 F.A.Q. about homeschooling  Kellington FamilyIs homeschooling legal? Yes, in B.C. we are fortunate to have legal recognition of homeschooling. The School Act states that parents who choose to school their children at home are required to register the child as a homeschooler with a school of their choice that is operating in British Columbia. This can be an independent school such as Wondertree/SelfDesign. Legally, it is the parents' responsibility to provide the child with an educational program. Do I have to be a teacher to homeschool my child? You don't have to be a "trained teacher." You already are a "teacher" in that your children are learning from you all the time. Research findings indicate that children's levels of academic standing are not influenced by the parents' level of education. Just as your child learned to talk without you "teaching" him/her, your child will learn other skills that will enhance her abilities for coping and being successful in the world. In modeling how you learn and do
things in life, you are the natural learning guides for your children. Will I be depriving my child of necessary socialization? Homeschooled children are characteristically very well 'socialized'. The kind of interpersonal relationships considered "normal" at school are in fact contextualized by the institutional setting and skewed by factors of peer group pressure and conformity, often dominated by current media influences. The nature of schooling as a hierarchy of coercive relationships extends to peer relationships - dominating the nature of relationships towards competitive and dominator styles.
Homeschooling families are generally excellent at turning their entire community into an educational resource and exposing their children to a wide variety of "social" situations. It is a modern phenomenon that children and adults remain separate in their lives and activities and that socializing happens within the walls of a school with thirty other people all the same age. Children have traditionally been included in day to day happenings and have "learned" how to be adults from the many adult role models in their lives. Most communities have homeschooling support groups that get together for meetings, social gatherings and field trips. In fact in recent years, I've heard homeschoolers discussing the issue of socialization, as it occurs in most school settings, and declare 'socialization' as the reason they don't want their children in that setting. What if my child wants to go on to college or university? Entrance requirements transform and adapt as society's changing population evolves. Post-secondary schools are becoming more flexible and are recognizing that homeschoolers are self-disciplined, self-starting individuals. Homeschoolers have begun to be a preferred type of student for these reasons. There are many available routes for college and university acceptance. Advanced Placement and SAT exams are just two examples of suitable requirements that homeschoolers are partaking in. We encourage people to compile a portfolio/resume of skills, accomplishments etc. to have available for future
use in post secondary entrance or employment. As homeschoolers increase in numbers, the public's awareness and acceptance of homeschooling as a choice is turning into an advantage. What will I tell my family and neighbours? Often family members, friends or neighbours who do not know or understand very much about homeschooling may have concerns about the well being or education of your children. This is common and understandable. Many people believe that children have to be in school. They don't know that homeschooling is legal and that children can learn in other settings. It often takes time and patience for them to see that your children are learning and that most importantly, "they are happy". Having
articles and books on homeschooling available may be beneficial as well. How can you respond to them to let them know you acknowledge their concern, and that you understand and appreciate it? You could say that you also care about your children and that is why you are taking this path. Invite them to contribute to your exploration of resources and learning. Many people report that neighbors who were critical have turned into homeschooling champions once they experienced the results in the children, and saw the relevance of community learning simply done. What do homeschoolers do all day? The possibilities are endless! There is no typical day for a homeschooler. Most homeschoolers feel that there is not enough time to do all that they would like to do. Children's learning takes place through reading, playing, field trips, volunteer work, community classes, apprenticeships and projects. Regular family life is the context in which learning occurs, so children learn from participating in daily activities such as cooking, cleaning, shopping etc. Some families have home businesses that all partake in. One young student said to be sure and mention that doing "nothing" is also valuable. Learning
takes place all the time and doesn't always mean activities and books. So homeschoolers 'do' everything that can be possibly done in a day. The style and choices of activities is driven by the philosophy of the family and the evolving nature of their children's interests and abilities. How do I teach subjects that I don't know? Many parents feel anxious wondering how to deal with a child who shows an interest in a subject the parent has no knowledge, let alone interest in. Our roles as parents are as facilitators as much as teachers. We can help our children find experts in subjects they are particularly interested in and help facilitate learner/mentor situations. We also set examples by continuing to be learners ourselves and pursuing our own passions. The joy of many homelearning parents is that they get to learn right
along with their children. In this way we model how to learn, showing them that knowing where to go for information, how to develop skills and strategies is what we all do all our lives. Classes, tutors and group explorations of topics are some of the ways that families choose to learn specific subject areas. John Holt was once asked by a young girl how to go about studying history. He replied that it depended on why she was studying… to pass exams or to learn about history. The young girl wrote back saying she wanted to do both. Do I have to use a curriculum? There is no prescribed curriculum you must use. The Ministry does have Integrated Resource Packages (IRP's) which are the curriculum guidelines for schools. The question of curriculum can only really be answered by reflecting on what is your goal and purpose in homeschooling. The traditional schooling method is built around a mandated curriculum, with activities and resources in service of that. Self directed learning puts the attention on the inner world of the learner, what are your goals and purpose…
and from there many choices are available from libraries, bookstores, internet, other families; all the world's resources become tools, not the end. Packaged curricula are available at a cost from a variety of outlets, and some families do follow them for their program or use them as guidelines. The majority of available packaged curricula are based on a Christian perspective, although there are a growing number of options with Waldorf, Montessori, and Clonlara among them. The Ministry of Education's list of curriculum guides and resource support is used by some people to help organize their activities into topics that are recognizable as "subjects". Most families design their own "educational program" generated by personal interest. Families using this approach create their own framework and use resources and inspiration from a range of community sources. The world of experience is available for playing with when you remember we're each at the centre of it.
Imagine the whole world like a public library. There are a growing number of Homeschooling sites, and some excellent ones who have compiled some FAQ lists. Here are some that we have found: ACHBE site (Canadian Home Based Learning Resource Page) |