Homeschooling Question

[jacee92]

Ladies, i am seriously considering homeschooling Taylor for the next 2 years and would like to know how you start the process. We are going to let her start school but if it's going to be a repeat of the last 2 years then i'm done with it. I just have no idea how you home school, who you have to contact, what the requirements are, etc.... if any of you can point me in the right direction or have any tips i would appreciate it :)

[vmoon]

http://www.youcanhomeschool.org/star...ult.asp?bhcp=1

I highly recommend homeschooling. We use Alpha and Omega curriculum. There are many more but this is my favorite. Also for grammar.. There is a book called Easy Grammar. Oh my goodness it's wonderful.http://www.aophomeschooling.com/inde...FQUNIgodyHXFqA

http://www.christianbook.com/Christi...FRILIgod8j93rA This book is wonderful too.

[jacee92]

http://www.youcanhomeschool.org/star...ult.asp?bhcp=1

I highly recommend homeschooling. We use Alpha and Omega curriculum. There are many more but this is my favorite. Also for grammar.. There is a book called Easy Grammar. Oh my goodness it's wonderful.http://www.aophomeschooling.com/inde...FQUNIgodyHXFqA

http://www.christianbook.com/Christi...FRILIgod8j93rA This book is wonderful too.

Thank you Viva 2: Looks like alot of good information

[mikalikat]

Check with your state to see if she needs to be tested prior to you starting. She may need testing every year to gauge her progress and to see if she's meeting state standards (imagine, a state having education standards when kids are graduated unable to read). Check out your nearby community college--many have programs for homeschoolers where you can take classes and get college credits for them and they're either free or at a HUGE reduced price. I LOVED aBeka when I homeschooled Kat for 2nd and 3rd grade. I'll be homeschooling Ali, too, and we're starting this fall with some of those little pre-K books. Check out your local library to see if they have any programs for homeschooled kids. Alpha and Omega is terrific. Here, and back in Denver, we had a business that actually was like a homeschool thrift store where you could buy used cirriculum from other homeschooling families. Check with some of your churches in the area to find other homeschooling families and you might be able to barter or buy their used books for cheap.

In your search engine type in Homeschooling and be prepared to spend literally days on end finding all sorts of nuggets of information--have FUN! I can't wait to get Ali started. Katherine did really well the two years I homeschooled her. Taylor will benefit so much and she'll bypass so much of the garbage from school and her peers.

[jacee92]

Lori, did you homeschool Katherine her last two years and if you did what did you say to the school? Just "i'm taking her out and homeschooling her"? That's what i'm not sure about since she has been in the school system do i have to contact anyone, if the need arises, and tell them i'm doing it or do i just do it?

That's a great idea on the college credits too, thanks. Sounds like i have a load of research to do and should've asked you ladies about this a month ago :) I did see from the link Viva gave me that Illinois really has no requirements for homeschooling so that's good news

[mikalikat]

No, just homeschooled her for second and third, but whoa, nelly! I had a toe-to-toe-nose-to-nose argument with her teacher who told me basically I was a chromosome step above toilet residue and wasn't qualified to teach my daughter. Oy, it was a lovely fight and you all know I love a good debate. Katherine had been put on Ritalin in Kindergarten, one of a gazillion kids, and it did NOTHING for her. She's just a dingbat! Sorry to be so blunt, but she was! By the time I was parent-helping in second grade, she could not write her name, could not add or subtract, could not read, her desk looked like Nagasaki after the bombing and the teacher WOULD NOT let me do any one-on-one with her. So, we had the WWE Smackdown, the teacher and I, the teacher lost, we flushed the pills down the toilet, took the summer off and started in September. By November, she was reading at her level, memorized all 50 state capitals, was honing her world geography skills and had mastered long division. I did have her tested, but to be quite honest, much of the time we flew beneath the radar, as most homeschooling families do. It comes from a desire to NOT have the beaurocrats not stiring up our lives with their talons.

[jacee92]

No, just homeschooled her for second and third, but whoa, nelly! I had a toe-to-toe-nose-to-nose argument with her teacher who told me basically I was a chromosome step above toilet residue and wasn't qualified to teach my daughter. Oy, it was a lovely fight and you all know I love a good debate. Katherine had been put on Ritalin in Kindergarten, one of a gazillion kids, and it did NOTHING for her. She's just a dingbat! Sorry to be so blunt, but she was! By the time I was parent-helping in second grade, she could not write her name, could not add or subtract, could not read, her desk looked like Nagasaki after the bombing and the teacher WOULD NOT let me do any one-on-one with her. So, we had the WWE Smackdown, the teacher and I, the teacher lost, we flushed the pills down the toilet, took the summer off and started in September. By November, she was reading at her level, memorized all 50 state capitals, was honing her world geography skills and had mastered long division. I did have her tested, but to be quite honest, much of the time we flew beneath the radar, as most homeschooling families do. It comes from a desire to NOT have the beaurocrats not stiring up our lives with their talons.

That teacher obviously didn't know who she was going up against

[mikalikat]

I forgot to mention that you might want to contact the school and see where her credits are and see what she needs in credits per subject to graduate. Also, I'd contact a local homeschooling organization in town and pick their brains.

[LivnForChrist]

That teacher obviously didn't know who she was going up against

No she didn't!

[jacee92]

I forgot to mention that you might want to contact the school and see where her credits are and see what she needs in credits per subject to graduate. Also, I'd contact a local homeschooling organization in town and pick their brains.

Well i took Taylor to registration for school today and on the way to the car she says "are you sure you can't just homeschool me?" Little does she know mom is preparing to do just that if needed.

I just googled for a homeschooling organization here in Illinois and found a great Christian homeschooling site that will set us up with a local support group.

[mattfivefour]

Well i took Taylor to registration for school today and on the way to the car she says "are you sure you can't just homeschool me?" Little does she know mom is preparing to do just that if needed.

If needed? Have you seen what they are teaching kids today? Have you seen the Godless curriculums so loved by our educators? Have you any knowledge of the strong humantistic (and anti-Christian, anti-bible) views of most teachers? Have you seen the characters of the kids—raised without any knowledge of God—in the schools? Do you really want your daughter to be in that environment for hour after hour, day after day, through the most formative years of her life? My daughter home schooled her three children. My son will his. And those Christian friends of mine who are not homeschooling are sending their kids to Christian schools. Personally I would not want a child of mine in today's secular school system. Sister, if you have the ability to have her at home and teach her there, then by all means please—for her sake—home school her. :prayer

[Blood Washed]

Each state has their own requirements. In Ohio we had to write to the Superintendent of the Board of Education of our intent. We also had to tell them what curriculum we were going to be using.
We used Abeka, which I highly recommend.

[mikalikat]

Well i took Taylor to registration for school today and on the way to the car she says "are you sure you can't just homeschool me?" Little does she know mom is preparing to do just that if needed.

I just googled for a homeschooling organization here in Illinois and found a great Christian homeschooling site that will set us up with a local support group.

Oh, sweetie, I would highly recommend it. Girls, especially, at this age are just horrific to each other. Their's so much garbage going on that many of them can't focus on work because you have to watch your back. Ugh. I hate this age......it can be so tough.

[niemand]

If needed? Have you seen what they are teaching kids today? Have you seen the Godless curriculums so loved by our educators? Have you any knowledge of the strong humantistic (and anti-Christian, anti-bible) views of most teachers? Have you seen the characters of the kids—raised without any knowledge of God—in the schools? Do you really want your daughter to be in that environment for hour after hour, day after day, through the most formative years of her life? My daughter home schooled her three children. My son will his. And those Christian friends of mine who are not homeschooling are sending their kids to Christian schools. Personally I would not want a child of mine in today's secular school system. Sister, if you have the ability to have her at home and teach her there, then by all means please—for her sake—home school her. :prayer

As a public school teacher, I can't let this pass without a comment. One of the first things I teach my students is that generalizations make weak arguments, and your quote is full of them. I am sorry that you apparently have had bad experiences with the public schools in your area, but to then condemn all public schools and public school teachers is simply not fair. How can you possibly know what the curriculum of every public school is or what the beliefs of every public school teacher are? You do not know me, what my beliefs are or what I teach. I teach literature and composition. We read works by many authors with a strong religious background, including John Donne and John Milton. I start the year with Beowulf, one of the oldest surviving works of literature originally written in the English language. One of the things I stress to the students is the influence of Christianity on what was originally a pagan work. It is impossible to teach British literature, from Chaucer to Dickens, without running across numerous allusions to Christianity. I even teach the first three chapters of Genesis, to date without a single complaint. I have nothing against homeschooling. It works well for many, many people. Each parent needs to decide for him or herself what works best for them and their children. I'm grateful that we live in a country where people have the right to choose to homeschool if they wish. However, I get very frustrated when I read comments that paint all public schools and public school teachers with the same brush. Not all public schools are anti-Christian, not all teachers are Godless heathens and not all public school students are unbridled savages. I am very proud of my school and the fine students that I have had the privilege and honor to teach. Thanks for letting me vent. And good luck to the original poster as you enter the world of homeschooling!:)

[mattfivefour]

As a public school teacher, I can't let this pass without a comment. One of the first things I teach my students is that generalizations make weak arguments, and your quote is full of them. I am sorry that you apparently have had bad experiences with the public schools in your area, but to then condemn all public schools and public school teachers is simply not fair. <SNIP> Not all public schools are anti-Christian, not all teachers are Godless heathens and not all public school students are unbridled savages. I am very proud of my school and the fine students that I have had the privelege and honor to teach. Thanks for letting me vent. And good luck to the original poster as you enter the world of homeschooling!:)

Hi niemand,

Yes, you are quite correct: generalizations by their definition make poor arguments. Wasn't it Dumas who said, "All generalizations are dangerous, even this one?" (Although I prefer Mark Twain's version: "All generalizations are false, including this one.")

In any case, I wasn't trying to argue a point so much as offer an observation. Maybe down in the US your schools are much better examples of Christianity than here in Canada. But I doubt it. My experience as a parent and grandparent, and that of my Christian friends (in the US as well as here), has generally not been positive. I have no doubt that there are some exceptional schools and—more importantly—exceptional teachers in the public system, who accept the reality of the existence of God and the truth of His Word, who value human life, who teach respect for others, and who seek to inculcate those values into their students. We should all applaud those schools and those teachers. I praise God that you were such a teacher. And I apologize for having offended you and teachers like you through my generalizations.

But please allow me to point out that the main argument against public schools that was in my mind—though not overtly articulated in my post—was that they tend to instill and encourage—indirectly as much as directly—secular humanism and anti-Christian intellectualism. And having come out of an ultra humanistic intellectual background, perhaps I am overly sensitive to that.

So kudos to you, niemand. I pray there are a lot more teachers like you in the system!

[niemand]

No offense taken, Mattfivefour! Thanks for the apology. I just needed to vent!

[light4mypath]

Jackie check out HSLDA for info on your state (its the Homeschool Legal Defense Association) I have been a member every since I started homeschooling--Great info on their site---has the state laws and requirements

Laws for your state

[jacee92]

Thanks to all of your wonderful links and suggestions i have looked up a ton of information and have learned that the state of Illinois basically has no laws for homeschooling, which i guess is good news.

The one thing i really do not understand is how does a homeschooled child get her diploma?

[Blood Washed]

Thanks to all of your wonderful links and suggestions i have looked up a ton of information and have learned that the state of Illinois basically has no laws for homeschooling, which i guess is good news.

The one thing i really do not understand is how does a homeschooled child get her diploma?

I'm not sure about how most states do it but in Ohio the students have to take a test to prove that they deserve a diploma. Sadly, only 47 percent of senior high school students in the Cleveland Public School system qualified to get a diploma last year.

The Abeka program actually issues a high school diploma to the students who complete their coursework.

[jacee92]

I'm not sure about how most states do it but in Ohio the students have to take a test to prove that they deserve a diploma. Sadly, only 47 percent of senior high school students in the Cleveland Public School system qualified to get a diploma last year.

The Abeka program actually issues a high school diploma to the students who complete their coursework.

I was looking on the ICHE website and this is what is said:

How do my children get a diploma?
It's all very simple!

First, according to Illinois law, a homeschool is a legal private school.

Secondly, a diploma is simply a paper that states that the student named has successfully completed the course of study prescribed by the school named. In verification of which fact the school officials sign the document.

So, for a homeschooler to receive a diploma it would be the same process as it is for any private school student.

a. The school officials (or, in this case, parents) determine what studies need to be accomplished during certain years.
b. Upon completion of those studies, the school officials (parents) write up a document that states that their student (child) has satisfactorily completed the course of study they have prescribed.
c. They sign the document, and Voila! there is a diploma!

You can create a diploma on your computer, or you can purchase a fancy one and just fill in the blanks. (I know Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) sells a diploma very inexpensively. There are various other places that sell them as well.)

One thing I will note; there is no need for a student to have a diploma! If a student is in need of a college education to persue God's call on his life, a diploma will become more neccessary.

In the state of Illinois there is no testing requirements that have to be done. I am just concerned that colleges and jobs will not recognize a diploma that is printed off my computer and signed by me.