I need general info on homeschooling

[Libertarian01]

My Goddaughter has been suffering from some rather severe emotional issues. She has missed a lot of school and what school she has attended has been very stressful.

My friends are considering homeschooling as a means of keeping her educated but not necessarily following a set daily routine. They are looking into the benefit of flexibility that homeschooling may bring.

I know some folks on here homeschool so I am hoping for some links to any homeschooling and a general idea of hoops they will need to jump through if they decide to take this route.

They also mentioned something like "virtual schooling." What is the difference between virtual and real school, if any? Or between homeschooling?

Thanks,

Doug

 

[Cameramonkey]

The difference is virtual schooling is zoom calls, lots of "homework" (because you arent doing it in the classroom) and structure from the teacher.

Homeschooling is a parent actively replacing the teacher. You can buy curriculum and DIY. Thats what we do. And we mix and match because what works for one kid, doesnt work for the other. And one curriculum's math is great, but their grammar sucks, etc.

There are great homeschooling groups on Facebook that REALLY help.

And dont let them get hung up on the small things. Homeschooling in this state is easy. Just document 180 days of instruction. Thats it. No forms to fill out, or need to report it. Simply a calendar that you tick off days is all you need to do. (in case CPS somehow gets involved and wants to "audit" you.) And we find that NOT taking breaks works best for us. No Summer vacation, just a week off here and there. or we spend a month doing one 15 minute lesson a day.

PM me and I can give you my wife's email. She's a great resource, and can also suggest various facebook groups.

 

[qwerty]

We went with Abeka this year. It is a Christian curriculum, and that may not be what you are looking for. My girls have done well with the videos and the books that are included. It has worked out better than we anticipated.

Indiana is pretty homeschool-friendly regardless of what curriculum you use. There is plenty of co-op's too for field trips and socialization.

The state website is a good starting point with what you will need to do to get them transferred and what is expected for the home schooling. https://www.doe.in.gov/school-improvement/home-school

You get up to $1000 tax credit per child in Indiana as well for education expenses.

 

[Rookie]

My son is finishing his schooling through connections academy. It's pretty much work at your own pace, log in once a day, and talk to a teacher once every few weeks. He likes it. He usually puts off his homework for a week or two, then spends a day getting everything done.

Connexus.com

 

[Dirtebiker]

My oldest daughter teaches with Connections Academy and says it’s great!

 

[Bigtanker]

We are using SonLight this year. It is Christian based, but not overly so. We like it because it is laid out for every day. We found we need a little more structure than just having a bunch of things to do. They also offer a payment plan and a money back guarantee if it's not for you.

https://www.sonlight.com/

And Math-U-See is absolutely great.

 

[TangoFoxtrot]

My Goddaughter has been suffering from some rather severe emotional issues. She has missed a lot of school and what school she has attended has been very stressful.

My friends are considering homeschooling as a means of keeping her educated but not necessarily following a set daily routine. They are looking into the benefit of flexibility that homeschooling may bring.

I know some folks on here homeschool so I am hoping for some links to any homeschooling and a general idea of hoops they will need to jump through if they decide to take this route.

They also mentioned something like "virtual schooling." What is the difference between virtual and real school, if any? Or between homeschooling?

Thanks,

Doug

Virtual is just a means to home schooling. I home school my kids because the schools are to liberal. Ill tell you first hand there is a little learning involved on your part as far as learning (like in my case the K12 system) and not to assume but just as a possibility... maybe her emotional issues are stemming from things going on at school.. I recommend to any parents that have the luxury to home or private school.. do it

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[worddoer]

The difference is virtual schooling is zoom calls, lots of "homework" (because you arent doing it in the classroom) and structure from the teacher.

Homeschooling is a parent actively replacing the teacher. You can buy curriculum and DIY. Thats what we do. And we mix and match because what works for one kid, doesnt work for the other. And one curriculum's math is great, but their grammar sucks, etc.

There are great homeschooling groups on Facebook that REALLY help.

And dont let them get hung up on the small things. Homeschooling in this state is easy. Just document 180 days of instruction. Thats it. No forms to fill out, or need to report it. Simply a calendar that you tick off days is all you need to do. (in case CPS somehow gets involved and wants to "audit" you.) And we find that NOT taking breaks works best for us. No Summer vacation, just a week off here and there. or we spend a month doing one 15 minute lesson a day.

PM me and I can give you my wife's email. She's a great resource, and can also suggest various facebook groups.

Some good info here.

We have been home schooling our son the entire time and he is now a Junior in high school. So my wife has a lot of info she has gathered through the years she can share. There is now more material and support than ever before as homeschooling is exploding nationwide.

There are unique pitfalls and challenges that home schoolers face. All of which can be addressed, but it is nice to know before hand. That is where a local homeschooling group (there are numerous groups in the NE Indiana area) is immensely helpful and would be a great benefit. Parents can share with each other and the kids will have another socialization opportunity.

It does take an involved parent. This is not something that you can throw at a kid and it runs on auto pilot. I have seen some try that and it will inevitably will go off the rails in short order without continuous parent involvement.

So likewise, my wife would be happy to share info. We live near Ft Wayne, so we would be happy to meet if they like. My wife could provide some info on Ft Wayne home schooling groups since we have been in some of them. OR, just drop me a PM if you would like her to email you info.

 

[IndyDave1776]

We went with Abeka this year. It is a Christian curriculum, and that may not be what you are looking for. My girls have done well with the videos and the books that are included. It has worked out better than we anticipated.

Indiana is pretty homeschool-friendly regardless of what curriculum you use. There is plenty of co-op's too for field trips and socialization.

The state website is a good starting point with what you will need to do to get them transferred and what is expected for the home schooling. https://www.doe.in.gov/school-improvement/home-school

You get up to $1000 tax credit per child in Indiana as well for education expenses.

I second. I know a young lady who used ABEKA curriculum until her mother gave in to family pressure from grandparents who had it in their heads that she needed to be in school, didn't care where and didn't care how much it cost them. She skipped from 4th grade ABEKA to 6th grade at Heritage Christian and tested to go into 7th grade in Plainfield public school. I will add that the curriculum was very easy both in terms of a child learning and a parent managing it.

 

[Jaybird1980]

We use K12. Mostly because when we decided to do it, like you we didn't know what to do. We have supplemented extra curriculum in now that we figure out what we are doing. It is really organized, they sent everything needed to us. There is some structured class time though, but as others said it does take effort and time from the parents.

 

[Super Bee]

We have been homeschooling our daughter the last five years. Of course when I say "we" I mean my wife.

This year my daughter is using Connections Academy. My wife is a professor at a very nice local university actually teaching education so we figured she would get the best education from her.

If your friends have any questions send me a PM and I can send you our number. The better half would be more happy to talk to them.

 

[Tryin']

We have used Classical Conversations for the last five years and are very pleased with it. The kids still have a fully structured classroom environment one day per week for testing, presentations, debate, and science project demonstrations.

It is a classically structured curriculum in that the first years are spent in deep memorization, the middle few years are the introduction of logical concepts, and the "high school" years are spent in logical thinking and abstract concepts.

Kids from this program are regularly top players at state competitions for math, speech, and science.

It is a deeply Christian-worldview curriculum, (and I make no apology for that) but it is highly regarded in secular circles as a premier forum for logical development.

https://www.classicalconversations.com/

 

[Libertarian01]

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I will pass on the offers to talk and see what they think.

Do the kids need to take tests or anything? Is there annual paperwork of any kind? How do the students get a HS diploma?

Thank you,

Doug

 

[Tryin']

Classical Conversations is an accredited education provider and you get a normal diploma.

 

[TangoFoxtrot]

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I will pass on the offers to talk and see what they think.

Do the kids need to take tests or anything? Is there annual paperwork of any kind? How do the students get a HS diploma?

Thank you,

Doug

Yes, they are required to take test just like endoctrinated students and they can attend graduation ceremonies with school or just get mailed their diploma. I started both of my kids in Christian preschools through 1st grade and when that got to expensive and I saw the utter nonsense they teach in the drone plantations I opted for home schooling. Believe me once you get used to it you can really fine tune how your child learns with the one on one or my case one on two attention. I would rather teach them from a Christian view point that doesn't change than the evolutionary view that is constantly being proven inaccurate. That seems to do nothing but create adults that have no absolutes or standards they can lean on for solid ethical behavior.. im sure this will **** off alot of people but oh well

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[singlesix]

https://hslda.org/legal/indiana

I home schooled all 4 of my kids. I'd recommend this org. Also a lot of good information

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[Thor]

You and your kid can easily do in 3hrs what it takes all day to do in a .gov school (indoctrination center) and get more learning out of it.

 

[HoughMade]

All 4 of my kids have been home schooled since the beginning.

Up through 8th grade, we did "traditional" home schooling where the parents use a curriculum and are the primary instructors. For most of this time, the kids were also in a home school co-op where the home school families get together once a week for the kids to take classes in groups. There was also an end or semester program. I think this is important and a co-op should be sought out for the opportunities and the sanity of the primary schooling parent- you are not alone, though it can feel like it at times.

After 8th grade, my kids all did (and are doing) Indiana Connections Academy. My older son and daughter graduated (2016 and 2018). Both were in the National Honor Society (as is my younger daughter). My older son then finished his B.S. in Information Systems in 3 years (on campus in a regular college setting) and is working as an IT professional. My older daughter is a junior in college (also on campus).

The younger 2 are in high school, a junior and a sophomore. Indiana Connections has worked well for us, as did traditional home schooling before.

I say all that to say this- there are plenty of educational choices and both home schooling and online school can work well. Traditional home schooling is a high-effort proposition when done well. However, it is very satisfying. Online school is lower effort from the parent, but not "no effort". It's probably about like the effort a good parent expends when their kids go off to a "regular" school. I would wager the online schools are doing a much better job educating the students under current conditions than traditional schools trying to do remote because, quite frankly, online schools have this down.

 

[Cameramonkey]

We use K12. Mostly because when we decided to do it, like you we didn't know what to do. We have supplemented extra curriculum in now that we figure out what we are doing. It is really organized, they sent everything needed to us. There is some structured class time though, but as others said it does take effort and time from the parents.

I'll loop back around to say that this is what we did as a stepping stone. We switched to K12 for a year, then just didnt re-enroll and started doing it ourselves. Its a good way to get your feet wet without being overwhelmed. It also helped to surround ourselves with other homeschool families for support. That was TREMENDOUS. We couldnt have done it nearly as easily without that support. Kinda like INGO. Just like if I have a question about a gun (or nearly anything now as it seems there is someone from nearly every profession here) I can come here, we are able to ask other HS families about input.

And dont sweat not having a diploma. My MiL retired from IUPUC admissions. They didnt care the incoming student didnt have a diploma. The student was just instructed to take appropriate general classes the first semester. They were put on academic probation that first semester. If they proved they could cut it, they could continue.

 

[Nevermore]

I'll let the parents discuss the methodology and legal issues, but as a former homeschooled child myself I'll happily offer my impressions of being homeschooled from 1st grade through the end of highschool if that would be helpful.

A few generalities:

1. Socialization was not an issue for me: Co-ops, sports, etc ensured I had plenty of friends both homeschooled and public schooled.
2. College education of any sort is not a requirement to accomplish successful teaching, but the skills a parent has fostered can be helpful. Example: my mother's nursing degree was not really helpful to her in itself, but the constant swapping between Fahrenheint and Celcius, pounds and grams etc that she does at work made her good at math and made my process learning mathematics much easier.
3. When your child has to get their work permit, you will still have to deal with the local school for that unless Indiana has changed things. Fun Fact, the SATs and that permit were the two times I ever entered my local high school.
4. Indiana is extremely permissive when it comes to homeschooling, as others have mentioned.
5. Since most parents were public schooled some of that thinking can creep into the ways they teach their children: feel free to experiment more as you become comfortable with teaching. I benefited greatly in time management skills by being allowed to work ahead in subjects as I wished. I love history and hate math, so I literally finished my history curriculum a year ahead of schedule and chose to plod along with math at the stated pace so as to allow myself greater study time without having to cram.
6. I never received flak for being homeschooled and frankly most public schoolers I met just seemed to think it was cool/different. My parents did, however. It can be helpful to be able to articulate why you wanted your children homeschooled in a way that doesn't touch on any private/sensitive issues. Well, either that or learning how to blow people off but you tend to win hearts and minds better with the former.