Getting started | Lubbock Homeschool

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Table of contents:
Getting started is half the battle
Don’t panic!
You’re going to do great!
Things to do while you get organized
Common questions and answers
What if my child is currently in public school?
If I’m homeschooling in Texas, what do I have to teach?
Where can I learn how to homeschool?
Read (recommended books)
Drain their brains
Surf the web
Where can I find out what classes and sports are available in Lubbock?
Where can I find advice and fellowship?
How can I find a curriculum that fits my student and family?
Understand the basic styles of homeschooling
Traditional
Classical
Unit studies
Unschooling
Discover your child’s learning style
Discover what your child loves
Consider other factors
Be flexible
Attend a convention or curriculum fair
Consider used curriculum
Mix and match when needed
Where should we do our schooling?

Getting started is half the battle
If you’re like most folks who are considering homeschooling or just getting started, you’re more than a bit scared. The best advice I can give you is to stop, take a few deep breaths, and relax. Breathe.

It’s okay to be apprehensive or even terrified. You’re not alone! Most of us have felt that way off and on. Our family delayed homeschooling because of that fear. Now our only regret is that we didn’t have the courage to start sooner; homeschooling was so much easier and rewarding than we thought it would be, even with a special needs child.

If you’re not nervous, awesome! You’ve got a step up on most of us!

Don’t panic!
Have you pulled your child out of school in the middle of the year due to an emergency, sickness, or bullying? That’s what happened to us. You might be looking your child in the eye, remembering that you have no plan or curriculum, but you know you have to keep going forward. You’re doing this for a good reason, so hold fast to that determination.

If you need to, stop and breathe! It’s going to be just fine. While you’re making your decision about the type of homeschooler you want to be, grazing through stacks of curriculum, just take it one day at a time. Don’t rush out to buy the first curriculum that someone recommends because you’re in panic mode.

You’re going to do great!
Let me assure you that no matter how you homeschool your child, you are going to do a better job than a traditional school. You’re going to be giving your child significantly more attention, you care more about your child’s success, and you know your child better than anyone else possibly can.

You’re also going to be able to do more in less time than teachers in a brick-and-mortar school can. Keep in mind that much of the day in traditional school is spent teaching children to stand in line, sit still in their seat without talking, keeping the classroom under control, explaining everything until the very last child gets it, and so on. Not to mention, the children are asked to learn in the way the teacher wants them to, not considering if it matches their learning style.

You can do a whole lot better than that!

Things to do while you get organized
Here are few ideas of what you can do immediately, for no cost. These are great activities to do while you are getting organized, choosing curriculum, and deciding how, when, and where you’re going to homeschool.

Take trips to the library. Check out the biography section, educational videos, historical fiction, books of experiments, how-to books (catapults, anyone?). Local libraries often have reading incentive programs, movies, and other community events. If you don’t have a computer at home, libraries offer internet access. Some local libraries, such as Groves, stock homeschooling books and curriculum. The possibilities are limitless!
Visit local historical landmarks and find books or videos about them.
Visit a museum and attend their classes. You can study fossils, make your own book, and other hands-on, interactive classes. Lubbock has the museum at Texas Tech, a windmill museum, Buddy Holly museum, and Silent Wings military museum. There are many other museums in Lubbock and the surrounding area, including a petroleum museum in Midland, fossil museum in Crosbyton, and so on.
Visit the Texas Tech University International Cultural Center and attend some of their field trips and classes. Read a related book to expand the opportunity. For example, take a field trip such as “The Ellis Island Experience” (which we ended up doing yearly for a while, because it was such an amazing event) and read The Orphan of Ellis Island before going for a nice book tie-in. (Okay, I admit this option usually costs $2 per child, but it’s almost free!) There are many other field trip opportunities, including large educational events, such as Ag-in-a-Bag.
Cook. Cooking is just chock full of math problems. (Don’t tell your children that, though!) Measurement conversions, adding and subtracting fractions, etc. Not to mention chemistry and science… Craft your own recipes for an exercise in instruction writing.
Go online and look for children’s crafts or subject activities. Many websites let you print out activities, coloring sheets, and instructions and templates to make puppets, crafts, etc. One of the best ways to find useful material is to search by subject and add “curriculum,” “lesson,” “practice,” or “activity” to your search. For example, search for: “Thanksgiving Day” curriculum, “ancient Greece” lesson, “multiplication tables” practice, or “Blueberries for Sal” activity. Insert the subject, book, or concept that you’re studying. You’re going to be amazed with how much advice and how many websites with curriculum are available free on the web! Use your favorite search engine and surf away.
Go to a park and identify wildlife and plants. Have a picnic. Feed the ducks. Breathe.

Those are just a few ideas. There is so much available to be done at little or no cost. Do these fun and educational activities while you research how and what you want to teach your children. Build memories and a joy of learning!

Common questions and answers
Here are a few common questions that I often field from new homeschoolers.

What if my child is currently in public school?
You should write a letter to your child’s school principal officially withdrawing them from school. No, you are not legally required to contact the school district, but the chances are high that you will receive a visit from an attendance officer if you simply remove your child. Better safe than sorry! Send the letter certified mail with return receipt and keep copies of everything, including the return receipt.

There’s a sample withdrawal letter on the Texas Home School Coalition website’s Getting Started page. THSC also gives advice for withdrawing a child from public school on their FAQ page.

No matter what school officials may tell you, you don’t have to show the school anything. It’s against the law in Texas for a school to require you to show them your curriculum, let them approve your curriculum, sign any commitment or recognition of their authority, or allow them to visit or enter your home. (Actually, if you have someone try any of this, call the Texas Home School Coalition right away and ask them what to do – 806-744-4441.

If your child’s public school asks for anything, simply tell the school that you are teaching the required subjects in a bona fide manner. (See “What do I have to teach?” below.) Whether or not you use a canned curriculum, create your own, pick and choose, or even unschool is up to you as the parent. The public school system has no say in the matter.

If I’m homeschooling in Texas, what do I have to teach?
In order to be a legitimate home school in the state of Texas, you must teach:

reading,
spelling,
grammar,
mathematics,
and good citizenship.

Additionally, you must pursue that curriculum in a bona fide manner, in other words honestly teaching your child and not just pretending or saying that you are. You can use a complete curriculum, gather from different sources, or develop your own curriculum.

Where can I learn how to homeschool?
Read, drain your friends’ and acquaintances’ brains, and surf the web.

Read
Take time to read! I highly recommend starting with these two books:

Homeschooling for Dummies by Jennifer Kaufeld (hey, with a title like that, I knew it was meant for me!!!). This book is like taking a class on homeschooling. Jennifer covers different homeschooling styles, deciding what age to begin, discovering your child’s learning style, joining or starting a coop, teaching special needs children, developing your own curriculum, finding free resources, and tons more. Don’t be put off by the “for Dummies” title, this one is a keeper – and keep an extra one to lend out to friends!
Things We Wish We’d Known by Bill and Diana Waring. In fact, I wish I had known about it and read it before I started homeschooling! It contains 50 short essays by veteran homeschoolers. They’re short enough to read in a few minutes, are incredibly inspiring, and can help you decide what your style of homeschooling will be. I could have avoided several missteps by reading this book first! I keep multiple copies to lend or give to new homeschoolers that I meet.

There are many other incredibly helpful books out there, including The Well-Trained Mind, A Charlotte Mason Education, Educating the WholeHearted Child, You Can Teach Your Child Successfully, and many, many more. These books are indispensable tools that will save you time and sanity.

Drain their brains
Ask your homeschooling friends what books really helped them. Ask them what worked for them and what hasn’t, but remember your mileage may vary. They can tell you what worked for their family, but you’ve got to decide what works for yours.

Surf the web
There are so many resources now out on the web, from homeschooling advice to free full-blown curriculum, such as the Charlotte Mason style curriculum available at Ambleside Online . Listing all the homeschool links and maintaining that list is beyond the scope of this website and others, such as Donna Young or Jube Dankworth at Texas Home Educators , already do that task far better than I ever could.

Where can I find out what classes and sports are available in Lubbock?
Lubbock Homeschool News is an informational group – an online network – of local homeschoolers where we share what we know about classes, tutors, sports, and other events in the area. Join the LHN Yahoo group or friend the LHN Facebook page to keep up to date regarding classes, sports, special events, and such. Very little is actually posted to the LHN website that you’re currently on (www.lubbockhomeschoolnews.com ), as it would be too unwieldy to maintain easily.

Where can I find advice and fellowship?
Homeschool support groups can really help you on your journey. It’s nice to share with adults and get a jump on stress and burnout — especially while your kids are burning off energy playing at a park!

Check out the list of local support groups on the LHN web page, Find a support group. In addition, there are community-wide opportunities, such as rollerskating on Fridays at the Skate Ranch, which are open to all homeschoolers.

I also recommend that you join the Texas Home School Coalition because they offer lots of legal advice and will help you if you have legal problems related to homeschooling, plus they provide teacher and student IDs you can use for discounts at stores like Staples, Barnes and Noble, and Office Max. (You can also usually get IDs from your local homeschool support group.) THSC is awesome at going to bat for Texas homeschoolers.

How can I find a curriculum that fits my student and family?

Understand the basic styles of homeschooling
There are almost as many curriculum styles and educational philosophies as there are homeschooling families. Many families find their teaching style and curriculum choices altering to meet their children’s changing needs. Here’s a short description of some general categories:

Traditional — Textbook/workbook approach, emphasizing reading, writing, grammar, and spelling through drill and practice.
Classical — Following the medieval “trivium,” a child’s education progresses from fundamental facts and skills to logic and advanced language abilities. Students study the great works of Western literature.
Unit studies (instructor-designed thematic studies)—Progress in several disciplines is woven around a particular theme.
Unschooling (also called child-directed or delight-directed) — Allowing a child to learn by encouraging and equipping him to pursue his own interests (guided or unguided exploration).

One of the great things about homeschooling is that you don’t have to be limited to just one approach—you can mix and match, taking what you like from each approach to best fit your child’s needs.

Discover your child’s learning style
The most important question to ask yourself is “How does my child learn?” How you answer that question will determine much about how you will begin and the methods you will follow. If you choose a curriculum that doesn’t match your child’s learning style, it will make your job harder. You may already instinctively know your child’s learning style or simply choose a multi-sensory curriculum.

If you want help identifying your child’s learning style, again, the internet is an incredible resource. There are many free assessments available online or to print. You can also ask your pediatrician to recommend someone who can assess your child. In addition, some businesses, such as Little Giant Steps, offer assessments when their staff are in town.

Here are a few books that can help you identify learning styles.

The Way They Learn by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias
Talkers, Watchers, and Doers: Unlocking Your Child’s Unique Learning Style by Cheri Fuller.
Discover Your Child’s Learning Style: Children Learn in Unique Ways by Mariaemma Willis and Victoria Kindle Hodson

Discover what your child loves
The next question to ask yourself is “What are my children passionate about? What are they interested in?” It’s awesome when you can tie in what your child is interested in or when you can find curriculum or classes that help them pursue that interest further; that way your child is motivating themselves and not depending entirely upon you motivating them.

Consider other factors
Other issues to consider are cost, time commitment, supplies, location in the home, schedule, discipline, and your child’s abilities and academic level. Don’t buy the first curriculum you see because that’s what your neighbor or Jane down the street does. Look at several curriculum types and brands before you commit to one. And then, most importantly, be ready to switch if it’s not a good fit.

Be flexible
Like many other homeschoolers, our family has changed curriculum and teaching styles over the years. Some choices just weren’t a good fit; I had to modify them so much to match my daughter’s learning style that I finally questioned why I was using them at all. (I was a bit slow on the uptake there.) Others took such a substantial time commitment that we had to cut back in other areas to make it work. So we switched to what let us continue pursuing areas my daughter was passionate about.

You’ll find that your curriculum choices change over the years, and it’s not the end of the world to decide that everyone would be better off with a different curriculum. Flexibility is a must; you’re not simply recreating a traditional brick and mortar school at home – you’re creating an environment that nurtures your child’s love of learning.

Attend a convention or curriculum fair
Heart of West Texas has a book fair each spring that is a good opportunity to look at various brands of curriculum. In addition, Mardel Bookstore has a homeschool section that you can browse through. There is also some curriculum at the Groves branch of the Lubbock library, and you can look at the various publishers’ sites online.

Sometimes a support group will have a get-together where members bring the curriculum they’re using for everyone to look at. The Find a support group page lists several homeschool support organizations (local, regional, state, and national) where you can ask for opinions.

And remember, you don’t have to have use a commercial curriculum — you can collect or create your own.

Consider used curriculum
Save money by borrowing, buying, or selling second-hand materials and swapping with other homeschoolers in your local support group, at regional/state book fairs, or through used curriculum vendors. Also, check for used curriculum on eBay and VegSource , local book fairs, library book sales, Half.com , etc.

Mix and match when needed
You can mix and match curriculum or gather your own curriculum. You can take the parts you like most from each style and put them together. You don’t have to stick to just one style. In addition, you may find there are some subjects that you want to find a local class for your child to attend, such as art, robotics, or a foreign language.

Where should we do our schooling?
At the kitchen table? In the living room on the couch? In a school room at a desk? At the park? At the library? Each family finds solutions that work for them. What matters is that you school in a place that is comfortable for you and your child.