Home Schooling

I'm planning on home schooling my kids and it's time to start thinking about it. Jacob is only two and a half, but if I were a working mother sending him to preschool, he would be going this year. He already knows most of his primary colors, as well as black, brown and pink (he sometimes mixes up green with blue and yellow with orange, but hey, he's only two). He knows he's two years old and he'll tell you so if you ask him. He can count to five. When he feels like it. He is a bit reserved and secretive with his abilities; he almost never performs on demand, but that's okay for now, as long as I know he's capable. He recognizes his name when he sees it, but when you ask him what it says, he says, "Name!" He recognizes some letters, but once again he will only say them when he wants to. Except B. He will always say B when asked. Don't ask me why.

So, I've started getting nervous about it. I knew some states have some pretty stiff requirements and I hadn't gotten around to looking up New Mexico's yet. It turns out it's pretty easy. You only have to have a high school diploma or GED, write a letter to the state saying that you are homeschooling your kids within 30 days of starting, and write a new letter before April 1st each spring expressing your intent to continue homeschooling for the following year. You also have to keep a calendar in your own personal records logging the days of home school so that you can prove that you have at least 180 days of instruction each calendar year. No required curriculum, no annual testing, no additional oversight. After that, you're on your own, which is just the way I like it.

Of course, that means without accountability I can't get lazy and sloppy. I figure I'm going to have to set up my own goals and accountability. What I'd really like to do is set up a co-op with other families so that we have some measure of healthy competition (I know from my own experience that friendly, healthy competition inspires kids to work harder), socialization, mutual accountability for kids and parents, and a support group for not only the kids, but us parents. We can have writing contests, awards banquets, science and history fairs, the whole bit. I think it will be a lot of fun. Besides, I'm getting pretty bored of just plain old mommy-duty butt wiping and house cleaning and I'm ready to actually use my degree a little bit. Most of the other parents I know who are interested in home schooling don't have a college degree, so I would be willing to offer a lot of support for those who feel they need it. The honest truth, though, is that I think any loving parent who is willing to make the time commitment that home schooling takes will do a better job than the best public schools. It's not because all public school teachers are bad; quite the contrary. Many mean well and teach their hearts out; however, from my own experience in public schools, I believe the institution is working against them from the very beginning. And there are plenty of clunker teachers in there too. A parent can do in three hours at home what a school may not be able to do in a week for one individual child.

So, if there is anyone out there considering home school, go for it. I promise, as long as you know reading, writing, and math, you can do a better job than school. If you're nervous about what to do, there are many ready-made curricula out there that you can buy whole-cloth and teach from beginning to end at your children's pace, and even get a regular high school diploma at the end so your kids don't have to take the GED. I plan to make up my own curriculum from things experience has told me I like and don't like.

I'm getting really excited about this. I think this is something that I will really enjoy and will be a great experience for my family.