DECIDING IF HOMESCHOOLING IS RIGHT FOR YOU | KAIROS GLOBAL | SEPTEMBER 2019

Author: Dr Annilyn Sebastian

Intro: Primarily focusing on the US context, Dr Annilyn Sebastian lays out the ways to consider whether home education is the best for your child and family.

Homeschooling is a lifestyle which incorporates the education of children at home (or anywhere!) by their parents. Today around the world although education at school is considered to be the de-facto standard, up until the 19^th century, education was mostly provided at home in most cases and US was no exception.

In the US, up until the 19th century, homeschooling was the norm, until states started passing compulsory attendance laws. In 1970 an American educator John Holt challenged the idea that the formal school system provided the best place for children to learn. As a result, parents started withdrawing their kids from public school and more and more families resorted to educating them at homes. By 1980s, homeschooling emerged as an organized public movement and in 1983, the Homeschool Legal Defense Association was formed, which provided necessary financial and legal backup for homeschool families. Today, homeschooling has become part of the mainstream, and is legal in all 50 states in the US. 

There are numerous benefits to homeschooling, both academic and non-academic. Though homeschooling may have crossed the minds of many, there are some who do not know where to start or how to proceed. I thought of putting together some points that might help decide if homeschooling is right for you!

First of all, if you are considering homeschooling, it is good to address the following points:

(1) Homeschooling does require sacrifice and dedication. Am I willing to devote time that is required to homeschool?

(2) Am I enthusiastic about teaching my children?

(3) Will I be dedicated to seek out opportunities and avail of them?

(4) Certainly, understanding God’s will in your life to homeschool, is something to be discerned in prayer.

(5) It is also most successful when both spouses are on board. If both spouses are not fully supportive, it might be something to reconsider.

I am deciding to Homeschool. What do I do next?

There are some things that are required to do on a legal aspect. And some others that are highly encouraged to do for a smoother homeschooling experience. (The steps provided are in the context of homeschooling in the US. You might have to look up what the procedure is for different countries.)

Let’s start with the legal aspects (REQUIRED).

1. Look up state requirements for Homeschooling and follow the requirements. Most requirements are posted in the Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) website.  Though Homeschooling is legal in all 50 US states, there are several states that impose some restrictions. So make sure you check this out! 

(2) If the child is being pulled out from public school (even if they had started going to school before the compulsory attendance age of usually 6 years),  you will need to submit a Letter of Intent to Homeschool to the local school district.

Now that the legalities are taken care of, let’s see what we can do for a smoother homeschooling experience:

1)It is very helpful to be plugged into a local homeschool group. Even if the group is little far from where you live, if it’s the only group available in your area, it is still advised that you request to join, as you can get support through email. Homeschool groups are basically groups of homeschool families who live in the area. Most groups tend to communicate through social media groups. Once you get contact info for the group, you can request to join. The groups are moderated by families within the group.  

Once you are accepted, you can post any concerns, questions or other advice you need, and someone is bound to help! Also information regarding social activities, field trips, curriculum and other relevant topics are usually circulated in the groups. 

If you live close by, it is worth trying to make the effort to meet up with some of the veteran homeschoolers in the group. This can be very helpful especially in the initial stages. 

To find groups in your area, you can check the groups listed in your region in the HSLDA (It may not be completely updated though). You can also just do an online search (with keywords like “local homeschool groups in Houston” and so on).

2) Learn about Different Homeschooling Styles (Traditional, Classical, Charlotte Mason based, Unit studies, Eclectic etc). Again HSLDA has info on the different styles. You can also just do a search online. This is important to understand that the purpose of homeschooling is not to replicate the traditional classroom at home. You have the freedom to choose from a variety of different approaches that match your style and educational philosophies. 

3) Identify your child’s learning style. (visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic, verbal). This will be helpful in the long run. You don’t need it to get started. 

4) Research Homeschool Curriculum and select. There are numerous options for curriculum that it is very easy to get overwhelmed. 

Some questions to ask might be:

• Do you want to go with a pre-set curriculum? 

• Do you want to enroll with a Curriculum Provider? 

• Do you want to put together your own curriculum? 

• Do you want to pursue a Catholic curriculum?

A lot of info on choosing curriculum as well as information of different publishers are listed in the HSLDA website.

Some examples of Catholic curriculum providers include 

• The Angelicum Academy Homeschool

• Seton Homeschool

• Kolbe Academy 

• Catholic Heritage Curriculum

• Mother of Divine Grace 

•  Our Lady of the Rosary. 

Choosing curriculum can be the most overwhelming yet fun part of homeschooling. So make sure you allocate plenty of time into looking at the different options that might suit your family. 

If there is a local homeschool conference coming up, it would be good to attend, as they will have vendor halls where you would usually be able to check out curriculum. You can also check if there are local homeschool bookstores. 

I have been putting together my own curriculum from a variety of different publishers and homeschool methods, as it gives me flexibility to customize curriculum to the unique needs and passions of the individual child, as well as maintain the freedom to pursue what works for us and not be tied to a certain curriculum that doesn’t really work. (My go-to website for researching curriculum is ‘Cathy Duffy Reviews’. Reviews are also available at ‘Homeschool Curriculum Reviews’)

5) Once you select a curriculum, you will need to purchase the curriculum. If you are enrolling with a provider, you can follow their suggestions on how to enroll. 

If you are putting together your own curriculum, you can buy new books from the publisher's website. Or you can purchase used curriculum from Amazon, eBay, Cathswap (a yahoogroup in USA where people sell mostly used Catholic curriculum. It is a moderated group and you would need to request to become a member). Most homeschool conferences and homeschool bookstores will also have a used curriculum section. 

6) Lesson Planning- If you are enrolling with a provider, they will include lesson plans. If not, you the teacher, will be making lesson plans! You will need to determine how much work will need to be completed daily, as well as over the course of the year.  

7) Start homeschooling! You do not need to start on any particular day or follow the public school schedule. You are the teacher/ principal of your homeschool, and you get to decide when to start! Make sure to keep the records and attendance sheets your state requires!

Also it is important to understand that there are no teacher certifications that are required to homeschool. You being the parent, makes you the most qualified person to homeschool your children. Pretty much, the only 3 criteria that are necessary to homeschool are that 

• you are a loving and capable parent, 

• you know how to read, and 

• you know the basics of math! 

I'm sure that would be a relief to many!

Hoping you will be able to discern if homeschooling is right for you!

Dr Annilyn Sebastian, an MD Pathologist by profession, is currently a stay-at-home-mom. She lives in Houston, USA, with her husband Dr Anup Skaria and eight children. They homeschool their children.