Homeschooling is something that seems to be becoming a more popular than it was. Maybe it is just I am noticing it more. Who knows. I wanted to come on here though and talk about it. I home school 2/4 of my kids right now. Back during covid and after for a bit I had all 4 kids home. I have had people ask me over the years all kinds of questions about it. I get questions from how I manage having all 4 kids home all the time, to what programs I use, to how to get started. So, I figured I would come here and post a kind of how to list. At first, I won't lie I was scared to do it as I had 4 kids on 3 different levels that I was going to be teaching. Which at first, just like anything new, things were crazy. It is an adjustment period when you take your kids from public school to homeschool, for everyone. I have to say though it is an amazing thing to do though, you get to watch your children learn even more than you do when they are in public school, that look when they finally get something they have been struggling with, being able to teach them how you feel is right, and developing that connection with your children that you do is absolutely amazing. Ok enough babbling here is your "how to" list of how to get started with homeschooling.
1. You need to send in a letter of intent (LOI)- this gets sent to the super intendent of your school district, I also send to the principle, so they are aware as well. The school then has 10 business days to reply to your letter. They will then send you a copy of the state's home instruction regulations (Commissioner's Regulation 100.10) and a blank form to submit your Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP). YOU DO NOT need to use their forms for your IHIP. (I do a google doc for mine as I email everything in.)
2. Your IHIP plan needs to be done. (Click button below labeled Questions and answers NYS for info) Make sure you put that what you are using isn't limited to just what is put on your IHIP this was you can use what you want more.
3. On your IHIP you will have 5 dates for your quarterly reports that need to be submitted. (AKA report card) It includes the percentage of what you have covered, hours completed (Grades 1-6 need 900 hours, 7-12 need 990 hours for the year),
As you can see getting started isn't hard to Homeschool if you want to. I honestly feel the hardest part of it all is deciding what curriculum to use as there are so many different choices. What you want to do will depend on how you want to teach your children and on your children. I use curriculum online as my kids are all better on electronics then not. There is the occasional worksheet to print out for them that they do, but most of it is on the computer. A favorite thing about homeschool that I like is that anything we do as a family, go to the zoo, trampoline parks, walks, hikes, anything like that, I count towards school. It is a form of unschooling for the kids, at least that's what I call it. You can use any situation basically as a learning experience for your kids all the time, just with homeschooling you can use it towards their hours. It is honestly an amazing thing to do with your kids.
Reminder this is in NYS where I live, also I am not a professional and may have some things mistyped on here. Please always double check with someone in your school district as every district may not be the same. I also added a second button below for HSLDA you may want to check out.
Add comment
Comments