Where do you begin?

[RavensEye]

How do you begin to homeschool your child? Due to recent events from Cloeys school I am rethinking about this and would like some adivce from anyone that does homeschool especially people that are up in Canada.

Even though this will put my schooling on hold I think that this is really important to do.

Also I was looking at this site I just refound in doing a search. http://www.bchomeschool.org/How%20To%20in%20BC.htm

Thanks for your time :)

[Ceres]

BC is a great place to homeschool in Canada! There is actually an income supplement from the province for the parent who homeschools their child. I am always surprised when we get new homeschoolers to our group who moved from BC because they had it so good out there :lol:

It isnt as hard as it might seem. Most people allow a period of "deschooling" for their child to adjust to home learning where they dont do any formal work at all. Since I dont do any formal work PERIOD, I can assure you they are not going to "fall behind". So much busy work that means nothing goes on in schools that even should you choose to use the school's curriculum, she wont have trouble getting back to where her peers are after taking a few months off.

Shop around for a good homeschooling group. They can be hard to find! Unless you are one of the few christians on this board, that will likely be your first criteria and that knocks out a good half (if not more) of the groups out there. Then there are groups distinguished by other religions, schooling method, area, lack of religion, you name it. Attend a few events with different groups to see what they offer and also to give your daughter a chance to see the kind of things she can do now that she isnt going to school. Whatever her favorite interests are, there are bound to be things going on she can participate in. My kids will be doing skiing next month and I imagine thats popular where you are! There is also usually horseback riding, art courses, chess clubs, book clubs, swimming dates at the local pool, field trips to local events, historical sights, and museums. Homeschoolers usually arrange for big discounts for these things, so dont assume they will be too expensive.

Also ask at the public library. The librarians are usually on a first name basis with many homeschoolers and so might help you find out about some of the groups operating in your area.

I can PM you with a pagan homeschooling group I belong to that often has some great discussions going and whose members use all different styles to homeschool.

[Cat]

Once you know what is required of you, you can start deciding what you want to do. I guess your first choice is between going it on your own and using the DEL. Without looking into either, I'd be hard-pressed to choose, as they both sound good. Depending on Cloey's age and maturity, I'd suggest you involve her in some of these choices.

The other thing I'd suggest you begin working on is finding her activities where she will meet other kids. IMO one of the bigger challenges with hsing is peer interactions.

There are a ton of different ways to hs out there, from unschooling to school-in-a-box/distance schools. I prefer a more structured approach, because I am very nervous about hsing and that gives me something to measure myself against,if you KWIM. The one thing I will caution you about is that many resources and programs that look good are less than or different than they appear. Often there is no way to know till you start using them. So wherever possible avoid making a long term commitment to do anything.

Homeschoolreview.com has reviews of many of the resources out there. Many hs sites are Christian (by which I mean they are made for Christian people wanting to use Christian curricula and stress teaching kids Christian virtues)--which is fine unless you aren't Christian. I am sure there are a lot of secular and even pagan hs sites out there somewhere, but I have found only one inclusive website--homeschool.com. I like their bulletin boards, you can get answers to your questions, but there isn't a lot of traffic and some of the frequent posters have their own unique points of view.

[RavensEye]

BC is a great place to homeschool in Canada! There is actually an income supplement from the province for the parent who homeschools their child.
Yes I was reading about that in the link mentioned above

Also ask at the public library. The librarians are usually on a first name basis with many homeschoolers and so might help you find out about some of the groups operating in your area. Thank you I will do that when we go tomorrow to get the kids their library cards. :D

I can PM you with a pagan homeschooling group I belong to that often has some great discussions going and whose members use all different styles to homeschool.
I sure would Appreciate it :D

The other thing I'd suggest you begin working on is finding her activities where she will meet other kids. IMO one of the bigger challenges with hsing is peer interactions.
Yes we have that all thought out, especially since she really needs to work on her fine motor and gross motor skills. Teh activiites we have chosen for her will help her in the areas she needs and give her the opportunity to meet new kids her age.

That is one of the few reasons I am glad to be back in the city activites are plentiful and easy to get to :D

Thank you both for your responses :) Cloey is looking forward to doing this. She and I agree she will finish this school year off. Due to the fact she is in Choir and has a OT seeing her right now. Once the school year is done then we will take it from there.

Now I do have another question Cloey actually brought this up. She wants to try this for grade 4 and make sure she likes it and can handle it.. Do you think that is a reasonable thing to do ? I think that it is.

Now as for my other two children I am still not sure what to do. Sakura is in Kindergarten and Sylvan will be in Kindergarten September 2007 I would like to know what you think. Should I start Sakura in homeschooling the same time as Cloey? And should I start Sylvan in homeschooling right from the start?
Personally I think it would be better, but I will see what happens. :D

[KristinMadden]

You've received some great advice already! I just want to add that this website is a great place to find all sorts of homeschooling info http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/

Cloey is excited about it and that is a great start. Keep it fun and interesting and she won't have any desire to go back - but let her know that she can if she wants/needs to (as long as that is ok with you). It is certainly reasonable to let her "try it" for 4th grade without feeling that this is IT and there is no way back to what is currently fairly comfortable for her.

As for your other two, it would be great for everyone to start together. Just one thing to keep in mind - any group dynamic challenges need to be considered when making your plans. Homeschooling can be soooo much fun and has the potential to really strengthen family bonds. Being together as much as we are offers us a unique opportunity to get to know ourselves and our families ... and develop healthy ways of handling potential (or real) conflict. But depending on the dynamics of your family, and the lingering influences of public school, it is best to consider this and be prepared.

If you are interested in any resources for conflict resolution or peace-building activities, check out the links on my Peace Page at http://www.kristinmadden.com/Peace.html

[RavensEye]

Cloey is excited about it and that is a great start. Keep it fun and interesting and she won't have any desire to go back - but let her know that she can if she wants/needs to (as long as that is ok with you). It is certainly reasonable to let her "try it" for 4th grade without feeling that this is IT and there is no way back to what is currently fairly comfortable for her.


I asked her again yesterday to make sure that it is what she wants and she says she would like to try grade 4 at home still.. She said Grade 5 she heard the math is harder froms omeone else at her school so she wants to make sure she has her math down.. She also said she does not want to be around a certain person in her class anymore who has been quiet bossy to her... I told her that she will have to deal with people like that all through out her life.. and she said she still she wanted to do the homeschooling for grade 4.

And yes i made sure she knew that if she wanted to go back to public school for grade 5 that is fine to. But hwatever she decides she has to carry it through till the end.

As for your other two, it would be great for everyone to start together Yes it would be but as my husband pointed out that due to our divorce until we get custody arrangments made for the two younger ones we do not know what to do for their education yet.


KristinMadden thanks for the post and the links :D

[Lyrien]

I know I'm coming in to this fairly late, but I'll throw in my bit.

I did not start homeschooling my oldest until this school year, she is in the 4th grade. I made the decision in the middle of last year, but gave her the choice to stay out the year. As for how I went about it, I read a lot, cried a lot, stressed, a lot, and then just did it. I figured that I'd never know how or what to do until I tried it, so I went with the attitude that if I failed miserably, one year wasn't going to kill her. We've actually had a blast, and I can honestly say that this is the single most rewarding thing I've ever taken on. And just like your situation, I too had to put my schooling on hold.

I'm not in Canada, way far from it actually, but as with anyone homeschooling, find out the laws for where you live.

Our biggest challenge was finding a HSing community where we weren't the black sheep. We live in a pretty good sized metro area and it took me 6 months to find one where we were comfortable. 10 minutes to find one where we were not. :lol: Finding a local community saved my sanity, and probably our homeschool. I can't express enough how much nicer it is to have others to talk to.

There are a few pagan homeschool groups and web pages that I have found, but nothing with a lot of traffic and many with unique or conflicting ideas. However, the yahoo groups are nice if you have younger ones as they tend to send out loads of crafting ideas and color pages. It can't hurt to take a look. I've also been to the message board that Cat mentioned, it is nice for feeling out what others think of certain curriculums; however, they get an insane amount of SPAM and I've been contacted twice via PM to convert to Islam and to 'please, in need of help to fund transfer American bank account.'

There are loads of resources for your kids, I simply started a folder in my Bookmarks and started dumping everything I found in there. I finally had to separate them into subjects, but I've got enough info to keep my kids busy till high school. LOl


Good luck, it's a lot easier than you think.

[RavensEye]

. I figured that I'd never know how or what to do until I tried it, so I went with the attitude that if I failed miserably, one year wasn't going to kill her.
That is the same way I viewed it and she does to, she just wants to try it and then we will reevaluate our decsion after grade 4 if she wants to continue.

Thanks for you post Belle :D

[Amythyst]

I've been home schooling 6 kids for over 15 years.

First, find out the laws in your area and what you have to do to legally withdraw your children from public school and what legal obligations and rules you are bound to follow.

Second, find a curriculum that suits your taste and life style and your children's learning style and your academic requirements.

Third, relax and enjoy, plugging along one day at a time in little manageable steps, not huge clumsy leaps. Remember that everyone learns at their own pace and that it isn't a contest. There will be good days and there will be days that try your patience and make you wonder what in the hell you are doing...but in the end, it will be worth it. Trust me.

[RavensEye]

Well I came back to tell you all that due to my daughter being terrified of her teacher and consollor I have decided to get this going now instead of waiting till the end of the school year so I will let you know what happens.

Oh ya and it has been decided that yes all three will start togheter.

[RavensEye]

Well now I am excited I now know how to withdraw them from school, and even though I can do it verablly on the phone or in person I am doing a letter. I know with the present situation there it will cause problems but that is ok I am ready for anything.

Oh ya if your wondering what I am rambling about please look in the energy request forum For my family. It explains partially what has been going on.

Whoohoo Cloey and I are very excited right now :D

[RavensEye]

Wow so I guess this afternoon I am going to the store that is known as the homeschooling store to see what we can get for Sakura and Cloey. And in September I can get Sylvan started to...

Cloey and I were doing the happy dance just now we are sooo happy :D
Anyways talk to you all soon :D

[GEBS]

Congrats on making your decision, Hymnia. I love homeschooling. We get to spend a lot more time together than before. And we take days to go do things we enjoy instead of being stuck at a desk. Brando has been studying Egypt and yesterday we went to see a real mummy at the natural science museum. And next week the King Tut exhibit opens in the city so we're going to see that too.

I love it when I can find ways to teach the boys without them feeling like they're in school.

I'm glad you made the choice to try homeschooling. It's been well worth it to me.

[RavensEye]

Yep I am happy and looking at Cloey when I told her we could have her out of the school as of tomorrow made her so happy you could see the stress lift right off of her face. So I am happy she is happy and it will help with alot of other things to when everyon is happy :D

[synopa]

May I chime in, not as a homeschooling parent, but as an adult who as a child was homeschooled? I am a huge fan of homeschooling, if you actually do it. That is one reason it is great if you are registered. I am in the US, and more of the states are requiring registeration for homeschoolers. Everyone should be accountable somewhere, and it just keeps you on your toes.
I would like to point out just 2 more areas I see as possible problems for the homeschooling parent. That is of course as has been mentioned, the socialization. I cannot stress how important that is. Then also, when you attend a formal school, you get up at a certain time, to report to school. Doing that helps you prepare for life as an adult with a job. Its probably not so important in the first few years, but as you hit 10 or so, I'd say it is very important.
The things I love about homeschooling are the amount of control a parent has. you can have them study -whatever, lanquages, religion, art, saxon math....anything. Then of course, you are the primary influence in that childs life. That is priceless. I wish you luck in your endeavors!

[Ceres]

Oh Hymnia! I am so happy for you and for your daughter, Cloey. Your bond with her will be strengthened so much by this decision to put her needs above convention.

[Lyrien]

Yea for you!

[RavensEye]

Well I am not happy the principal told me she was not calling social services on us becuase Cloey overheard her talking to my mom on Friday and cloey was in the waiting area. So I phone her on Monday and asked her what wsa going on... she did not know I knew and she seemed a bit worried and stumbled that she was going to but now was not because I was suppose to be meeting her on Monday..
At the end of the call I asked her so no need to call social services and she said no I will not call . All she wanted to do was talk me out of homeschooling.

Anyways I explained to her the other reasons were pulling the kids and ya I thought things were settled with her but at 3:30 that day the workers showed up, Cloey was in tears cause she thought they were there to take her away..

So I am still waiting to hear back from them I wish they would stop drawing things out and tomorrow we should have our kids listed as homeschoolers with one of the local christian schools since Ron Brent is not on the list for homeschooling.

Anyways So we are on day two and just trying to figure out what our schedule will be like and doing the basic stuff I do know they are needing to do.

The girls seem very happy and that in itself tells me we did the right thing.
And well I will post more later right now I am looking for some notes to teach Cloey how to summarize a story for her book report.
:D

[RavensEye]

Oh ya and as for accooutablity and such I feel alot more livley and happy doing this to and since I am working towards my teaching degree I just see this as a chance to put things into practice and see if this is my true calling :D Alos with doing COT classes it just feels very easy for me to do :D

[Ceres]

The actions of that Principal are disgusting. How dare she? I think you should report her actions to HER supervisor AND send her a letter so she knows she will be contacted by your lawyer if she chooses to further harrass you for your decision regarding your children.

There is a group called the Homeschool Defense League that you might want to join to protect yourself from this woman who clearly doesnt have the interests of your children at heart.

[Lyrien]

Am I understanding correctly that the principal called social services because you decided to homeshcool?

[RavensEye]

Am I understanding correctly that the principal called social services because you decided to homeshcool?
Yep Principal A said to me when I asked her why she was calling (because I got warning ahead of time from my mom who talked to her last said she would) and shes stuttered and said she didn't and that she was going to because she did not want us to take the kids out of school.... and told me what I mom told her as well. And anyways she lied about not calling ... and we are still dealing with workers.

RANT TIME WHICH WAS THE REASON I CAME BACK: I am sick of every visit the social worker comes to and I mention about me going back to school she pipes in that you need to look at getting them back into public school and I told her no my class this fall will be all evening classes except for one day so it can be done...( but right now I am not sure if I am going to wait or not and do it in fall 2008 instead and focus on homeschooling if possible and my business)

And she has done that about other things to and it is getting annoying and I am ready to tell her to stop it. The only way I put the kids back in public school is if I get a job that is only a day job or Cloey wants to go back. cloey says she does not mind going back to public school as long as it is not Ron Brent. And I reassured her that no she will not be.




The actions of that Principal are disgusting. How dare she? I think you should report her actions to HER supervisor AND send her a letter so she knows she will be contacted by your lawyer if she chooses to further harrass you for your decision regarding your children.

There is a group called the Homeschool Defense League that you might want to join to protect yourself from this woman who clearly doesnt have the interests of your children at heart.

Yes I was disgusted to for not dealing with the counsollor or teacher for their crap and they had to make up lies to call and make complaints on Gord which was not based on anything.

I am just glad we are out of there. And we tried taking legal action but did not work out... but we may still contact the group in Vancouver due to the social worker cause I am sorry they are full of it. Yes I have stress but that does not mean I cannot take it.

[Mera_mera]

Wow! I can't believe their giving you such a hard time about taking YOUR kids out of school. Is it really necessary for social services to come to your home at all, especially more than once, I can't believe it. You should just have to withdraw your kids and get on with homeschooling, you shouldn't have to see a social worker or even register at another school as homeschoolers, in my opinion. Good luck to you, it's great what you're doing for your daughter, you are obviously against some people who do not have her interests at heart at all. :(

[mystyheart]

You are a strong and faithful mom -- it's good to see other mom's putting their kids first.

I'd actually started taking college courses in January when we had an issue with our kids school. We decided to pull the kids out and begin homeschooling (we'd previously been hs'ers). We took the oldest two out in Feb/March and let the younger two finish out the school year.

I looked at it this way: College will always be there but I only get *one chance* with my kids.

We've also dealt with Social Service intrusions this year. I don't know if it's like this where you are, but here all they have to have is *one* phone call and they are required to investigate the situation. It was a headache (scary too) but thankfully the Social Workers were good women who realized that they'd been called in vain.

It was actually quite disturbing to me that these ladies had to waste their time on a bogus call when there could be other kids out there *needing* the intervention.

Hymnia, please know that you've got friends out here thinking of you and wishing the best for your family.

Brightest,
Christy

[RavensEye]

I looked at it this way: College will always be there but I only get *one chance* with my kids. Yep that is how I look at it to and I am glad I made the choice :D


I don't know if it's like this where you are, but here all they have to have is *one* phone call and they are required to investigate the situation.

Yep here that happens to.... Depending on how bad the complaint is. t


UPDATE:
The social worker during her last visit still brings up that maybe we should quiet homeschooling and so I can have me time... and because schools are a great way to get community resources. Even though I have told her I will think about it, I will quit homeschooling if I get a job and it does not allow me to be home during the day with my kids.... however i have no intentions of doing that just for the Social worker. I refuse to quit just because she keeps pressuring me to do so.
Cloey says if it is needed she is willing to go back to public school she will.

The other thing that annoys me is they are not listening to me about the resources for Cloeys occupational therapy. All of Cloey's problems could be dealt with by taking Marital arts . Anyways they insist on me filling out all these permission forms to get her files. And While I had the substitute I told her I felt this was a waste it has been the same thing since 2002/3 when she was first diagnosed with have fine motor and gross motor problems. the original worker keeps bringing up this is why being in public school helps get Cloey the help she needs. BS we can get teh same resources with the Child development center and Martial arts. But nope that is not good enough.

What she does not get is there is a physiotherapists that strictly deals with homeschooling students. however cause Cloey does not have a definite condition we are not eligible for funding. And the Physiotherapists is the one who said Martial arts would help her in all her troubled areas. grr it frustruates me to no end... And since i have not seen the worker in awhile I think I am going to pop into her office and request copies of all the files they got.


It was actually quite disturbing to me that these ladies had to waste their time on a bogus call when there could be other kids out there *needing* the intervention. I know they listen to the lunatics that cause me and my child problems and make false accusations against us and grrrr it pisses me off.

[RavensEye]

Wow! I can't believe their giving you such a hard time about taking YOUR kids out of school. Is it really necessary for social services to come to your home at all, especially more than once, I can't believe it. You should just have to withdraw your kids and get on with homeschooling, you shouldn't have to see a social worker or even register at another school as homeschoolers, in my opinion. Good luck to you, it's great what you're doing for your daughter, you are obviously against some people who do not have her interests at heart at all. :(

It is because the principal and counsollor lost control and had to get the last dig in. If they thought Cloey was such a great student they should not have let Cloeys Teacher treat her the way she did. Nor should The counsollor made her feel threatened and manipulate her answers.

The Principal said they were called because she did not want us to homeschool but there were false accusations made as well towards my husband . Also my mom had interfered with the principal and encouraged her to call as well. That is why the workers were called even though we were told they were not. The principal did not like that I knew what was going on before it happend and did notlike being put on the spot.

[Cat]

This is ridiculous.

I think you need to talk to a lawyer. HSLDA may help you find one. In fact, you should talk to them anyway.

[Ceres]

I second the HSLDA. This is bullshit and you need a lawyer. Its not expensive, $150/year. Here is a link: http://www.hslda.ca/default.aspx

[RavensEye]

I second the HSLDA. This is bullshit and you need a lawyer. Its not expensive, $150/year. Here is a link: http://www.hslda.ca/default.aspx

Is there not one like that for in BC ?

And boy the posts i have made above must have hit me subconsciously the dreams I had today were weird and all about the social worker..... and the dream I had the other night was of my middle child being taken away this is grating on my nerves.

[mystyheart]

http://www.hslda.ca/

:hugz:

[RavensEye]

Thanks that is different from where were looking for help :D

[RavensEye]

UPDATE: Ok the worker is at it again this is the second time since the beginning of August. Bugging us about homeschooling for the community resources such as occupational therapy. I told her last time what the Physiotherapist said and that she needs to do certain exercises which we are and that is it. Same with the occupational therapist. I told her that we have the resources we needed and that these people are the therapist that deal with the homeschooling kids. I also told her that she was wasting her time trying to find other resources there are not any. etc. She said ok.

I told my husband that wait till September she will be at it again and sure enough when she called for her check in today, she started in on it about the physio near the end of the call. And at that time Sylvan had an accident in the girls room so I cut the call short ... once I was sure Sylvan was ok I then called the physiotherapist ( which now is not even a 4 minute walk from my house) and asked him to please talk to the worker and explain what the situation is and that it is stressing me out, and that to satisfy them maybe to do another assessment to show them how she is doing... Anyways he will call me back tomorrow or when he hears back from her.

Also the other thing I decided is I am not signing nay more release forms, since a) she has not gotten back to me the copies I signed for from all of Cloeys previous OT and Physio assessments and b) why should I since she does not believe me anyways.

So after this I will see what I can do about that lawyer you guys mentioned before or go to a free legal Clinic that is available for low income people we will see and now with that I am going to go take some deep breaths and deal with this annoying feeling :)

Did you know this is now 8 months since the @@@@@@ principal made the remark she did not want me to take the kids out of school and said she called social services to talk me out of it? This is BS.

On the other hand though we have had a great start to the new school year and I am very happy to be doing this with my kids however it was weird not doing the tradtional school shopping trips before the labour day weekend lol :D

[RavensEye]

Ok can I scream?

[Ceres]

Ok can I scream?

Something new, or just need to let off some steam? :lol:

[RavensEye]

it was to let steam off but I thought I posted what happened.... weird. hmmm maybe put it in the helping hands forum...Anyways it was just how people say one thing to the social worker and another to me...


Anyways The social worker was here again today and she said that her supivervisor needs to have her talk to the people we are registered through at Ebus to make sure we are doing what we are suppose to be. Also asking question about Physio and how do the kids get tested.

She aslo was not listening to what I had to say about immunizations since we are still having issues gettting medical. Anyways I had to say " hey stop and listen to me please... gah I swear I am getting more vocal as time goes on.

Anyways she also is tryin toget Cleo to slip up twice in less then a 5 or so minuted period she asked Cleo if she like homeschooling and she answered. The worker asked again and worded it differently.... Cleo answered again .... my daughter is not dumb she seems genuinly happy with it.

I talked to the lady at Ebus that deals with Finacial support for physio, after the worker left and the lady and I think that there is something else going on. cause from what they have read of the reports dating back to 2003 Cloey does not need much help and does not quialify for the physio funding. Anyways so I asked her to please write up a letter and send it to me and then I will give a copy to the Social worker when she gets here next.

After that we have to wait for the pediatrcian referal and if the social worker does not leave us alone after that and us getting medical. And me getting the kids checked up for hearing, and immunasions which I was going to anyways but as for the immunasations that is where I had to tell the worker to listen to me.

I just get this feeling my moms involvemnet may be more of a factor in this then I thought . I mean she told the principal to call social services and the principal told me she wanted social services to talk me out of it.... ARGH anyways that is an update lol :D

[RavensEye]

oh ya and the social worker was complaing that my daughter was pale and we should get that checked out better to be safe then sorry. I told her that me and her dad are pale she gets it from us...

[RavensEye]

Another thought that I forgot about is she is quizzing me about my counsollor and if I am seeing her or not as well. And talked about my mother and told her I got her in a counsolling course for dealing with schizophrenia.

[Ceres]

You are being harassed, my dear. Have you contacted the Homeschool Defense League?

[RavensEye]

We are in the process of doing that.

And since the teacher from Ebus did not call me I wonder if the social worker called her yet.

[RavensEye]

update: I am getting the letter regarding the physio letter and that Cleo does not quialify for the funding as well as the Teacher I deal with will not be saying anything about our family and what our progress or anything like that. Because 1) she does not want to get involved if I do not want her to, and 2) She really thinks it is none of thier business and agrees something elese is going on and as well that a lawywer is a good idea.

[RavensEye]

This is the group I mentioned before that I was going to seek help from and just want to put the link here so I do not lose it again .
http://www.bchla.bc.ca/

[RavensEye]

Also just called here to this place that someone posted in the thread earlier. http://www.hslda.ca/join.asp i forgot that they are closed now due to the different time zone but oh well I have done what I can so far ...

[RavensEye]

Well I got a return call from the people in the link above and if things are not cleraed up by December then I am sending them the money for the membership fee and away we go.

Be tween the social worker and my mom I do not know who is worse. I swear the social worker is just fishing for reasons to stay in the picture. I checked out immunizations and now just need to get her to the doctor when the medical goes in, and get it proven there is nothing wrong with Sakura in regards to her paleness.

[RavensEye]

Well I cannot hire the lawyer yet due to not enough money, but after Cleo's Pediatrician appointment this month I will see what happens. It has almost been a year since the principal called social services due to her Bs and my mom's.....

I do hope this situations end is in site.