# deciding to homeschool or not



## rusticresource (Dec 13, 2008)

My son is almost 4 & we are trying to decide if we should homeschool... any help would be appreciated. We live in Michigan.


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## Lizza (Nov 30, 2005)

He is still really little. You can always just incorporate "schooling" into your day and see how it goes. I've always homeschooled my kids so it was honestly really not that different because we just started adding in "school time" in the mornings and it just naturally progressed from there. I also really enjoyed reading just about every homeschool book at the library. It's a place to start.


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

Read, read, read, and read some more. Check out online home educating communities, talk with the folks on those boards, then read some more. There are a LOT of good books out there on home education, and education in general, that can help you decide if this is for your family or not.

Do you know what KIND of education you want your child to have? What is your reason for considering home education? Is academic mastery the most important thing for your family, or do you wish to home educate because your child would not do well in the classroom atmosphere? Do you wish to home educate for religious reasons?

First, decide WHY you want to home educate. Your reasons will help you decide the HOW, and even the IF. No one can tell you if you should or not -- only you and your family can decide that. 

If you could share with us your thoughts on why, we might be able to help you clarify your reasons, and help you to make your own decision.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I guess I would sit down and ask myself why I want to homeschool? Make a list then examine it carefully. Are your reasons compelling enough? I would investigate the local schools and see how they run things, how friendly they are, etc. Ask for an interview with the principal -ask him why you should send your child to their school. Listen carefully to their answers. Do they match your goals for your child?

Then I would ask myself - do I have the time and patience for this? 

I would start looking at curriculums - read books on how to start, what to consider, the different teaching methods, a basic scope and sequence. Familiarize yourself with all of this. If reading about these topics excites you, you need to homeschool! If it wears you out - better let him go to public school for a while.

4 yrs is really young, especially for a boy. Michigan has easy laws for home schoolers - you just start home schooling. I am in TN and have to register my son with someone - school district or an umbrella school. By law, I have to start schooling by age 6 (for a boy, except for basic things, I would rather wait for formal schooling and just do a LOT of hands on stuff). I have to do 4 hours a day/ 180 days a year. Be glad you are in Michigan.

Another thing you can do to help you make this decision - look for a home school group or co-op in your area. Start with the Michigan home school web page 

http://www.home-school.com/groups/MI.html

See if there is a group close to you and join them. Many of them have activities for home school kids that 4 yr olds can join. We do gym/swim/art/science at the YMCA 2 days a week - check your YMCA if you have one. Check 4H groups. There are many activities out there for home school kids - link up with the group and try it out before you start to formally HS. And added bonus is the mothers you will meet there - they will know curriculums, methods, etc. 

Where in Michigan are you? I am moving to the SW corner later this winter.


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## rusticresource (Dec 13, 2008)

Thanks for all of your responses... I know he's young yet & we do little "lessons" now & he loves them! I never considered homeschooling until recently (about a year ago) I met a few people & they gave me some info & I started researching & I LOVED the idea of hands-on learning... I also cannot imagine sending Jack anyplace all day!! Our elementary has all day kindergarten & I really disagree with that, first of all... we've looked into a charter school also & that seems lik a better idea than our local public one... my husband is self-employed & we really want to "do" a lot with our kids! (we also have a 9 month old). We talked about traveling for 3-4 months & "exploring" when the boys are 8 & 11 years old... we also are planing to be off the grid in 2010 & we just really want a simple life... my son is already VERY social (as am I) & we go places all the time... no religious reasons... we just think it may be for us!


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Just as an FYI, hands-on learning is becoming more and more common in public school classrooms, too. 
The days of sitting in rows doing worksheets _should_ have died in the Nixon era, but thankfully it _is_ finally coming to an end!!
This is particularly noticeable in early childhood classrooms (ie, K, 1 & 2)


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## CamM (Dec 6, 2008)

Around ninth grade I wanted to be homeschooled with all the troubles at high school. Unless your kid interacts a lot outside of school, though, it's good to send them to a school so they can make friends and communicate with teachers. In eleventh grade a teacher went through my 80 page story, corrected it and everything, gave encouragement, helped me to write better--things parents can't always do. However, I've seen high school corrupt a lot of my childhood friends, and now they all smoke marijuana and drink a lot, but they have poor judgement because I stayed away from all that. Anyway, that's a long way down the road for you. Outside school, even public school, is a good thing. 

I also disagree with all day kindergarten. Our elementary school had to make additions because people want class sizes smaller now. All day is overextending a kid's mind.


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## Clementine (Dec 21, 2006)

I would recommend that you go the Home school Legal Defense Website: www.hslda.org. They have some really good info about getting started homeschooling, which could help you decide if it's right for you. They also have info about the homeschooling laws for each state. We have homeschooled our only child from Kindergarten and he is a well-adjusted, social 11 year old.


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## Sunbee (Sep 30, 2008)

CamM, you can find adults willing to mentor a child in whatever their interest area lies. My folks did. A music professor at the local university was happy to critique my compositions.
Rusti, can you find a local homeschool group that shares your reasons for homeschooling and spend some time with them? Our group welcomes families with preschoolers--we have a lot at our events anyway because they are younger siblings. We have all sorts of educational phillosophies, but we're all homeschooling because we believe we can do better for our kids than the local schools can.


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## rusticresource (Dec 13, 2008)

Thanks for the suggestions... I never thought about the fact that if I go to a homeschooling grouop event now there will be other little ones there. I've contacted our local group & they are sending me some info. Thanks again to all!!



Check out our website...
www.rusticresource.com


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