Homeschool. What EXACTLY do you have to do. PLEASE help.?

Question

I have been doing an online school for awhile but it really isnt helping me much at all.

I am currently in 9th grade, and I was interested in being normally homeschooled the rest of the semester.

I was talking to my mom about it and she though it was a good idea, but my dad doesnt think so.

He doesnt get exactly what it is. I have been trying to explain, and so has my mom but he still just doesnt get it. So I have a few questions that may help if I know them to make him agree to let me.

1. How do you know what your supposed to teach each year? Like what kind of history/science stuff.

2. How do you know if your ready to go into the next grade AT a public school?

3. I live in Arizona, How would I get a diploma if I finished?!

4. ANYTHING else I should know?? Or tell my dad?? He just doesnt understand it very well..

or any GOOD websights??

Answer 1

There are all kinds of homeschool companys out there just type in homeschool and you will pull up probably at least 20 that you like. AZ is one of the better states to homeschool in.

You can get more info from this website

about.comhttp://www.hslda.org

you can look up laws regarding homeschooling in AZ and other states and other useful info.

Hope that helps.  I had a boy in my church class that I taught that was homeschooled in AZ and a girl same class from a different family that was homeschooled all the way through highschool both were smart kids.

Answer 2

Go to your regular school with your Mom and they should give you the guide lines or where to go(like the board of education) to get more infor for your Dad.

If you are well disciplined in working on your own and have the support of your Mom , you should do fine.

My son does it in college and he did much better than he did in high school.

Also, I beleive they make you take an equivalent of a GED to pass high school.  My husband did and graduated before his class did.  Then you can get your high school diploma from any high school but most of them get them from their old high school.  You just present the results and they will give you one of theirs. As far as you not doing well, if your old teachers think that being schooled at home will help, they may help tutor you or get some friends to help(serious ones)  Also, people at the library are always willing to help but seriously, you need to discipline yourself and keep a routine with it, just like regular school

Answer 3

Don't listen to Livi x.  Homeschool is as good as the parent and child make it.  For SOME reason livi had some bad experiences with it (and it isn't for everyone) so she's probably better off at public school.  It depends on what you want out of life I guess, and the effort you put into obtaining it.  Have your dad type in Google: Benefits of Homeschooling, and he'll find a lot of pros and cons (mostly pros) regarding it.  Do some research yourself; the more educated you are about homeschooling the more you'll want to do it (if you can make commitments).  Good luck!

Answer 4

My brother found a program that could give him a diploma. You study at home and turn in your tests in to the school. He got his diploma and is going to UT. It helps to get one. I can't remember the name, but I will come back with the website when I ask my mom where he went. I went through Christian Liberty Academy and they give diplomas too. But the other school isn't christian if you prefer. Email me if you want that other school. Also google other homeschool programs in your town. ANother parent who has homeschooled their children can help your dad feel at ease. Plus, he can see social programs you can be a part of. That is so important. My dad didn't want me to be socially stunted. Once he saw that I could be involved in activities his attitude changed. BTW..I went to college and did well too. It will help to find someone locally. It will help to find a program that can help you through the steps and state qualifications and a diploma.

GOOD LUCK!

Answer 5

Other people have given you answers to your questions. I suggest you ask your dad what he thinks you should be learning. What does your mum think you should be learning? What do you think you should learn?

Dads, well men in general, fare much better if you do your research and provide them with the end decision. Figure out which philosophy/ curriculum you want to follow, then show him that.

I intend to follow "The Well Trained Mind" by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer for my daughter. I've showed it to a few friends, relatives and her godfather. We've all had things to say about the strengths of the program and ideas for fixing up the parts that don't suit us.

It doesn't really matter what subject content you learn each year, as long as it builds on what you've done the year before. For example The Well Trained Mind has the kids starting off with Ancient History, then moving forward through time, up to the present. That makes far more sense than starting off with the Ancient Egyptians, skipping the Greeks and going straight to the Romans as seems to happen in schools around here. They also tie science into history by studying biology whilst studying the Ancients, and studying physics and computer science whilst studying modern history. So the science is relevent to the time period being studied. Studying computer science while studying the Middle Ages would be kind of disjointed, wouldn't it?

It doesn't really matter what grade you correspond with in a public school, unless you are intending to go back. Of course if you want to go to uni or get a high school diploma, you have to make sure you pass the requirements. High school diplomas tend to have very vague requirements. So you have to do a credit of American history. What does that mean? Does it matter what you actually learn? Does it matter how you learn it?

Then you can consider the extra curricular activities you do. Not everything has to be out of a book, of course. We're involved in the SCA (http://www.sca.org) where we have contact with people who know extraordinary amounts about all sorts of handcrafts and medieval history in general. We know one guy who made his own floor loom and wove his own trousers. We know people who can look at a painting then make a dress just like it. We know people who can cook a medieval feast for less than $10 per person. We know a lady who spends all her spare cash importing books from Eastern Europe because she's researching the Baltic Norse (that's just in her spare time.) Oh, she's learning Ancient Norse too. Who'd have thought anyone would run classes on that! I can't do any of those things, but I am learning!

Answer 6

1. That will depend on AZ laws. Check them out at http://www.hslda.org, as well as check out a state-based homeschool association online. They'll have more information. You may have specific requirements, or you may not. If there are no requirements, you can follow your state's curriculum. This will likely be online at the Arizona government's website.

2. You don't know. You'd have to talk to the public school in question. Some are snarky and won't allow homeschoolers in at the next grade level, period, because they won't recognize the work they've done as being enough or the right thing. Some will have you do a placement test. Others will have a look at what you've done.

3. Check an Arizona homeschooling association's website and if that information isn't online, email them.

4. What does your dad not really understand? You are more or less functioning like a private school, where you are the only student, your parents are the administrators and teachers.

Answer 7

I used to be homeschooled, and now I go to public school.

Let me tell you one thing, Chuck, homeschooling is soooooooooooooooooo stupid. Okay, it was really easy when I did it, and I did not learn anything! Also, the worst thing is, that when you homeschool, you do NOT get a diploma!!!!!!!!!!!!

You cant!!!! I know, IT AINT FAIR, CHUCK!!!!!

Anyway, go to public school... or something. It's better and you learn a lot moreee.....

Livi x

PS. Don't take it personally, I call everyone Chuck, even if you are a girl. =]

Answer 8

1.  First you look at your states minimum graduation requirments and make sure you at least meet those, but if you plan to go to college you will need to exceed the minimum requirements.  Here is a typical course through High School for a college bound student.

9th-  Algebra 1

        Physical Science

        English (can be American Lit. and composition, world Lit.  almost any full year English course).

         State History 1 Semester

          Health           1 Semester

           P.E. (Most states require 1 or 2 years of P.E., its your pick when to do it.)

           Elective (Music, Art, Drama, Journalism, keyboarding, horticulture, Foreign Language, etc.)

10th-

Geometry

English

Biology

World History (can include Geography)

1 or 2 electives.  (At some point in High School you should take 2 Credits (years) of Foreign Language as Electives).

11th

Algebra 2

Enlgish

Chemistry

U.S. History

1 or 2 Electives

12th

Advanced Math (Pre-Calculus or Trigonometry).

English

Physics

Government (1 semester)

Economics (1 semester)

P.E. if you still need more credits in it

1 or 2 electives.

This isn't cut and dry, some states have requirements that other states do not have, so you'd have to fit those in, but as far as the Math, English, and Science this is pretty universal for college bound students.  There can be some variance, for instance you might choose to take an advanced biology class instead of Physics.  Also, the English varies form school to school, sometimes it is called English 9, English 10, etc.  Sometimes it has more specific names like American Liturature and Composition,  European Literature and Compositon, Composition and Grammar,  World Literature, etc.

2.  If you follow a course of study like I described, you will be READY, however Public Schools will often refuse to recognize the credits you earned during homeschool, so if you plan to return to Public High School, you need to make sure first.  (Colleges usually don't question the credits, only Public High Schools).

3.  Homeschooled parents usually issue the diploma themselves, along with a transcript that they make on a home computer.  Colleges accept these all the time, its not at all unusual anymore.  Go to http://www.hslda.org/highschool/default.... for more info on diplomas, transcripts, and on planning a course of study.

4.  Have your dad check out these links

http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/AZ/default...

http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000010/20...

http://www.hslda.org/research/ray2003/de...

http://www.hslda.org/docs/study/comp2001...

http://www.hslda.org/docs/study/rudner19...

http://www.hslda.org/highschool/college....

http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000002/00...

http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000002/00...

Additionally, you should know that if you don't want to do it independently you can do correspondence through the mail.  That way you work in real books, not on-line, and you mail in the work.

Here are some sources for materials if you go independently.

http://www.rainbowresource.com

http://www.homeschooldiscount.com

http://www.aop.com

http://www.hewitthomeschooling.com

Here are some schools that do correspondence

http://www.aopacademy.com

http://www.abekaacademy.com

http://www.sycamoretree.com/school.htm

Answer 9

it works in a variety of ways

you can buy complete courses with CDs and work books

You can do virtual school on line

you can pick and choose going to stores and buying books and work with them

as for the diploma, you need an accredit school in a box program or virtual school for taht otherwise you take the GED test

brick school is nothing but a hodge podge of programs and no two schools teach alike

the idea is by the age of 18 or sooner you need to fully master and comprehend

algebra

geometry

trig

lab biology

lab chemistry or physics

english literature

english grammar and composition include styles such as APA, Harvard, Chicago

world history

local history

civics or contemporary problems

geography of the world and local

earth sciences including fundamental geology, astronomy, meterology

art is helpful, drawing, music, playng an instrument

your program is designed to get yu to that level

by 18 you should be calculus ready, organic chemistry ready, able to write an essay or composition wtih good grammar, spelling and punctuation in a style format with annotated references

you need to know Cairo is in Egypt, Stockholm is in Sweden you shuld be able to identify 50% of the countries in the world on a nameless world map and 70% of the local provinces

you shuld know what the dark ages are, what the rennesance was, what the mercantile system is, what feudalism is, how parliament works, who shakespeare was, who newton was

these are rudimetary things

you should know about WWI and WWII and Vietnam

YOu should understand waht communisims, socialism and captialism is

if you reach that level you are college ready

some here reach it by age 16 or 17

it depends on how hard you work and how much ground you cover

if you can learn algebra, geometry and trig in one year so be it

but you better really know it because your college test covers it

Answer 10

http://www.afhe.org/index.htm

I found this website through HSLDA.org.    It should provide you with a wealth of information as well as contacts in Arizona to help you navigate through the high school years.  

Best wishes.