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Why Home School Curriculum is So Important
About Education Through Homeschool
WMy son has had a lot of trouble with the public schools in our community. Due to large class sizes and harried, overworked teachers, he hasn't received the extra help or attention he needs in order to be successful in the academic arena. As a result, he is reading below grade level, and his math skills are lacking as well.
Since he's just in third grade, there's still a chance to correct these problems before he falls too far behind his classmates. But in order to do that, I think I have to educate him myself so he can receive individualized instruction. I'm currently putting together a home school curriculum, and will take over teaching duties prior to next term.
Since I am not a licensed teacher and have no experience teaching kids, I've been doing a lot of research to find out what goes into an inspiring and effective home school curriculum that will fit my child's needs and skill levels.
The first thing I'm going to do is administer some special standardized tests that will help me evaluate my son's abilities in various subjects. Once I get the results from those proficiency exams, I can start building a custom home school curriculum to pick up the slack in my son's education, and bring him up to the level of his peers. Once that happens, we can sit down and discuss whether or not a move back to the public system is in the cards.
The Internet has been an invaluable tool in helping create a home school curriculum for my third-grader. I have found tons of terrific websites that are chock-full of lesson plans, activity suggestions, printable worksheets, textbook reviews, and more. I've also found numerous forums and message boards where other parents meet to discuss problems and successes, and provide reviews for various products and books that they've used with their children. These types of sites have been a huge help in guiding me along as I try to decide on the proper elementary level home school curriculum for my boy.
At this point, I have a good idea of what subjects I want to teach, so now I'm just trying to get ahold of some guidelines to ensure that I can offer an accredited home school curriculum that the public schools will recognize should I later decide to re-enroll my son in the system. Once I satisfy state guidelines on that score, I can go ahead and start ordering textbooks, posters, flashcards, workbooks, practice sheets, and other learning aids to help make the experience more challenging and rewarding.
Thinking about homeschooling your children? It's an awesome experience that delivers superior education!
Many parents are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the current public education system. The coursework has systematically declined in content and class sizes, typically consisting of 30 or more students, creates a situation where a lack of discipline among students sets the stage for bullying and even more dangerous events. The overcrowding of classrooms makes it difficult, if not impossible, for teachers to exercise adequate supervision.
All of these factors contribute to greater numbers of parents seeking an alternative education venue. How about homeschooling? Educating your children at home is one of your best alternatives. You need not have a teaching credential to home school. Every state has accredited homeschooling programs, with a curriculum defining the subjects you must cover and periodic testing that demonstrates a certain level of achievement equal to public school programs.
Here we take a look about homeschooling programs and how your child can receive a superior education to that offered in the public schools. We hear so much about that 'quality time' spent with your kids. Well, homeschooling offers a way to spend hours with your kids every day, in one of the most valuable experiences parents and children can share. Imparting knowledge in this one-on-one environment is one of the richest, most productive and satisfying you'll ever enjoy.
The only caveat about homeschooling is that you must enroll your child in an accredited homeschooling program. This is not a difficult or highly bureaucratic process, not much more than is required to register your child in public school. A call to your local school district gets you on the rosters in short order.
One of the best features about homeschooling is that you can organize the school lessons pretty much the way you like. A mix of structured and unstructured lesson plans usually works well for almost any schedule.
For example, scheduling for sick days: if your child wakes up with a sore throat, has a case of poison oak or a sprained ankle, this doesn't mean a missed day of school. This may be a good day to read story books, or watch a special on Animal Planet. Learning can take place cozied under a blanket on the sofa, with a cup of soup or cocoa. You'll also find that your child will have fewer sick days, not being exposed to kids with a cold or fever in the public classroom.
Another wonderful thing about homeschooling is the latitude you have with respect to what you can add to the education of your child. While fulfilling the requirements of the state mandated curriculum, your one-on-one environment allows for comprehensive, in-depth examinations of subject matter.
Let's say your child's coursework requires that you cover state geography. In public school, a certain amount of time is allotted to this lesson, but when you're talking about homeschooling, you have the time to pull out the atlas and explain topographical maps. Kids learn faster and more easily when they can take their time and ask as many questions as they like. If your child is fascinated with the subject matter, why not spend the entire school day on that subject? Tomorrow's another day.
On the other hand, there are bound to be some subjects which your child doesn't enjoy. In public school classrooms, there's no latitude in choosing time slots for subjects. How about homeschooling? You can break up the lesson into manageable chunks, diminishing the boredom and frustration. The material will still be covered, in a manner that promotes learning and gets the tasks completed and understood. This approach also helps a child's self esteem. There's no peer pressure by other students which may cause your child to feel 'stupid', or falling asleep in class, resulting in a poor grade and a lasting dislike for that subject. When it comes to educating children, one size does not fit all. So this is yet another of the advantages about homeschooling: your lessons can be customized to the specific needs of your child.
Television can be a terrific resource for the home schooled child. Animal planet, the Discovery channel and the History channel offer lessons your child might never get in public school. You'll find abundant TV resources for the language arts, including grammar, composition, and even foreign language lessons.
In addition to television lessons, you've got the net. Let's say your child does not enjoy math. There are hundreds of kid's learning sites which have interactive math games which are fun for kids and produce results. These sites are run by education professionals, who provide practice tests.
These help point out the concepts your child finds difficult, so you know where your future lesson emphasis should be. Teachers in public school seldom have the time to identify an individual student's weaknesses. So there you have another plus about homeschooling in contrast to public school.
Other net resources include free online and downloadable dictionaries, thesauri i, grammar and spelling game sites and e-books to enrich your child's learning experience and knowledge base.
One major concern about homeschooling among parents is the socialization factor. Here's some good news: field trips organized through your accredited homeschooling program provide many opportunities for social interaction. Community classes provide additional social interaction with peers.
So how about homeschooling? You can give your child a superior education, promoting a desire and enthusiasm for education. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity.
I'm confident that I'll end up with an
effective home school curriculum that will help get my
student back on the right learning track. I know that most
teachers in the public schools try their best, but they're
usually faced with an overwhelming workload and don't have
time to give each kid extra attention. I think my decision
is the best one for all involved.
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© Bob Pardue About homeschool