So, you've decided to homeschool. Congratulations! Before you can dive into the learning, there is some planning that must be done. Many years ago when I was getting started, I found it helpful to break my planning into blocks. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with where to begin, perhaps these planning blocks will be useful to you as well:
1. Know why you are homeschooling
There are days when homeschooling comes easy. You sit around the table, laughing and learning, and it's all just lovely. There are also days when homeschooling is very, very hard. There are challenging behaviors and attitudes, skills will seem to have vanished, and the weight of what is at stake will loom over you. It is on those hard days that you will need to remember WHY you chose to homeschool.
I homeschool because I believe it is the best way to teach Chico academics and life skills. He gets the benefit of a 1:1 teacher who is fully invested in his success. We have the freedom to modify lessons, location, and curriculum as needed. We avoid busy work and my time is not needed for other students, so our academic days can be shorter and 100% productive. We are not tied to the days and hours of public school; consequently, we can accommodate his medical care without lost time.
2. Research homeschool laws for your state
Homeschool law varies by state, so you must research what is required of you to stay in compliance with your state's regulations. Some states require notification, record keeping, testing, and oversight by a teacher. Some require nothing at all. I recommend beginning your search at HSLDA.
I happen to live in a state where we are not required to keep a yearly portfolio. I've chosen to do so, however, for a couple of reasons. First, we offer C the option to enroll in a community school several times a year, both to remind him that the option exists as well as to renew his commitment to learning at home. If he does choose this option at some point, a portfolio will show the school what we've been doing and where C sits academically. Second, if we someday move to a place where a portfolio is needed, it could be helpful to have a few years' records already in place. Third, it is a source of encouragement to us both to look back on where we started and compare to where we are now.
However much or little you decide to do for record keeping, just make sure that you are in legal compliance with your state of residence.
3. Formulate a plan for curriculum
As you will soon discover, there are a multitude of curriculum resources to choose from. You can choose an all-in-one boxed curriculum, books, and supplies, build your own by choosing a separate source for each subject, use online schooling resources, or a combination of the above.
To help you choose, it is useful to know how your child learns best. Does he grasp concepts mostly (or only) when there are visuals? Can he learn from being read to? Does he need to build and grasp and touch in order to assimilate information? Knowing these things will help you to choose curriculum that you will use and have fun with.
Among other resources, we have used and enjoyed Sonlight, Easy Peasy, Time 4 Learning, and Ambleside Online. Spectrum books, Scott Foresman Reading, and Math U See have all played their parts in our homeschool as well.
The best time to research curriculum is well in advance of when it's needed. Take time to research so that your child's strengths can be leveraged while his weaker skills are being built up.
4. Formulate a plan for therapies
If your child is receiving therapies at school, will you continue bringing them in for therapy? Will the school send someone to your home? Will you outsource these to a private provider paid by insurance or out of pocket? Are there community resources that can provide some of the benefits (like strength building or exercise) that therapy currently fills? Will you be taking a therapy break? Working out the logistics ahead of time will help with your transition to homeschool, especially if you decide to keep the local system as part of your therapy program.
5. Notify your school district (if required)
Once you feel mostly prepared (you will likely never feel completely prepared), you can submit the documents that are required and dive in.
Welcome to the world of homeschooling. It's amazing and challenging, and lovely and hard, and I hope you'll love it as much as I do.
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