| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| LuckyMommyof5 |
Posted - Jul 11 2011 : 05:16:03 AM
I am a mom of four, two of which are school age, and I am becoming increasingly frustrated with the "standard" educational options near us. My husband and I have considered homeschooling, but in the state where we live (Ohio) and in our district, homeschoolers are subject to a lot of scrutiny, bureaucracy and paperwork. We have started looking into various Distance Learning options and wondered if anyone had any experience with utilizing this to educate their children. There are many such programs, some private and some state-sponsored and we're so in the dark we were hoping to get some opinions from other parents.
"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong." - Laura Ingalls Wilder |
| 3 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| rksmith |
Posted - Jul 11 2011 : 2:57:29 PM
http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp You can check there on specific laws and requirements for your state, and I believe it may have links to information on each county ( I can't remember for sure though). I use etap for my son (I live in GA) which is an online program that we both like, once he gets to high school levels, he will be eligible for a HS diploma through one of their partners which is a distance education company. I checked into using the state funded program for GA as it is free...but it is the exact same curriculum as the public school and I just do not like it much. Most of the state funded programs are run just like the public schools--they have a teacher and have to do 6 hours of schoolwork each day and generally have the same calendar. At least that is what I found out when researching the GA K12 program. You can also check out www.homeschool.com for recommendations on private schools that do homeschool as well as curriculum for homeschool. And there is http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/ where you can get pretty good deals on homeschool stuff and discounts on some curriculum. It's free to join too.
Rachel
Farmgirl Sister #2753
Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps, if you are not willing to move your feet--Dr. Kioni
http://madame1313.wordpress.com/ |
| LuckyMommyof5 |
Posted - Jul 11 2011 : 1:15:52 PM
Thanks for the feedback, Laurie. My husband and I are on the same page about wanting our girls to switch over to "non-standard" schooling (like Homeschooling or Distance Learning) at some point, but just finding anyone around us who does either has been a challenge. Friends and family tend to look at us like we're nuts when we bring up our interest in it, and our district and state aren't overly solicitous of Homeschooling/Unschooling parents. I heard that with many Distance Learning programs, your kids are considered enrolled in a private school, and therefore are not subject to interferences (and hinderences) by the state or local school districts. I've been trying to get our Board of Education to confirm this (in writing), but it's been like pulling teeth to get solid info on it from them. Of course, when and if I can get that confirmation, we still have to pick just the right Distance Learning program and do it at the right time for our family.
Before becoming a mom nine years ago, I never considered how strong you have to be at every turn or how much decision-making went on (at every step!)
Farmgirl Sister #3243
"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong." - Laura Ingalls Wilder |
| Montrose Girl |
Posted - Jul 11 2011 : 06:17:07 AM
I can't give you personal, but I have a friend who's kids use a program like that and it works really well for them. She's in Utah and I can't remember if it is a Utah only program or not. Research and reference are the key.
Best of luck
Laurie
http://www.inntheorchardbnb.com/ |
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