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female
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26-29,
*ove,peace'n'hope
writes: i want to home school my child for 8th grade this year at colorado vitual academy it says its free but i want to know if it true if anyone has a child going there tell me if its free or not please and thank u... Reply to this Question
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reader, CindyCares  +, writes (25 July 2010):
 I am not American and not familiar with the practice of home schooling, so you will forgive my curiosity in asking what the parents perceive as the benefits for homeschooling. It's not my place to criticize anybody's personal choices - and btw Daletom writes so clearly and beautifully that I think he could home-school a bunch of IvY League undergraduates- but the problem is not about each parent's education level.
I always thought that grade school is not only for learning the 3 Rs, but also for acquiring social skills.
Learning team work, and talking in turns, and how to handle frustration, how to act and react in group situations. How to empathyze, how to assert yourself in socially accceptable ways. And in big urban areas, for getting to know people from other cultures and eyhnicities. This , and a ton of stuff that you only can do in a group, and out of the family environment.
In other words... isn't the child perhaps a bit short-changed by home schooling ? Isn't he/she missing out on something ?....
I apologize if I sound intrusive or critical, I am in fact
simply very curious about something I never came across with.
A
male
reader, daletom +, writes (25 July 2010):
Thanks for the kind words, "Ask oldersister".
I had similar thoughts. One useful function of some homeschool parents' groups is helping parents evaluate their own abilities to teach particular subjects. In some cases, the parents become primarily school administrators while purchased curriculums, hired tutors and outside resource people do the bulk of the actual instructing.
Some students are simply better suited - due to personality, psychology, interests, family situation, and other intangible factors - to home schools rather than the formal education options available to their individual situations.
Where we now live there are several groups that have evolved into what are essentially Home School Co-ops. They concentrate on the Junior High/High School ages, and maintain catalogs of resource people who are bona-fide experts in various subjects. Many of these are folks within the co-op itself but some are willing volunteers from the larger community. Sometimes they provide only advice about curriculum content, but many of them provide tutoring tailored to individuals or small groups, or even conduct structured classes. This allows home schoolers to overcome their personal limitations.
One group in particular is super-organized, using a point system where everybody has to contribute to the group's effective operation. Some parents earn their points by actually teaching classes, others work as teaching assistants, group administration, athletic coaches, field trip organizers, or providing childcare while other parents and their kids participate in activities. It's my understanding they don't allow monetary "buy-outs" - perhaps due to some state regulations - so EVERYBODY participates in some way. This kind of organization wouldn't be permitted in some states, where anybody a parent might use as a homeschool resource outside the family is required to hold formal credentials.
These groups came about after we had finished our homeschool experience. A significant factor in our decisions of when each child transitioned to public schools was our assessment of our own abilities, and the resources necessary, to meet each kid's academic interests. For example, kitchen-table science is fabulously effective through elementary grades, but we didn't have the time or money to compete with the well-equipped High School biology labs that were only two miles away. Two kids had interests and aptitudes in languages; my wife & I can barely distinguish written French from Spanish, but 6th graders had the option to explore foreign languages with trained instructors.
By the time our kids moved to the public school system they had a solid foundation in reading, math, and an independent work ethic. In fact, one asked to move to "regular school" but returned home after one semester because he was well ahead of his grade level, or able to complete assignments so effectively that he spent a lot of time looking for things to do.
Jo Ann ("love,peace'n'hope") may indeed be able to give her child a home-school education on par with what he'd receive elsewhere. This Forum is far from the best place to assist her toward that goal. She really needs to get advice from people who are in her area and able to evaluate her own, and her child's, needs and abilities.
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A
female
reader, love,peace'n'hope +, writes (25 July 2010):
love,peace'n'hope is verified as being by the original poster of the questionthanks for the help and to the second person this is my childs acount. i had asked her if i could use it and she said i dont really care,so she gave me her password but again thanks for the advice.!!!! Jo Ann
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male
reader, daletom +, writes (23 July 2010):
We home-schooled our kids in the early elementary grades.
Start by contacting a home-school parents' group such as one listed at http://www.home-school.com/groups/CO.html . Many of these are affiliated with particular religious groups.
Home schooling is legal in all 50 states, but the legal requirements for home-schooling vary A LOT from state to state. Failing to follow the requirements can get you in trouble, possibly all the way to criminal charges of child neglect. A parents' group can help you understand what is required in your particular location.
In one place where we lived, the local school district even had a small staff dedicated to assisting home-schoolers; in other places we were very much on our own. In some places you can borrow textbooks and curriculum materials from your local school district, or purchase them at reduced cost. In most places you will need to purchase books and materials on your own - perhaps restricted to a list of approved books supplied by your state. You may have to pay for standardized achievement testing every year.
You are wise to investigate any business dealing with home schooling. There are MANY of them. Some of them provide excellent products and services at a fair price. Others try to sell you things that are readily available for free, or at a much lower cost, elsewhere. Still others border on the fraudulent.
Overall, our experience with home schooling was quite fulfilling. One of our kids is now a science teacher with an advanced degree; another graduated with the 2nd-best academic record in a High School class of 350; and the third is still attending university - fully funded by scholarships and a small work-study assignment.
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A
female
reader, Honeypie + ♥, writes (23 July 2010):
 Um is your age wrong? Because it says 13-15 and you can't really have an 8th grader if you are that young.
Call them. Ask question. Educate yourself.
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