Homeschooling Nuts and Bolts - Getting Started

This is for anyone who has decided to start homeschooling young children and is wondering where to start.  This is not a set of instructions, but a set of suggestions, and if your child(ren) has already spent some time in school, then you may not find this helpful because our kids have never been to school.  And even if your kids have never been to school either, my family is not yours, your circumstances may be very different to mine, etc, etc, yada, yada.

First thing (if you haven't already) I suggest you find out what your legal obligations are in your area.  These are widely varied even within Australia, and outside of Australia, I have no idea how homeschooling works.  I would advise considering carefully whether to register or not (I think every state in Australia requires some form of registration).  We registered because we consider it our moral obligation (because the Bible says so) to obey the laws of the land wherever they don't contradict God's laws.  In our case, in our state, we don't consider the registration requirement to go against God's laws, so we registered.  Simple.

Registration here in Victoria requires signing a piece of paper that promises to teach key learning areas (KLAs) regularly and efficiently.   Before you get too stuck on those words "regularly and efficiently", consider these statements:  "I brush my teeth regularly (that's every day), but I also visit the dentist regularly (and that's every six months)".  In other words, there's a lot of wiggle room in that word "regularly".  And as for efficiently - well, by it's very nature homeschooling is much more efficient than conventional schooling. I can teach a child to read, while supervising a toddler and listening to piano and violin practise (making sure it's being done and done properly).  If that's not efficient, I don't know what is!

Anyway, I do recommend you take the time to read any forms carefully before you sign.  It's reasonably easy to fly under the radar while unregistered, but once you're on that government radar... well, you're there to stay.  Having said that, being unregistered can make it seem like you have something to hide, which isn't always a good look. If you're in one of those states where people actually come to your home and want to see your plans and learning area, then it might be a good idea to chat to some home schoolers in your area who have already been there and done that to make sure that you're prepared.

OK, that's the boring paper stuff out of the way.  What next?

Think about your priorities for your child(ren)'s education and how you can tick any government boxes you need to, while keeping the focus on the things that really matter.  It's easy to get so busy ticking boxes that you lose sight of why you came here in the first place.  Seriously, get those priorities fixed in your head - write them down if you need to - you may be surprised at how easily they get knocked out of place when you see or hear about what others are doing with their kids.  Don't let anyone else (but God) set the agenda for your homeschool.  Please!

Think long term.  Discuss your goals with your husband, pray about them, read Proverbs... Think about the steps you need to take to reach the end goal (might sound obvious, but it's amazing how quickly the drive to "make the most of" an expensive curriculum or resource can erode your vision for your home) and keep taking those steps.

If you've got cash to splash around, then go ahead and splash, but if you're on a tight budget, resist the urge to buy the first thing that lots of people recommend.  I bought some books (thankfully not horrendously expensive) that got lots of rave reviews - loved the first one, hated the ones that followed... really hated them!  If your kids are little, there's a lot you can do with a pen, paper, and a library card..  And it's not necessarily more work than buying a curriculum.

If at all possible, look at books before you buy them, try out samples if you can, or borrow a copy from friends for a short time (if you can trust yourself - I can't, so I don't borrow).  Sometimes a book that looks great falls completely flat, or turns out to be a lot more work than anticipated, because your kid doesn't "get" it.

If you can (and I know that this isn't always possible, for many reasons), teach reading first.  If you have toddlers and babies to think about as well, I really recommend just teaching your school-age child to read before you do any other subjects (except, perhaps, some basic maths).  If reading proves to be a real stumbling block, then obviously this won't work, but wherever possible, the sooner you have a competent reader, the sooner you have a child who can begin to work more independently.  You can write out simple instructions when you have the time, rather than your child coming to you every few minutes to ask what to do next.  Alternatively, if you choose your curriculum carefully, your child should be able to read and follow the directions for themselves without constant input from you. (The aim isn't no input, just for your child to start being self-directed where possible and reasonable).  And in reality, you're probably covering most of the other KLAs just by living everyday life with your kids.

If you're worried about "missing" other subjects (especially if you have someone checking up on you), then with a little planning, you can incorporate other subjects into reading instruction and practice.  A lot of libraries have (deadly dull and condescending...) non-fiction books for early readers.  They are rarely inspiring, but if they help you "tick that box" once in a while, then so be it.  Or, if you have the time and inclination, you can always write short "stories" yourself about other topics you're obliged to cover. (E.g. for Science and Art you might write "plants need sun.  Plants need rain." and then get your kiddo to "illustrate" what you've written. Easy.)

So, with nearly six months till the school year begins (if you're in Australia), there's plenty of time to be planning for your adventures in homeschooling.  There need not be hours of planning involved, but now is a great time to be checking out other people's resources, finding out what the laws are in your state, and setting in place whatever routines or habits will enable you to function in your first school year.  It's not as hard as it sounds!

Happy homeschooling!

The Wrong Question

We ask it a lot, we hear it a lot, we think it even when we don't ask it.  It's the secret fear of homeschooling mothers the world over "am I doing enough?"

But see, that's the wrong question.  While we worry about checkboxes and "essential" learning and what other people think of us when they meet our children, other, much bigger questions loom in the background.

What are they absorbing?  What are the values in the air we breath?  In the words we speak when we're not thinking? In the things we do when we think no one is looking?

Is there any chance that our children's bad habits - the ones that bug and embarrass us - actually represent our silent curriculum.  No, I'm not saying that every bad or annoying thing your child does is all your fault - I'm sure they came up with one or two things all by themselves...

What needs to change in this home where we "do" school?  I can tell you, a lot of things need to change in this home.  Some I already know, many - somewhat depressingly - will emerge over the coming years.  I need to stop whinging (I wonder where the kids got that from?).  I need to call a moratorium on negativity and learn to really and truly speak the truth in love.  I need to spend less time on selfish, time-wasting pursuits (such as mindlessly surfing internet shopping sites for the perfect... whatever) and invest myself much more in relationships... including the really tough ones.  I need to stop turning my back on the things that I don't want to see and face up to ugly realities - like, my children aren't perfect.

Really guys, if we ask the right questions and seek to answer them with action, the rest will fall into place.  We will do "enough", and not only that, we'll do enough of the right things. We'll bypass all the fluff because we'll see it for what it really is.

Here's the challenge: do we have the courage to start honestly asking the right questions?