Is it against the law to home school your child if you don't .....?

Question

..even have a GED let alone a high school diploma? My sister wants to home school her kids..but she never even graduated from high school. I'm wondering if that is OK? I would think that she wouldn't be able to considering the circumstances. She lives in Massachusettes. Any thoughts?

Tone..and whoever else thinks I am being "negative" about this.. It is a genuine concern of mine to ask this question for my niece's sake and my sister. I said nothing negative about it .Just expressed concer. So unless you got something constructive to say ..butt out!

Answer 1

Massachusettes law states no requirements for homeschooling parents. So yes, she can homeschool her kids. As long as she at least attended some high school, I don't see why she couldn't teach younger kids the basics of reading, math, etc. It might be more difficult once the kids get to high school, but I basically homeschooled myself for high school. Books tell you what you need to know! My mom re-learned a lot of things through the process of teaching us and learned some new things too. I think if she wants to homeschool, she should go for it... and there is certainly nothing legal stopping her.

Answer 2

Yes, it's legal; no, she does not have to have these.

There are cases of people who are incredibly bright, well-read, and are walking encyclopedias who didn't graduate high school - they just plain didn't see the point in it. I'm not advocating it by any means - I think she probably should get her GED as an example - but there's nothing that says that lack of a diploma equals idiocy.

I do, however, agree with the school teacher above. I don't know your sister...she could be the best teacher that side of the Mississippi, or she could be a few fries short of a happy meal. No clue. However, she should know that homeschooling is not something to be entered into lightly. Homeschooling means that you, as the parent, have both 100% control AND 100% responsibility for your child(ren)'s education. That is something that is both very freeing and very scary.

Technically, yes, she can homeschool her children as long as she sets forth a program that is acceptable to the state of MA. MA has some of the most rigorous homeschooling laws on the face of the planet, so if she can get past those, she should be fine. However, it's something she should consider long and hard before taking on - it's something she has to be willing to commit to. If she is, fabulous! She'll probably do a fantastic job...but if she's not, then she probably shouldn't consider it any further. Commitment to whatever it takes for your individual child is key for homeschooling.

I am very pro-homeschooling, but I also believe that it's one option out of several. It happens to be the one that fits my son the best...but that doesn't mean that every child (and every parent) is cut out for it.

Answer 3

In MA, she does not need to have a diploma. The only requirement is that she get approval through the local school district, so she needs to contact the superintendents office to ask for the forms for that process.

As someone else mentioned, independent studies have shown that education of the parent does not affect the ability of the child to learn and perform maximally on tests. My SIL never got her GED, and she is a wonderful homeschooler. She knows that all the circumstances of the school system is what led her to not succeed in school, and doesn't want her own children to fail like that. She has a passion for learning, and she shares that with her children every day.

Answer 4

I live in Mass., and I have been homeschooling for 5 years now. Not having a diploma is not legally a reason to keep her from homeschooling. It is NOT against the law!! It may be more of a moral or personal reason, as to why she may not want to get involved.

I have found most people try to "talk you out if it", simply because they fear what they do not know.

The first public school was not started in the U.S. until 1635. It was in the home of the Schoolmaster Philemon Pormont in 1635. (homeschool) How do you think children learned before they started a "public school"?

Puritan settlers began the school, which they eventually moved to School Street.

Famous individuals that attended this school include Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock.

There are other web sites dedicated to Massachusetts (spelled correctly) homeschooling.

http://www.ahem.info/GettingStarted.htm

http://www.mhla.org/

http://www.masshope.org/

http://www.homeschoolinginmassachusetts.com/

HSLDA is a very general site, the above sites are dedicated to Mass. homeschooling.

There are also YAHOO groups dedicated to homeschooling in Mass.

Hope this info., helps!!

Answer 5

Interestingly, a study done in 1997 looked in to how homeschoolers score based on the level of education of the teaching parent. Here are the average standardized scores of the students:

Graduated college: 88th percentile
Some Education after high school: 84th percentile
Graduated high school: 80th percentile
Less than a high school degree: 83rd percentile

Did you notice that the teaching parents that did not have a high school degree had students scoring higher than those with a high school diploma alone? Interesting. I think I know why though. They probably have very high motivation to be learning right along with their kids. That equals a lot of motivation that trickles down to the kids. THink of how homeschooling in this family will benefit two generations at the same time.

Answer 6

Your siser does not need her GED or her High School Diploma. Type in 'Homeschool Laws in (your state)' and info will come up. You can also go to the HSLDA.org website and get info from there.

Contrary to 'popular' belief, a person does NOT have to hold a Degree in anything in order to homeschool their own child(ren).....teaching someone else's child is a different story though. Although different States require different things (noone is on the same page sad to say).
While it is a good idea to be able to read and write and figure, even in most places that is not a requirement.

Answer 7

Legal Option:
Establish and operate a home school as approved in advance by the local school committee or superintendent

Attendance:
None specified, though 900 hours at elementary level and 990 hours at secondary level are expected

Subjects:
Reading, writing, English language and grammar, geography, arithmetic, drawing, music, history, and constitution of United States, duties of citizenship, health (including CPR), physical education, and good behavior

Qualifications:
None

Notice:
A de facto part of the approval process

Recordkeeping:
None

Testing:
Not required by state law but may be a negotiated condition for approval

Answer 8

Generally ALL states allow homeschooling, BUT there are limitations if the Parent doesn't have a BA or HS diploma and those LIMITATIONS mean you MUST use a legitamate souce such as Abeck, Penn Foster, etc.

These limitatioins vary from state to state.

In NY ALL homeschool course MUST follow the STATE syllubus. In CA ALL homeschool courses must be "ACCREDITED"

In other states they don't care one way or the other.

Check local law and local requirements for YOUR state.

Answer 9

No, it's not against the law. And yes, it is okay to do. You can get all kinds of online help, and downloads on how to teach homeschooling. After all, since she's going to be teaching, there's always the teacher's key that the programs come with, that help out a lot.
Good luck to your sister, hope she finds what she's looking for.

Answer 10

I am a school teacher AND an advocate of homeschooling. In a good homeschooling situation, the student will be more well-rounded than his or her peers and academically more advanced.

While a college degree is not necessary to homeschool your own child, a certain love for learning DOES need to be present in the parent doing the schooling, and, at the very least, a high school diploma.

I do not know Mass. law concerning this, but you may want to look into it for the sake of the kids. If it's not a law, it most definitely is NOT a wise idea.

**EDIT**
Why not tell your sister to set a good example and study and pass her G.E.D., BEFORE homeschooling her kids...

**EDIT again**
There are a lot of homeschoolers up in arms and on the defense for all things homeschooling. BE CAREFUL!! Believe it or not, there are people who should NOT homeschool. Case in point, I had a fifth grader one year (at a private Christian school) who could not read even at a first grade level. He had been being homeschooled up until his fifth grade year. That is, he and his 4 siblings had been being homeschooled. His mom st him and his siblings to work independently, while she ran the home business.
Essentially, the children were running amok and not learning anything.
Some parents REALLY and TRULY are not qualified to homeschool and they do more harm than good, AND they make all of YOU hardworking REAL homeschoolers look bad.

Be wise, homeschoolers. Don't go waving your "homeschoolers are always right" flags, as you may be supporting folks who would bring YOUR reputation down.

My opinion, as a school teacher, is very unpopular... but I have had many homeschooled kids in my classroom (and my niece was homeschooled) and they have been tremendous academic achievers and thus speak well of homeschooling. But there have been cases of neglect and abuse, as well, though farther and fewer between... but these are the ones that get the media attention.