Homeschooling. Now What?

The big announcement to homeschool yesterday was a little overwhelming. So far there are well over 1,600 views on the post, with countless comments, emails, texts and even people talking to us in person about it. We were absolutely thrilled with all of the support and words of encouragement from some of our closest family and friends; most who have kids of their own, are homeschooling or know someone who is. It's amazing to feel supported with a decision we feel confident is the right choice for our family at this time.

We did have a few who do not support this decision and it seems it's mostly due to the fact that they simply don't understand homeschooling. I get it. I honestly do, because I was once there. But the more I learned, the more I opened up to the idea and knew that it was something I wanted to explore. And clearly, both Rhonda & I quickly found dozens of reasons why homeschooling would work for us, with Brielle. There are always going to be doubters. That's life. But for anyone who knows us, knows that we wouldn't make a decision regarding Brielle's education without completely knowing what we're getting into.

I received a few inquiries from friends who are interested in homeschooling, asking where to start? So here's what I've learned so far.

1. Do your research and decide if this is something you and your child(ren) can accomplish together. You need to be willing to step up to the plate and fill the role of "teacher" seriously. If you don't think that's you, school may be the best option. You also need to be able to connect with your child so that they actually learn from you. If the two of you clash when you do crafts together, read books or when giving your child instruction or guidance of any sort, this may not be the route you take with your child's education.
   
2. Organize some lessons and give it a serious try. Brielle & I have been doing this since she was 2, long before we ever thought about homeschooling. Pinterest is full of free lessons, printables and ideas. Check out our Teaching Brielle board.
   
3. Talk to others who homeschool, read books, join groups and just get out into the homeschooling world. Learn as much as you can and take advise. I easily found our school divisions homeschooling group on Facebook, as well as a variety of other Canadian homeschooling groups. Homeschool World also has a huge list of groups.
   
4. Find out the homeschooling laws for your area before you get started. Depending on where you live in the world, will depend on the rules, regulations and guidelines you must follow to homeschool your child. Home School Legal Defense Association is a great place to start. Visit hslda.org for the US and hslda.ca for Canada.
   
5. Find a method (or methods) of homeschooling that works for you and your child. Homeschool.com has a great list of the methods, along with definitions of each and a sample schedule of what your day might look like. There is no right or wrong. You just have to find what works for you!
   
6. Find the school division in your area and register for the home-based education program. Typically you can find all of the information, forms, documents and policy manuals right on their website. For instance, our school division is Prairie Spirit School Division and they have provided everything we need right on their website (click here), including plans and templates to help us through this process. An annual reimbursement is also provided for each student registered in a home-based education program either through your province, state or school division. For us, we are eligible for $400 per year. 

I hope this helps everyone interested in homeschooling. It's by far not the only things you'll need to do, but it's a good place to start. 

The best homeschool teacher is a prepared parent.