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Homeschool 101 is a Quality Alternative to an Underachieving Public School System. Parents Are Able to Intertwine Desired Family Values With Individualized Instruction.

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Homeschool 101 is becoming a popular alternative to educating children.

The public school system has accomplished little indeed with respect to quality individual instruction, and many parents simply want greater control over what is being taught.

American parents are quickly becoming aware of how the school system is failing our kids; often, strangely enough, by passing them. Recent legislation, like the No Child Left Behind Act, seems only to give the schools more incentive to lower standards and allow children to move on to the next grade without really understanding anything they’ve been taught.

For many parents, the reason for increasing concern is not only their awareness of a slacking education system, but also a question of what ideals American children are being taught.

It is nearly impossible to know the personal beliefs of your child’s teachers, but they undoubtedly affect how and what your child is taught, as well as how they’re treated.

When a child is attending school, they’re spending far more time with school faculty and their peers than their parents; this leaves parents precious little time to address or try to reverse the influence that all of those strangers have on their child.

It’s quite an unsettling realization for many of us, which sends us scrambling for Homeschool 101!

The number of children being homeschooled in the United States is growing by leaps and bounds; they come from families of all races, religions, economic classes and political ideologies, but the one thing they all may have in common is the understanding that they have the freedom to do so!

Homeschooling parents also seem to know that if you truly want something to be done right, you must do it yourself; after all, who knows your child and your family better than you do?

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Homeschool 101: The Right Way

The most important thing for parents to keep in mind as they embark on their homeschooling adventure is: there is no right way to homeschool.

In most states, there are regulations that parents must comply with in order to continue homeschooling their children, but you can ultimately educate your children using any methods and materials that suit the needs of your family.

Many parents get frustrated trying to use one method or another that was suggested to them by someone else. School administrators, teachers, family, friends, books or online resources all seem to know the best way for you to educate your children.

While it’s certainly helpful to consider the advice of others and to do some independent research for insight, you don’t necessarily have to stick to a program.

Often, parents who try to homeschool will give up because it doesn’t seem to be working for them.

You must understand that it will take time for you and your children to find (or create) a system that works for your family.

How you teach your child is not important, as long as he or she learns.

In fact, many homeschooling parents believe that the best thing you can possibly teach your child is to enjoy learning, which is not a lesson that the public school system seems to include in its curriculum.

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Homeschool 101: By State

Education is not specifically mentioned in our Constitution; it is therefore one of the many matters left to the people of each state to decide.

Just how much the people have to do with their state’s education regulations though, is arguable in some cases.

Several states seem to be overstepping their legislative boundaries when it comes to a parent’s right to educate his or her own children.

Some states, like Pennsylvania and North Dakota, have high regulations when it comes to homeschooling.

For example, before you begin homeschooling in Pennsylvania, you must register your child with the school district and then submit a notarized affidavit and your proposed curriculum, which has to comply with the state’s educational requirements.

Background checks and immunization records are also required.

Homeschooling parents must also submit documentation to the school superintendent annually, including reading materials, writing samples, and worksheets to verify the student’s progress.

A written evaluation of the child, completed by a teacher or psychologist, is also required annually.

Several other states, such as Texas, Idaho, and New Jersey, have no regulations for homeschooling.

In those states, you may teach your child any way you like. It’s not even required that you register your child with the local school system.

Still, it may be unwise to allow your kids to be alone in public during school hours, law enforcement officers may simply assume they are truant.

The Home School Legal Defense Association offers an in-depth Homeschool 101 on state homeschooling laws.

If you’re passionate about homeschooling your child the way you want to, but you happen to live in a highly-regulated state, you may be able to move just a few miles to a state which will respect your inherent right to educate your own children.

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Homeschools 101: Co-Ops

One of the reservations that many parents have when it comes to homeschooling their children, is whether or not they know enough themselves to teach their children everything they should know.

Quite frankly, not many do, but that’s alright!

There are many more homeschoolers out there than you might expect, and if you do a bit of research you can surely find some in your area.

Across the country, homeschoolers have been uniting within their communities.

If you need some Homeschool 101 help and advice, someone who has expertise in a certain subject, or just some support in general, you can get involved in a local homeschooling co-op or even an online group.

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