General Homeschooling Resources
Beginning homeschooling can feel overwhelming. How can anyone do all that a school does – in their home? How am I qualified to teach anything? Will my kids be socialized? What about college? A million questions come to mind. But it isn’t as impossible as you’d think. In fact, many families are enjoying the wonderful benefits of homeschooling and discovering that it’s really not as terrifying as they thought.
This page will guide you through some of the initial steps you’ll need to take to begin homeschooling.
1. Find out your state’s laws on homeschooling. Homeschooling is legal in every state; however, each state has different laws on homeschooling. Your first step should be to visit The Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) to find out how you can legally homeschool in your state.
2. Determine your desired method of homeschooling. There is everything from child-led un-schooling to eclectic, or replicating K-12 public school to Montessori, Classical, or Charlotte Mason. While you may never have thought that there would be various methods or even heard of any of these before, homeschooling opens the door to far more freedom of choice in how you choose to educate. Unfortunately, along with that comes a plethora of choices and the need to make informed decisions. The good news is that your first decision doesn’t need to be your final forever decision. You can start somewhere and see it as a journey, not an end-all cliff. If you’re in a bind and need to get started today, this very minute! You can start with this emergency curriculum. If you have a little more time, you can take this “Find Your Homeschooling Style” quiz to give you an idea of what’s out there. You can learn more about homeschooling styles here and here. We believe Charlotte Mason homeschooling is the best method suited for every child – which you can learn more about on this site.
3. Find community. Look for real-life homeschoolers and homeschooling communities in your area. Having real people to talk to and ask questions about homeschooling is invaluable. Charlotte Mason in Community is one site that lists groups. Facebook is another place you can try searching for local homeschool groups. Exploring Homeschooling is another organization you can look into. And lastly, HSLDA also has a page of homeschooling organizations by state here.
4. Educate yourself about the benefits of homeschooling. Even with all its success, we can still feel unsure about our choice to homeschool and well-intended family, friends, and acquaintances will most likely question you. Take the time to educate yourself and have good answers to why you homeschool. The National Home Education Research Institute has many links to homeschool studies and stats. HSLDA has an article on the Academic Statistics of Homeschooling and others to help you gain confident in your choice.
5. Consult with an academic counselor. With all the free resources available, it is not necessary to hire an academic counselor, however, for some, the convenience is worth the investment. Consulting services offered include curriculum options, scheduling concerns, yearly plans, adapting for students with special needs, high school course plans, transcripts, specialty course development, NCAA requirements/Core Course Worksheets, college and career preparation, and more. To schedule a counseling session with a CM informed academic counselor you can contact Glenna Heustis.