· How to get started
· Where to purchase materials
· Is it legal
· What about testing
· What about socialization
I could write an entire book just about the controversy surrounding the controversial socialization issue! Additionally, people often ask me whether or not...
· Our children attend proms
· Homeschooled children can attend college
· I enjoy being around our children all day
· Teaching at home costs a lot of money
· Homeschool students receive a diploma
Getting To the Truth
When just getting started in home schooling it is important to have as much factual information as possible. This information can differ for each state or region within a state. There are several ways to find out the truth about home schooling whether in person, through books or online resources.
At some point though, this generally means going to the local educational agency in your area to find out what the legal requirements are concerning home education. As I said, this can be done online if you are uncomfortable or unwilling to approach school officials.
Some public schools also offer a home education program as a component of their educational system. So, if that is available there may already be guidelines, resources, and in some cases, oversight for these families.
After you have familiarized yourself with the homeschooling laws, then you can set out to discover the more intimate side of homeschooling. For this, I suggest you contact home school leaders in your community or look on the web for a local group that you can join. This might take some time and you might have to visit several before finding "the one" for your family's needs.
Go National
In addition to doing those things, you can always check national organizations which provide plenty of information to those just beginning and those who need support. They can be found online or ask someone who is currently home schooling.
Finally, friends or neighbors who are teaching their children can also be of help. However, if you know someone is struggling to home school their children, for whatever their reason, I wouldn't suggest you speak to that person.
Unfortunately, "homeschool burnout" can occur and it would be unfortunate to have your sincere desire and convictions to teach your children squelched by another person's frustrations. If you do hear some of their sentiments though, be sure to speak with others who have more positive experiences to balance the information you receive.
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