So a friend of mine just asked me
about homeschooling and had quite a few questions about how I go about
homeschooling our family. So I decided
to write todays post about some of the questions that she asked when
considering homeschool.
A couple of her main questions
were: What's the difference between the different types of boxed curriculums
and how do you go about choosing your own curriculum if you decide to go it
alone. So first off let me just state that I am not an expert at all things
homeschool. What I am about to say is purely what I have learned over the past
5+ years of homeschooling. And there are pros and cons to each of these
options. We simply do what works best for our family. And if you decide to
homeschool that's what you'll need to decide as well.
So let's start off with the boxed
curriculums.
First, there are state run
curriculums. And because they are run by the state you essentially get all your
materials for free. Your tax dollars that go toward education and what would be
used if your child went to public school are used to pay for this option. So
that is a definite plus. The negative to this option, in my humble opinion, is
that it is a state run program. I have done this option and I did not like the
feeling of the state running how I was "supposed" to be educating my
child. I'm going to stop there because I don't want this to become a political
debate. Anyways, as homeschooling laws get more and more picky, these
state run programs get more and more picky about what you have to do at home as
far as reporting and such. Also, you are stuck with what they send you as far
as learning materials. Example: My oldest daughter has definite ADD tendencies
and not all of their curriculum fit her needs. So we moved to a different
option. But I know lots of people that this option works really well for them
so again it's all about what works for you and your family.
Here are a couple state run boxed
curriculum options (these are for Washington State, so if you live in a different
state you'll have to check what your state has to offer):
WAVA(Washington Virtual Academy)
Columbia Virtual Academy(they
offer the Calvert Curriculum)
Some other boxed sets are
available that are not state run are also an option. A couple of pros to this
option are that it's not run by the state and everything is laid out for you
i.e. materials, lesson plans, etc. Some cons are that they can be VERY
expensive, especially with multiple children and again you are stuck with what
they send you. So if for some reason the math program just isn't a good fit for
your child, that's too bad, you've already paid for it.
Some non-state funded curriculums
are:
Sonlight
Oakmeadow
BJU Press
So there is a light and brief
reading on some of the different boxed sets you can take a gander at. Now there
is also the option of a state run and funded program that gives you an
allotment of funds per child to go towards their educational materials that you
choose (sort of). I say sort of because again this is a state run program so it
has to fit within their boundaries. Meaning it can't be of a religious nature
and anything you purchase or use your funds for has to be equal to that of
which is offered to regular public school children. That was not always the
case. Again, as homeschool laws get more and more infringed upon we have less
and less freedoms, but again I don't want this to turn political, so I will
move on!
I have done this option also and
at first it was a great fit, but as the state got more and more involved it got
to be more and more of a hassle. You are in contact with a teacher and at the
beginning of the year you choose your materials you want to use and then have
to make sure they are approved. Then you have to come up with a syllabus
outlining the entire year. After that is approved (usually with multiple
revisions from the teacher) then you have to have weekly contact with that
teacher and monthly reports have to be filled out. Anyways, if you are willing
to put in all the work and the materials you want are on there approved list
than this is a great way to go. The reason I stopped using this option was
because I felt like it was becoming more of a hassle than it was worth and most
of the things I wanted to use our funds for weren't being covered anymore. So
again it's all about what works for YOU!
So here are a couple of state
funded programs where you choose the curriculum:
Columbia Virtual Academy
Quilcene HEP Program
So I think that's all I'll write
for now! Tomorrow I'll post about what to do if you decide to go the route of
choosing your own curriculum. It can feel incredibly overwhelming, but it
doesn't have to be!
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