My Dear Friend Amber is Homeschooling

My children are young, but I am often asked if I will homeschool them. The same goes for my friend Amber, who is beginning her homeschool journey.

I am a pro-home school certified teacher. I do almost all the homeschool evaluations for my county, since most teachers either don't think parents should be home schooling and/or they tell the parents they don't think homeschooling is a good choice. Most parents that I encounter do actually do a very good job at teaching their children. The curricula that is available for parents to use that has everything they need, with full details and explanations of how to teach to their child. There is even DVD driven curriculum that parents can use at home so they are not the teacher, just the facilitator. There are now two programs, available in some states, to have public school at home. These companies, Connections Academy and Florida Virtual Academy (obviously Florida only), give all the materials and guidance, but the child does not have to go to school each day. I think that some children and parents do not even need a curriculum since there are so many resources on the internet. I also think that there are so many ways to homeschool that parents should not limit themselves to the way they were taught. Books and worksheets are not the only way to teach a child content and facts. Parents have the choice to be creative. And just like when I was a teacher, many things can be called learning... games, discussions, art, explorations, field trips. As a homeschool parent, aren't you homeschooling every day and every minute? As parents, aren't we constantly teaching our children?

I think homeschooling is a wonderful thing. I think that if the parent has the desire to keep their child at home to learn, they should. I think some children should not be homeschooled and parents who should not teach their children. I believe each parent has the right to choose how to school their child. I am thankful that there are so many options and we have the freedom to choose.

Will I homeschool? I have a least one year to decide. My son is not attending K-4, he will stay home with me. He has a summer birthday, so he may not even start when he is 5. My husband and I will decide that when the time is right.

Until then, I hope I can be a resource to my friend Amber in the coming year and to other parents that choose to school their children at home.