Start Homeschooling Successfully:
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Setting up your homeschool will take a little thought and time, but laying a firm foundation to build upon will give you success for years to come.
Here are a few guidelines in setting up your homeschool to start homeschooling successfully.
1. Know your state's homeschool laws
Once deciding to homeschool, you should find out about the homeschooling laws for your state. Although homeschooling is legal in every state, each state has different homeschooling requirements and home schooling laws.Knowing what is required of you will ease any concerns or worries so you can relax and focus on homeschooling your children.
In Michigan, the laws are very relaxed. Filing forms, notifying my intention to homeschool or registering my home school with the state is completely optional. However, not all states work the same way.
Home school support groups can help guide you. Most state level support groups provide detailed information regarding homeschool laws for their state. You can also contact a local support group for specific steps to take before you start homeschooling.
2. Create an identity for your home school.
When you start homeschooling, you will find your children may miss the "going to school" experience, or they want to be like other children and go to "regular" school. This is most common with children who have previously attended a public or private school.Most children stop nagging or wanting to go to school, once they meet other homeschooled children through a support group or homeschool co-op.
I know this has helped our family. Our children look forward to Fridays when they get to see their friends and taking classes with other homeschooled children. Once they started attending our homeschool co-op, they stopped asking to go to school.
It can be awkward for children when people ask them questions about what school they go to. This can be easily remedied by creating an identity for your homeschool.
Giving your homeschool a name makes your homeschool more official and your children will love to tell others what school they go to! Include your children in the naming process and make it reflect your unique family.
Have your children create a crest or logo that reflects the values of your family and home school.
Create letterhead for your home school and obtain a homeschool id card for yourself and your children.
Having picture id available for your homeschooled children is important especially when they are out and about during "regular school hours". Children also love to look and feel official, and you can use your home educator and homeschool student id cards to obtain a homeschool discount or two, from some merchants. :)
3. Write a Homeschool or Family Mission Statement
Write a homeschool family mission statement that reflects who you are and what you stand for. It’s very easy to lose focus and get caught up with life. Grades or completing assignments becomes the focus and the real reason why you homeschool is forgotten.Mission statements reflect your family’s sense of purpose and meaning in life.
Writing a mission statement for your home school will remind you and your family why you are homeschooling, what is important to you and the values that you cherish.
Your mission statement defines who you are and what you want to focus on. It is an excellent tool to help you focus your energy, actions and decisions, towards the things you think are most important. It is a road map to achieving your family’s goals and dreams.
Personally, I think this is one of the most important things you should do as a family when beginning to homeschool.
When you go through difficult times, uncertainty, or experience some negative effects of homeschooling, you will have a written document to remind you why you are homeschooling and what is truly important to your family.
It will be a source of encouragement as well as the foundation on which you build your home school.
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