We are planning to homeschool but I am very nervous about it. I am so tired of all the negativity already by merely suggesting it! How does everyone else deal with it?
Also, at my son's 4 year check up his pediatrition was telling us we should get get him into preschool but I never mentioned that we plan to homeschool. Besides family, I was wondering if your children't Drs have been negative about it?
Judy

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I just started to H.S. but I do have a pre kindergartner who goes to preschool and loves it. My dad is negative about the h.s thing, he says" how are you going to do that when you didnt do well in school'..

Yep, everyone's always been very negative about it. That doesn't seem to go away. What's funny is that people often comment on my children's good behavior, or the advanced books they're reading, or some activity they're involved in, and then ask where they go to school. They're always shocked when I tell them they're homeschooled.

My kids are now 13 and 10, and this is our 4th year of homeschooling. I always wanted to homeschool, and I planned to from the very beginning, but everyone's criticism got to me and I put them in school anyways.

We did have a good experience in school, but I am still sorry that I listened to everyone else and didn't do what I knew was best for my family from the very beginning.

When we first took them out of school, everyone was horrified, especially since my son is such an introvert. "How will he ever learn to socialize?" they asked, and "How will he ever learn to work?" But, to their surprise, my kids are now happier and more confident in social situations.

How do I deal with the negativity? I've learned to ignore it. Sometimes it does hurt, like when a trusted friend recently took me out for coffee to discuss the damage I'm doing to my children... But I don't raise my children to please other people, I raise them to please the Lord. When people criticize me, I usually don't respond. There's no point arguing with someone who has their mind made up. And I've found if you are confident about your decision, people are quicker to back off.

If your doctor is concerned, you can find a lot of factual evidence about how homeschooling benefits children. You are already your child's teacher. You taught him how to walk, to talk, and countless other things. And you know and love your child better than anyone else possibly could - which makes you the very best teacher he could have.

Good luck!

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Denise
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I had a lot of negativity from my friends when I first started to homeschool, but now their kids are in school a couple of them are thinking of homeschooling themselves, or sending their child to a private school.

I have been homeschooling now for four years and I know it's the right decision for our family. If someone is negative about homeschooling I try to ignore it. The people who are negative are usually the ones who know nothing about it.

As far as doctor's go, when I first mentioned to my doctor that I was homeschooling she seemed negative about socialization etc. so I switched to the other doctor in the office and he has been great.

Good luck - as long as you feel that homeschooling your kids is the right decision for your family, that is all that matters.

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I do my homeschooling over the summer, sort of like supplementing what they either just learned or a preview of what they will learn soon.

That satisifies my need for making sure they are progressing, my need to interact with a specific project, and my need to nurture.

Should I ever be in a position to homeschool during the traditional school year, I know I have resources available.

Regarding the cost: yes, there are several cirriculum packages that cost tons of money, but there are free resources, too, like the ones mentioned above.



Good luck.

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HI,

I am so sad that many of you had negative feedingback in reguards to homeshcooling! I would say my family if fairly neutral and maybe a little negative at times with our homeshcool. We are in a great homeschool group and have lots of friends who homeschool or are very supportive of our decision.

So I guess I would say if your doctor is negative pray about finding another doctor. If friends are negative, work toward meeting some new homeschool friends to help encourage you. When you find the curriculum you like get on the yahoo groups and message boards so you can connect and ask questions from others who can help you. Go to your state wide convention! It will be awesome trust me! (Ours is next weekend and I am very excited!) Pray and press forward with the life God has given you to live. Your life will not be the same as anyone else's!

I had a friend tell me she didn't think she could ever handle hs. I told her for me it feels like jumping into 10ft of water and knowing I can's swim! I am trusting in Someone lots bigger than myself!

Be Blessed!

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Angie
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Hi Judy,

I have a daughter who is 3 and I will be homeschooling her. It is definitely hard when you go against the "mainstream". Where I live all the preschools have waiting lists and it seems every mom I meet has children that are in preschool.

For me and my husband we know homeschooling is what we're supposed to be doing. I already teach my daughter some preschool lessons and we have a lot of fun together. We also plan to join a homeschool group so she will have the opportunity to meet other children who are homeschooled.

One of the things I couldn't do without is God's guidance. I know I will be drawing strength from Him whenever we're in doubt about something. If you ever need someone to talk to that's going through the same experiences please feel free to PM me.

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I've been homeschooling my son for 2 years now - he is a junior in hugh school...it has been wonderful for him,,,yes, everyone wants to be negative but he has higher self-esteem, I know exactly what he needs to do, and he asks me questions...in high school, you kind of get lost in the crowd,,,,my daughter did very well in high school but my son is different from her....he's got straight As now and I am so proud of him.

He has lots of friends that he sees after school...the homeschool cover we are with has a prom for the high schoolers, graduation gowns, announcements, etc so he will get to experience all of that next year...

Just get a good curriculum and enjoy the time together - it will bring you closer...best wishes, Audrey

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I am so glad I found these posts. I have been struggling with the decision to homeschool for a while now. The school system in my district is not good. I have not been happy with some of my childrens teachers, and I won't even get into the other problems within. I would love to hear more about the homeschooling, how you go about getting started, is it something you have to "study" for? Is there anything offered online? I am not strong in math, will it be difficult to homeschool in that subject? I am going to read thru the rest of this section to see if I can find any websites on this.
Tracy

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I am happy for you! If you know God is telling you to homeschool then just do it. I told a friend of mine that homeschooling my kids felt like jumping into a pool, knowing that I can't swim and trusting God to hold me up!

The way I started was I went to a homeschool convention in Lincoln, NE. I did not buy much but I learned so much. If you think deciding to homeschool is the only big decision you have you will be surprised. Now you need to decide your philosophy of hs. I bought the book Homeschool Open House by Nancy Lande. It was very fun to read and helped give me a bigger picture of hs. The way you run your school will depend on your personality, your kids personalities, learning syles, your hobies..... Get in a homeschool group for support, field trips and coop classes. Don't get too busy. Make a routine that works for you.

I have Hannah 9, Natalie 7, and Caleb 5. We have hs for 4 years. We use Robinson Curriculum, Scaredy Cat for phonics, My Father's World for Kindergarten, Math U See is awesome and your will understand Math better as well.

I could go on and on. I love hs and it suits our family so well. If you ever need support or just want to visit you can private message me.

Don't get overwhelmed, you can do it!

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Angie
Married to Kurt
Homeschool Mom to Hannah 9, Natalie 7, and Caleb 5

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Hi girls!
What happens when you are homeschooling and it comes time for "graduation"? Does a homeschool child receive a diploma are do they need to get a GED? Are they recognized as a "high school graduate?" What about on a job application when asked what high school they graduated from?
Tracy

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It may vary from state to state...our cover school is called Valleydale Christian Academy - I submit grades to them and they handle issuing transcripts, etc...the colleges all have policies on accepting homeschoolers but I've found most are very accepting as homeschoolers tend to be well-rounded and motivated learners. No, he does not have to take the GED as he is issued a transcript. Because our state (AL) requires a graduation exam, he had to submit his ACT scores to achieve a certain score...our cover school is also privately accredited...they do have a cap & gown graduation at the local Bible College, prom, graduation announcements, pictures, etc...hope this helps!

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Hi Ladies,

I'm very sorry to hear that there is so much negativity associated with homeschooling and that you have had to face it from those around you.

I have been planning to homeschool since before I had children. I have been loosely using a Pre-K curriculum with my daughter for a few years and she will be starting Kindergarten this fall. The feedback I have gotten from all around- family, friends, relatives, other moms/playgroup teachers, etc has all been very very positive.

Whenever I'm mentioning for the first time to someone that I am homeschooling I somewhat expect to hear either negative or neutral responses but usually hear things like "wow, you are??? That's great!" My dad is REALLY happy about it. He has told me several times that he is really proud of me for the decision and has even offered to help teach the kids! He is somewhat of an outdoorsman and wants to teach the kids about types of trees and plants, fishing, local history, survival in the woods-boyscout sort of things.

Every day I am more and more certain that I have made the right decision for my children and I am more and more excited about the adventures we will have :0)

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Carrie

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