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It's time to talk about beginning homeschool. So many people are looking ahead to the fall and realizing that given the current state of things with the pandemic, there's a good chance that schools may not reopen and many don't feel safe sending their child to school.
If this sounds like you, then it is time to start preparing to homeschool. Here are the steps that I recommend you take to get started.
This post may contain affiliate links.
1) Research
Once you have decided to take the leap and homeschool your kid(s), then the first thing you need to do is a little research so that you can make some decisions.
The most important thing to do first, is find out what the laws are in your state regarding homeschooling.
Buy my book
My newly revised and updated book, The Latino Family's Guide to Homeschooling, is FULL of information on homeschooling. You can find everything quickly at your fingertips.
Or, if you have the time to do a LOT of searching on MommyMaestra.com, you can find many of the chapters from my book in blog posts. Here's a list of the posts I wrote right after I started MommyMaestra. These all reflect the things I thought about or learned when we were starting. And there are also some posts from guests who contributed their perspective and tips for navigating homeschool as Latino parents.
So if you are thinking about homeschooling your child, these are all good posts to read to prepare yourself.
- Is Homeschooling the Right Choice for My Familia?
- Thinking About Homeschooling?
- A Brief Description of Homeschooling Methods
- What is Bilingual Homeschooling?
- 5 Tips for Non-Native Speakers to Homeschool Bilingually
- Dealing with the Emotional Decision to Homeschool
- Will My Homeschooled Child’s Social Skills Suffer?
- How to Start Homeschooling
- How to Organize and Keep Track of Your Child’s Lessons
- Six Qualities That Help You to Be a Successful Homeschooler
- Homeschool Isn't for Every Day
2) Decide on a Homeschool Method
Or a combination of methods. Don't worry. It isn't set in stone. You may discover that what you thought you would enjoy most isn't actually what works best for you and/or your child. But we all have to start somewhere, no? So carefully review my post with a brief description of homeschooling methods. Think about what your child enjoys and see if you can find one that appeals to you. You might even ask your kids what they think and include them in the decision.
3) Look for a Curriculum
Honestly, THE BEST ADVICE I got when I first started was to get a complete curriculum. I can't remember if I bought one gently used on eBay or if a homeschooling friend lent me theirs after they were done. But either way, this absolutely 100% helped ME understand my child better and made teaching so much easier. I learned what was a realistic amount of time was for my child to spend on any one subject - it was WAY shorter than what I was trying to make her do! I also learned how to teach and what to teach.
If you pick a particular homeschool method, you can easily Google it plus the word curriculum. The one thing I want to recommend is that you ALWAYS download the sample pages that the program offers so that you can see what it is like before you buy it. Even if you buy it on eBay, go first to the publisher's website and download the samples.
For a complete curriculum, here are some of the more popular ones with curricula for PreK - 12th grade:
- Calvert Homeschool (Secular) This is what I started out with!
- OakMeadow (Secular)
- BookShark (Secular)
- Sonlight (Christian)
- Abeka (Christian)
- Memoria Press (Classical Christian)
Again, these complete NEW curricula can be very expensive. But homeschoolers often take good care of their curricula so that they can resell it as soon as they are done. So look for gently used ones available on eBay or also on Facebook homeschool buy/sell/trade groups.
4) Familiarize Yourself
I know. I know. I said three things. I'm sneaking in a fourth, but really it could be part of #3.
This is actually just a reminder. After you've purchased your first curriculum and received it in the mail, go ahead and open it and look through it yourself BEFORE you start teaching. Don't be surprised. Read through the first few lessons in their entirety so you can get an idea of what will be happening.
Con mucho cariño...
