We were very fortunate last year to be able to send our, then, Kindergartner to a private school. This school was GREAT! It is a Classical Education school. She went to school every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and was homeschooled every Tuesday and Thursday. When I tell people this their next question is, "just for Kindergarten?" NO! They follow this layout all the way through 12th grade. It is a wonderful platform.
We had decided that we could not afford it this year. This was heartbreaking. I was trying to figure out our options. I raked over our financials and could not find it. I looked for another type of schooling and couldn't find it.
**I should make something very clear right here: I am NOT against public school! I LOVE public schools. I was in two different public school systems and loved it as a kid. I have great memories and made great friends. Sadly, we moved to an area that has a failing school system. I cannot send my children to these schools with a clean conscience.**
I finally relented and decided to homeschool her for first grade. I never wanted to be a homeschool mom. I could never see myself in this role. I mean...I LOVED it when V was in school. It gave me a chance to bond closer with our other two girls.
There are a lot of questions to ask when you decided to homeschool.
*What curriculum will I use?
*Will I use a set method, "unschool" or go eclectic? (and what does that even mean?)
*When will I start the school year and will it go through summer?
*What area of the house will I use to school?
*What will I do with my other children while schooling?
*Are there any co-ops and what do they offer and cost?
I could go on and on. I have had many sleepless nights due to these questions.
I decided to start by reading several books. I already follow some great blogs but I know wanted some printed material. I started at my library. I checked out several books on the subject and wanted to share what I found.
I started by looking at these three books first:
1. Homeschooler's Guide to Free Teaching Aids
2. You've Decided to Homeschool, Now What? - M. Hubler
3. Write Your Own Curriculum - J. O'Leary
I first looked at Homeschooler's Guide. I found out very fast that it is not a ncessary book to own or to even use. This book has lists and lists and lists of resources. They are some great resources but with the interent being so easy to use this book is out of date. All you have to do is a Google search when you are wanting to research something now.
I then looked at You've Decided to Homeschool. This is a GREAT resource! This is not a book you would need to own necessarily but is a book that I highly recommend you look at. There are a lot of great points and suggestions that I had never thought of.
I just finished Write Your Own Curriculum today. This also was a wonderful resource. Like the book above, it is not a book you would need to own. Check it out from your library when you have decided to homeschool and then check it out again when your child hits highschool age (I skipped those sections since they do not appy to me right now).
I currently have several other books on my nightstand that I will be starting today and will be reviewing briefly here next Friday.
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