Homeschooling Requirements

Homeschooling requirements vary from state to state, but before many people even look into those, they wonder "I'm not a teacher, how do I figure out how to homeschool my child? Am I qualified to do this?"

Absolutely. You can provide your child with an excellent education if your choose to teach at home. Studies show that the level of commitment by a teacher to her students and the teacher/student ratio are the two most critical factors in successful education. A homeschool, by design, provides an extremely low ratio, and after all, who could be more committed to your child than YOU.

Think of all the things parents teach at home before their children reach school age. How to....

walk

talk

get dressed

feed self/use utensils

brush teeth/hair

play games

count

sing the ABC's

He may have even started...

tying his shoes

writing his name

simple addition and subtraction

reading

Why does this teaching and learning relationship have to stop just because a child turns 5? Because the school system says they know how to do it better? The fact is, your child will continue to do ALOT of learning at home, even if they are enrolled in school. (Think - who helps with all the homework?!)

But you still worry, "I don't know everyting I need to know to do it right. How will I figure out the homeschooling requirements?"

If you have younger children, you just need to stay one step ahead of where they are. They enjoy learning from you. You know your child best and will be able to tailor their educational experience into a program that fits their individual learning style and educational needs. This is something they could never get in a classroom with 20 other students.

So, RELAX!

If you have older children, (the ones who are learning Algebra, Chemistry, Shakespeare or any of those other subjects you'd rather erase from your memory) you still don't have to know it all!

You can still be a great homeschool educator even for the subjects you found difficult as a student. Try learing together. Be a facilitator - someone who helps them work through a problem- rather than a task master - who tells them step by step what to do and how to do it.

Today's homeschool curriculum publishers realize that not every family has a biochemist to help with science or a Nobel Prize winning author to help with writing. They have created a wealth of resources including DVD lectures, internet tutorials and online help for many subjects. A private tutor or homeschool group class is also an option if you do get overwhelmed.

So, RELAX!

I won't tell you it will be easy, but with commitment and motiviation you CAN be a successful homeschool educator.

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