Are you ready to home school? If so, then you probably already know which curriculum you intend to choose, you’ve read over the home school laws to make sure there aren’t any mistakes to be made there, and as for the children, ready or not here we go. Does this sound familiar? It should because truthfully, for many families, this is the reality of transitioning into home schooling. There simply is not enough time to research every detail at this point and we have to make a decision now.
Some families are fortunate enough to afford the time they need to do a more thorough research. Their child is under the compulsory age limit, or maybe their child is doing well in their current setting allowing the parents the time they need to properly prepare. Some families will even go as far as joining a home school support group a year in advance, learning all they can before taking the final plunge. Otherwise, you learn as you go.
As a home educator you will be in charge of establishing educational goals and setting standards that will challenge your student to continuously do their best. You will also be responsible for measuring their progress and documenting their achievements.
This process will, in many cases span the course of twelve years, otherwise; it amounts to however many years of your child’s education you have assumed responsibility for. Regardless, the parent/teacher’s role is extremely important because not only have you become the primary source responsible for equipping your child for the next phase of their life, but you are now your student’s chief advocate when it comes to communicating their academic achievements.
Perhaps until now, teaching your child has always been a dream and registering your home school program, as per your state requirements, has been your first step toward moving into reality. Dreams are achieved by planning and by work. As a parent/teacher, you need to figure out how to get up-and-going, how to make progress despite trials and errors, and how to remain focused on creating and maintaining a successful program designed to meet your child’s individual needs.
Soon enough, you will need to think about long term goals, which as a rule are consistent with the student’s interests and are subject to change as they continue to learn. As a child matures you will want to involve them with activities that expose them to a wide range of opportunities that help to develop their interests. You will want to put together a sound record keeping program that represents the student’s interests and academic accomplishments. For the college bound student you will need to research possible scholarships, financial aid, and college admissions requirements.
All of that excitement lies ahead, but first things first. Before you dive into establishing your long term goals, and before you sink a bundle of money into a curriculum that you’re really not sure is what you need in the first place, and before you engage any of a variety of services available to home schools, take a step back. Think.
At this point you may want to consider other key elements of launching and running a successful home school program as described in the following section.
Define what it is you plan to accomplish in the near future. What are your short term goals, or what are your student’s needs now? To begin, get some answers to these basic questions:
- Do you know what grade level your child is able to best function at for each subject? Have you considered testing for placement purposes? Are you prepared to present the required subjects at different grade levels for an individual student?
- Are you aware there are various approaches to teaching and learning? Are you familiar with and able to describe your child’s learning style(s)?
- Have you established your philosophy of education, or viewpoint of what an education means to you? What do you think is important for your child to learn?
If your goal is to design a program that drills down and focuses on your child’s specific needs and enabling them to reach their full potential; then you may be interested in learning how to incorporate these concepts into your home school program. The Member Handbook, Member Center, and Document Library are designed to help you do just that.