If I homeschool my 2nd grade niece, do I have to report it to anyone? Also what are advantages/disadvantages?

Question

I am in NYC. What are the advantages/disadvantages of homeschool also?

Answer 1

even if you homeschool, you have to be enrolled in a school that allows homeschooling.

You have to report everything to this school.

advantage:

No metal detector on your home.

disadvantage:

You will probably have to take her to a public place for normal human interaction with children.

Answer 2

There are a few sites you can look up if you want to homeschool.
It depends what you think is best for her, as far as reporting it's just like being in a public school, for instance I meet my teacher once a month for check up. I use K12. The advantage is that I work at my own pace, I am not distracted by other kids. I am also not distracted
by race, sex, puberty the list goes on.
Disadvantage... would be I have time management problems, I am never late.
There is no such thing as late in homeschooling, until you get to
highschool, which I am at.
Disadvantage would be, there are almost no friends unless you find other homeschooled kids.
I can't think of any other disadvantages.

Answer 3

I am not sure what the laws are in your area but go to www.hslda.org and it could tell you. There is more advantages then disadvantages we have home schooled for over 15 years now and we tried public school it didn't work for us. Most people that down grade home school don't know much about it or it just didn't work for them it is not for everyone it takes a lot of time so it is not something you take lightly it is a big responsibility.. It just really is upsetting when the only thing most people can say or come up with is socialization my kids have more friends then kids that go to public school. We don't live in a bubble just because we home school maybe some do these shows they show on TV like wife swap show the most ridiculous home school families so every one compares all home school families to those people.. Hope that helps sorry didn't mean to get on my soap box. Home school-er can live normal lives my niece is married went to college and doing great she was home schooled and got a diploma. They can get in to college and do everything that public school kids can... Hope that helps...

Answer 4

After reviewing the legal brief on the HSLDA website, it appears that NY state requires the following:

Attendance:
Substantial equivalent of 180 days per year; 900 hours per year for grades 1-6; 990 hours per year for grades 7-12

Recordkeeping:
Maintain attendance records (must make available for inspection upon request of the local superintendent); file, with the local superintendent, quarterly reports listing the number of hours of instruction during quarter, description of material covered in each subject, and a grade or narrative evaluation in each subject

Testing:
File, with the local superintendent, an annual assessment by June 30; must be from a standardized test every other year in grades 4-8, and every year in grades 9-12; the child should score above the 33rd percentile or their home instruction program could be placed on probation; ...

HSLDA also lists what subjects must be taught at the different grade levels, so you might want to check out their website for more specific information. Click on the link below to go directly to HSLDA's list of legal info for NY.

Others have already done a great job with the advantages and disadvantages, so I won't repeat here what they've already said so well.

Answer 5

This page:

http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp?State=NY

lists the legal requirements for homeschooling in New York state.

Advantages: no drugs, peer pressure, low self esteem, labelling, racism, political/social agendas being rammed down your child's throat, school yard bullying, etc etc etc.

Disadvantages: You will need to make sure that you enroll the child in Scouting or the Boys and Girls Club and other extracurricular activities to ensure social skill building. It can cost a fair amount in curriculum materials (although the public library and the used bookstore are the homeschooler's best friends). You'll end up having to answer a lot of questions from nosy people who will assume that you're either a granola crunching hippy or a bible thumping fundamentalist if you homeschool.

Answer 6

For information on your specific state, you will need to contact the HSLDA. Any specific information you receive here, unless the answerer says they are speaking directly about the NY state laws, may be giving you info that is not accurate for you. Each state has their own unique set of laws.
Ok, I'm going to be a bit different this time and start with the disadvantages first. (I've been HS for 5 yrs. and have been a director of a HS group for two years)
It can be a lot of hard work and it can be time consuming. I have a second grader and we work together on most subjects, so you have to be willing to put the time and effort in.
It can be costly. Pre packaged curriculae are very nice and they take alot of the guess work out, and it is very nice for beginners, but that conveniece can cost you. In my state we are free to create our own curriculum, so it does not have to be done that way, but if you choose to or if you have to, it can cost you money.
You will usually not have to spend the same amount of time on HS as children spend at PS (laws vary, some states require a certain number of hours each day) so you will need to fill that extra time with something.
sometimes it takes awhile to find a learning style and system that works for your child.\
Advantages?
If you are willing to put time and effort in to it, your child will receive a top quality education. It is like having one on one tutoring the entire time you are in school. What happens if a ps student is struggling in a subject? They recommend tutoring. Well, that is basically what hs is about: teaching your child to be an independent learner and giviing them that one on one help they need to excel. Most hs grade levels are advanced over the ps grade levels, so your child will learn more. Since it does not take as much time (because it is only you and your child, no red tape, no bringing the class to order, no taking up homework, no roll call, no announcements, none of that stuff that takes up a lot of time when you are working with a crowd of students), you will have time to study things you never would have time for otherwise. If your child expresses an interest in something, you can stop right there and go to the library or whatever is relevant and dig a little deeper, right then while the interest is there. Your child will learn the value and importance of family. your child will learn self confidence by knowing she can learn things on her own. There are so many hs families today that the opportunities for socialization and enrichment classes and sports are basically unlimited. Those that "preach" about how unsocialized hs kids are, have ideas that are founded on a complete lack of understanding and research. isolation is not a concern unless that is the type of person you are. Most of the HS families I know are the most active in our community. they are absolutely everywhere.
Do a little digging on the net, you will find tons of information. HSLDA will give you the specifics for your state and can even provide you with HS groups in your area.
Good luck, hon

Answer 7

you have received a lot of great answers here. I wanted to add in that I home school my daughter who is in 2ND grade and she loves it. The first week was hard because all her friends were at school and she was home and wanted to play. Now she is fine and loves knowing that I am right there. She is also involved in soccer, girl scouts, and cloverbuds (4H) As for curriculum, I am currently using school of tomorrow, which is nice cause you can do an online assessment for where to place them, but next year we are switching to switched on schoolhouse which is computer based. As for record keeping and the legal side of it. You should most definitely sign up with www.HSLDA.org it is well worth it, and there are also record keeping websites that you can find. Or you can get a record keeping book like a teacher or just a spiral bound notebook to keep track of it in. Just remember that your first year is the hardest, but once you find your groove with her you will do fine.

Answer 8

To homeschool, you need to formally withdraw her from her current school. Contact your school department to find out exactly what you need to do and what you will need to do as far as curriculum approval, reveiws and such. Also, our state (MD) only allows parents or legal gaurdians to provide the homeschooling. NY may be different, but if you are not her legal gaurdian be sure to find out.

The biggest advantage to homeschooling is the freedom it allows the student. She can advance at her own pace, getting extra challanges in areas she may excell at and taking more time to learn and succeed in subjects she has a harder time with. Homeschooling also allows kids more time to pursue extraxcurricular activities like sports, theatre, music since they tend to finish their school work faster and have less (or no) homework!

As for disadvantages, there are a few to consider. You will have to put extra effort in being sure your neice has opportunity to socialize with other kids. Find a home school group or association in your area and be sure to let the parents of her school friends know you want their friendships to continue. Planning and implementing a curriculum takes a lot of research and work. Don't be afraid to ask for help (another huge advantage of belonging to home school groups). Finally, you won't have nearly the freedom you did while your child was in school. You will be not only her aunt, but her teacher. I love what I do with my daughter and now that she is 12, I have gotten a level of that freedom back, but it was a tough adjustment for me as I was used to being out and about all day! This is where being around other homeschool families is really important, as well as setting aside some time for you each day and taking the occasssional "day off" from teaching.

I have been homeschooling since my daughter was in third grade. She is 12 now and has made it clear she never wants to go back to regular school. She has friends in our home school group as well as friendships with kids she knew from her old school. She takes tae kwan do, is involved in a local theatre group and is planning to take art and possibly music classes. She has a processing disorder that makes tradtional learning very difficult , so homeschooling finally let her feel like she could learn and wasn't the "dumb" kid in the class. Will we go all the way through HS? I honestly don't know yet, but I do know it has been worth all the work!

Answer 9

Yes, you have to from what I can find from the Home school Legal Defense site. They explain the laws on their website. The URL is
www.hslda.org/laws/?State-NY

hope this helps you.

As far as advantages, you can tailor her education to her best learning style. We use a combination with our daughter. Also sign up for a home school support group on the web, they usually have friendly people who can help guide you.
Good luck!!

Answer 10

Yes you have to go thru the board of education ,sign up get the lessions ,because you have to teach what they are working on in school .ok my son we did this last year and wow first they do really good because its one on one ,they learn more because nothing is a matter of time to worry about ,Then you see they get tired and bored much easier ,and then when its time to go back to real school they expect one on one .use your own judgement .good luck