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| Homeschool 101 Getting Started: Why and How to Homeschool
WHY SHOULD I HOMESCHOOL?
The schooling choice a parent makes for his or her children is an intensely personal one that should be reconciled between the parent, his or her spouse, and God alone. We at the CHOC Board recognize and respect this fact, and although we may disagree over the effectiveness or wisdom of some methods, we will always respect all parents rights to make this choice for their own children. We do believe, though, that homeschooling has unique qualities which recommend it over other methods and which should be prayerfully considered by every parent. You are welcome to print, copy, or link to our downloadable articles as long as you copy them in their entirety, credit the CHOC Board and include the website address with the "All Rights Reserved" notation.
HOW DO I START TO HOMESCHOOL?
Mostly, determine to start and then start. You will need to notify your local ESD within 10 days of beginning your homeschool if you have removed your child from public education. Also, you need to notify your local ESD if your child has turned 7 years of age by September 1st. Notification is not a request, it is an announcement. (See our OR Homeschool Law section for full discussion of Oregon homeschool laws.) It is best if you can do some reading about homeschooling methods before you jump in, however, a number of families just started and figured it out as they went. There are a lot of articles and information available to help you begin homeschooling. We at the CHOC Board highly recommend Dr. Ruth Beechick's books which demystify the process of education for the homeschooling parent. We especially like her "The Three R's," "You Can Teach Your Child Successfully," and "The Language Wars." You can also find many homeshool helps at your local library by browsing their homeschool section. Further helpful websites for general ideas of beginning to homeschool are: Debra Bell's Homeschool Resource Center. Debra is the author to the Ultimate Guide to Homeschool. This website contains a number of Debra's articles (hosted at Crosswalk.com) covering getting started, learning styles, co-opting, etc. Cathy Duffy's Reviews. Cathy Duffy is the author of the famous Christian Curriculum Guides for homeschooling that were extrememly helpful to the new and veteran homeschoolers over the years. As more and more curriculum came onto the market, Mrs. Duffy consolidated her favorites into a 100 Top Picks book. This is her website which is currently being constructed to include the reviews and articles from her earlier books. A VERY helpful site.
Home School Digest In the Home School Digest, a quarterly homeschool magainze, you'll "find practical tips, simple suggestions and bold Biblical challenges that make up an open forum for wrestling through the complex issues that affect homeschooling families." Good magazine journal, and their website offers some helps as well. Practical Homeschooling/Homeschool World. A homeschool help magazine that is edited by homeschool guru Mary Pride, author of the Big Books on getting started in homeschooling (which are very helpful...find them at the library). Scan the home page to read the articles posted online by top homeschooling experts. Barbara Shelton's site includes many homeschooling articles from "how to get started" to "how to keep from burn out." the CHOC Board All Rights Reserved (Permission is given to copy or link to this article as long as credit is given to the CHOC Board and our website address is shown.) | |
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