Home School News Blog

Home schooling is also known as home education, and is a method of teaching children in the family home, rather than at an institution, such as a public school. Originally, all schooling was done in the family home, or informally within small communities. Very few children ever went to school, or had private tutelage. Children who did have this type of education were considered to be privileged, and were mainly from wealthy families.

Informal education, mainly conducted in the home, was the only way for children to gain an education. In the US, there were books dedicated to home education, such as “Helps To Education in the Homes of Our Country” authored by Warren Burton. Parents were the main teachers of their children, although, where possible, local teachers would assist parents, and take classes. It is said that before schooling was institutionalized, the US was at its height of literacy skills.

The 19th century saw many significant changes to the way education, and schooling was conducted with the introduction of compulsory school attendance laws. It is now considered a human right that children are given an education provided by the government.

Over the years, there has been much controversy over the effectiveness of institutionalized schooling, and some people have even gone as far as saying that the compulsory schooling system is damaging to younger children, especially boys who are slower to mature.

In the early 1970s, Ray and Dorothy Moore, who later become well known home schooling advocates, researched the bearing that early childhood education had on the mental, and, physical development of children between the ages of 8 to 12 years of age. Through these studies, the Moores produced evidence that formal schooling was damaging to children, and a cause for some behavioral problems commonly found in school aged children.

According to these tests, illiterate tribal mothers in Africa had children that were more socially, and emotionally advanced than children in the western world. The Moores believed that this was largely due to the bond between parents, and their children being broken when children were institutionalized in schooling systems.

In some English speaking countries, it is still an option for parents to home school their children rather than to send them to an institutionalized school. There are a wide variety of home schooling methods available to families who choose to home school their children, rather than send them to schools, including methods such as classical education, Waldorf education, and the Montessori method.

Home schooling can also refer to schooling done in a home environment, with supervision by teachers through correspondence schools. While children are schooled at home, they must still complete compulsory educational subjects, and take tests.

One of the main reasons that parents choose to home school their children is that they feel the schools are unable to offer their children the same quality of education, or social environment that can be taught at home.

As a parent who has chosen homeschooling as the best educational option for your child, online curriculum resources can be an important component of your children’s education. If you have an Internet connection and consistent access to a computer, there are many online tools that will help you provide your child with the skills they need. An online homeschool curriculum can work to supplement your own individualized curriculum, and can also provide a complete learning solution for a variety of subjects. While homeschooling can sometimes feel like a lonely endeavor, online homeschooling resources provide plenty of ways to feel connected.

In order to work with these resources effectively, you should have a clear role in mind for using online curriculum resources. If they are a secondary tool, it’s a great place to find reading materials, individual activities, or worksheets which can be downloaded directly from a website. Often, a variety of sample materials will be available, which gives you the opportunity to review the material first. If you like the material, you will then have the ability to place an additional order.

However, online homeschooling curriculum has evolved and can be a much more sophisticated tool than just providing worksheets. Your child can attend an online school, plug into specific courses, and complete learning modules and activities at their own pace. This option can be a better choice if you would like to spend less time planning their lessons, or if you have specific learning outcomes that may be easier met by a more structured curriculum, such as higher level math skills, or practicing a foreign language.

Before purchasing a curriculum, it’s a good idea to spend sometime looking at homeschool curriculum reviews. You can find many review sites online, and in addition to finding reviews on particular programs you are already interested in, you will also find up-to-date reviews on a variety on new programs as well. You will also find helpful tips and techniques from other parents. If you do a search online for ‘homeschool curriculum review,’ you are sure to find plenty of choices available.

Online homeschool curriculum programs can play a an important primary or a secondary role in your children’s education. The internet is a vast learning resource, and it shouldn’t be neglected as a valuable tool for homeschooling. With its ease of use, and adaptability, there is room for online resources in any educational plan.

Why Homeschoolers are Turning to Distance Learning and Correspondence Schools

While correspondence schools used to be considered strictly post high school, the homeschooling movement has brought the market to students of all grade levels. Whether you are new to homeschooling, looking for more structure, or seeking an accredited program, a distance learning or correspondence school can be an excellent choice.

Families are turning to the option of a distance learning or correspondence school because they want higher quality education; they like the accountability, and they appreciate the ease of college admissions or entering the workforce. They appreciate that distance learning and correspondence schools allow you to study at home to get the training you need and to prepare for the future without leaving your front door.

In today’s hectic society, at-home learning is recognized as one of the most convenient methods of education. But why turn to a distance learning or correspondence school?

Distance Learning and correspondence schools often provide teacher assistance, accredited diplomas, curriculum, and other opportunities. They remove the stress involved with curriculum decisions, record keeping, state compliance, and motivation. Best of all, you still have the freedom to choose where you want to study. With on-line correspondence classes you can study in the comfort of your own home. With textbook correspondence courses or a laptop, you can anywhere-at home, while traveling to and from events, even while on vacation. That’s the beauty of at-home learning-it is up to you.

Whether a child is in kindergarten or 12th grade, there are distance learning and correspondence schools that will provide these all-inclusive programs. For instance, one such correspondence school designed specifically for homeschoolers is Bridgeway Homeschool Academy. Enrolling students from Pre-K to 12th grade, Bridgeway Academy provides distance learning and correspondence programs for students all over the world.

Curriculum is delivered to the home via the Internet, UPS, or the mail and students work at home under the direction of a Bridgeway Academy teacher/advisor. Students receive report cards, feedback, transcripts, and an accredited diploma upon graduation from this correspondence school.

Bridgeway Academy also offers college courses through their distance learning correspondence school. Students take courses in high school and receive both high school and college credit. Through partnerships with a variety of colleges who offer correspondence programs, Bridgeway is way ahead of other home school distance learning programs.

Distance learning and correspondence schools can also be an excellent starting point for post high-school individuals who are new to the job market or looking to enhance their skills. There are many private vocational or correspondence schools that train students for a variety of skilled jobs, including automotive technician, medical assistant, hair stylist, interior designer, electronics technician, paralegal, nurse’s assistant, truck driver and more. Some schools also help students identify prospective employers and apply for jobs. Check out trainingdirectusa.com, which offers both on site and correspondence training courses to adults seeking to change or further their career.

It is no secret . . . distance learning and correspondence homeschool programs are here to stay. Homeschoolers who want assistance can find it and colleges and universities are teaming up with the more reputable schools to offer dual enrollment programs (see Bridgeway Academy above). The challenge is to find the right distance learning or correspondence school for you.

Questions you must ask when selecting a distance learning or correspondence school:

1. What is the reputation of the school?
2. How long has it been established?
3. Is it accredited?
4. Do they provide report cards? Transcripts? Diplomas?
5. Do they customize programs to each individual student?
6. Are they flexible? Will they allow you to determine your own daily schedule?
7. Do they have an education website?
8. How many total courses are covered in the tuition?
9. Do they charge additional fees for curriculum? Teacher services? Testing? Other?
10. How difficult is it to contact the school?
11. Do they provide “school pride” activities? (i.e. contests, forums, blogs, etc.?)
12. Do they host a graduation ceremony for graduating seniors?

Distance learning and correspondence schools are a valuable resource for many homeschooling families. You cannot put a value on the peace of mind that comes with the knowledge that there is a school backing you, a teacher supporting you, and an organization accrediting you.

If you are a current homeschooler or individual looking into homeschooling for the first time, I encourage you to look into a distance learning or correspondence school. They offer expertise, understanding of the current trends in homeschooling, knowledge of the various correspondence curriculum choices out there, and the desire to see homeschoolers succeed.

Home schooling is a popular way to educate children all around the globe for a variety of reasons. Main home schooling pros and cons follow.

Cons

Level of Learning – Too many people think that those children who are home schooled will not receive appropriate levels of education compared to students learning in public and private schools. On the contrary, parents of home scholars work with their local boards of education, principals and / or other educational consultants to ensure they are meeting the requirements set forth.

Socialization – Another negative viewpoint is that those students who are studying at home do not get to mingle enough with their peer groups and other instructors, administration and school personnel and teachers. And that’s just hogwash. Students at home meet with others in home school groups to tour all types of local and far away places that coordinate with their study plans. And equally if not more important, home school students are introduced to real life people throughout their days: bankers, grocers, and other professionals introduced through their program studies and real life as they go around on errands with parents.

Lack of Routine / Regimented Days – Some view a lack of disciplined hours Monday through Friday with home schooled students as negative. However, many home school parents establish routines at home, too. Children are not left haphazardly running around the streets unattended.

Lack of Real World Environment & Prep- And still others believe that home schooled children will lack environmental and other preparation for real life that public and private school supposedly teach their students. Again, more hogwash. Home schooled children learn science, technology, music, gym, any and all subjects – only more thoroughly, because they are focusing on what they are learning, not being bored with subjects taught over and over to help slower paced learners so that everyone is up to speed.

Pros

Private for Less Money – A home school education is like enjoying private education without the cost. Students get more one-on-one help, targeted lessons and advanced learning opportunities as their teachers do not have to teach to all levels, often covering lower-learning levels that bore more average and advanced learners.

Improved Targeted Subjects – lessons in the home school environment are also to be customized much more easily than those in public and private school. Results include much higher levels of education with targeted useful knowledge to help students after graduation.

Higher Grades – Home schooled students are known to average much higher grades than their peers in public and private schools. Many get accepted to top colleges and universities on scholarships.

Boredom Busters – Home schooling allows students to move ahead to better topics.

Just because you’ve decided to forego participation in the Halloween festivities doesn’t mean you can’t make fun on your own. Furthermore, there are ways to use the Halloween season as a way to spread Christ’s love and the redeeming power of the gospel message. Here are just five ways to have some fun without risking the safety of your Christian children.

1. Have a Game Night

So your kids are longingly looking at the kids outside with tear-filled eyes. What is a homeschool parent to do? Why not create your own fun? Have a family game night complete with a variety of board games and fun activities. Go wild with candy prizes and autumn-themed goodies. If your homeschoolers want, you can even dress up. You can still pass out candy to the neighbor children if you stay home. I know parents who pass out candy accompanied with small tracts or Bible verses. This is a great way to expose kids to God’s word. Whatever you do, don’t shut yourself in and ignore knocks on the door. That only sends the message that you are strange and even unfriendly.

2. Go to a Harvest Party

Each year, my church throws a Harvest Party on October 31st. There is a leaf pile surrounded by bales of hay that kids can dive into for a period of time to search for candy. There are competitions of all kinds, including target shooting, jousting, pillow fights, wrestling, and more. Each room of the church is devoted to a specific Bible-themed game. The cafeteria cooks pizza, popcorn, and nachos that come free with admission. My homeschoolers usually come home from the harvest party marveling as to how the harvest party has to be so much more fun than trick-or-treating. If your church doesn’t have one, why not look into starting one of your own? You could even host one with your homeschool co-op.

3. Go Bowling

On Halloween night, bowling alleys are usually pretty empty. You can take your family and to a bowling alley and have an all-night bowling party. Don’t just limit your fun to bowling. Laser tag, goofy golf, and other fun activities can be easily substituted. You could even get together with other homeschooling families for some friendly competition. You can make it especially fun by turning your family into a team. Each Christian homeschooling family can have its own colors or even uniforms. Be creative!

4. Throw a Costume Party

So your kids really want to dress up. Well, what’s wrong with that? As long as they don’t dress up as anything evil, a costume party can be a great activity for a church or homeschool co-op. Award prizes for the best costumes. One Christian homeschool friend of mine threw a Noah’s Ark party. Each homeschooler dressed up as a different animal and they put on a short play about Noah’s Ark.

5. Pumpkin Party

Carving Pumpkins was always my favorite element of Halloween. I can’t think of a good reason to not carve a pumpkin. Why not have a pumpkin party with your homeschoolers and other Christian friends? You can go to a pumpkin patch, pick out your favorite pumpkins, and then carve them into silly faces. I heard of one ambitious family carving Bible verses and inspirational messages like “Jesus is Lord” into a series of pumpkins. Just don’t throw away those seeds. Dry them out and add some salt for a fun snack!

More than any other issue, the socialization question seems to scare away parents from homeschooling. The thought of raising a socially-awkward child is more than most parents can bear, and for good reason. To raise a child without opportunities to socialize with peers is doing children a disservice. The question is: Are homeschooled children given opportunities to socialize, and if so, are they able to assimilate well into adult life as a result?

According to the National Home Education Research Institute, the concern of socialization is mostly unfounded. In areas of emotional, social, and psychological development, homeschool students met or surpassed their public school counterparts. In fact, homeschoolers were found to be more socially comfortable speaking with adults. Peer interaction, self image, leadership skills, family cohesion, and self-esteem are other categories in which homeschool students scored high.

As far as community involvement goes, homeschoolers lead the pack. Whether through athletic groups, scouting groups, 4-H clubs, political activism, volunteer work, or church activity, homeschoolers are showing that the home education experience is more than being cooped up in the house all day.

The HSLDA shows that homeschoolers successfully enter the workplace and become comfortable within their communities in a recent study as well. The idea of the misfit homeschooler that spends the rest of his or her life isolated in mom and dad’s basement is disappearing. Home educated students are able to excel in academics without sacrificing social skills. Parents should stop worrying about the socialization issue because it is an inaccurate stereotype.

One of the most often heard questions when considering homeschooling is, “Aren’t you worried about socialization?” I’m not sure if those questions are truly about socialization, or if they’re about socializing. There’s a big difference between the two.

While this issue of socialization seems to be on the minds of people against homeschooling, those who actually homeschool never give it much thought. They know that their children are not going to suffer by foregoing public school socialization. In fact, most homeschool children are probably better socialized than public school students.

Socialization is basically learning to conform to today’s society. What is it about homeschooling that would keep a child from learning to conform to today’s society? And do we really want children that conform and become little automations? Or do we want children who can think for themselves while having something to offer society as a whole?

Children are little sponges, so just by being a part of a family they will begin to learn what society expects of them. The only way a child would fail to be socialized is if they were secluded away from everyone. The image of a backwoods, backwards, misfit homeschool family is just not accurate. Homeschooling families are generally active in their local communities, and often involved in volunteering to help others. These activities will help solve any socialization issues.

So if you plan to homeschool, how should you respond when asked about socialization? Are the questions really about socializing instead? Well, I can honestly say, my kids are very social. Not only do we attend church every week, we have days during the week that we meet with other homeschool families, and they’ll strike up a conversation with anyone, no matter their age. If those activities aren’t enough, homeschool children have play days, skate days, and trips to the bowling alley. How much more social does a child have to be?

When thinking about socialization, one has to wonder, are the lessons they learn in public school really any better than what they’ll learn at home? Since public schools create artificial societies which rarely mirror real life. In public schools children learn about drugs, alcohol, violence, and sexual promiscuity. Most homeschool parents are very happy that their children won’t have to learn those lessons.

If socialization is supposed to teach your child how to behave in society, how to properly respond to people, and be responsible adults, it isn’t very likely that a child will learn that from public school. All one has to do is go to nearly any public middle school and walk the halls. After witnessing the behavior of the students there, ask yourself which of those behaviors you would truly want your child to emulate. That should get any parent’s attention and quell any further questions or concerns about a homeschool child’s socialization.

In a day and age when even sending your kids to school can be dangerous or ineffective, more and more parents are taking control of their children’s education by choosing to home school. Home schooling is certainly not the answer in all situations. But occasionally it becomes evident that a particular child will achieve greater success through home schooling as opposed to the traditional learning environment.

Home schooling, however, is not something to approach lightly. It is absolutely essential that those teaching the child – whether a parent or other instructor – are qualified to provide a home school education. And part of providing this education is the use of educational material such as home school books.

Home school books should mirror the curriculum being introduced in the child’s particular grade level. Home schooling is a commitment to providing the child a safe and comfortable learning environment; but it is also a commitment to keeping the child on track educationally with their peers. Subsequently, home school books should focus on meeting curriculum goals as identified by the school district and home educators. And the material should be taught in a way that addresses the particular needs of the student.

Another particular use for home school books is to attend to those special learning needs sometimes required by home schooled students. Often, when a child is struggling with certain learning disabilities, a parent will make a decision to attempt home schooling in an effort to individually focus on the child and achieve educational success. Home school books that address these individual obstacles can have far reaching impact on successful learning.

Home school books – along with individualized curriculum – can be found online and will walk instructors through the instructional process with ease and comfort. Parents who choose to home school should familiarize themselves with the curriculum and the information found in home school books so they can best tailor the instruction to meet the student’s needs.

Home schooling, when done properly and responsibly, can help students with particular needs make educational headway. Use home school books to lay the foundation for a quality education.

Homeschooling has become a very popular alternative to private or public schooling. Additionally, publicly funded education has major implications compared to the traditional education forms, as well as homeschools. In the end, the eligibility for parents who homeschool their children is decided by the court and to a great extent the constitution is on the homeschooler’s side. Parents are shifting towards homeschooling and there are various reasons for this.

It is gradually becoming a better alternative for parents who are not very satisfied with the traditional system of education. In case you are planning on homeschooling one or more of your children, you should have reliable information. Since many parents have chosen this form of education lately, you can see its popularity growing in leaps and bounds and with so many resources available to help you, there is no need to be worried or stressed about support and help.

You can browse through various sites on the Internet that can provide you a plethora of information on homeschools. There are numerous sites that are specially created for helping parents. Besides the information, such sites also offer lesson plans and application methods. It will help you to address the appropriate lessons that your child requires at a certain age.

You can even get in contact with professionals and homeschooling parents who can give you valuable information that will help you to take this decision for your child, as well as yourself. Almost every state has an education website that includes the standard of education in that state. The list has everything that needs to be covered in every school year, based on the standardized tests of the state. These standards can be used by you like a guideline for deciding the subject matter that your child will have to cover every year.

With the help of the information it becomes easy for you to start your search for material within the scope of the subject. You can start searching for the right material on good websites and also look for resources and links to other websites that can be of some help. Not every homeschooled student learns in a set manner or pattern, so you will have to search a wide variety of material for every lesson your child will be covering. This should be done because in case your child starts struggling with a particular concept, you can help him or her out by offering a variety of other lessons related to that concept.

Another advantage of taking help from websites offering homeschooling help is that many can even provide a connection to a community. If you join such communities, you get a chance to speak to other parents and get more information about this field. Getting advice will help you improve a lot. You will also be able to avoid certain mistakes if other parents share their experiences with you since they will be telling you what should and should not be done. So there is no need to worry as a lot of support and help is present out there if you want to start homeschooling your child. You just need to conduct some research and be aware.

“A child should always study in a conventional school and know about the real world”- this is what people usually say, but don’t worry as homeschooling is the best topic that can be argued on and won. A conventional school does not truly reflect the truth; it only portrays a much-distorted view of the real world because schools amplify every emotion within a child and become a place where every teenager dictates his or her hierarchy and social acceptability. Adults rule in a conventional school and children control the social strata, then where is the place for your child to progress?

Teachers love to be respected, but respect cannot be demanded, rather it should be gained by cajoling the students or hitting their likeability rating by developing a good rapport with them. Gone are the days where the teachers were respected without any questions asked. Recently there have been numerous confrontational stories and now safety of the child is of prime concern rather than worldly knowledge.

Homeschooled children usually interact with siblings, family members, and hence they are exposed to maturity. A child is like wet clay that soaks up everything around. Why not give him or her the best to grow and open up to? Studies have shown that home school kids are more confident as compared to their counterparts in the regular schools, who display dictated emotional growth.

People say that homeschoolers live in a plastic bubble, which is completely wrong. Homeschoolers are smart, they set their own schedules and hence they have more time to do more things that interest them. They are not disturbed by other kids, hence homeschoolers can concentrate well and study more and they explore the world in detail even as they go camping through the year.

Homeschooling kids are said to be quite smarter as compared to their counterparts, but it all depends on the kid’s aptitude, attention span and the quality of the instructor. Homeschoolers learn well because the ratio of the teachers versus the student is quite less and therefore the teachers can individually concentrate and help the child to develop. These children tend to graduate earlier because they have more time to grasp the same knowledge and can get their work down much quicker or even have more time to work.

Many homeschoolers excel in Math and Reading that are considered difficult subjects and they participate wholeheartedly in sports. Teens who are homeschooled turn out to be more confident and independent and have loftier morals. Homeschoolers are more polite and know more than their counterparts. Home-schooled teens grasp more knowledge on certain topics that are generally not taught in conventional schools like values, but they do miss the chance to interact with people and thus they become prepared to handle life as and how it comes.

Homeschoolers don’t have to worry about the things that usually occur in traditional schools like ragging or peer pressure. Home schooling leads to better personal development where the kids are usually a lot smarter as they get to work within their own pace and are not teased by anyone, which is usually observed in public and private schools.