Questions for homeschooling families

[trcy]

Based on recent events and current talks, I am toying with the idea of homeschooling. Please note, I don’t want this to be a political discussion at all. I am just looking for information on homeschooling. I never had any desire to homeschool, so this is way out of my comfort zone. Our state has a virtual school, so I think that would be a good bridge for me. But questions for those that homeschool...
How do you handle the socialization needs for your DC? I am an introvert, I’d be fine with little social interaction. But DD is the total opposite. Her social bucket is huge and takes a lot to fill.
How do you handle distractions? DS is two and we have a puppy. My day is spent making sure neither DS or the puppy are getting hurt and not destroying the house. There is a lot going on and I worry this isn’t the best learning environment. I wouldn’t even think of doing this until next school year (DD would be going into second grade) so DS and the puppy would be older, but still...lots of distractions.
How do you know your DC is learning everything they need? With the state’s virtual school, students still need to take the state’s standardized tests, which I’m not crazy about but at least I’d know where’s she’s at. But I’d hate for her to fall behind and not realize it. She’s a smart kid.
DD can be quite difficult. Sometimes I need a break from her. I know that sounds terrible. I love her dearly, but she is very intense, strong willed and again needs a lot of attention. If you have a DC like that, how do you handle it?
Also what is a typical day like when homeschooling? From my understanding with the virtual school, there is only one online video chat per week. How you spend your time is up to you.
Anything else I should know?
TIA!


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[megs4413]

Start by looking at the laws in your state: https://hslda.org/laws/

Then, try to find a homeschooling group in your area. They will have information on local co-ops and the like for socialization opportunities. I would start looking on facebook. There are TONS of groups usually depending on where you live.

I don't know anything about virtual school. Sorry.

You will find that a homschooler's day can vary extremely from family to family. Every family has their own educational philosophy and goals.

I do have a 4yo and just got a puppy, so I can talk about distractions a little. They're real. But, when you homeschool 1 on 1 (or in my case 1 on 2) you accomplish a lot more in a shorter amount of time than in a traditional classroom. We're not doing 7 hour days here. I would say at the second grade level, we accomplished everything we wanted for a day in about 3 hours.

HTH!

[squimp]

My kiddo is also an extrovert and I cannot imagine homeschooling her. Since she was 18 months, she liked to be in people. But in our area there are quite a few homeschoolers and they have a network of activities and social activities. Many kids play sports, orchestra and other activities at the schools. So I think it is possible to have lots of social experiences as a homeschooler. I agree that it is important to seek out the local community.

[Melaine]

Great questions. My girls have gone from being mega shy to being omniverts, but my son is a huge extrovert. If you are concerned about socialization I would challenge you to think about it as parent-led education v. homeschooling. The term "homeschooling" really trips people up sometimes because they picture 5 days a week being alone at the kitchen table from 8-3 and I don't know anyone who educates that way. Socialization is not an issue for us. Most of the homeschoolers I know have tons of outlets and activities. We end up working on school in the car sometimes because our schedule is so full. We have weekly activities: music, sports, church, scout-type meetings. We also have a university model hybrid program that my children attend two days a week from 8-3. We also do a lot of park, museum, aquarium, zoo, library trips. I consider myself the facilitator of my children's education rather than simply a teacher. That takes a little bit of the pressure off me and frees me up to seek learning opportunities for them outside of our home. I don't have to be the best at teaching every subject (luckily!). The resources for homeschoolers are so abundant that you can choose to do it however you want to.
As far as distractions, it's definitely a juggling act. I honestly think the distractions are much more of an issue for me, as the mom, than it is for my kids. Public school classrooms are full of distractions too. But homeschooling allows your child to become more independent as a learner, so they (theoretically) should rely less and less on mom as they go. We can adjust as needed to personalize the curriculum and environment to best suit our needs. It means teaching outside on a beautiful day, having learning conversations at the grocery store, talking about science while doing chores, etc. The homeschooler doesn't limit learning to the classroom which opens up a broader, more realistic definition of learning.
How do we know if they are learning everything? I started standardized testing in 3rd grade just to keep tabs. Also since they are in a traditional classroom two days a week we have plenty of communication with their teachers so it's easy to get an idea of where they fall in the "pack".
I do find it draining to be with my kids so much, but I would struggle being separated from them also. Homeschooling has been about adjustments and learning for both the kids and me. For me it's learning about self-care as well as knowing my own limits, learning to say "no" to the unnecessary obligations, learning to really rest, balance etc. It's similar to being a SAHM in an extended sense.
Our typical day is starting early because my kids wake early. We "eat the frog" and do the subjects they are dreading the most first thing, then go on to the favorite subjects. Our goal is to be done by lunch. It's rare for us to school after 2 pm. You will find so many people do it differently! Flexibility is the best part about it!
I should also say that I was homeschooled K-12, which does give me confidence that homeschooling is absolutely an excellent option. Of course it is not the best for every person, every time but I think every parent should consider it an option. Feel free to PM me!

PS I haven't heard great things about the virtual schools available. I don't know anyone who has done it more than one year.

[craftysierra]

We home schooled for 4 years with virtual schools and my kids went back to traditional schools 3 years ago. DH wanted the kids in "normal" school. I was ready to change to a less structures method we used k12 and Connections through a local school so we had meetups and field trips with them. We also took a PE class at the park and parks & rec classes on and off. I liked the structure of the Virtual school to beginning with since I had 4 kids and had no previous experience or exposure to homeschooling. It had pros and cons, but any method will.

[KpbS]

Another homeschooling family here. First year to have all 3 DC at home. They have all attended traditional schools in the past.

When I just had one homeschooling years ago, I had my toddler at MDO 2/3 mornings a week and while the baby napped, we worked. That schedule worked well that year. I love preschool and MDO for the little ones. Some homeschoolers aren't big on the idea, but for me it gave me a chance to focus uninterrupted with my older one(s) while the younger one played with peers.

On socializing, my DC go to co-ops (classes outside of the house) all day, 2-3 days a week. They take Latin, Grammar, Writing, Geography, History, Bible, Math, Science, Music, Art, etc. The days we are at home, they have assigned work for each day to be working on, due on the following week. In addition to their classes (composed of 11-19 other students) they are involved in Scouts, basketball/football/swimming (depending on the season), church youth groups, library book clubs (homeschool groups), art classes, piano lessons, and ran cross country. They have more time for socializing due to fewer homework demands.

And I LOVE having no homework. My kids get the work done and it is done. If they drag their feet, it takes longer. And if my 7th grader hasn't finished his work for the week, he doesn't have any social plans on the weekends until it is done.

We have a set routine to our week and days. My kids know what is expected of them each day, what their assignments are for their work. We too get started early and enjoy having more free time. No carpool/drop off times, no homework, extra projects, no fundraisers, and they are exposed to fewer germs and sick less often as a result.

We have a virtual school here, but have not participated. Another option for easing into homeschooling is to do what some call and all-in-one or boxed curriculum. These types are from one provider and have each subject included for your child's grade. I agree with pp suggestion of finding some homeschoolers local to you and asking what type of curriculum they are using (looking at it yourself) and getting recommendations from some local groups. There are SO MANY curricula to chose from--it is amazing! Lots of great options. PM me if you'd like to chat more.

[nmosur]

Check out the forums at welltrainedmind.com. It is a discussion group for homeschoolers.

[trcy]

Thanks all!
I’m still on the fence, but if they start arming teachers I will definitely home school. That is my line in the sand.
I want to try it this summer to get a feel for the process while the stakes are low. This is not an option with my state’s virtual school. Is there a program you’d recommend for this purpose?


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