#1 questions I get asked SSSOOO much....."Is it hard to homeschool?" Well, that answer is a tiny bit complicated. The answer is YES and NO! So before I talk about the difficulty of homeschooling, I need to preface this my saying every state is different and NY is very strict on education laws. After living in a state that has extremely relaxed education law, I have come to appreciate the reasoning behind NYS law.
So, to homeschool a child you must submit paperwork that tells the school district of your intentions. We call this a "Letter of Intent".....easy peasy! Next step is an Individualized Home Instruction Plan or an IHIP. This is a basic layout of what you will teach your student throughout the year. NY does give you some guidelines here that you must adhere to but they do not dictate what curriculum is needed.
There are quarterly reports that are required to keep status on how your student(s) is doing. And then there is a final year end report. Every other year (starting in 4th grade) you must also submit a standardized test.
So those are the state basics. All just a bunch of paperwork. This is the easy part!
Homeschooling one child is really not difficult at all. Pick your curriculum....teach it.....learn. Homeschooling more than one grade is more of a juggling act that can really only be accomplished well with a great deal of organization. This is the harder part!
There are some subjects that can be combined for different grades and some subjects that can be for everyone. We have grades K to 10 this year. We will do Bible, Art, and Geography all together with grade appropriate "work" to do. My 10th grader does most all of her other subjects apart from the others. My grade 2, 5, and 8 will do Science together and History. Every grade has its own English/Lit and Math.
Everyone has reading with age/ability appropriate readers. Myself or older kids read out loud to my littlest one.
Homeschooling is comparable to most any other full time job. It takes time, commitment, organization, focus, and drive. But, unlike any other job, the benefits of being home with your children all day, being in charge of their education, and building a solid communication pattern with them is far better than ANY other job out there! I wouldn't change it for the world....even when I hate it!
So, to homeschool a child you must submit paperwork that tells the school district of your intentions. We call this a "Letter of Intent".....easy peasy! Next step is an Individualized Home Instruction Plan or an IHIP. This is a basic layout of what you will teach your student throughout the year. NY does give you some guidelines here that you must adhere to but they do not dictate what curriculum is needed.
There are quarterly reports that are required to keep status on how your student(s) is doing. And then there is a final year end report. Every other year (starting in 4th grade) you must also submit a standardized test.
So those are the state basics. All just a bunch of paperwork. This is the easy part!
Homeschooling one child is really not difficult at all. Pick your curriculum....teach it.....learn. Homeschooling more than one grade is more of a juggling act that can really only be accomplished well with a great deal of organization. This is the harder part!
There are some subjects that can be combined for different grades and some subjects that can be for everyone. We have grades K to 10 this year. We will do Bible, Art, and Geography all together with grade appropriate "work" to do. My 10th grader does most all of her other subjects apart from the others. My grade 2, 5, and 8 will do Science together and History. Every grade has its own English/Lit and Math.
Everyone has reading with age/ability appropriate readers. Myself or older kids read out loud to my littlest one.
Homeschooling is comparable to most any other full time job. It takes time, commitment, organization, focus, and drive. But, unlike any other job, the benefits of being home with your children all day, being in charge of their education, and building a solid communication pattern with them is far better than ANY other job out there! I wouldn't change it for the world....even when I hate it!
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