Homeschool....I'm ready!!

[Me & My Peeps]

Today was the final straw and I will be taking my son out of public school at the end of this year. I refuse to subject him to that environment any more. Long story and this is not a knee-jerk reaction. I have been working with the school since the start of the year to address some problems and they have all come to a head today. I may even take him out sooner, if it gets worse.

So, I need some info on a good curriculum for him. I need to submit it to the school superintendent before the end of the year. He's 8 years old. I am looking for something without the religious slant to it. It will need to have a good layout, meeting the requirements for homeschooling in MA.

Any/all help will be greatly appreciated. You can respond by posting or PM.

Thanks

 

[PotterWatch]

Congrats on your decision! We are unschoolers and therefore I don't have any curriculum recommendations. Look up your state support group as well as local ones and I bet you will find some good advice from more local people.

 

[Me & My Peeps]

Quote:
"unschoolers"? Ive done a ton of reading, but somehow missed that term.

 

[PotterWatch]

It's a term that gets a lot of flack and is often misunderstood. Like most types of homeschooling, it can take many different forms. For us it means that we use no formal curriculum. Our boys learn by doing and we very rarely require them to do "school work" as most people think of it. I don't think of myself as a teacher but as a guide.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Me & My Peeps :

Today was the final straw and I will be taking my son out of public school at the end of this year. I refuse to subject him to that environment any more. Long story and this is not a knee-jerk reaction. I have been working with the school since the start of the year to address some problems and they have all come to a head today. I may even take him out sooner, if it gets worse.

So, I need some info on a good curriculum for him. I need to submit it to the school superintendent before the end of the year. He's 8 years old. I am looking for something without the religious slant to it. It will need to have a good layout, meeting the requirements for homeschooling in MA.

Any/all help will be greatly appreciated. You can respond by posting or PM.

Thanks

I would check with HSLDA if I were you...I don't think that is legal for them to inquire about the curriculum you will be using. It would be illegal in the state of WA for them to require that of you.

The less information you give them, the better off you are. Anything you say can and will be held against you....

But it sounds like maybe you know the laws of your state already. I was shocked and appalled that you would have to submit that.​

 

[ZooNana]

We are unschoolers also, so I have no curriculum ideas. I just wanted to post and wish you good luck on your new adventure.

Here's one link that may help you Massachusetts Home Learning Association http://www.mhla.org

 

[Camelot Farms]

How old? We use Time4learning.com and supplement with worksheets and workbooks from Borders/B and N etc.

Works great for us.

 

[Mattemma]

Your local homeschool groups will probably be able to help you with the paperwork to get legal.

I say do it right now. Why subject your son to it if it is really that bad. I regret keeping my ds in public school for as long as I did.

I pulled and hand delivered the homeschool notification to the man who processes the stuff.He also happens to be our county truancy officer,lol. I listed only what was required which was essentially the subjects we would cover. I made a mistake one year and only listed all the textbooks we were using,and that was rejected.So I just resubmited an outline. Your state homeschoolers will know best.

I did iowa testing with my kids even though I knew they would be going into a Montessori school. I ordered the tests from Piedmont in NC. You can use the test results in the next year notification,or have a teacher look over a portfolio and sign off.Again these are things I did for Ohio.

Best wishes for your son. I just won't waste my time anymore fighting a school.If a problem does not get correct immediately I will just move on.

I got a lot of material online.Your state dept. of education will list what each grade level should cover. A got material at the libraries too-use library interloan programs.

 

[GammaPoppyLilyFlutter]

I'm currently homeschooled- but I will be going back to school next year at a new school.

School really can be bad for a lot of children- especially if they have bad teachers!

I hope your son enjoys his homeschool experience! And there's a thread for homeschoolers on BYC: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=413877

 

[justbugged]

Quote:
We also unschooled. We took a class on homeschooling and figured out a way that I could provide the kids with the 11 required subjects. I would have to look that all ip again to remember what the subjects are again. But needless to say it must have worked. Both kids started Community College at the age of 16. DD graduated this past June with a BS in Technical communications from the University of Washington. DS has been working for the county road department for nearly 5 years now. So I know that unschooling can work.

Working with the state support group is a good idea. We also wanted to stay away from religious based programs.