Home Schooling is a way of life in which the home is the center of life and learning. Parents can thus fulfill in a unique way their responsibility to disciple their children as the Lord directs.
Seek the Lord through prayer for unity as a couple. This commitment to educate your children will involve all areas of your marriage: finances, time, energy and 24/7 child rearing. Make quiet time with scripture and prayer a priority as individuals and as couples. Maintain good communication. Strong marriages= strong families.
Research Home Education by reading books such as Home Schooling:
The Right Choice by Christopher Klicka
Home Education: Rights and Reasons by John W. Whitehead
Home Educating with Confidence by Rich and Marilyn Boyer
So You’re Thinking about Homeschooling by Lisa Whelchel
Meet and visit with experienced home school families in your area or church. Attend a home schooling convention.
Contact your state home education organization to learn more about local support groups, conventions, publications and your state laws.
Make arrangements to comply with your state’s laws by joining Home School Legal Defense Association. www.hslda.org
Prepare your home and get your life in order. The education of your children requires time and energy. Be aware of time commitments outside of your home. Get rid of unnecessary possessions to make way for learning materials and study space in your home. Organize your family’s schedule to adjust for school hours. Assign chores to your children. Parents and children work as a team to support the learning at home lifestyle.
Research and choose educational methods and teaching materials that will be appropriate for your children. If you are overwhelmed by the amount of choices available, start slowly, concentrating on reading, writing and arithmetic by using a work book type curriculum. Reevaluate and experiment with different educational materials and methods and make adjustments as you grow in experience.
What are the best methods? There is not one right method or curriculum. As an artist must choose from different mediums to express his creativity, so a home educator has a vast array of effective methods. The choices may be based upon the ages of the children, subject matter, number of children in family, preparation time, teaching time, a child’s special needs and abilities and results desired. As you mix and choose methods to fit the unique needs of your family dynamic, your home school will become an expression of your family identity.
What materials are available? Excellent Christian materials developed for private Christian schools are available through major publishers for home educating parents. New materials have also been developed or adapted especially for home teaching. These materials may be purchased by ordering texts and teaching aids from the publishers or mail order companies.
What are some of the various educational approaches? Traditional textbooks cover each subject in depth and in logical order of topics.
Workbooks combine text with written exercises in consumable write-in booklets.
The Classical approach requires that children progress from memorization of facts and development of learning skills to advanced logical reasoning and expressive use of language.
Unit Studies are theme-centered units that integrate several subjects. Language arts and math need additional curriculum.
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