New Purpose

Up until a few months ago we were the only family at our church to homeschool. And in the past few months I have been getting more questions from church friends. So in addition to reviews, I am going to try to inform you on how to start homeschooling. So the next several posts will be answering these type of questions. I was going through several ideas last night, and today I got my new Old Schoolhouse Magazine in the mail. They have a great start up guide so I am just going to summarize it and add my own thoughts to it.

• Make sure you and your spouse are on the same page.  Moms definitely need the support of their husbands on those bad days. And there will be bad days. I would not recommend homeschooling unless you are in agreement.
• Research your state's homeschool laws. A good place to start is the Homeschool Legal Defense Association. Just a quick overview for us "Alabamians".....in this state you either have to be a certified teacher or under a cover school/church school. How this works is the church school acts as a private school and the parents are the teachers of their own children. This can work because church and private school teachers do not have to be certified.
• Research different homeschooling styles. There is no right way to homeschool; it's just whatever is right for your child. There are several different styles/methods, here are some:  Charlotte Mason,  Classical,  Delight Directed,  Eclectic,  The Principle Approach,  Traditional Textbooks,  Unit Studies, and  Unschooling. Okay I know that is a lot, but I would recommend looking each one up before you spend lots of money on curriculum. Of course the textbook approach is basically like public schools, except you get to pick the books. Some good choices are: Bob Jones University Press,  Abeka,  Alpha Omega, and  Rod & Staff. This is not a complete list; the options for homeschoolers are abundant.
• Find Support. This is usually covered in the cover school you choose, so you'll want to consider the support system when choosing a covering. Christian Home Education Fellowship of Alabama is a good place to start. It has a listing of cover schools in Alabama along with a lot of other helpful information.
• Gather Resources: Subscribe to magazine and find books and websites on homeschooling. You need to be well informed before you make the final decision to homeschool.