INTRODUCTION TO HOMESCHOOLING
Welcome E-Homeschool Parent!
Is Homeschooling New To You?
If so this is the perfect place to start and gain some knowledge!
If not, NO PROBLEM! We have some great 5th grade resources for Language Arts and Mathematics here, right at your fingertips! Free parent tutorials that include tips and strategies specific to your learner’s stye of learning.
Homeschooling is not a walk in the park at first, and if anyone tells you otherwise, run! They are lying to you and may not have a good foundation in place to build a strong student/teacher relationship, that will lead you and your child to success. Here we will provide you with the tools you need to have a rewarding experience homeschooling your child.
First Things First
Since you have decided to homeschool, first let me say, “Well done!” You have chosen to train your child up in the way they should go, and they will not depart from it. Here are a few things you should jot down and remember to do each school year. These steps are based on Ohio guidelines. You should check the requirements for your state.
01
Withdrawal your student from their local school district. You only need to do this the first year, before you start homeschooling.
02
Complete an Ohio Notice of Intent to Homeschool every year you homeschool. Submit this form along with a curriculum outline, to the Superintendent’s office at your local school district, before the school year begins.
03
After your first year of homeschooling, along with step 2 above, you will need to also submit an Academic Assessment Report, signed by a licensed teacher in the state of OH.
Curious 5 Tips
Here are some tips to help set you at ease and navigate your new homeschooling life.
Don't be worried about keeping the perfect schedule
Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to have a schedule, but don’t beat yourself up about it if it doesn’t go as planned. One of the blessings of homeschooling for you and your child is that it is done at your child’s learning pace. You may find that some curriculums give you weekly schedules, lessons 1-5 week one, lessons 6-10 week two, etc. They may even give you timeframes to teach each subject, 15 minutes for Spelling and Reading, 25 minutes for Language, etc. That is all good rules of thumb but remember why you are homeschooling. Usually, it’s because a traditional school setting with set times for this and set times for that doesn’t work well with some of our children.
Be as visual, as animated, and as creative as you can
Keep them interested and entertained, to the best of your ability. Use visual aids, props, rewards, etc. We use a star reward system and other creative incentives, like swapping chores for a day or week. Every time Elijah performs well in lessons, he gets a star. I go all out with my tambourine, high fives, and shouting “Star Award”. Even at the age 11, it still makes him laugh and strive to get another star. I also use stickers, educational games, etc, to keep his attention on the subject at hand.
Don't be serious all the time
Watch the video on “mommy hat” vs “teacher hat”, a short, fun video packed with a lot of knowledge. Remember our focus is on how well our learner is doing, not how well we are teaching it. We can sometimes make things a lot more complicated if we are thinking about how we learned something. The key is learning how to teach how your learner learns. Check out some of the free parent tutorials, that provide you with some tips and strategies on how to do that.
Be patient, supportive, and understanding
Ok, in Elijah’s earlier years of homeschool he couldn’t be still. Like most 7–10 year olds and beyond sometimes, being still and listening to us talk is not ideal. He would start in his chair, then be under the table, then under my desk, and then back in his chair. I used to get really frustrated, until The Most High, told me to ask him some questions, and add some rhythm when emphasizing things he should remember, all while he moved around. When I did it, I was shocked, he was following along. I decided to get him a chair with wheels and a big stuff bean bag chair for the floor, and we added a rug to our room that had hopscotch pattern on it. As he moved from place to place, I asked the questions, spoke in rhythms and “ta-da,” learning was taking place.
Be prepared; take a time out
Yes, this is for you. Take a time out. Sit at your desk, kitchen table, or in your reading corner and review the lessons, plan what props, visual aids, or rewards you will use. Let’s not waste any precious lesson time not being prepared. I created a bad habit doing that at first. I would get things together for the next lesson while he was working on our first lesson. It’s not a good habit to have, don’t start it. Prepare for a week if you have the time, or the month. I tend to plan my lessons daily. Once Elijah and I are done for the day, I’ll sit an extra 30 mins. to an hour to prepare for the next day. This gives me peace of mind and I no longer waste time during lesson time trying to read, learn, or prepare visual aids for what I need to teach him right then.