Homeschooling 101
by Andrea Rennick

I have had a lot of parents of younger children ask me many questions when they find out we homeschool our children. Some had not even heard of it, or were surprised that we could. It is not near as daunting or as difficult as it would first appear to be.

Here in New Brunswick, the law regarding homeschooling says: "16. 2) The Minister shall, on application of the parent of a child, exempt in writing the child from attending school where the Minister is satisfied that the child is under effective instruction elsewhere."

What does this means in reality? In practice, the Department of Education requires parents to fill out a form asking permission for their child to be educated at home. This includes listing what subjects will be taught and what topics will be covered, along with listing resources and parent’s education.

There are many parents who want control over what is taught to their child, for various reasons. These include religious beliefs, needing work more suited to the level of the child, limiting unwanted social experiences, and possibly providing a less stressful and safer environment.

There are many benefits as well, such as giving each child individual attention, thereby being able to spot problems earlier and address them sooner. As for curriculum, it is out there all over the place. Even the Department of Education has the same curriculum guidelines the teachers use available for the general public. You do not need to follow these exactly, and I have even seen schools in differing districts in the same city follow varying schedules and topics.

The materials available to homeschoolers are as varied as the people themselves. There is everything from "school-in-a-box" to parents such as myself virtually winging it and pulling together resources from a variety of sources to build our own self-designed curricula. Even the more popular and successful homeschooling workbooks have begun to show up in classrooms across North America.

Many studies have shown that parental education is not a factor in students’ grade or ability, unlike the statistics available for public education. It seems across the board, homeschoolers do better in virtually all areas. There has also been shown that there is no need for the parents to hold a teaching degree. Many times, a parent is learning or relearning things alongside a child, and this, I feel, is what helps create a whole atmosphere of a lifelong love of learning.

Deciding to homeschool doesn’t have to be forever, it is a year by year decision. If you try for the first few years, and decide it is better for your family that the children enter the public school system, or even private school, this can be done.

In my opinion, it would be easier to start out homeschooling first, and then if that doesn’t work out, send the child to school. If you decide to send your child to school first, to "see what happens" it may cause more issues to surface later when you do decide to pull them out.

If your child is already in school, and you are considering homeschooling, consider starting at the beginning of the school year to make the transition easier for everyone. If, however, you feel your child’s emotional or physical wellbeing is at stake, by all means keep them home.

Pre-school, kindergarten and first grade are by far the easiest grade to teach, especially on a one-on-one basis. If one parent has stayed home up to this point, integrating some schoolwork into the day is almost like play. Most toddlers learn a vast amount of things without anyone teaching them directly.

If you do decide to homeschool all the way through high school, the statistics have shown that homeschooled do quite well. In some cases, colleges and universities have been actively seeking out homeschooled students. They have better study skills, are more prepared, and are better able to learn independently. A good thing to do in high school is to keep accurate records and create a transcript. Standardised testing at graduation may also be prudent.

The next question I get is usually related to socialisation. The word itself means how one learns to get along with the rest of society. The fact is, the vast majority of children learn most of their needed social skills by the age of five. Many skills they need to get along in a school setting have already been taught at home. Any of the social skills that one would learn in school are also learned out in the "real world". The real world is where homeschooled students live. Most homeschooling families do not actually spend their days locked up in the house, huddled around the kitchen table. They are out living their lives and teaching their children everyday things.

I have also found that when people ask me about the socialisation of my children, they have specific examples in mind, like bullying. It has been my experience that every one of those examples rarely happens outside a school setting or is not tolerated in adults.

My children, and many others like them, have learned some school-type things by doing them outside of school. They have learned to stand in line and wait their turn at the stores we visit. They’ve also learned how to add, subtract and multiply or divide as they figure out how far their allowance will stretch at the Dollar Store. They’ve learned to get along with other kids by getting along with each other, which is tremendously important in a family of six that spends a lot of time together.

In fact, a large number of homeschooled children are far more involved in youth groups than the average child. The children have actually learned to get along well with people both younger and older than themselves. They have also learned to stand up for themselves and be heard, in a world full of adults not used to having children present at odd hours of the day. They get plenty of times with their friends, outside of normal school hours. After all, their school friends are being told they aren’t there to socialise.

Here on the river, there is even a support group for homeschooling families. (See me for details.)

I guess what I’m trying to say here is, if you don’t want to let your children go to school, then don’t. There are many of us who have travelled the road ahead and gone on to be quite successful. It has helped strengthen our family and taught us more than we ever thought possible.

Andrea Rennick is a homeschooling mom of four children, ranging in age from 3 to 16. Her Atypical Life column runs monthly in Bread ‘n Molasses. A sense of humour is a big part of dealing with the ins and outs of her day. She can also be found at her website, www.atypicalife.net. Reach her at andrea@atypicalife.net