Merry Meet!

I was wondering are there any parents here who homeschool? The reason is that I am considering it for my daughter who is currently in the fourth grade at a public school here in Indiana. Jennifer is miserable and I do not like seeing her that way any more! She has ADHD and she says the other kids are mean and hateful to her. She also tells me that her teacher yells at her and is impatient with her when she does not understand something and tries to ask questions. I remember what it was like for me and I do not want her to go through it. I also have ADHD, so I know first-hand how she feels. If any of you are homeschooling, can you tell me about it and do you have any suggestions?

Adiana

Adiana, I have homeschooled in the past and i'm seriously considering taking my son back out of school to continue homeschooling. He's in the 8th grade now and he is just having a hard time dealing with certain kids in his school and we are having a problem with the principal too! The first thing you have to do to homeschool your daughter is find out what the process is of going about it. When we lived in NY, all I had to do was send a letter of intent to the superintendent of the school. They then sent me a packet of info to fill out, it included an outline of what you are going to be teaching and how you would be testing her. They send you a list of what each grade is supposed to learn and how many "credits" you get for it. Now that I"m in MI, all I have to do is let the school know my intentions, and I pull my son out of school and we learn whatever we want. There are laws that can help homeschooling parents and there are a lot of web sites you can go to for curriculum. I don't know if I can post addresses here, so email me if you would like to know more. Good Luck!

Adiana, I'm such an idiot! I forgot to put my email address in the last post. It's newaygopagans@yahoo.com Blessed Be!

WillowRain,

Thanks for your email address and your ideas. I did find out that in Indiana you let the superintendent know and the only other thing that you have to do is keep compulsory attendance records. In Indiana, you have to make sure that you are teaching your child for 180 days which is the public school equivalent. The reason for these records is so that if the superintendant asks for them, you have them. I am glad to note that Indiana is one of the best states to live in if one plans to homeschool their children. I also found out about a homeschooling group here in Anderson where I live and I will be calling the coordinator of this group as well.

Adiana

I find this all very interesting. I thought that there were set regulations for all states, but it does make sense that there wouldn't be. My boys are a bit too young to worry too much about this (there 2 and 1 years) but I would like to homeschool them. Also, we're getting custody of my stepson, too, soon. He's been having trouble in school, and if things don't go well in the school we enroll him in here, we'll have no choice but to homeschool him.

I've heard that there is a test, too, that the parent(s) need to take in order to be able to homeschool their kid(s)? I'm really clueless on this subject and would really appreciate any info, too.[grin] I'll have a go at google, too, and see what I can find for WI.

Namaste,
Damianna

Damianna, I haven't had to take a test and i've homeschooled in NY and MI. I would double check that with your school. It is very important to keep good records when homeschooling. I'm sorry that I forgot to metion that before. Also, there are going to be people that try to talk you out of doing this for fear of keeping the kids form proper socialization. I say that's bull. The kids can meet other kids through pre-planned events with other homeschoolers and going to the library for story time or going to dance class, karate, music lessons etc... Don't let others try to change your mind about this. There are alot of colleges that are looking for kids that have been homeschooled because they have better grades and such. Good Luck to both of you. If you have any other questions, just ask. Blessings!

Just wanted to let you know that there's two older threads on this forum about homeschooling located here:

http://www.cauldronliving.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?action=forum&board=paganparents& op=display&num=1902

http://www.cauldronliving.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?action=forum&board=paganparents& op=display&num=927

I'll leave this thread open as well, but you might want to read through the other two for the info that's posted there. [smile]

I homeschooled my children for seven years back when it was in it's more 'pioneering' days.
I wish I could remember the name of it.. but, there are 'cover' schools that you can join. They take care of everything with your local school district for you and will even keep school records and grades. It's all legitimate.
I would say that most homeschooled kids are MORE social than others. Look for local homeschooling groups. There are some that are strictly Christian and others that are eclectic.
We would not only get together for outings, but also.. one day a week, we would rent a boys club for gym and during the winter, we would enroll them in ski/snowboarding school at our local mountain. It was wonderful to get the homeschooling kids together and good for the Moms to share tips and stuff.
There are homeschooling catalogs out there... there are SO MANY resources..it's unreal..for all different teaching styles.
I enjoyed it so much. It was very fulfilling. And, your relationship with your children ends up being very close.

My daughter homeschooled all eight of her children. The 2 oldest have graduated from high school and are entering college in the fall. IM me and I will give you contact information for her. she's always ready to help other home school Moms. There are also cyber schools out there. My youngest son and two oldest granddaughters graduated from The Pa. Leadership Charter school. They took all their classes over the computer. The school had class trips, prom and a graduation ceremony. School provided internet computer and textbooks free.

Hello there.

So, although I am not a mother, or even a parent, I am a home schooled child.

I've been Home schooled my entire life, excluding six weeks of kindergarden. I was bored out of my mind.

I think that this is probably the very best think you can do for your children, and I commend you for taking on that responsibility.

a few things you might want to do, is google for your state Home School Coalition. I live in texas, and we have one, so I'm assuming that every state has one.
but I may be wrong, no harm in looking though.

if you do have one, then they will be more than happy to help you get set up, and going. they can also offer legal advice, as far as the public school system and such.

In texas for instance, the public schools can NOT call CPS for a parent home schooling, they also can NOT demand, or even request a curriculum. it is up to the parent's discretion. Home Schooling, is considered to be a Private School here.. but the case may be different in your state.

Brightest blessings, and again, my respect. you have taken on quite a burden.