Home Schooling 101

Home based schooling has been around for many years as more and more families choose this method in spite of public schooling.

A home based school is the place where children, teenagers or adults are taught at home by one or both parents(or family) without any influence from public school systems. This method is legal in all 50 US states even though each state has its own rules and guidelines about the process.

To get started right away, you first need to do a little research so you can be aware of all the laws that apply to you and find out what you need to do to get the curriculum as fast as possible.

If you are new to this process, looking for a support group would be a great idea, as you are not alone out there. This group will allow you to meet with other homeschooling parents who already have some experience and can help you get started on the right track.
Each member can give you his or her view on teaching techniques, curriculums and learning hours.

Another very important aspect that you need to consider is organizing everything you need in home based schooling. Your child needs to be as comfortable as possible, and that is why you need to have the different learning materials organized in a proper place where he can have an easy access to them. Children will respond very positive to an organized learning environment as this will point out that his education is top priority.

Even though you are saving a lot of money by not sending your child to a private or public school, you should set a budget for this process as there are many books and materials you can buy to make the learning experience much easier for both of you.

Multi-Age Home Schooling is all about providing your child/teen with the best possible learning experience and you should strive to make this as easy for him as possible.

Grading In Homeschooling

Grading in homeschooling is done by the teacher-in-charge. In most

of the cases, this means mom! In this situation, grading can get a

bit tricky because it can be a little difficult to grade your own

child. There is no benchmark against which you can evaluate your

child's performance. In most cases, you also have no awareness of

how well other children are doing. So, obviously the traditional

method of grading is perhaps not the best method to follow.

When grading a child undergoing homeschooling, it is more

important to assess whether the child has understood the subject

that is being taught. Inherent in this is the fact that if the

child has not understood something, you will go over it again.

This will work in your child's favor in 2 ways. Firstly, the child

knows that if he or she fails to catch on, the topic will be

repeated till it is mastered. Secondly, the child also knows that

once the topic has been mastered, he or she will get full credit

for his hard work. Getting full reward for the hard work put in is

a great motivational factor, especially for kids.

When assessing your child's abilities, do not allow emotions to

overcrowd your rationale. Do not yield to the cries and tears of

your child if he or she resists certain topics or subjects. If

mastering these skills is necessary, then you as the teacher (and

not as the parent alone) have to go over the topic over and over

till it sinks in. When dealing with tougher concepts, the child

may get restless and may even show frustration or belligerence.

When the child is still young and unable to understand the

importance of his lessons, it is your responsibility to see to it

that the child develops the skill set necessary for future growth.

In case you belong to a state that requires yearly tests, this

will help you to judge your child's ability vis-à-vis his peers.

Even if it is not mandatory, you may want to test your child every

year. These tests will reveal the variations in the child's

learning pattern. It may show up unexpected areas of strength and

hitherto unknown areas of weakness. This enables you to structure

your teaching to cover the areas that are weak, and build upon the

areas that are strong.

In case your state requires a homeschool report card, keep a

record of the yearly development and scores of your child. Include

pertinent areas like punctuality, discipline etc in the report.

You may also need to keep a record of the number of working days

and attendance schedules.

While grading your child, make sure that you use as many external

tests as possible. There are several websites that deal with the

various age groups, and allow free downloading of question papers.

This is an excellent and cost-effective method to assess your

child. Homeschooling, if done in the proper manner, will boost the

child's confidence because he will be studying to satisfy his

natural curiosity. The scores therefore will reflect his true

intelligence.

Structure the School Year

Now that you have begun your homeschooling schedule, there are

various questions that trouble you. Should you study continuously,

take a number of short breaks or a long vacation? What about

public holidays? When should you take a break?

The answer to these questions and many more like these are

actually quite simple: Do whatever suits you best. This is one of

the appealing benefits of homeschooling. You do not have a set

pattern to follow. You do not HAVE to take that autumn break, or

close shop for a prolonged summer vacation. Flexibility is the key

here.

For some practiced unschoolers, even a definite curriculum

is not necessary because lessons are a part of their day- to-day

life. But this may not be the case with beginners. Beginners may

need to chart out their activities to fall into a pattern.

Before you plan the structure of your classes, consider some of

the most important issues.

What method of homeschooling will you be following, what is your teaching style and your child's

learning style, what are the work and play schedules, what are

your vacation plans. Some families plan small 1-week vacations at

different times of the year. Other families prefer to go away for

a month or more. Consult with the members of your family, and

chart out a holiday schedule that most suits you.

There are some positive benefits in following the traditional

summer vacation schedule. Firstly, your children can benefit from

the various summer activities, camps and classes. Your child's

schedule will coincide with that of his school-going friends. A

summer job may be possible.

A longish summer break also means that both parents as well as children get a break from their daily lessons. This could also be a major drawback, as it is sometimes difficult to get back on track once the classes resume.

On the other hand, there are some advantages to taking numerous

small breaks in the course of a year. Firstly, children do not get

bored since they get time to explore other interests. You can

cover more topics in the extra time that you save. You can also

take family trips and vacations during the less popular periods of

travel.

This means lesser crowd and better prices. But beware if

your child becomes restless when other children are enjoying their

long summer vacations.

As far as homeschooling is concerned, you and your family are the

people in charge. Taking care of the individual needs of the child

is the primary focus of this system. So, tailor the school year to

suit your child's needs.

Periodic evaluation is a must. Set some realistic goals and see if you are able to achieve these goals.

Most importantly, avoid burnout - both in yourself and your children.