Does homeschooling mean you have to teach your child yourself?

Question

My ex wants to homeschool my son. But she says that her freind would be the one teaching her. Is that even possible. Would that mean that the her freind would be paying more attention to her own child than my son? Is it even legal to home school some one else's child. I live in Texas by the way.

Answer 1

I am not sure about Texas, but some states allow homeschooling other people's children and other states do not.  I am confused though, that you said it was your son, then you said the son would be teaching "her".  Is the friend going to teach your son or your ex? If its your son then the correct pronoun would be "him".

At any rate, homeschooling is great, but usually parents teach their own kids.  However, as long as it is not a violation of the law I think it would be acceptable to have someone else do it.

To find out more about the laws in Texas go to http://www.hslda.com

BTW hsmomlovinit is absolutely right about everything she says.

Answer 2

It is legal in Texas to have someone else do the majority of teaching.

Homeschooling is about taking charge of your child's education. It means that the parents take ultimate responsibility for, and make the decisions about what, when, where, how, and by whom they are taught. Usually this means that the parent's teach their own children, at least in some subjects, but not always.

As far as the friend paying enough attention to your son goes, I can't really answer that because I don't know her. I would share this concern with your ex and the two of you will need to work it out together.

Answer 3

http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp?St...

As you can see by the laws Texas is one of the states that is not strict on the homeschooling. You basically have no testing, no informing anyone that you are homeschooling.

You basically establish a homeschool and teach. There is no one there to govern over you. I would love to live in Texas for this reason only.

So to answer your question- yes your wife can have anyone homeschooling your son if she wants.

Answer 4

Depends on state law.  Some states require it be a blood relative or someone with a Teacher Credential.  Some don't.

Answer 5

Talk to your ex wife.  Ask to look at the curriculum and a schedule of what the day will look like for your son.  Be open.  Find out her philosophy on home schooling; i.e. school at home or relaxed, boxed curriculum or eclectic, etc.  Volunteer to help.   Ask if you can be responsible for a subject, either a core subject or something that you would like for your son to know.

This answer comes from experience. My son is home schooled and his father, my ex, was involved in the decision.  He agreed to support us in this as long as 'it works'.  I keep him informed.  I ask for his help.

It is working.

Answer 6

Yes, you can do that in Texas. Every homeschool is considered a private school there. You don't need a teaching degree or anything like that. It sounds like you are a bit worried that your son's education will be neglected because it's not being done by his mother, but by someone else who also has her own children. If your ex trusts this woman and knows her well, then it's doubtful that the woman would be neglectful. I've known some families who have taken in other kids for homeschooling and it's worked quite well. It's like having a part-time sibling.

Answer 7

yes, I have afriend and his wife home schooled their daughter and my finacee's ex has been home schooling their 3 kids since they started school.  You need a computer because alot of the materials is on the internet and they let you know the progress of how they are doing.

Answer 8

That is a good question, I'm not sure. Usually I've only heard of the parents doing the teaching and I know some states don't allow tutors or other people to help with the schooling, but I can't say that I've heard a law that says you have to be the kid's parents to teach them.. I think homeschooling is just schoool at home. Hope this helps.

Answer 9

No, homeschooling does not mean you have to teach your child yourself. It means parents accept responsibility for organising their child's education themselves. They can do that by teaching the child themselves; by employing a govie to teach their child; by enrolling their child in a correspondence school where teachers do the teaching online etc.

Answer 10

homeschooling is a great thing. You should be glad

that they want to go that way. You child will get more onfe on one and they will learn a lot more. The way schools are

now be happy. And yes a friend can help with school.

You should be glad someone wants to help.

Answer 11

Get a lawyer, Jarvis.  Homeschooling is bad news, and you might be able to use it to regain custody.  But it sounds like a complicated set of issues, and you need legal counsel.

Most people who home school are nuts.  It's not good for the child.

Answer 12

Yes, this is legal in most states.  I have friends who are homeschooling a couple of other kids along with their own, and they treat each child with the same care.

Homeschooling is not bad news; it does not create social retards; it does not mean that the children will receive a substandard education; and flying off the handle and bringing in a lawyer with guns blazing will only cause trouble for all around.

Why don't you find out more about what she wants to do, and talk with the friend?  Maybe this would give you more of an idea of what she's talking about, and let you see what kind of an environment your son would be in.

Also, please understand that homeschooling does not mean that the parent is the only teacher the child will ever have.  There are some situations where the parent is well able to teach, and this is the case, but often the child can take part in co op classes and such that are taught by degreed/credential teachers.  Homeschooling means that the parents have full say over what the child learns, when, from whom, and in what environment.

For example, I trained as a linguist; I teach Latin at all levels in our co op.  Our spanish class is taught by a former college Spanish professor (my son's class is taught by a native speaker and current college professor).  The math classes are taught by a credentialed math teacher with more degrees behind her name than I could say in one breath.  The science classes are taught by a credentialed science teacher (who teaches in a nearby school and also teaches for our co op).  The homeschool sports teams in our area are coached by trained coaches, and the lit classes are taught by a former literature professor.  Government is taught by a local attorney with years of experience.  And so on, and so on.

I homeschool my son (5th grade, we're starting our 4th year) and he absolutely thrives with it.  He's able to work on each subject at his individual level with a tailored curriculum, rather than what the lesson plan says.  He also has the time to study up on his interests and learn more about them.  He already has a better understanding of history, literature, science, and writing than many 10th graders (according to high school and college teachers who have seen his work).

I really advise you to have an open mind about this and talk more with your ex about it.  I realize it seems like a huge step, and can be scary, but it really can be beneficial for him.

Answer 13

It's very easy to homeschool in the state of TX.  Go to the www.hslda.org website and check if it would be considered legal for your ex's friend to homeschool your child.

Answer 14

What's next - home dentistry?

Answer 15

Texas has very relaxed laws on homeschooling, so it wouldn't surprise me to find that this is legal.  If you want to make sure, you could contact the THSC (Texas HomeSchool Coalition).  I'm sure they can give you the answer IF you approach them just for the information, without belittling homeschooling.

Answer 16

I don't think it matters who schools the child as long as the state requirements are being met.  From what I recall, the requirements are pretty stringent and progress is monitored.

Answer 17

Home schooling normally implies that the parent(s) teach, guide, and learn with their child(ren).

The parent can enlist the help of another family to share the load, and start coop's.

They can hire a tutor in other subjects area's, like piano lessons, or sports, but the majority of the instruction is provided by the parents.

For legal questions, and the requirements for each individual state go to http://www.hslda.org/

Answer 18

Homeschooling is VERY legal ( aviophage I'm not sure where you got your info from, but you aren't even batting in the park, block or city). While the parent is usually the one in charge of teaching the child(ren), it is possible to 'outsource' to someone else (aka tutor). Many people opt for an Umbrella or Virtual School if they feel uncomfortable with going it on their own.

IF your Ex is going to actually pay her friend money to have her teach your son, then that friend needs to hold a Degree in the field of education and she needs to show up to the portfolio reviews with them. If on the other hand she is only 'helping out' ( not recieving any money), then she may be able to get away with it. Mom will need to make sure that she knows EXACTLY what is being taught.

While a computer is nice to have on hand (whether connected to internet or not) it IS NOT a requirement for homeschooling (unless you go with a program that calls for it).

Sit down with your EX and talk this over and thru THOROUGHLY. It would be IMPOSSIBLE to gain custody merely on the grounds of homeschooling. There MUST be some proof that the child is in danger physically,mentally,emotionally, otherwise you have just wasted a Judge's time (and they don't like that). Not all homeschoolers are Nuts as someone so blantantly called us and we don't all homeschool for religious reasons either.