What is the single most important thing you need to know as a homeschool parent?

Unenroll? 

Fill out paperwork?

Choose curriculum?

Create a schedule?

All of these things are important but if you are a homeschooler (the type that teaches children themselves without the help of a teacher).... An OG homeshchooler, then you need to know this one important thing. 

YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW. 

Confused? 

Watch the video. 

How to unenroll your child from public school if you decide to homeschool instead of doing Covid-19 school at home

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT AND THEN SOME...

After not making a blog post for over a year, I am back with my second post in a week, but strange times calls for strange behavior, right?  Anyway, due to murmurings I am hearing on the homeschool boards I thought this was in order.  Many people need to know what to expect when they decide to homeschool. They need to know what the first step is and they are getting tons of misinformation when they call the school.  

I have done the research, and you can find specific state information on several homeschool legal websites, but I found some inconsistencies, and dug further.  The rules are as follows: 

There is no real notification required, as in you can just decide to homeschool and start homeschooling in Idaho, Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, New Jersey, Alaska, Iowa, and Michigan.  In some of these states, you can opt to work more closely with the schools, or enroll under private schools, but it is not required. 

You need to notify the school board in the following states periodically. (Some yearly, some when you start and/or when you move)/They are Connecticut, Montana, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Delaware. Be sure to familiarize yourself with what is required. Some have number of days requirements. Some have curriculum requirements. Some have teacher education requirements. Some require students be taught in English. 

States where you may need permission / curriculum approval: Washington, Wyoming, Oregon, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, West Virginia, 

North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida. These states require registration forms. They may require immunization. They tend to require you to at least register as a private school which isn't as bad as it sounds but still requires a bit of paperwork. There will be hour and curriculum requirements, and teachers/parents may need certification. 

Hardest states to homeschool in are Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania while it is difficult, it is not impossible. You have to be very familiar with the requirements of your state. You may need to fill out your yearly plan in advance and have it approved. You may need to fill our yearly and quarterly reports and have them approved. Testing is required, and there may be restrictions on who can be in your home. 

*Regardless of the rules, it might be a good idea to un-enroll your child from the actual school so that you don't get reported as truant. This is however, where parents tend to get into trouble or misled by the school.  

Slick moves schools are pulling: 

• telling you that you need approval when you do not
• asking you what your curriculum is
• telling you that there are rules for what curriculum you can use

What they may be trying to tell you:

• You may not be able to re-enroll your kids the next year if you don't use certain curriculum.

If you plan to re-enroll after COVID: 

• Use something measurable
• Take standardized tests at the end of the school year.

What is the worst that can happen? Seriously?

This post is not for homeschoolers, perse. It is for everyone! 

Here's the thing. Bad things are happening right now, but let's just focus on Covid19 for a minute. 

I live in the State of GA and it is turning into quite the virus hot spot right now. 

Whether people want to admit it or not, it is more dangerous to be single and mingle, so to speak than it was the whole time we were doing shelter in space.  

But let me get to the point. 

Why are we sending kids back to school? We closed down pretty quickly last year when teachers started getting sick... immediately. What is going to change there? 

In speaking to my teacher friends, I am hearing that they either report to work or they lose their jobs.  I feel like we are playing Roulette here.  Children are virulent. They pass colds and viruses quickly. What happens when teachers get sick and die? Subs?  They don't have insurance. They will die quicker. 

So here is my thought, and I realize it has a ton holes.. Poke away in the comments section.  But, I think school buildings should remain closed this year. Parents should maybe receive childcare subsidies. Education should happen online... and if online public school is too hard, then ACTUALLY HOMESCHOOL. 

Because if the worst case scenario is little Timmy getting left back when you return to school, then at least no one in your immediate family died to make sure he could matriculate. 

Oh, and here's a heart breaking local story: https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/04/us/teen-loses-both-parents-coronavirus-trnd/index.html

If my kids weren't adults already, they certainly would not be in any school this year. 

Yes, Black kids would benefit most by being homeschooled

This article spells it out pretty clearly.

It is hard to ignore hard statistics and facts.

At the end of the day, black children will endure less victimization and criminalization in the classroom by removing them from the classroom.

Why Black Kids Should be Homeschooled

T.I, is right- Kids trying to convince their parents to let them homeschool

When kids contact me through social media, it is usually with the intention of getting ammunition to convince their parents to let them homeschool.

Clearly, I am pro-homeschooling, but I am not so much for kids leading the charge to homeschool.  I mean, I'm kind of impressed with kids who bring it up, but homeschooling isn't the children's responsibility, it is the parents. The parent must put in hours each week into looking at curriculum, instructing, checking work, and keeping records.  Homeschooling is as much as a chore for the parent as the kid. The is why the parent must lead the charge to homeschooling, and not the child.

In celebrity news, Rapper/personality T.I. had an argument with his teenage son about homeschooling.  When asked how school went the child said "school sucks" but homeschooling would not... WRONG!  Homeschooling a child who hated school is darn near impossible.  Once he gets his freedom he will not go back. In the argument, T.I. told the child that he was not ready for homeschooling, or to be a full-time musician because "he didn't put in the work yet".  T.I. also chastised the older family members for babying the boy who decided to cry would help him get his way.  In all honesty, I usually don't pay attention to this type of show, or this rapper in particular, but what he said was so right! "Keep fighting, it will make a man out of you".  "Don't coddle him, let him get angry, and think about his plan" (something like that).

Chances are, he will let the child homeschool, after he comes up with a plan and understands the amount of work he has to put into it. Chances are, this father is right.

Here's a video of the disagreement. T.I. and son, King, clash over homeschooling.

Present...

Time flies so fast when you don't know which end is up.  All is well, and the good news is that I have all kinds of projects I am working on, from homeschooling to theatre.

I am also trying to recover from the car accident I had in early fall.  It has created problems that are still just showing up. 

Sigh. 

But I am present, and sane, and reasonably well.

Until next time.

Oh, I have been writing myself mood picker-upers.  Here's one.

Fallen off on Youtube- most recent videos.

I have been trying really hard to be regular about making youtube videos regarding homeschooling.  When you are not actively homeschooling it is hard to stay engaged though.
My goal is to help other homeschoolers with their journey, and I have received some good feedback to that end, so I am grateful for that.

With that said, here are some of my latest videos.

School bringing back paddling? I was hoping more than one parent would give their opinion on this school in Georgia that has started paddling children.  Parents get to say no, but then the child is subject to suspension.

I wrote another one called The Truth about Homeschooling because I was having frustration in a couple of areas.  1. Youtube is kinda infuriating and I don't know if it will serve my purpose to get out information to help others. 2. The people who are on youtube and are popular and are making homeschool videos are people a bit over positive about it... I wanted to be more real.