| TIPS FOR GETTING STARTED |
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| 1. Know and understand your state laws. It is LEGAL to homeschool in every state. Under Connecticut law, it is your duty to educate your child in reading, writing, spelling, English grammar, geography, arithmetic, United States History and citizenship (including a study of the town, state and federal governments). If you are unable or unwilling to teach your children in these subjects, you can "cause them to be instructed" by sending them to a public or private school. 2. READ, READ, and did I mention READ? There are so many great books available on homeschooling! Some books will reflect your beliefs, others will not. Some may open your mind and help you discover things you weren't aware of, but that you are thrilled to know. Some particularly good books are: Complete Idiot's Guide to Homeschooling by Marsha Ransom, Homeschooling: A Patchwork of Days by Nancy Lande, The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn (even if you do not yet have a teen!!), Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto, Relaxed Homeschooling by Dr. Mary Hood. Any books by John Holt , Linda Dobson, Raymond and Dorothy Moore, David and Micki Colfax. If you have a teen/pre-teen, find a copy of And What About College by Cafi Cohen. 3. Find a local support group. Attend some meetings. Talk with other homeschoolers. Filter homeschoolers' advice by learning what they have in common with you. Do their children learn like yours? A curriculum that works well for their child may not work for yours, no matter how much they rave about it. Remember that you know what works best for your family and your child. You won't like all the homeschoolers you meet, you might like some parents but not their children, or vice versa. That's ok, homeschooling is a very diverse community. 4. Spend time with your child, talk with your child, read books and watch videos together. Discuss what you've learned. Take the time to discover how your child learns best. This is a benefit that homeschooling offers us...to tailor our child's education to fit her. Determine your child's learning style. Is your child a visual learner (show me), auditory learner ("read to me"), linguistic (a bookworm) or a kinesthetic/tactile learner (needs to move, touch, and/or arrange)? Many boys are kinesthetic learners. Understanding this will help you to teach your son better, and be more patient so that he can learn best. There are also some great books on learning styles! Read anything written by Thomas Armstrong. Also check out You Can't Make Me : But I Can Be Persuaded or The Way They Learn by Cynthia Tobias and Still Teaching Ourselves by Agnes Leistico. 5. Know that there are many different styles of homeschooling....there is NO right or wrong way to go about it. Many homeschoolers take a little from each of many different philosophies to form their own unique program. Homeschooling is about what is RIGHT FOR YOUR CHILD, you and your family, remember that you do not have to pick an educational philosophy. Some of the terms you will run into are: Deschooling or decompression- an adjustment period after a child has been withdrawn from institutional school to get out of the mode of 'school' . You may find that if you try to go right into homeschooling you will have a battle on your hands . . . so if you take time to have some fun, go to museums, out to lunch etc.. things you could NOT do during 'school' before . . . it might help. The loose rule of thumb is for every year spent in schools, the child will need a six week to six month period to readjust and to discover that learning can be fun (and to love it again). Don't worry if your child shows no interest in much of anything; this is normal. Quietly keep a record of your child's activities in a notebook, this will help you to notice your child's interests as well as learn how each thing your child does can be translated to learning (this is more for your reassurance than that of your child). Gradually, as you see what your child is interested in, you may want to introduce some related learning activities. Follow your child's lead, avoid force and confrontation, and maybe even use a little reverse psychology for a least stressful transition from institutionalized learning to home learning. School-at-home or "traditional" homeschooling - this method is closest to the method used in most institutional schools and can include both secular and religious approaches (such as the Classical Approach). This method utilizes textbooks and workbooks and is usually based on a scope-and-sequence (what "most" children learn when) type of approach and rote memorization. Charlotte Mason Method- based on the idea of using real-life experiences (nature walks, tours of art museums, attending concerts) to spark a child's love of learning and also through reading "living books", real books that make the subject seem real and alive. Children's curiosity and creativity are encouraged. Lessons are kept short and do not include busywork. The development of good character and habits are very important components. Eclectic homeschooling- This is where you pick and choose from different educational philosophies, tailoring your homeschooling program to best serve your family. Families remain flexible to change as needed to meet the needs of their children as they grow and evolve. Unschooling- otherwise known as child-led learning or natural learning. Based on the concept that learning is happening all the time. The parent is always on the lookout for that 'teachable moment'. It is a lot easier to do than it sounds, for example, if the child wants to learn about the Civil War, that is what they study. You use whatever resources work! Real -life learning is often the basis for most experiences (as with most of homeschooling in general). Unschooling is what you did from birth until school. It is the way you helped them walk, talk, and learn the alphabet. You taught and learned alongside your children when they were ready in fun and happy ways, and sometimes you let them experience and explore while you were there helping and supporting. Unschooling does not mean that children are provided with no guidance and structure. Instead, parents plan learning experiences based on their child's readiness, abilities and interests. Unit Studies- This method is based on the idea that learning should be part of a whole instead of divided into separate unrelated subjects. Unit studies are a comprehensive ( across all subjects) and complete immersion in a particular subject of interest to your child. For example, if your child wants to learn about cats, you would do your math with cats, (age appropriate... like counting them, percentage of white and black, etc) you would study history through researching the history of cats and how they were perceived in various cultures and times, and for science you might do the biology of cats, and so forth. You study one thing that encompasses everything. Many people use this when they have many different levels in the household which makes it easy to provide for all grade levels. This method works well with special needs children. It is easy to teach reluctant learners with this method because the child is enjoying learning about something he is interested in and is not bored by "school". In our family, most of our early learning experiences were through unit studies and so my children thought they never did "school". Much to my embarrassment, they would quite gladly tell people that they did no schoolwork, they just had fun. |
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