In the wake of recent bullying-related teen suicides in the news, it seems like a good time to talk about homeschooling. There are many good reasons to homeschool and that’s one. It upset me more than I can say to read about how many parents who ultimately lost their child had tried and failed to put a stop to the bullying at school. As the number of ASD students rises, I think this is going to become a bigger problem before it’s solved.
I don’t think there’s a lot of general awareness about homeschool options; when we first talked about doing it, I thought it would be too hard, too time consuming, too many legal issues to cope with. I was wrong. So I present for you, homeschooling for dummies. Because if I can do it, trust me, you can.
It’s not just victims of bullying who might need a change. Kids who benefit from school at home range from special needs students whose needs are not easily accommodated in the classroom, to advanced students who need to work ahead but are at risk of bullying or social problems if they are placed ahead of their age group, and students with special interests who need a flexible schedule.
How do you get started?
First, find out what your state laws say. Go here to check your state’s requirements. Don’t be intimidated if you hear that your state is unfriendly to homeschoolers. Washington is not known as “homeschool friendly”, and yet when I spoke with the local district office and the local elementary school, everybody was friendly and helpful.
Second, find out if your state offers a free public online school option. Many states do, through either Connections Academy or K12. It may be a simple matter of transferring your child from their current public school to the virtual option in your district.
If not, both K12 or Connections can be used as a private virtual school. Calvert is another private virtual option through 8th grade. Since it’s virtual, it’s far more affordable than your typical private school tuition.
I’d recommend either the virtual public or private option first, because this is for dummies. You don’t have to invent your own curriculum. You get curriculum and lesson plans provided and depending on what option you choose, your child may also have a teacher and online classes to participate in with other students.
With the basic curriculum covered, you can do extra studies and
activities based on your kids’ interests. Search for homeschool groups
in your area to find out what resources are out there for field trips, group
activities and private lessons; homeschooling doesn’t have to mean your child never attends a
class outside the home.
What about social skills? Studies actually show that homeschooled students have equal or better social skills compared to their public school counterparts. This is definitely true in our experience. Socialization doesn’t just happen at school. It happens at the grocery store, the library, the museum, the park, church, martial arts class, you name it. If social skills are a particular concern, I can’t say enough good things about My Turn Your Turn, songs for building social skills aimed at preschool to elementary aged children.
Homeschooling can be surprisingly affordable and painless and even fun. If you can read and follow a lesson plan, even a dummy can do it.
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