Home schooling in the state of Tennessee.?

Question

I would like to home school in the state of Tennessee and would like to know what I have to do in order to begin this process. I am in the Middle Tennessee area. I would also love to contact other parents who homeschool their children to know what type of curriculum can be used. Please help with my dilema.

Thank you.

Answer 1

before you do that you need a teaching licenese before teaching kids says the law of the united states of america

Answer 2

I went and checked  the HSLDA website for your area. You have 3 options for homeschooling. If you go with the first option, you will attend 180 days per year at 4 hrs a day; grades k-8 have no speceified subjects, while grades 9-12 are either College Preparatory or General Studies. The Parent or Gaurdian will need to have a High School Diploma or GED for grades k-8 and for grades 9-12 a BA or exemption granted by the Commissioner of Education.

You need to submit a Notice of Intent by August 1 of each year to your local Superintendent. Maintain attendance records and submit at the end of the school year ( or at any time at their request); Administer a Standardized test in grades 5,7 and 9 by an approved source.

Now that is only option 1, check the HSLDA website for the other options.

I hope that helps and good luck

Answer 3

Hi.   I homeschool in Middle Tennessee.  May I second the motion to go to http://www.mthea.org (there is a wealth of information relating to TN homeschooling on that site)    and also   http://www.thea.org

Also, their curriculum fair is a bit expensive to attend, but it is well worth the money if you are just thinking about getting started.  

Also, I would recommend that you check out http://www.homelifeacademy.com  

They have some great resources on getting started, the whys of homeschooling in general and also TN laws.  And when you are on that site, David Parkerson has a great lecture on line called "A Heart for Learning."  It is something you shouldn't miss.  

MTHEA also has a Yahoo chat group that you can access through searching the groups, or there is a link on the MTHEA website.

Answer 4

To get started, familiarize yourself with the Tennessee's homeschool laws:  http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp?St...

Then start thinking about your child's learning style:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

That will help you decide how you want to homeschool.  Homeschooling does not have to use the same teaching methods as public school.  Here's a description of the different homeschooling methods:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

That should give you some ideas regarding curriculum, and you can begin to narrow things down from there.

Here are a few support organizations in your state:

http://www.tnhea.org/organizations.htm

Good luck and enjoy the journey!

Answer 5

I have NO IDEA where "SL" got their information, but it is 100% WRONG!

It is legal to HS in all 50 states and, depending on state regulations, you do NOT have to have a "teaching" license.

Start here for your state's laws:

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

And for other info:

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

(those are only HSLDA affiliated groups, though)

Search Yahoo Groups for homeschooling groups in your state/region/county/town.  I'm sure you'll find plenty of them.

========

EDITED after "Chelsea A's" answer.

NO, NO, and NO!  Do NOT contact your local school district for ANYTHING HS'ing related.  It is NOT required and they are the LAST agency you want involved in your HS'ing.

Chelsea is talking about PUBLIC virtual schooling at home.  This is NOT the same as HS'ing (although I support it).  There are NO virtual programs available in TN.

****EDITED FOR BJ*****

Why did you copy and paste my answer and use it as your own????

Answer 6

Go to www.mthea.org to connect with other hs families in Middle Tennessee (they have a homeschool conference coming in May at the Tennessee Fairgrounds in Nashville).

To homeschool in TN, you can enroll under an umbrella school (I recommend www.homelifeacademy.com -- this is who we use here in TN).  The umbrella school technically classifies you as a private schooler.  You can then choose your own curriculum and follow you own academic schedule and plan.

For curriculum, I would recommend going to www.k12.com.

And, no you don't need a teacher's license -- not sure where that answer came from.

Answer 7

HS Mom is right on!  These are the same links that I would have shared with you myself.  

Homeschooling is a great choice for many families, totally legal and well received by colleges!  

Good luck!  And congrats on making this choice for your family.  I am sure we will see you again as you find yourself with more questions!

Answer 8

I'm from another state, but if it's the same there as it is here, the school system will pay and get all the materials you need for your child, set you up with a teacher to help you through the process, and you'll be able to meet other home school parents at fun activities. You will need to start by contacting your school board in your district, and ask to speak to someone there about home schooling. Or if your child is already in school, you could ask the teacher and/or principal about the process. Good luck!