarter
credit hours or completed a course in home education, or 3) be deemed
qualified by the local superintendent
Notice:File
an annual notice of intent with the local (or applicable nonresident)
superintendent by September 15 or within two weeks of the start of any
public school quarter
Recordkeeping:Maintain standardized test scores, academic progress assessments, and immunization records
Testing:Annually
administer and retain a state approved standardized test by a qualified
person or have the child evaluated by a certified teacher currently
working in the field of education
