Homeschooling primer

This past June, I breathed a sigh of relief. My children and I had just completed another year of homeschooling. I have to admit, when I took the “teaching position” six years ago I was a bit apprehensive. What if I couldn’t teach them? What if they didn’t learn?

Although I had reservations, I did not go into this cold turkey. Long before I hit the books with my children, I hit the books on homeschooling. For years I researched the topic, asked questions, and watched homeschoolers in action. After nearly a decade of studying the concept, I learned homeschooling is a viable education alternative and can be rewarding for everyone involved.

As nearly all homeschoolers will tell you, there are many benefits associated with educating your children at home including character-building, instilling family values, and academic excellence through a tailor-made education. But is homeschooling for everyone?

“No,” says Linda Ganglemella,12-year homeschooling veteran. There are many ingredients to running a successful homeschool. “The children have to have the right kind of respect for their parents, and the parents have to be parents, even if at times their decisions are unpopular.”

Kate Carpenter, mother of four homeschoolers, agrees. “The children must be properly disciplined, and the parents must have a united front about homeschooling.” She also notes that in most homeschooling families, learning is an integral part of their lives. “They have educationally stimulating activities readily available for their children.”

One of the most important facets of homeschooling is preparing short- and long-term goals. Short-term goals cover a semester or school year; long-term goals may be two to three years. For each child, make a list of subjects he is studying and write down goals for each course. The more specific you are, the closer you will come to meeting your objective.

“It is important for parents to write down goals for their children’s education,” says Kate. “This keeps you focused and gives them something to work toward.”

“As you plan this out, keep in mind that each child is different, so you don’t want a cookie cutter curriculum,” Linda says. “The goal is to give each child what he or she needs to succeed in life.”

”Long-range goals are especially important as kids enter high school,” Kate advises. “It helps get them ready for college.” Although long-term goals help to steer you in the direction you want to head, don’t be afraid to alter your plans. “As you go along, you may find your child has a particular strength or interest you didn’t know about, and that may change your plans.”

One resource parents can draw from to help formulate goals is a “scope and sequence.” This lists various skills and topics children should learn at each grade level in all the major subjects. Most local school districts have them, as well as some support groups and textbook publishers.

The need to stay on top of upcoming subject readings and projects is imperative for successful homeschooling. Some parents plan assignments one week at a time. Others do it well in advance. “I map out where we need to be in, say, two weeks,” says Linda. With her older children—homeschooled through high school—Linda gave them their assignments and let them plan out their own time. “This helped when they went to college. They were already doing it, so it wasn’t such a big adjustment.” But her younger one still needs direction. “I give her things she can work on, but we do a lot of reading together.”

Kate plans out what her children need to accomplish each week but makes room for flexibility. “One day when the weather was nice we bagged school, packed a picnic lunch, and headed for the zoo. It was a great day and gave us a much-needed break.”

Seizing the day is one of the beauties of homeschooling, but it has to be kept in perspective. “You want to be flexible but at the same time practical. Realistically speaking, you can’t take a field trip every day and expect to get the book work done.”

Just as public schools have certain policies and procedures, a successful homeschool needs to establish rules and regulations. “When school is in session, we have specific TV and telephone rules,” explains Kate. “The TV stays off until everyone finishes his or her work, and when the telephone rings, the answering machine picks it up.”

What about domestic chores? “Since I’m right there working with my kids all day, I expect them to help with housework,” Linda says. “It’s part of our day.”

Kate agrees and adds, “I have even had the kids help write out checks to pay the bills. Tell me that’s not a valuable education!”

Just because you are homeschooling doesn’t mean you have to be your child’s only teacher. “This past year, my children and I were part of a co-op. One mother taught art and I did science labs,” Kate remembers. “It made the workload lighter and the kids enjoyed being together.”

“Co-ops can be good and bad,” Linda advises. “You have to know who you are co-oping with and have the same goals, otherwise you won’t get the results you want.” Before establishing a co-op, Linda suggests parents get together to discuss expectations and know what their responsibilities are.

Another good thing about sharing teaching responsibilities is drawing upon the strengths of others. “Co-ops can be a good thing,” she continues. “Having different teachers can broaden kids and bring good role models into their lives. That’s one of the nice things about homeschooling. You can choose who you want to teach your child.”

As much as homeschoolers love teaching their children, there are times when they feel burned out. One of the best ways to combat this is to change the routine. “If I think we’re getting in a rut, I say, ‘Let’s do a field trip,’” Linda explains. Fortunately, there are plenty of educational venues, so no matter where you visit it can be an extension of what you are already studying. Learning about outer space? Go to the Pacific Science Center. Studying state history? Visit the Washington State History Museum .

“If I start feeling really fried, I call another homeschooling parent. It helps to have someone to share your fears and frustrations with,” Kate admits. “That’s where a support group really helps out.”

Homeschooling support groups are often found by word of mouth, through libraries, private schools, bookstores, and churches. One of the main benefits of joining a local network is the information you receive. These groups often publish newsletters offering advice, information on meetings, and activities for children. “I always encourage parents to either find an umbrella school or network so they don’t isolate themselves,” Linda concludes. “If you are in a group, you have resources to draw from.”

“You can get some really good ideas from other parents in the group,” Kate adds. “And it helps to know that even though it’s just you and your kids at home, you’re not totally alone.”