Homeschool FAQ

Should I Homeschool My Kids? 

What is the best schooling possible?

Early institutionalization is surely a most pervasive form of child abuse. Our research findings over the past 25 years, as well as records from the period between the 1600s and the mid-1800s, proves that vision, hearing, brain development, cognition, and sociability demand later ages for formal studies--both at home and in classrooms--and require much more time with parents. And scholars note that older learning ages would save millions of children from learning failure.
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How does homeschooling work?

If you have never done anything with "homeschooling," this is an extremely interesting question! Homeschooling can seem very mysterious. How can you learn anything if there is not a professional teacher standing in front of you presenting the material? Most people are so familiar with that scenario in the U.S. that it seems impossible for there to be any other way. Here's a funny thing about education -- it comes in all shapes and sizes.
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Have I ever heard of anyone famous who homeschooled?

So many children throughout modern history have been home schooled, and then become highly successful members of our society. You would be amazed at some of the people, from the 1700's through today, who spent some or all of their time being schooled at home rather than in the schools!
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How about anyone famous AND contemporary?

Current sports figures, actors, authors, musicians, professors, politicians, scientists, artists, and more have homeschooled and made the scene.
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What does it cost to homeschool?

This was an informal, voluntary, anonymous survey of homeschooling families in the San Francisco Bay Area conducted in June-July, 1995.
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What should I know before I start?

The ten most important things you need to know about homeschooling.
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Wouldn't Public Schools Do a Better Job? 

I'm not a teacher - how can I teach my kids?

Children taught at home significantly outperform their contemporaries who go to school, the first comparative study has found. It discovered that home-educated children of working-class parents achieved considerably higher marks in tests than the children of professional, middle-class parents and that gender differences in exam results disappear among home-taught children.
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Shouldn't teachers be certified?

Many education officials publicly claim that teachers need special certification in order to be effective. Although this seems reasonable on the surface, virtually all academic research documents that there is no positive correlation between teacher certification and student performance.
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Isn't school the best environment for children?

People today tend to deem the public schools the ultimate authority on, and the best place to receive an education. In order to make such an assumption, one would have to believe in several myths, although sometimes (if not usually) unknowingly. Here are five of these commonly believed myths, along with evidence supporting the fact that public education is not, contrary to popular belief, the ideal form of education.
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Is Homeschooling Even Legal? 

Yes, homeschooling is legal in ALL 50 states!

What are my state's regulations?

Home Education Magazine's extensive information on each state's homeschool regulations.
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What are my state's regulations?

HSLDA's extensive information on each state's homeschool regulations.
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Can I find out more?

A to Z Home's Cool's extensive links list for homeschooling legalities.
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How Do I Get Started? 

What is the BEST way to homeschool?

Homeschooling parents, especially those just getting started, frequently ask a very simple and seemingly innocent question. Just what is the best way to homeschool? A common answer from experienced homeschoolers is that there are as many methods as there are homeschoolers and that one method cannot be said to be better than another. This can be a disappointing answer for someone hoping to be shown how to best educate their children. It can also be argued that it is a wrong answer.
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They're coming home. NOW WHAT?

If you've decided to bring your child home to school, be aware that you are likely to need a while for them to "detox", or to get over the negative aspects of the routines and behaviors they have gotten used to. This is sometimes refered to as "decompression". Whether your child is simply frustrated by a system that will not allow them to progress at the pace they need to, or has been maltreated by fellow students or an inept teacher, the damage may take quite a while to begin to show signs of repair.
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I think I need a checklist ...

Making the decision to homeschool is usually very difficult and not one to be taken lightly. It is a personal decision that I can't make for you, but maybe I can help you think it through. Consider these things in making your decision.
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What if I'm having a panic attack right now?

Dear New Homeschooler,
First, welcome and congratulations on your decision to homeschool! So you've gone to the library and checked out all the books on homeschooling. That's good. Except after you've sat down and read them all you're more confused than before because no two "experts" agree on how to homeschool. Don't worry about it, you will be homeschooling your own children in your own way.
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I have so many more questions!

Home Education Magazine's helpful FAQ page.
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I still need more info!

A to Z Home's Cool has an extensive links list for newbie homeschoolers.
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How Do I Find My Teaching "Style"? 

How do I find my "style"?

Welcome to the Homeschool Diner! Homeschooling resources - served up with a smile! Here at the Homeschool Diner you'll find a full menu of articles, curriculum ideas, and links to online resources. You'll also find helpful suggestions, friendly advice, and a little homeschool humor, on the side. So, grab a booth and "order up" your favorite topic!
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What is "Classical" Homeschooling? 

The Well-Trained Mind

Classical education depends on a three-part process of training the mind. The early years of school are spent in absorbing facts, systematically laying the foundations for advanced study. In the middle grades, students learn to think through arguments. In the high school years, they learn to express themselves. This classical pattern is called the trivium.
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Dorothy Sayers' "The Lost Tools of Learning"

When we think about the remarkably early age at which the young men went up to university in, let us say, Tudor times, and thereafter were held fit to assume responsibility for the conduct of their own affairs, are we altogether comfortable about that artificial prolongation of intellectual childhood and adolescence into the years of physical maturity which is so marked in our own day? To postpone the acceptance of responsibility to a late date brings with it a number of psychological complications which, while they may interest the psychiatrist, are scarcely beneficial either to the individual or to society.
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Trivium Pursuit: Christian Classical

Welcome to Trivium Pursuit. Here are resources to apply Christian classical education to homeschooling. We pursue a classical model and a classical method for education - namely, the Trivium - but we have only an incidental interest in the classical humanist literature.
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Live Monthly Classical Education Lectures

Classicalhomeschooling.org hosts live monthly lectures on classical Christian homeschooling. Our lectures focus primarily on expositions and introductions to various great books.
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Classical FAQ

QUESTIONS!! QUESTIONS!!! Can I do classical education with multiple children? How do I start "in the middle" with an older child? Is classical education fun?
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Who is Charlotte Mason and What Are Living Books? 

Simply Charlotte Mason

Charlotte Mason Method: A method of education popular with homeschoolers in which children are taught as whole persons through a wide range of interesting living books, firsthand experiences, and good habits.
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Ambleside Online

Charlotte Mason believed that children are able to deal with ideas and knowledge, that they are not blank slates or empty sacks to be filled with information. She thought children should do the work of dealing with ideas and knowledge, rather than the teacher acting as a middle man, dispensing filtered knowledge. A Charlotte Mason education includes first-hand exposure to great and noble ideas through books in each school subject, and through art, music and poetry.
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The ABCs of Charlotte Mason

A. Is for Ambleside, England, where Charlotte Mason lived and operated her teacher's college
B. Books! Just what are we doing with all those books?
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What is the Moore Formula? 

The Moore Formula

THE FORMULA. 1) Study from a few minutes to several hours a day, depending on the child's maturity. 2) Manual work at least as much as study. 3) Home and/or community service an hour or so a day. Focus on kids' interests and needs; be an example in consistency, curiosity, and patience.
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The Moore Formula is NOT unschooling

THE MOORE FORMULA is quite closely defined, though I doubt that it functions exactly the same way in every family or even with every student. But it does follow a specific recipe with many characteristics that are really not optional for the best results. It consists of two very important facets: STUDY with a balance of WORK AND SERVICE, meaning about as much or more work and service as study.
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Homeschooling is a way of life

The Moore Formula is a way of life in homeschooling. Not only are we teaching "academics," we are teaching Bible, character, and other skills, all of which are more important. Most children are not ready for formal instruction before age 8 (and sometimes not even until later than age 8). This does not mean they do not receive instruction, they do, but only in an informal manner. This means helping around the home and learning through every day life.
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What is Unschooling? 

F.U.N.

The Family Unschoolers Network provides support for unschooling, homeschooling, and self-directed learning. If you are an unschooler, homeschooler, self-directed learner, or just learning in general, then this is the site for you! You will find newsletter articles, reviews, resources, web sites, books and lots of other information to help your homeschooling or unschooling efforts.
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Unschooling

Come explore unschooling.com, where parents and children have learned to trust themselves and each other!
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Unschoolers Unlimited

We are an informal network of people who are learning to trust our own and our children's ability to choose the best ways to learn and grow.
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Interview with "Unschooling Handbook" author Mary Griffith

Mary Griffith and thousands of other unschooling parents believe that learning is as natural to children as breathing. If children are allowed to pursue their own interests, they will more than cover all the subjects taught in school. And, more importantly they will develop a life-long love of learning as they explore their world.
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Unschooling Sounds Too Weird. Can It Really Work? 

My 23yo son is in the Air Force

My oldest son, Kevin, is the reason I unschool. He is now 23 and in the Air Force.
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Ten grown homeschoolers explore the lasting influence of home education

Accompany 10 grown homeschoolers from around the country, ranging in age from 19 to 31, as they explore and candidly discuss the lasting influence home education has had on their lives. This 107-minute documentary is a frank and often illuminating portrait of the triumphs and struggles homeschoolers face as children, teens and adults.
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Lots of unschoolers, lots of success

This isn't an exhaustive FAQ, it's a collection of bits and links to help parents of unschooled teens feel confident and calm about how kids interact with the world inside and outside their families.
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... Socialization? 

What are the facts about socialization?

Accusation: Homeschoolers never get to feel like they are "on the team," feel like they "belong" and many other similarly misplaced social inadequacies. Let's look at some documented facts on this issue.
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Are homeschooled children socially challenged?

The socialization part of a typical day-in-the-life of a home schooled child looks nothing like the government school experience. Many homeschoolers spend their day doing things such as: helping out with family business, running errands, going on field trips, visiting relatives and friends, doing odd jobs for neighbors, and partaking in family responsibilities.
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What's the big deal with the "socialization" question?

What's the big deal about socialization? You either hate the question or love debating it! Most homeschoolers are plain tired of it. I'm sure people mean well, but it gets old quick. For new homeschoolers or those considering homeschooling, the socialization question can be an intimidating one. Maybe I can offer you some help.
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No thank you, we don't believe in socialization!

Many people had a friend who they stayed friends with all through grammar school - WHY? Because their names were alphabetically similar, and they always ended up in line with each other. As an adult, have you ever made friends with someone simply because your names were similar?
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The valedictorian who failed socialization

I find the whole question of socialization somewhat irritating. It almost seems irrelevant to me. Who is to determine what kind of socialization is "good" or "bad"? True, we live in a social culture. We are social creatures. But do we have to learn how to behave in social situations determined by a school setting? Can we not learn equally well how to get along within the family core unit with limited outings to be with the larger society? And most of all, what if an individual is not necessarily interested in or good at being around a lot of other people at one time?
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... School Detox / Decompression? 

What is detoxing?

Say you have been cooking everything for the kids for a long time. Suddenly, you want them to cook (Unschool) for themselves. They won't, and you don't understand how they can eat Peanut Butter and Jelly for 6 weeks straight! (Play Nintendo and read comic books). After a while, they figure out that you are not going to cook (teach them with curriculum) and they start cooking (learning) on their own. Soon, they are making gourmet meals, things you never thought they would! (Doing all kinds of educational things) And they won't even be thinking of it as learning. It will be something they want to do on their own.
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Why do previously schooled children need detox time?

It took nearly a year for two little girls subjected to several years of "preschool" to regain their creativity. In simple, "follow-the-leader" type games, they couldn't think of anything to do when the leader. They were too conditioned to looking for the "right" thing to do, the "correct" answer, too afraid of ridicule if they failed. That's why my detox rule of thumb doubles for children who have been subjected to daycare or preschool.
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... College? 

Will colleges admit homeschoolers?

Every year homeschoolers are admitted to hundreds of colleges in at least five countries. Those who prepare thoroughly can be admitted with full scholarships at those selective colleges that some parents daydream about their children attending. Read on to find out which colleges have admitted homeschooled children, and continue to the linked subpages to find out more about how to get into the college of your choice.
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How do homeschoolers fare in college?

A Harvard University admissions officer said most of their home-educated students "have done very well. They usually are very motivated in what they do." Results of the SAT and SAT II, an essay, an interview, and a letter of recommendation are the main requirements for home-educated applicants. "[Transcripts are] irrelevant because a transcript is basically a comparison to other students in the school."
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How can I find homeschool-friendly colleges?

College Internet Connection: Private and homeschool friendly colleges and universities database.
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What about homeschooling through college?

Two summers ago, my children worked for one month and saved our family $56,000. How? By homeschooling college in their spare time! Not bad for a summer job! This is about homeschooling college, and how you can save your family a fortune in college expenses using a few very simple but little known strategies.
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What about rethinking college altogether?

Our culture has more or less bought into the idea that going to college is just one of those things you're "supposed" to do. Increasingly, parents feel they are "required" to finance their children's education even if it means mortgaging themselves to the hilt or working crazy hours. Few ever dare to question this assumption, at least not in public. Yet, my wife and I question it and are happy to reveal our heretical thoughts to the world. It's not that we have anything against college per se, just that we see things a bit differently.
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... Homeschool Dads? 

How can dads support homeschooling?

Homeschooling fathers need to find their niche in this whole endeavor and each father's niche will be a little different, even as each homeschooling family differs in many ways. Perhaps homeschooling mothers will realize as they read these vignettes that the fathers in their lives are doing more than they realized. And perhaps fathers will realize how much it helps when they support their wives even if they can't spend as much time as they'd like to.
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What is dad's role in homeschooling?

While a homeschooling Dad will have a different role in the family's homeschool than will his wife, he should not have no role. A homeschooling Dad's role will be largely defined by time - he is only home during evenings and weekends - and the day to day things Dad does will be fitted around this fact.
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Can dad be the primary homeschool teacher?

Welcome to HomeSchoolDads.com. I knew there had to be more fathers like myself who homeschool their children either full-time or part-time. I was a full-timer, though this year my wife and I share the responsibilities. How about you?
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Homeschool dads talk!

A collection of essays by homeschooling dads.
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... How Others Did It? 

These links are individual families telling their experiences.

Home-Made Living

(Charlotte Mason, Christian) As a wife and mother of five, living in rural Montana, I have learned by experience how to live a more simple, homespun way, not always by choice, but often out of necessity. Now after learning some practical lessons, I can't imagine living any other way, and I'm glad to have you come walk a mile with me...
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Delight-Directed Learning

(Unschooling) In this type of learning I see the responsibility of parents as leading kids rather than driving them. I see it as kids taking the active part of learning rather than passively acquiescing to my plans. I see my job as motivating them rather than spoon feeding them, challenging them to go above and beyond what we could accomplish with assignment sheets. It is the one doing the studying that learns most deeply.
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... Other Legal Matters? 

Do I need homeschool insurance?

Do you need legal insurance? Do you need to join an association to protect your legal interests? If you are in a state or school district involved in on-going harassment of homeschoolers, or denial of their rights, then it might be a very good idea to get the insurance and join a homeschool legal defense organization. But, is there a realistic chance that local authorities will challenge you legally if you homeschool? Despite the headlines that one occasionally sees, statistics establish that very few these families will face an in-court battle.
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What does the Constitution have to say about it?

Even a century and a half ago, many American children rarely if ever attended a formal school, and learned most of what they knew outside schools. At the turn of the 20th century only six percent of our population even finished high school. And even in this 21st century there have been many Americans, often successful and distinguished who as children were rarely in a school setting. What we are talking about here is not a new idea but a rebirth of an old one.
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Why should I care what the "Rule of Law" means?

There was a time, before about 1940, when nearly every American citizen knew exactly what Rule of Law indicated. And, they often demanded strict enforcement. You should be very familiar with the term, too. It pertains to something very precious to you: Your freedom. "The Rule of Law particularly stresses the protection of individual rights from the arbitrary interference of officials." In other words, when applied correctly, it protects your personal freedom.
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What are some of the politics behind home education laws?

When talking to new homeschoolers we often hear concerns about the law. Is homeschooling legal? Whom do I have to notify? What do I have to teach? While the legalities are a concern that should not be ignored, neither should our response be automatic and not thought out carefully. There is no single source, no one true homeschooling authority. We all own the responsibility to think through laws and regulations on homeschooling.
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... All These Other Questions? 

How do I teach something I don't know?

I think the most important thing we can teach our children is *how* to learn. If they know how to find information then they will always be well educated. There is no way that we can teach our kids everything they need to know, especially when we have no idea what they will end up doing with their lives.
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Can I give my homeschool student a diploma?

A high school diploma is a document that bears record of the completion of a course of study. If you're wondering whether your homeschooled student can receive a diploma, the answer is yes!
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How do I tell the grandparents?

We simply get on the phone and say something like,"Hi Mom! I just wanted to let you know that we are going to homeschool all of the kids next year. Have a great day!" The relationship just continues as smoothly as it always did, right? Wrong! "Dropping the bomb," as I have come to call it, usually isn't accomplished all that easily. In fact, telling your parents that you are going to homeschool their grandchildren can be the biggest hurdle that many families face on their homeschooling paths.
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