Where do I Start?
There are so many questions when one decides to homeschool.
Where do I start? What do I do? What curriculum do I need? How do I open a homeschool? Am I enough? Do I need to have a set daily schedule where I start with math at 8:00 am and then move to English at 8:30, and so on?
Can I actually do this? Do I have the patience? Would a school do a better job than I would...? Do I really want to be home with kids all day? What about grades and report cards? End of year testing? How do I make transcripts?
It can seem overwhelming. But I hope the information and encouragement here can help you if you’re considering homeschooling your kids.
To begin homeschooling:
- get rid of preconceptions about education
- develop your educational philosophy and style
- select curriculum and open your homeschool
Getting rid of preconceptions:
I know that for me, after going to Catholic school most of my life, and after seeing a few of my children in the school system for a few years, my brain was set in a certain mode as far as what education looked like. I pictured sitting at a desk all day doing worksheets and reading chapter books…. Taking tests…. I had to slam on the brakes.
Did I choose homeschool to simply repeat what the school system was doing? Then why even homeschool? This gives no freedom or joy to education.
Begin by ridding yourself of the idea of what school is. Clear it from your mind. School isn’t a room with a desk and a chalkboard (although sure, you could set this up at home and find it useful). You don’t need all the little posters and decorations. It’s not busy work- worksheet after worksheet… read a chapter, take a chapter quiz, read a chapter, and a quiz, and on and on. Drudgery! School is NOT seven hours sitting at a desk completing worksheet after worksheet. Busywork and more busywork. This squashes all creativity and joy out of learning. Our children are not meant to fit the cookie cutter mold and be in an educational assembly line.
Learning is vastly different from what we’ve been trained to think it should look like. It can be at the kitchen table, sitting on the couch reading together, going out for a picnic and talking about nature around you, going for a hike, discussing budgeting and a well-balanced meal while shopping at the grocery store, doing an oil change with dad... the list could go on and on.
Your educational philosophy and style:
We have to first slow down and think about some important things.
- What is my philosophy on education and learning?
- What is education?
- Why am I homeschooling?
- A child is a unique individual. How are they to be treated?
- What does an educated person look like?
These are so important. It takes much time, prayer, and research to come to a solid foundation.
If you pulled your child from public school to begin homeschooling, why did you decide this? What is it that you don’t agree with in the school system? Is it their curriculum? The lack of one-on-one attention? The influences they are around? The lack of God? The length of the school day?
Before you run out and start purchasing curriculum, it is important to decide what your approach will be and what your philosophy is.
Do you want your homeschool to be traditional? Classical? Charlotte Mason? Montessori? Unschooling? There are many things to consider. The beauty of homeschooling is the freedom you have. And no one knows your child better than YOU! What method will best fit your child? You will be the one guiding your child through their education. (More on these homeschool styles at the bottom of this page.)
If you don’t have a philosophy first, then you will just be allowing a curriculum to dictate your homeschool and be your master. And there will be much frustration and changing curriculums.
If our chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, how can we achieve this in our homeschool? Our homeschool should be built upon our worldview. What is your worldview? How can our time with our children point them to God?
We must first simply consider the child. Charlotte Mason had this figured out perfectly.
We must know the child. Love them. Respect them.
And now where to begin:
Opening your homeschool
File letter of intent to homeschool with the state. I have the link for this for NC under the “additional resources” page. In North Carolina you don’t have to file and register until your child is 7 years old.
Name your school. Make sure it is a name that you like. And one that sounds professional. Once you file your notice of intent to homeschool with the state, you CANNOT ever change the name of your homeschool. Ever. The name of your school will be on your child’s transcripts. So you don’t want it to say something silly.
Curriculum
Now…. curriculum…. how do you decide? Once you have settled on your educational philosophy and style you are ready to select your curriculum. (Additional information on curriculum here.)
I suggest finding a homeschool curriculum store near you. It is great to just browse through various curriculum. Talk to some homeschool moms. Go to a homeschool conference. Maybe you can even go to a friend’s house and see what their homeschool day looks like.
Buy your curriculum and jump in! It might be bumpy. You will find challenges. One of the most helpful and encouraging things you can do is be part of a homeschool community. Look at homeschool co-ops in your area.
Homeschool styles ~ Educational Philosophies
Classical:
- Thorough, rigorous, and deep education
- Study the classics & Latin
- Learning through the trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric)
- Students learn how to teach themselves for life-long learning
- Critical thinking: train children how to think instead of what to think
Curriculum: (Classical Academic Press, Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading, Spelling Workout, Writing & Rhetoric, Well Trained Mind, Memoria Press, Tapestry of Grace, Saxon math, Classical Conversations)
Charlotte Mason:
- Studying nature and the outdoors
- Reading great literature and living books
- Minimal textbooks
- Reading biographies
(Curriculum: Ambleside Online, Math-U-See, Sonlight, The Good and the Beautiful, A Gentle Feast)
Traditional:
- Work from workbooks and textbooks
- Planned curriculum with less freedom
- Teaches to standardized tests
- Learning is divided into separate subjects
(Curriculum: Abeka, BJU Press, Christian Light, Masterbooks, Rod & Staff, Monarch)
Montessori:
- Self-paced and experiential approach to learning
- Self-directed activity, hands-on learning
- Building life-long learning
- 5 key areas of study: practical life, sensorial (classify and categorize things around by using the 5 senses), mathematics, language, and culture
Unit studies:
- A variety of learning activities centered on one theme
- Digging deep on topics
- Less structure, more creative lessons, hands-on
(Curriculum: Five in a Row, Gather ‘Round Homeschool, My Father’s World)