HOW DO I KNOW IF HOMESCHOOLING IS RIGHT FOR ME

 

Anyone can homeschool their children but not everyone will enjoy homeschooling their children.  There are a lot of misconceptions regarding homeschoolers that we will try to answer for you to make it more comfortable to make that decision.  There is no set way to homeschool your children, no set curriculum, not a special formula, and no special education that you will need in order to begin.  Similar to county school teachers you will follow a basic standard assessment of what your child should learn in a specific grade in order to put together a curriculum that will work for your family.  These grade-specific objects are called standards.  In order to keep your child competitive with their peers we recommend you choose material that would further your child from their current standards towards a progressive increase in the next grade level.

 

CONSIDER YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION 

 

One of the most often concern we hear about parents is that they cannot afford to stay home and homeschool their children.  We cannot make light of the fact that some household needs to survive off of two income, however before you completely disregard the idea keep a few things in mind.  There are great costs that are incurred due to two family incomes including childcare, additional gas, clothing, and food expenses.  In order to be realistic about your journey take a good inventory of what you actually spend and income after expenses to see if it compares to what you save becoming a one income family.  Don't forget to include uniforms, field trips and other school related expenses by a public school system compared to those at home.  You can also consider alternate schedules, work from home, and part time as other options.  The best part of homeschooling is that you have many options available to you.  

 

Next, make a nice budget for your expenses for the year and allocate money towards your schooling including any trips or outings you might want to include throughout the year.  Adjusting to this lifestyle can cause radical changes but they can be handled more effectively with some planning.

 

Different Options for Student Education

 

1. A public school supported by public funds; or

2. A parochial, religious, or denominational school; or

3. A private school supported in whole or in part by tuition charges or by endowments or gifts; or

4. A home education program; or

5. A private tutoring program

6. A Charter School

7. An Umbrella School

8. Homeschooling with the support of virtual classes offered in  your State (In Florida FLVS is free)

 

If you are just beginning to homeschool, you have many big decisions to make.  It may be tempting to copy what a friend or role model is doing, but remember that Each Homeschooling Mom and Family is Unique. 

 

Start to research Homeschool Methods and Philosophies.  See where your vision for your homeschool might fall. You may not know at all – and that is ok – but it is good to learn about the different approaches.  Gather support from friends and relatives who understand your choice to homeschool your children.  If they are unfamiliar with it spend some time helping them understand what your reasons are and the benefits your children will receive from the process.  It is always helpful to have a few people who support you and your family choices.

 

We suggest you make a list of objective and state standards you want your child to master by the end of the year and work towards those goals through your curriculum.  Here is great resources that you can use as a guide and your children and use to practice:  http://www.floridastudents.org/

 

 

HOW DO I START

 

First, you will want to familiarize yourself with the homeschool laws in your state.  The HSLDA.org has comprised a list of each state to make your search easier.  You will have to register basic information but this a is a reliable and trusted source.  https://www.hslda.org/laws/

 

• File your letter of Intent:  Within 30 days of beginning your homeschool program, you must file a notice of intent to establish a home education program with the county superintendent. You do not need to file this every year. This notice must include the names, addresses, and birth dates of your homeschool students. HSLDA provides a form on their website that their members may use for their notice of intent.  Some districts will ask you to fill out a form and submit to a particular address.  You do have the right to formulate a letter instead.  Your letter must state that you intend to begin homeschooling as of XXX date, the child's name, date of birth, address, phone number, and current grade level.  We recommend you send your letter either certified mail with signature return requested or by email. When sending by email request in your email that they send you a confirmation of receipt.  Be sure to add this to your records keeping file.  A phone call within a few days after sending is a good way to ensure they received your records.

 

Sample Letter of Intent:  http://fpea.com/about-homeschooling/free-resources

 

 

• Make a portfolio:  Throughout the year, you must keep a portfolio of records and materials. The portfolio must contain: 1) a log of educational activities made contemporaneously with the instruction, with a list of the titles of any reading materials used, and 2) samples of writings, worksheets, workbooks, creative materials, etc., used or developed by the student. You must keep this portfolio for two years after it is completed. The district school superintendent or his or her agent can but is not required to, review your portfolio only after 15 days’ written notice.  This one can seem somewhat tedious and drive the best of homeschool parents crazy.  

 

Your portfolio doesn't have to be a job.  Keep a calendar of where you go for fun things like you would doctor appointments.  This is a good and easy way to make your activities calendar without it taking too much time. Date your child's written lessons so you can always tally them into a lesson planner if you needed to but on a daily basis it takes the guess work out.  Use the one provided on google and you can easily download it to your phone to keep it on the go.  Use the google calendar from a homeschool group you are plugged into to download or clip activities to your own that you attend and by the end of the year you have your activities all available.  Take lots of photos and accumulate your journey of homeschooling experiences in your album or a digital format.  Be sure to have them on a cloud so they are protected.  They serve as great visuals of your activities and loads of family memories.  Keeping samples of the work couldn't be easier.  One sheet per subject from the start of class and one from the end.  That's all that's needed.  One other option would be to use an umbrella school.   Read in our section about umbrella schools for more details.

 

• Evaluate your student annually:  Each student must be evaluated by one of the following options every year:  Have educational progress evaluated by a teacher holding a valid regular Florida teaching certificate and selected by the parent—the evaluation must include review of a portfolio and discussion with the student; Take any nationally normed student achievement test administered by a certified teacher; Take a state student assessment test used by the school district and administered by a certified teacher, at a location and under testing conditions approved by the school district; Be evaluated by a Florida licensed psychologist or school psychologist; or Be “evaluated with any other valid measurement tool as mutually agreed upon.”

 

Regardless which evaluation option you choose, it is recommended that you submit an evaluation letter to the School District rather than actual test scores or evaluation details. Your evaluator’s letter should be brief and to the point. It should include the same identifying information provided in your notice of intent, along with a statement that your child is performing at a level commensurate with ability.  We will be adding soon a list of Florida approved evaluators for your convenience.

 

The next step is to choose how you will have your child's progress evaluated each year. Florida gives you five options for evaluation:

 

1. You may choose to have a State certified teacher evaluate your child's educational progress upon review of the portfolio and discussion with your child. Thereafter, have the teacher write an evaluation letter.  Ask your local homeschool office for suggestions.

2. You may have you child take any nationally normed student achievement test administered by a certified teacher.

3. You can have your child take a state student assessment test.

4. You can have your child evaluated by a psychologist.

 

• Maintain records:  If your state has any specific recordkeeping requirements, they are listed above. Regardless of your state’s recordkeeping requirements, it is recommended that you keep detailed records of your homeschool program. These records may be helpful if you face an investigation regarding your homeschooling or your student needs to furnish proof of education.These records should include attendance records, information on the textbooks and workbooks your student used, samples of your student’s schoolwork, correspondence with school officials, portfolios and test results, and any other documents showing that your child is receiving an appropriate education in compliance with the law. You should maintain these records for at least two years. You should keep your student’s high school records and proof of compliance with the home education laws during the high school years (including any type of home education notice that you file with state or local officials) on file forever. HSLDA’s high school web page has additional information about homeschool recordkeeping.

 

• File a letter of termination:  If you decide to stop homeschooling, or move out of the county, you should submit an affidavit of termination to the county superintendent of schools within 30 days of ending your homeschool program. If you begin homeschooling again, or begin homeschooling in a new county, you should submit a new affidavit of intent.

 

Next, find your state homeschool convention, find out about the requirements for your state. Also, spend some time at HSLDA.org for a wealth of homeschool information.

 

Then begin choosing your curriculum, the tools you will use in your homeschool.  Don't let the curriculum drive you mad.  There are loads of information sites willing to sell you the best that's out there.  Consider the free sources off google pages where you can free worksheets for everything under the sun.  There are source sites also available that provide loads of educational sources for free and online channels like Youtube, Netflix, Hulu, and National Geographic with thousands of movies and shows to fill your entire week.  Using a curriculum shouldn't' be a burden, it should be fun to learn.  We all learn best when we are enjoying what we do.  Museums, libraries, and other societies often host learning activities or enrichment ones that are either free or low cost.  You can add those to your fun filled days as well.  Don't forget the parks as part of nature, outdoors, or sports experience.  Don't stress about perfection, plan the activities that make your family work well.   

 

We hope this helps make homeschool decisions easy!