Homeschool FAQ's

Here are some commonly asked questions that I receive regarding homeschooling.

Why do you homeschool?

Obviously, the answer to this question is multifaceted. I'll discuss a couple of reasons.
Brigham Young said, "Parents are responsible before the Lord for the way in which they educate and train their children." After Joe and I got married and started contemplating having kids, I started researching all about being a parent. When I read this and other similar comments from church leaders, regarding educating children, I knew that I needed to be more than "involved" with my children’s education. I realized that I would be held responsible for their education whether they go to public, private, or homeschool. When I was pregnant with Joseph and Grant, this responsibility weighed heavily on me and I started to think of the different options for schooling them. That's when homeshooling first entered my brain. Joe and I were both products of the public school system. It was all we knew. It was familiar. It was the “normal” thing to do. Before I had kids I never thought I would consider anything different. But the Lord had other plans for me.

When I decided to homeschool, it was ultimately because I felt that's what the Spirit was prompting me to do. I had lots of reasons why I wanted to do it but at the same time I had many fears, and almost everyone I discussed it with were strongly (to put it mildly) trying to push me away from it. But in the end I couldn't ignore the promptings and decided to follow the Spirit. That was the answer I was given for our family, and I think that the Spirit needs to be the guide as each family contemplates the way they will be responsible for the education of their children.

Here are a few more reasons, not in order of importance.

• I have the opportunity to be flexible with my children's needs and learning styles. I can give them a custom-tailored education.
• One-on-one interaction means shorter study time and better retention. This also means that they have more time to be little boys (or girls), explore, play and delve into subjects and activities that fascinate them.
• God can be a part of any subject (I find this especially cool in Science and History) and He never has to be excluded because of school policy. For example, we can talk about how amazing God's creations are on Earth, in outer space, and the universe. When we learn about people and events in history, we can speak freely about Him, as He was a major influence in many great men and women's lives. We can also integrate prayer and scripture study whenever we want.
• I have complete control as a parent over what I want them to learn (or not learn), which I think is especially important at a tender age. When I choose curriculum, literature and books, etc, my main concern isn't whether or not they are getting enough diversity/multicultural/environmental/homosexual education. As important as Martin Luther King Jr. might have been for the civil rights movement in America, I think it's sad that in schools today people know more about MLK Jr. than George Washington and the revolution.
• Homeschooling allows for the family to remain more important than school itself, or needing to be "cool" and fit in. My kids love having friends at church, scouts, and sports, but the relationships with their family members have stayed more important to them than their relationships with peers. I think this is awesome since I believe family relationships are the relationships that will matter the most throughout their lives and eternity.
• Homeschooling allows me to be flexible and go somewhere when I feel like going. If we're learning something about science or nature and want to go explore the outdoors or make a trip to the science center, we can do it, as often and whenever we want and finish the other work later.
• Homeschooling lets me make learning FUN for my kids. I think kids remember so much more when they love what they are learning. When I sense that they are bored, I love being able to change the format of what's being taught, and teach it in a way that's exciting to them.
• I love being with my kids and getting to see the excitement in their eyes as they learn!
  

What curriculum do you use?

• I use different curriculums for each subject. I research the curriculums available for each subject and choose the one I feel will best meet my kids' needs.
• I choose curriculums by reading reviews online, browsing through catalogs, and word of mouth recommendations. This is a favorite site of mine, run by an LDS homeschool family. There are many more resources online, just do a search and you'll be amazed at what pops up.
  

What laws/rules do you have to follow in order to homeshcool?

Every state has different laws. In Washington State you have to:

1. Declare in writing that you are going to homeschool every year once your child reaches 8 years old.
2. Have your children tested with a state approved standardized test or evaluated by a certified teacher every year. I have chosen to use the California Achievement Test. I order it online, follow the directions in administering the test, send the tests back to the company, and they send the results back to me and I save them for my records. The state/district does not ask to see the results. I enjoy testing my kids because I take comfort in knowing they are doing well and I like to see if we need to improve in a certain area. So far my kids have tested very well.
3. One of the parents must have either a certain number of college credits, attend a homeschool instruction course, or get special permission from the superintendent of your district.
4. Incorporate specified subjects into your schooling.
   

What do you do with the little kids while you are teaching?

My younger kids who aren't in school do well as long as they get some individual mom time too. This is usually solved by doing "school" with them. Reading a couple books, practicing letters, numbers, shapes, colors, etc. (depending on the age). This usually only takes about 10-15 minutes for the preschool aged kids. It makes them feel that they are one of the older guys and are just as important. Then I let them play or nap while I work with the older kids. And because home schooling allows for flexibility, having the little ones around usually isn't a problem because we just learn to go with the flow.

What about socialization?

• This is probably the most common concern people raise with me about homeschooling their children. Fortunately, I think this question is based on unfounded stereotypes. I know kids in public school and kids who are homeschooled who I consider socially backward. I also know kids in public school and kids in homeschool who I consider socially normal. Obviously, public school is not the save-all answer for socialization. In my opinion it's all about the parents. If the parents are anti-social, the children will rarely be put in social situations. If the parents are social, the children will naturally be put in social situations. It doesn't matter where they do their schooling.
• As for keeping up with the worldly issues of our times, it's not my goal to have them ignorant of the world around them, but it is my goal to be the one to teach them tender topics and to choose the timing. Joe and I bring to light certain things (like drugs, sex, etc.) when we feel it's time for them to be exposed to those issues, rather than them learning "who knows what" from their peers before they are mature enough.

How long will you home school?
I take it one year at a time, so I don't know yet.

That's all for now, but I'd be happy to answer any other questions you might have!