Before I decided to homeschool in our home I had a lot of questions. I had no one to ask, so I started to research the answers on my own. When I found the answers to my questions I knew I was equipped to start this homeschool journey four years ago. Here are the 5 Things I wish I knew before homeschooling.
1.What are my rights?:
The first place you need to visit is the HSLDA website. They are considered the main source of legal advice for homeschoolers. They will also offer legal help and guidance if a situation should arise where you need a legal consultation regarding your homeschooling.
HSLDA has a state specific area on their website that provides the laws for your state. They also provide the federal legislation pertaining to homeschooling. They are one of the best resources for finding the laws in your state.You may join HSLDA and be protected by their organization should any future legal situations happen.
The fees are $10 a month after a $25 fee, or $120 for a yearly membership.
You may also review other legal cases in the 50 states that they are involved in. These are interesting to watch, and you may also learn more about your rights as a homeschooler watching these cases.
It really is interesting to learn all of the laws for your state, it will better prepare you if anyone questions your decision to homeschool.
2. Am I able to do this?:
First take a deep breath, and be confident in your decision. You are the mom/dad/guardian and know what is best for your child/children. I struggle with this, and have to sometimes daily remind myself that God has equipped me to do this job and I can do it! You can be confident that God will give you the knowledge you need to homeschool. So be confident in your abilities.
3. Do I need a specific curriculum?:
The answer is no, and it could be yes depending on what state you live in. There are many ways to gather curriculum for homeschooling, boxed curriculum, online curriculum, software, workbooks, co-op’s, and many more. The best way to figure out what curriculum style works for your family is to research the different options there are for curriculum. Find out of there are any free samples or trials you could try of the curriculum you like, then decide what works after you have taken the time the figure out your child’s learning style.
4. Do I have to schedule a full school year calendar?
Again the answer is no, and it could be yes depending on what state you live in. Some states only require that hours are recorded, meaning you can school anytime you want within a 365 day year calendar as long as you have all the required hours completed. Some states such as my own only require a certain amount of days be completed. This is where the HSLDA and the state specific laws come in really handy when trying to plan your school year out.
You do not have to go by a traditional calendar though in most states.
5. Does it cost a lot of money to homeschool?:
No. Did you know you can homeschool for free? Yes you can! There are so many free resources in this post I can’t list them all here. If you sign up for my free e-book you will be able to save the entire post and many more tips on saving money to your computer, Kindle (by converting it first and emailing to your device), or PDF viewer. to get the free e-book sign up below and it will be delivered straight to your inbox.
My favorite homeschool for free website though is All in One Homeschool. This site offers Pre-K through some high school completely free!
Check out what others wish they had known before they started homeschooling here.
