I have a few questions about home schooling.?

Question

Are the parents required to take some kind of course before home schooling their child?
At the high school level,are parents teaching a higher math lesson,or just arithmatic?
When it comes to history, are parents able to teach their child an open minded view, or is it the parents opinion?
Do the parents put aside a physical ed. period?
Are parents qualified to teach a complicated subject such as Chemistry to their child?
Where do they get their text material from?

Answer 1

Ok first, great questions!

No you don't have to take a course before you start homeschooling. If you know there is a math or science subject coming up that you don't feel confident about I would study it a little the year before so you feel ready, but really the curriculums are pretty good.

At the high school level parents need to teach the higher levels of math especially if their child plans on going on to college. But it really isn't as hard as it seems as the curriculm is there to guide you.

For history you can teach it however you want. Science as well. But we usually teach both opinions emphasizing what we believe so that our son will be prepared to take classes in college and not sound like the waterboy who only knows what his mama told him. For example we teach creation science, but we allow our son to know the evolution side as well and then as he is ready, we show him why we believe in creation. At this point he is pretty easy because he has strong faith and he can look around and see intellegent design. So we don't worry too much about the science behind our views yet. But eventually we will give him the tools he needs to go into the world and know what he believes and why he believes it.

For PE we rely on walks around the neighborhood, bike rides, church basketball, summer league swim and normal play time with friends. But there is a homeschool PE that gets together once a month in our area that we are looking into. Homeschool groups are often helpful with this as well with kickball games and park days.

Yes parents are qualified. You get your text material from the different curriculms and online tools. If you feel really lost you could check into a co-op where you would teach something you feel confident about and another parent teaches the science.

As for text materail in general there are a lot of ways to go. You can use a packaged curriculm and if will include all you need for a year except the consumables like paper, science experiment equipment, etc. Or you can go with a classical approach here are 2 web sites
http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/index_saved.html
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/
Or you can use an online acadamy like ABEKA acadamy or time4learning. We will probably go to one of these in high school because many offer a diploma program and it would make it a little easier to get into college. But since my oldest is only 8 we will have to see.

Another option is to get the books What Your Child Needs To Know in the ___ Grade and build your own curriculm frm that using workbooks from teachers supply stores and online worksheet makers. Email me if you need links for free online supplies.

Well, that is it. Good luck and email if I can help more.

Answer 2

1. Not where I live.
2. I'm no where close to teaching high school yet, so I don't know. (Mine are 3rd grade and Kindergarten)
3. On history lessons, we use a text, then we go to the library and get any books related to the subject. We then learn a little something about ALL sides of the story.
4. My kids play outside at least 2 hours every day, weather permitting. (Which is more Phys Ed than they get in the public schools here, by the way)
5. Why not? I learned Chem in high school and college. I also took physics, biology, anatomy, astronomy, geology, meteorology...AND I have more education than is required to be a public school teacher. What else do you want?
6. I get my core text books from the county schools book depository then I buy workbooks and borrow library books to supplement.

Answer 3

"Are the parents required to take some kind of course before home schooling their child?"

No. I have heard, though don't know if this is true, that in some places, a parent can only homeschool "on their own" if the parent doing the teaching has a certain level of education. Those who don't need to go through things such as charter school programs or online programs. In general, though, you don't need to do anything. To find out more about where you live, try http://www.hslda.org or do a search online for homeschool laws and then your area.

"At the high school level,are parents teaching a higher math lesson,or just arithmatic?"

There are MANY resources out there for students to learn higher math without their parents teaching them everything. There are texts like Saxon, which pretty much has everything spelled out in them, DVD programs, CD programs, other self-teaching texts... I've never heard of a child just sticking with arithmetic in high school homeschooling if working toward a diploma.

"When it comes to history, are parents able to teach their child an open minded view, or is it the parents opinion?"

Do schools teach history with an open-minded view? I've been looking through some of our schools' texts recently. VERY biased views in some cases! I know many parents use a wide variety of resources for history, so that automatically comes with different views. For us, we'll touch on something and I tend to ask a lot of questions for the kids to think about things. They don't have to agree with me, I just want them to think about what makes sense.

"Do the parents put aside a physical ed. period?"

My kids are in lessons and I also try to get them outside to play for at least an hour each day.

"Are parents qualified to teach a complicated subject such as Chemistry to their child?"

When we get to that point (my older child is only 9), I would expect that she would learn a lot about chemistry on her own or with me, using a variety of resources. There are plenty of chemistry textbooks and help books available at our library, there are tons of websites, we can even get a tutor, if need be--lots of university students who would love to make some extra money! Basically, though, teachers follow whatever textbook is used in the school. If they can follow the textbook, I don't see why we can't, too.

"Where do they get their text material from?"

Various places. There are tons of homeschool-oriented companies, there are more general places like A Beka or Saxon or school supply stores. In some places, you can borrow or rent school texts or even order distance learning materials without actually signing up. And, of course, the library is always a fantastic resource.

Answer 4

The flexibility of homeschooling could be not only due to the work-when-you-want-to side of it, but the fact parent's do NOT need to take a course and become certified.
When it comes to math, teach your child where they're at [level-wise]. Once their curicullum no longer challenges them much, try opting for a different harder course of study in that subject area. Just know that in order to get in to certain colleges, there are requirements, so you might want to look into those [although I'm thinking calculus is what's required for most].
As far as history, this is your child, YOU are in charge, so you can instill which values that come close to your heart, close-minded, open-minded, whatever. You are in complete control of your child's education [keeping in mind however, there ARE certain courses your child must take, depending on where you live]. Also let your child know that you're interested in what they're interested in learning.
My parents don't necessarily have a set up 'phys. ed' class, but I take the dog on walks regularly and work out at my mom's work's gym on weekends. Also, I go bowling when my mom has time, so we get the heart pumping a little bit. During warmer months, you can set aside for exercise [mostly around lunchtime or so] so your kids stay healthy.
Parents don't have to be 'qualified' to teach their kids, because they can rely on their homeschooling resources, textbooks, internet sources, etc. for teaching. In my case, I'm homeschooled online and I have daily lesson plans with teachers I can talk to online if I have any questions. There are also other places called 'homeschool buildings' that meet once weekly with lesson plans and a few classes that interest the homeschooler. While there they can ask as many questions as they'd like, and they're given their 'teacher's' emails and phone numbers in case of questions. These home school buildings also house homeschool sports leagues as well as places to exercise and meet new friends.
Depending on what religious or social background a homeschooling parent is from, there are materials to suit their needs. Some popular homeschooling programs [included with lesson plans, workbooks, textbooks, videos] are Abeka [Christian I believe], Saxon [teaches in a more comprehensive way], numerous online academies [I'm on one called the Grace Academy], as well as correspondence classes too. The school year's are typically the same as public and private schools, but students are given the oppourtunity to work ahead during summer.

All I can say is, homeschooling is legal, fun [yes, I actually have a social life], flexible, cheaper than private school, and a learning experience for both parents and students.

Answer 5

Okay, just to reassure the homeschooler who thinks she needs calculus for college. NO! Colleges start at remedial math, it used to be higher, like algebra and trig, I read an article a few years ago about how many higher uni's have added remedial math for high school grades who were ushered through schools for the 'no-fail' policies. It is a convenience, no more, to have already done those classes, for degrees in which you are required to have a certain class passed to graduate. For example, i already had calculus in high school, tested out, and that was my credit for my degree.

To answer the questions (and please be aware that every family has differences)
1. IN most states, parents are not required to have any training. Some states have the option of less state intervention if the parent is a certified teacher, or has a bachelors degree. Studies have shown no difference in the knowledge of children educated by parents with high school diploma's and even ph.d's. (at both www.hslda.org, and www.nheld.com)
2. My sixth grader has finished algebra. He is moving on to higher maths now. I am fortunate that my husband and I both understand and enjoy math, although it has been long enough that we are more comfortable reading through the material before our son does the work.
3. I like to think we don't indoctrinate our children. We share with them basic facts about history. They read a ton of books from the library. They read on their own, and they ask us questions. We direct with open ended questions (keeping in mind that they are young, our oldest is 11) about how things happened, what precipitated the actions, what the consequences are. We ask how that fits into the moral standards that humans generally uphold.
4. We don't need to put aside a PE period, because homeschooling takes so much less time than typical schools, they have plenty of time to play, and less structure. We do usually start our day with a half-hour workout, during the cold months we have tae bo tapes, during warmer weather we play outside at the adjacent park typical games.
5. Any person is qualified to learn, it's an innate feature that humans come with. If a child wants to learn, and a parent is willing to learn, then they will and can learn together. It wasn't until my son was interested in chemical reactions that I put away my school-induced fear of chemistry (after a teacher told me I was too stupid at it), and we learned it together. We both learned college level chemistry, and we both enjoyed it. The mistake is in believing the lie that only adults who have been 'trained' by government institutions are qualified to teach any topic.
6. We get our material from several resources, mostly from the library. We have managed to get all of our saxon math books from there, we also have purchased some materials from a bookstore that sells it, and have traded quite a bit from other homeschoolers. We've bought a lot from yard sales as well.

Answer 6

Washington State requires a home schooling parent meet one of the following four requirements:
*Have earned 45 quarter units of college level credit.
*Attend a Parent Qualifying Course. This is highly recommended even if you are already qualified to homeschool.
*Work with a certified teacher who meets with your student on the average of an hour a week.
*Be deemed sufficiently qualified to provide home-based instruction by the superintendent of your local school district.
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that would depend upon what is appropriate for the student. all maths beyond basic arithmetic can be taken at a community college in cases where the parents lack the knowledge to teach at this level. While math is not my personal strong suit, I look forward to revisiting it with my kids, and their father is a big math geek...he's more than equipped to teach them.
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While it may be true that some parents home school for the purpose of slanting the information their kids receive, that's not my intent. I don't want my kids to go into the world unaware of the existence of differing viewpoints.
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are you aware that some schools have eradicated recess altogether, and only offer PE on alternate days? home schooled
kids can take a break for physical activity when they get squirrely, not at a predetermined time. If anything the PE I experienced in public schools turned me off of physical activity, by putting forth the message that it was only for jocks. the flexibility of home schooling can show kids the reality that there is a physical activity for any personality type, and that fitness is not only for the athletic or competitive.
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As with math, the higher level sciences can be studied at a community college, should the parents feel that such teaching is beyond their scope. And not all parents plan to home school all the way through high school.
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Book stores, museums, libraries, the internet, exchange programs, eBay, home school curriculum publishers....there's a wealth of materials available, many better than textbooks used by public schools.

Answer 7

Ok no I did not need to take any course to homeschool. This is the school we use now: www.K12.com it is an on line study my son is in first grade. Now I think this is a great program in that they give you the teachers guides and help. I met a mom at an outing and she is teaching 7-th grade and she is doing well. Now as for History you need an open mind as they teach the history of different faiths. As for PE we need to log in an amount of time to turn in every month. Even though I am in California they have Branch's in other states.

Answer 8

Now think for one minute before you flip out...
As a parent and a home schooler, would you want to give your child the best you can?
Look at your questions and reflect on them.
Both my wife and I have degrees. I would say we are more than qualified to know what is best for our child. he gets all the help and attention any time he wishes, 100% of the instructor's time.
Now, does that suffice?

Answer 9

A lot of courses have teachers that you send the tests to. The parents do not have to teach.

Answer 10

Maybe you should go to some Teen Clubs or something like that. Maybe go to a club that you'd enjoy. talk to your old friends more.