Secular Homeschooling 101

Are you fed up with your child's current school, but aren't sure whether or not you're qualified to homeschool? Are your friends and family members giving you a hard time because you've taken your children out of a "real" school? Here are answers to some of the questions homeschoolers need to ask before they homeschool, and ways to inform grandparents and friends of your decision in a calm, rational manner.

Please have patience! I'm adding content as quickly as I can. In the meantime, try Homeschool FAQ, a lens from tandimonimom.

The very first thing a parent should do after making the decision to homeschool is to find out what the laws are in their state. Hands down, the best resource for this is the Home School Legal Defense Association, or the HSLDA. Through their web site, you can find current laws for every state in the union, along with the status of pertinent legal cases, past and present.

Strongly libertarian in bent, HSLDA is, by its own definition, a Christian organization. However, they are advocates of the rights of all parents to educate their children as they see fit. I strongly encourage each of you to at least read through their web site before beginning a home school program. The information contained within will, if nothing else, give you a good idea of the legal ramifications of home education. One other caveat: I believe you must be a member of HSLDA before they will help you; they recommend joining before you begin homeschooling.

Be sure to check with your local school system to see if they have any particular requirements for home schoolers. Be aware that the literature and information you receive from the school system might ask you to do more than the law requires. If you feel at all uncomfortable with the requirements or think something might be hinky, contact the HSLDA.

(Disclaimer: I am not currently a member of the HSLDA, nor am I in any other way affiliated with them. Information in this section is given for information purposes only; it is my opinion and is not intended as legal advice or counsel.)

Below are a list of additional resources exploring topics pertinent to homeschooling in general, and the secular homeschooler in particular. If you don't see a list, please check back soon. I'm working on finding or adding topics as quickly as I can.

While you're waiting for me to fill this section in, check out The Bitter Homeschooler's Wish List by Deborah Markus for Secular Homeschooling Magazine. It's an eye-opening (and sometimes hilarious) look at the opposition one homeschooling family faces.

The Issues:
Parents as Teachers Why parents can and should teach their children, why the current educational system is failing, and more.

The word secular is used generally to indicate something with worldly rather than spiritual or religious characteristics. In some contexts, it may also indicate an exclusion of religion. That is somewhat the case with secular homeschooling, usually in the sense that most parents prefer to use texts and other material not slanted with a particular religion's bias.

Choosing a secular education does not mean that the homeschooling parent cannot teach subjects of a religious nature, however, and I will make a case later on that religious studies, including study of the Bible, should be included in the secular homeschool curriculum. (Yes, I know, the irony.)

On the web, there are numerous home school support groups using secular as an inclusive term, and that is somewhat incorrect. The intent of these groups, however, is to provide a place where all homeschoolers are welcome, which is not necessarily the case with non-secular home education support groups.

There are literally dozens of different methodologies one could use as a basis for home education. And I will list them all (or as many as possible), in time. In the meanwhile, check out a lens called Back to Homeschool by Tiffany, which provides a barebones description of the most popular home school philosophies.

To decide on your philosophy, ask yourself some questions, and be brutally honest: What are your expectations for your child's education? What is your child's learning style? How do you believe children learn best? What are your goals as a parent? From there, it's an easy step to decide which philosophy best fits your needs.

Our approach is what I would call the Classical Eclectic. It's based on the book The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise, who advocate this type of approach. Yes, they are Christians and their perspective is from the Christian viewpoint, but they offer many curricula alternatives for those who prefer secular texts. The main problem I encountered was in their discussion of ethics, which I won't go into here. The authors offer many common sense tips on homeschooling, and I feel that The Well Trained Mind is a must-read for any homeschooling parent, regardless of their personal feelings about Christianity.

Most school systems require home schools to cover at least the basic subjects: mathematics, social sciences, science and language arts. I haven't yet looked for or found lenses pertaining to each topic, but have patience and ye shall be rewarded. (Note: I placed Anthropology, Archaeology and Paleontology under Science, but they could also be studied as part of History.)

Mathematics
Hands-on Math, a lens by Evelyn_Saenz

Social Sciences

History

Geography

World Culture

Science

Biology and Botany
Everything Frogs, a lens by AndreaBerrios
Frog Unit Study, a lens by Evelyn_Saenz

Anthropology and Archaeology
Archaeology for Kids, a lens by The Homeopath

Paleontology
Paleontology Toys and Books for Curious Kids, another great lens from The Homeopath

Earth Science (Geology and Weather)
Weather Related Science Projects for Families, a lens by triathlontraining
The Science of Tornadoes, another great lens by triathlontraining

Astronomy

Chemistry

Physics

Language Arts

Reading and Literature
Growing Readers
Historical Literature
Literature vs. Reading Textbooks includes lists of books to share with your children
Write Gooder With Help From William Safire's Fumblerules, a hilarious case of teaching by example from lensmaker KimGiancaterino

Writing and Grammar

Spelling and Vocabulary

Handwriting

There's so much more to a child's education than the four basic subjects. Here's an overview of other subjects you might wish to incorporate into your homeschooling program. I'm still looking for lenses and other information about these subjects, too. Hopefully soon!

Foreign Languages

Latin

Modern foreign languages

Logic and Rhetoric

Art and Music

Computers

Typing and Keyboarding

Cooking
Kids Cooking Supplies, a lens by GroovyFinds

Gardening
Lasagna Gardening, a lens by JackieLee

Religion and Mythology
Why We Should Teach the Bible

Every child should participate in an enrichment activity, if at all possible. Ok, that's just my opinion, but I don't see how a child, any child, could lose from focusing on a non-school activity in which they're interested. Plus, there's the added benefit of detracting all those nay-sayers who think your child isn't getting enough "socialization". Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

• Team Sports, like basketball, baseball, and football, are usually sponsored by local Recreation Departments or organizations like the YMCA.


• Individual Sports, like swimming and bicycling, are great ways for kids to exercise in their spare time. They can also join teams and be competitive. You may have to ask around to locate a local competitive team.


• Gymnastics and Dance are usually offered by private businesses, and so may be out of the reach of many parents. They are a good way for kids to work on or maintain flexibility, balance, and grace.


• Music Lessons are usually offered as private, individual lessons, but if you can find other kids, homeschooled or not, who would like lessons, you may be able to talk a teacher into providing group lessons.


• Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts provide character building opportunities for school-aged children. Be aware, however, that the Boy Scouts requires a belief in a higher power; several of their oaths and achievements include a mention of faith, religion and God. I'm not sure about the Girl Scouts, but their requirements are probably similar.


• Volunteering is another excellent way for children to receive appropriate "socialization" (i.e. to work on their social skills in a real-life setting) while giving time to a worthy cause. Do not force your child to volunteer or s/he will come to resent it. Instead, ask if there's something your child would like to do to help out other people or if there's a particular cause s/he would like to donate time to. You may be surprised at the answer you receive.

Oh, wait...we have to be organized, too? Oops.

No, seriously, there are relatively painless ways to stay on top of everything when you're homeschooling. And when I discover those, I'll be extra-sure to share them with you.

In the meantime, here's what we've done. The notebook you see is a three-ring notebook I recycled from one of my college classes (if you look hard enough, you can see the title of the class written in ink on the very top of the notebook). That's where I keep all my notes and forms for homeschooling, separated by tabs with the appropriate labels. The list on the front does not reflect the order of the information inside; it was just a way for me to remember everything I needed to go in there.

Here's how I have it organized: the front inside pocket of the notebook has master forms (to copy as needed) and calendars for the extra-curricular activities in which my son participates. In the very front of the tabbed section, but without a tab, is a section containing a 12-month calendar marked with the public school holidays and calendar year (because I have a niece and nephew in the local public schools who are my son's age, and he likes to spend time with them), a piece of paper listing the main textbooks we're using for each subject, and a piece of paper listing the expected subjects to cover in each grade from now through the twelfth grade. The last is not necessary; it's something I did so I would remember, for instance, that in seventh grade, if all goes well, we want to add another foreign language.

The tabbed sections cover quarterly plans (which aren't really, but they do give me a good overview of what we need to cover over a longer period of time), weekly lesson plans (divided into daily units), attendance forms (yes, I make copies before I send them in to the Board of Education), BOE information and pertinent laws, and evaluations (to keep up with my son's overall progress).

The red crate you see in the background contains all of my son's textbooks, excepting books he will use for reading later on in the year. In addition to the textbooks, I've also provided a notebook to use as a journal, separate notebooks for several other subjects (Latin, French, History, Science, and Language Arts), and a small notebook in which I can write his daily work. My son's grandparents gave him a student desk for Christmas which he will use as his primary work area so that we can keep school separate from the rest of our life when we need a break.

We keep pencils, paper and other basic supplies in a filing cabinet drawer in my office, although my son does have some extras in his desk. Craft and art supplies are in clear plastic storage boxes in my closet, out of the way but easy to get to.

And that's it, the way we're organizing. It's not fancy or special, but it works for us, and if we ever have a problem, we can switch everything around pretty easily.

A quick note on forms: the ones I use were available as free downloads from DonnaYoung.org. I believe that's also where I found the 12-month calendar. If someone else knows of a good, inexpensive source of forms for homeschooling, please let me know. And, as always, your comments and tips are welcome.

If you thought you were finished after wading through the legal mumbo jumbo, deciding on a teaching philosophy, finding a curriculum, and getting organized, think again! That was the easy part. Now you actually have to sit down and homeschool your child. Below you'll find tips on scheduling your day, making a lesson plan, and reasons not to sit at home all day, every day. You'll also find tips on coping with the unexpected, reevaluating your child's needs, and pushing onward when you (and the kids) are ready to throw in the towel.

Please be patient. This is yet another module I'm working on adding content to. But if you want to send me suggestions, I'll be more than happy to fill in this gaping hole with your ideas (and you'll even get credit, especially if you have a lens on these topics).

I have no idea at all what's going to go here, but hopefully something about the home education of gifted children, foster children and children with learning disabilities or other special needs. If anyone knows of a lens, web site, book or other resource covering this special topic, please bring it to my attention. I would be most appreciative, and I bet other parents of special needs kids would be, too!

I am currently working on creating a lens for an informal, online support community called Parents Advocating Secular Home Education (PASHE). I will let you know as soon as that lens is published.