When you are home schooled? do you get a summer break like public school kids?

Question

I never home schooled my children nor do I know anything about home schooling but I wondered if the kids got a break or not. And also to teach your children at home is their any special requirements for the parent? Like college degree etc.? Please don't laugh I am truly interested and that's why I am asking these questions.
Thanking anyone who answers in advance!

Too many good answers I can't decide who answered the best. Thank you all for the information!

Answer 1

Each state has its own requirements; some states require you to either go under an umbrella school or hold a teaching certificates, while in other states you just plain start up and go. This website can give you all the details - just go to "In My State" and find your state.

http://www.hslda.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1

The schedule is completely up to you, as long as you meet the state minimums. In my state, we just have to go 180 days per year and at least provide the same general subject matter as the schools. We choose to go year round, simply because otherwise my son gets bored, but technically when we're done with 180 days we can be done with school for the year if we want. We generally go well over 220, but again, that's by choice.

Hope that helps!

Answer 2

Ok, I'm home schooled and have been since I was in kindergarten.. 1. Well it depends on what holidays. Like I never have school on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter (the actual day). I usually get labour day off but I don't get normal Pro-D days or anything. 2. I get the summer holiday, spring break, and the winter break off unless I need to get caught up on school. For instance, last summer I had to finish math 8. You would have to do summer school too if you didn't finish something in a public school. 3. Yes, I have! BTW just because we don't have the normal Pro-D days is not to say that we don't ever get breaks! There are TONS of things for homeschooling to do like field trips, skating, or a just get together. Although my family doesn't really do organized stuff with other home schools anymore now that we are older, we still get lots of breaks to go skiing, or just go somewhere in general. I am also doing the stuff any other grade 9er would be doing.

Answer 3

Well, the kids are always learning, so I guess it depends on what you mean by a summer break. We are not near as structured during the summer, but we still take advantage of every learning moment we can. It is all dependant on your style of teaching and your children's style of learning. When we first started looking into homeschooling, I talked to all the homeschooling parents I could, and I don't think any of them gave me the same answers. So I just took in the advice I could use, that fell in line with what works best for my family, and developed my own style, which is still ever-changing :)

Where I live, there are no specific requirements for the parents to teach their children at home. However, if we were to hire someone to teach our children at home (instead of doing it ourselves) that person would have to meet certain requirements. It is different in every state though.

Answer 4

We don't usually take the entire summer off from school because they "lose" too much (that's why most textbooks repeat information at the beginning of the year).

We take a week off from "formal" schooling every 4-5 weeks throughout the year, which adds up to about 12 weeks annually, or the equivalent of the school system's breaks. We're still reading and learning and exploring, just not doing sit-down text- or workbook stuff.

The best way to get *accurate* information about homeschooling in your state is to ask others who homeschool in your state. Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, but the requirements vary WIDELY from state to state. Every state has a state-wide homeschool organization that can help with this kind of information, but if you are really serious, you should get to know other homeschoolers in your area. You could also check your state laws at the HSLDA website ( http://www.hslda.org ). Click on the US map on the right, then choose your state. The laws will be summarized in the "laws" area of your state page.

Answer 5

It's a matter of preference. Since I just began homeschooling my first grade son in November, we are homeschooling straight through the summer. However, we just took a week off and will resume homeschooling on tomorrow.

Each state has different requirements, and the best place to look these up is the Home School Legal Defense Association. This site also has a lot of information for those who are considering homeschooling. The link is below:

http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp

I hope this helps.

Answer 6

Hi, I've homeschooled by boys officially now for 4 years. Yes, we take a summer vacation. But we usually only take a month. I've found that any longer and they start to forget too much. We also take another month off in January when we drive down to Arizona and enjoy the sun, ride dirt bikes, fish, etc. (We live in Montana and it gets very cold here in the winter)Mind you, we never really stop learning. We always learn something about the places we go. It's just not a formal education like in a public school. We do a lot of hands on. The beauty of it is that we are not restricted in any way by their having to attend school. We can come and go as we like. ( My husband is self employed and doesn't have much work in January either)
There are no special requirements for my state. But each state is different. I have completed 2 years of college and consider myself a smart person. I am capable of learning and know right from wrong. I am very capable of teaching my children. It's a learning process for all of us. We have enjoyed our studies greatly and I feel we are a better, closer family because of homeschooling.
Anyway, that is one homeschoolers answer. I'm sure you'll get many others.

Answer 7

I'm sure it varies family by family. In my house we school year round and take breaks when it suits us. For example, we take off a month around the Christmas holidays, we bake, decorate and visit. Then we take a break in the spring, whenever that first gorgeous warm weather arrives. It isn't written on the calendar, so if the weather is warm earlier one year than the next, that is when we stop.

In the summer we usually pick up the pace, because our scheduled activities outside the home slow down. In the month of September, when the weather around here is perfect and the crowds disappear, we take off and do field trips, beach days - you name it!

It only takes us about 3 hours to complete an advanced level of work, so even working through the summer leaves us tons of time to get outside and enjoy the sun. I love the flexibility of our homeschool life.

As for parental requirements, it varies by state. Public school teacher requirements in NJ require the highest GPA of any state (a 3.0, in Mississippi it is only a 2.0 ) and a minimum passing score on the PRAXIS exam. Private school teachers in NJ are not required to be certified OR to have passed the PRAXIS exam at all! Really, the standards are very low, in spite of the big talk you hear about teacher requirements. My GPA and my husband's were both in the 3.7-3.9 range, so we meet that requirement with ease!

Hope this helps answer your question!

Answer 8

I don't believe many areas require any specific qualifications to HS your own children. Schedules are completely up to you. We usually go 12 months in slow gear. This year I am giving the kids the summer off for the first time. It is really up to you. Most of the homeschoolers I know have the years work done by May so they have a really long break, some just take time off at any time during the year that suits the family schedule. Homeschooling offers families immense flexibility with scheduling as well as personalized educational choices.

Answer 9

You get to decide the school schedule, unless you have perhaps signed your children up for some sort of online program that follows a specific schedule. If you want to take a break, you take a break. If you want to have a break one week each month instead of 2-3 months off in the summer, you can do that, too. Totally up to you!

Parental requirements depend on where you live. You'd have to check with your state's education website to know for sure. (I used to recommend the HSLDA site, but I found recently that some of their information wasn't complete and available options listed on the government site weren't listed at HSLDA.) Some places have no requirements; others require a college degree or at least a high school diploma.

Answer 10

It's all about what you say. If you want them to take a summer vacation, then go right ahead. If you want them to work through the weekend, GO RIGHT AHEAD. As long as your children don't mutiny, you're doing a fantastic job. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS ARE: You're alive, and able to handle the stress that comes from this. Consider joining a Home School Club in your area, often they will have group field trips, and fun activities. The support is invaluable and fantastic. Good Luck!