PLEASE HELP, I need Home Schooling help for my Son!!?

Question

I own my own construction company based out of Missouri, my current contract has me working in Colorado. My Wife travels with me to do the accounting etc. My Son is 16 and has enough academic problems with public schools already, and it is not fair that I keep moving him and making it harder. He wants to Home School. I only have a couple days to make a decision and I need any and all information I can get. He needs to be able to advance at his own speed. He would prefer to be able to graduate as early as possible. I will not put a price on his education and I would like what is best for him. I have checked in to PENN FOSTER a little and I feel its pretty reasonably priced. If anyone could tell me about this or any other creditable program, please respond ASAP. I also could use help with info on the laws of both states. Do I go by my home state of Missouri law or temperary residence in Colorado. WHERE DO WE START? THANK YOU VERY MUCH IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR MUCH NEEDED HELP.

Answer 1

Missouri would be your state, since that's where your business is based, and everything else is contractual and temporary. There are several homeschool groups for those who travel as part of their homeschooling, you might look at that.

After reading at HSLDA, and finding requirements for MO, you've got it pretty easy. MO doesn't require notification of local district, so he just doesn't have to go back. Now, to make life easier, you probably do want to inform so you don't get reported.

Penn Foster is a good program. You don't really need one, just look at the federal pass skills and design reading to match up with those. Be sure that he gets to visit a lot of various places, that's the number one benefit to traveling as homeschoolers.

Answer 2

I don't have a high opinion of Penn Foster.  People come on Yahoo Answers asking for test answers, and often get them.  Also, every course has open book tests anyway, so if the kids are still resorting to cheating they must not be learning much.  I also recently saw a question where the person said they were enrolled with Penn Foster and Algebra wasn't even offered as a math credit, only possibly as an elective.  I don't know if that is true or not.

You don't have to go with a "school" you can do it independently.  But if you really want a school  I would recommend one of the following instead of Penn Foster:

http://www.edanywhere.com (Secular)

http://www.sycamoretree.com (has both secular and Christian programs)

http://www.abekaacademy.com (Christian)

Answer 3

It depends on how long you will be in Colorado.  If you will only be there for a matter of a few weeks to a couple of months, you would likely have to follow the MO laws.  If you will be there for the remainder of the school year, however, you should follow the CO laws.  Both can be found here: http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/default.as...

Where you will start will depend on which state's laws you need to follow.  In MO, you simply notify the school that you are withdrawing your son (this is so truancy officers don't show up at your door) and start homeschooling.  In CO, you have a few options.  If you choose to independently homeschool your son (which, due to moving around and starting in the middle of the year, would probably be the case), you need to notify the school district 14 days prior to starting, and annually after that.  Otherwise, you can enroll him in a private school that allows homeschooling or use a private tutor.

Homeschooling is perfectly legal in every state, but the laws and regulations vary from state to state.  Required courses also vary from state to state, as do record-keeping requirements.  (There are computer programs, such as Edu-Track or Homeschool Tracker that will take care of all of this for you.)

If he's motivated enough to have you and your wife hold him accountable to his work, you can work with him to put together his coursework according to his interests, learning style, and current level.  This way, he can work at his own pace and learn according to what makes sense to him.  If he's looking at going into a scientific field, you can develop his coursework to be heavier in math and science.  If he is more interested in literature, history, or art, you can develop it more in that direction.  You have the freedom to give him the education that he needs for his particular personality and career bent, and he has the freedom to learn in a way that makes the most sense to him.

There are many different curriculum providers; the homeschool market is a huge niche.  Some curriculum companies will give you an entire ___th grade curriculum in a box - and some will even teach it for you by DVD, CDRom, or satellite download - while others focus on one particular subject and give you everything you could ever hope to have for that subject.

Here are some well-regarded full curriculum providers:

http://www.abeka.com/

http://www.bjupress.com/webapp/wcs/store...

http://www.sonlight.com/

http://www.aop.com/sos/

http://www.aop.com/home/

http://www.k12.com/

http://v7.k12.com/independence.html

And here are some excellent subject-specific providers:

http://mathusee.com/

http://videotext.com/homeschool.htm

http://apologia.com/store/?PHPSESSID=4df...

http://www.writing-edu.com/

http://trisms.com/

http://www.hewitthomeschooling.com/book/...

This is a family-run business that carries literally thousands of curriculum choices, most of them at a discount: http://rainbowresource.com/index.php  You can get a free catalog from them, it's the size of a phone book.

A couple of things about homeschooling that may be very good for your son:  first, you don't have to abide by the public school calendar.  Pretty much every state has a minimum number of days/hours that he has to put in, but that can be taken care of anytime within the 365-day year.  Our state (OK) requires 180 days; my son chooses to put in several Saturdays per year, and chooses to go longer.  He puts in 240 days most years, easy.

What this means is, if you are in the middle of a project that he can help with, you can let him take a break from schoolwork for that period of time.  If he's doing anything that requires math, reading, writing, a presentation, science, etc., you can count that toward his school work as practical application or a term project.  This goes the same for any internship or mentoring situation that might come up; as a homeschooling parent, you determine his graduation and credit requirements.

Also, if there is a subject or two that he really excels in, he can take concurrent enrollment at a local college for both high school and college credit.  Because his time is more his own, he will have the time to really apply himself to what he wants to do.

I know it's a big choice, and a big transition; however, homeschooling has been shown to produce mature, responsible students who excel at what they put their mind to.  Good luck with your decision - I hope this helps!

Answer 4

Phillip, The first thing to do is go to website for laws in Colorado, if that will be your residence.

I have read statistics that 'school at home' does not work as well as 'home school'.  

If your state allows, I would suggest that you create his curriculum using things that interest him and are geared to his learning style.

You also want to consider his goals and plans for the future.  If he plans on 4 year college immediately after high school, you need to make sure he meets the requirements.  Many parents find that the foreign language is a challenge.  There are many computer programs that take care of that challenge.  

Colleges require an SAT or ACT test.  If he scores well on those, his 'grades' will not be an issue.  You should, however, keep a portfolio and/or record of his studies.

Answer 5

I like Switched on Schoolhouse by Alpha Omega.  Theres a placement test you can have him take that will place him right where he needs to be.  It is all computerized and the kids can move at their own pace... very little needs to be done on your part except to set up his calendar (theres instructions) and the occasional checking- such as reports.  It is quite easy and I know my 16 year old boy enjoys it very much and is graduating early.

Personally, I would follow my state laws since that is where you live the majority of the year.

Your state laws are on the following website:

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

Answer 6

I suggest you consider the WorldWide IDEA Private Academy  - http://www.worldwide-idea.org - it is fully accredited and provides a lot of flexibility, including the ability to move through curriculum as quickly as you want and in ways that are learning appropriate (vs. stictly "grade level" based). They also includes help/support from a certified contact teacher (as much or little as you want), and other great features not found through Connections Academy and others like them.

Answer 7

How about letting him get his GED, and you take him in as an apprentice?

You owning your own company is a great way to teach him the business if he is interested.

He can than study for the SAT/ACT at his own convenience, take the classes that he needs if he is a bit weak in a subject, or may want to take just for fun, and apply for college when he is ready.

For home school laws in any state you can go to this web site http://www.hslda.org

Answer 8

connections academy!

you work from home

you dont have to drive them to places

thy call it a "virtual public school"

at home

Answer 9

I am sure that homeschooling even with your multi-state situation is doable.

HSLDA is a good place to start your research and I would recommend that you join.

I think BusyMom mentioned an Apprenticeship - I am a big proponent of this type of learning.  As part of his education, get your son involved in your business - just think of all the great stuff he can learn through real life activity!  Budgetting / accounting, management, construction, etc.  Have him create and maintain a website for your business if you do not already have one.

We have never done any online programs so I cannot comment on that from personal experience - but I will say that Abeka is a well respected program and some friends of ours have used their program all the way through (current 11th grader) with tremendous results.