Tell me about your experiences homeschooling

[FruitChicken]

What I mean to say is, your experience as a PARENT homeschooling.

I was homeschooled several years and loved it. However, my mom was a stay-at-home mom. Is it possible to work from home or have your own business and still homeschool your kids?

Does your state breathe over your shoulder constantly, or do you have free-reign as to your hours of instruction, curriculum, etc?

I am genuinely curious.

 

[redhen]

Every state is different. What state are you from? That might give folks a better chance to help you out..

 

[FruitChicken]

I live in TX. I intend on leaving TX in a couple years to go to OR or WA.

 

[Heckel's Hens]

I have started a Homeschool adventure this year, Virginia, but probably won't do it long-term unless our schools are horrendous. Love the "schooling" aspect, don't like never having any time away fro the kids. MOst homeschool parents I know are homemakers, as well. Some kids with working parents, who are homeschooled, do very well, but it is the CHILD's personality that makes the difference. Some kids don't need as much direction, etc.

Good luck!

 

[PotterWatch]

This is our 5th year homeschooling and frankly, I hope our kids choose to do it through high school. Our state laws enable us to largely choose how we wish to homeschool. We file online every year as our own private school. We are required to take attendance, keep immunization records (or an immunization waiver), and offer the same basic subjects that are offered in public school (math, history, english, etc.). There are no regulations on how we teach those subjects and our kids are not required to take standardized tests of any kind.

Our family has chosen a loose, unschooling type of style and it is working for us. We have run the gamut of styles; everything from "school at home" to unschooling and have found that our current style works the best at this point in time. One thing I love about homeschooling is that if we were find that it isn't working so well, all we have to do is change. No fuss, no muss, just make the decision and do it.

My husband was a firefighter/paramedic but is now medically retired after a couple accidents at work. I work as a part-time contractor doing observations and surveys at after-school programs. Some months I work almost full-time hours, other months I hardly work at all. I know several homeschool families where both parents work but they manage to continue successfully homeschooling. I even know one single mother who is an airline pilot. When she is out of town, her mother takes care of her son. It doesn't work for everyone, but there are many, many families that manage work around homeschooling.