By Mimi Rothschild
There have been many battles waged and won in the name of homeschooling throughout the last several years at school board meetings and even the courts The homeschool community has come a long way because of them. We struggled for years to be free and independent of the controls of the public education system in the U.S. Today it is legal to homeschool in all 50 states.
Consequently, homeschool families, as they enjoy their freedom, begin to wonder if a homeschooler can receive his education at home while continuing to participate in some public school programs—such as music, art, sports, language classes, clubs, or teams.
It all depends on what state your family lives in and can sometimes even depend on the particular school. Participation in public school programs is not considered a right for any homeschooler—it’s a privilege granted by the state, and it can also be left up to the discretion of your local public school. Whether or not your child can participate in public school programs is not up to you—unless you’re local school allows it. This lack of control can be difficult to deal with, as it seems to go against everything that we hold dear about homeschooling.
However, even in states where equal access for homeschoolers and public school programs is granted, there are still strings attached and requirements to meet. For example, homeschool students must abide by the state’s homeschool law, meet the eligibility requirements for the class, club or team, and prove to the state they are meeting academic requirements.
In states where it’s up to the school district, a homeschooler—along with a parent, if necessary—will need to make a presentation in front of the local superintendent or school board. Further, if your child is interested in joining a sports team, you will all likely have to deal with the interscholastic sports league, which can get tricky.
It’s not always a simple process to get your homeschooler access to public school programs that interests him or her. However, it can be done, and if you know that this will be something beneficial to your child, you’ll want to do whatever you can to make it work.
By Mimi Rothschild
As the popularity of home schooling grows in different parts of the country, there are allegations by people who are feel threatened by its ongoing success. The California Department of Education, for example, represents one such entity that is insecure about the growth of home schooling. One should not treat the intentional salvos unleashed by the Department of Education as just another insular event that should be brushed aside. The sad fact is that the section of society that does not want home schools to flourish can gang up to thwart their progress.
Parents and concerned members of society should be aware that the debate is not for education, but for matters beyond. The California Department of Education needs to be shown that they have no right to judge what is right or wrong for our children.
There is a reason why people home school their children. Parents who patiently waited for a change to transpire in public schools finally decided that enough is enough. They were tired of the callous attitude shown by public and private schools toward their children. Furthermore, if private schools were advocating a partial approach toward some children, the public schools were hiring teachers with questionable academic credentials. Disillusioned, parents found out that home schooling was the best way to educate their children in an equitable and ethical manner.
The elite and the bureaucrats are not concerned about the children’s interests. If they really cared about academic performance, they would have appreciated the performance of home school children. The root of this controversy is money. The state education department has a deficit budget because the school districts receive funds based on the number of students attending public schools. As the number of children drifting to home school increases, the state education departments are receiving less money. Though budget is a primary reason why the bureaucrats are crying wolf, it is an undeniable fact that they are feeling threatened because they are no longer able to control what goes into the heads of children.
Regardless of the tirade against home schooling from petty-minded bureaucrats, the home school movement continues to progress; thanks to the dedication and support of forward-thinking Americans who want to free their children from the dangers of inferior education.
By Mimi Rothschild
It is hard to avoid the common cold, but there are a few tips for you to adhere to that will help your home-schooler avoid getting sick. First, wash your hands regularly with warm soapy water. A good rule of thumb is to sing the Happy Birthday song as you wash, so that you wash your hands the right amount of time it takes to kill the germs on your hands. You can also use a hand sanitizer if you can’t get to a sink. You also need to make sure your homeschool children get plenty of rest, at least eight hours. This is not only important for doing well in school, but it helps keep their immune system strong.
By exercising regularly, your children will keep themselves healthy and avoid the common cold. You should have a regular exercise routine in your home-school plan. Every home-schooler needs physical education, and needs to learn the importance of exercise. It is also very important to teach your home-school children to eat as healthily as possible. Cut out as much sugar from their diet as possible. Sugar almost immediately weakens your immune system. Eating healthy will make them less prone to catching the common cold. If they do, a healthier body can fight it off better.
Don’t let your children around cigarette smoke. This weakens their lungs and can make them more prone to getting sick. Second-hand smoke is just as dangerous as smoking itself. Remind your children that they should never share their drinking cups with anyone. No one should drink after anyone else, because this will increase everyone’s chances of getting sick.
You may want to check with your children’s pediatrician about getting them a flu shot and giving them vitamins. If it is approved, then you can give your home-schooler a daily vitamin. They can help boost your children’s immune systems and a flu shot can help prevent them from catching the flu. By following these tips, you can help your home-school children avoid the common cold and other illnesses that go along with it.
By Mimi Rothschild
The process of college admission can be a very intimidating thing, especially for homeschool families and their homeschooled teens. There are ways for homeschooled applicants to avoid many of the pitfalls and problems that can crop up. With a little preparation and some planning, the process can be relatively painless for college bound homeschoolers.
The most important factor in gaining admission to the college of your choice is your grades. More specifically, how well you perform in your college preparatory curriculum. The ideal curriculum to prepare you for college is one that includes the maximum number of classes you can manage in the subjects that matter most to colleges. Mathematics, English, science, social studies and foreign language classes rank highest on the college watch lists. There are other factors that colleges will consider, but class performance in these subjects holds the most weight.
A common misconception is that grade point average is everything. Many parents and homeschooled students believe that if they simply choose easy classes and get the highest grades they can, then colleges are certain to line up to admit them into their schools. In fact, students have been turned down solely based on the fact that they chose easy elective classes instead of more demanding classes.
Another big mistake homeschool students make is ignoring great resources. Many homeschool students ignore or fail to identify resources available to them when choosing and applying to colleges. Contact current students of colleges to get an inside perspective on the school. Look to counselors and administrators to get specific information on their admissions processes. You can even use your friends and parents for third party advice or to bounce ideas and information off of to get a different perspective.
Do not choose a college based on a friend’s choices or because your parents went there. This is your future and you must decide on the best choice based on your own personal preferences. Personalize your search to include your own values. Evaluate the schools themselves based on the information you gather directly rather than from anecdotal evidence or the many myths that surround colleges. The point is, the homeschooled student will only be comfortable in an environment suited to their personal preferences.
Once you have narrowed your search down, explore your choices in more depth. Investigate college campuses, their specific courses, location and environment. During this process, ask yourself questions about what you want from the college and whether it matches your abilities and interests well. A major mistake many homeschool students make is simply choosing a school for its reputation and popularity and find later that it was just not a good match for them.
By Mimi Rothschild
As parents, deciding to home school is an honorable decision, but full of risk and sacrifice. Sadly, in today’s world it is not often possible for one or both parents to stay home and dedicate the days to home schooling their children. Does this mean that parents who work cannot home school? Absolutely not. With some careful planning and complete dedication, it is possible to work and home school your children.
The first thing that you’ll want to do is examine your work schedule. Are there certain times during the year that your work is slower than other times? Could you possibly have more flexible hours, or do you have to stick to a set work schedule? It is possible to schedule home schooling around your work, as long as you can make it work for everyone. One of the benefits of home schooling is that it can be flexible. There do not have to be any set school hours, so you and your home school children can design a schedule that fits into your life as well as theirs.
If there are slow times during your work year, then these would be the times that you could concentrate more on home schooling. That doesn’t mean that you would stop home schooling altogether when work is busier, it just means that there would be a certain “ebb and flow” to your home schooling schedule. Perhaps the winter is slower for you at work, and you and your home school children could add more subjects to study during that time. In the busy months, you could cut down on classes accordingly. In the long run, your children will still be learning everything that they need to learn.
You could dedicate one of your days off per week to field trip learning activities, making it a family affair. This takes some planning, but is beneficial for everyone. You could also dedicate a certain amount of after-work hours each day to one or two subjects, making sure to get all necessary subjects in during the week. Home schooling parents could also try to coordinate their schedules so that there is almost always at least one parent home. This takes teamwork and the willingness to work together.
Your children are your priority, and it is this attitude that will help you find what works best for your family when it comes to home schooling and working. With God’s provision, any obstacle can be overcome. Look to Him during the balancing act.