Questions about homeschooling my younger sister?

Question

i am 22 and my younger sister is 15. our mother wants to go back to her native country, colombia, for a year and, of course, my sister has to go with her. the public education systems in colombia are not very good and private schools are way too expensive. i was thinking about going with them and homeschooling her.

is it possible to homeschool her in a small village in colombia as if she was here in the states? she will only be there for a year so is there a possiblity on doing that? how much is it too homeschool?

i honestly have no idea how to go about this, so any sites on the topic will be much appreciated. thank you!

Answer 1

Hi, maybe I can give you some advice, what grade is your sister in? and is she in school now. if not, have you thought about a home corresponsed school for your sister. she can take the courses at home and send in her exams to be graded. I will give you the name of the school that I attended at home. the name of the shcool is American School out of Lansing ILL. the phone number is [phone] give them a call. of course it does cost to take the course. but it's worth the call if you want to help your sister out. she can get her high school diploma through this school. so if you have the money for the course it's worth it. give it a try. that way your sister can get her high school diploma at home and you can help her. she will have an instructor who will grade her exams and answer any question that you may have. good luck, you can email me at [e-mail] if you have any more questions. good luck and may God bless you and your sister in finishing her education.

Answer 2

It ought to be possible, but the precise regulations will depend on the state where you now live and (presumably) will return in a year.  Contact your state board of education and ask them to advise you.

You'll need to explore the various homeschooling materials packages that are available.  Get a good one of those, and you should be able to take care of her educational needs.

Answer 3

I checked on HSLDA, I didn't see anything on homeschooling in Colombia; I checked on some sites regarding education laws there, and it doesn't look like school attendance is mandatory.  It looks more like schools are provided, and people are encouraged to go - but in the smaller villages, it looks like most kids don't even attend school unless they are scholarshipped in to a private school.

I would suggest to attend a homeschool convention in your area (just google your state and "homeschool conventions", many are coming up soon).  When you go, you'll be able to see all kinds of curriculum choices, and you, your mom, and your sister can choose the one(s) that work best for your family.  I really would recommend buying them while you're still in the states; many companies do ship internationally, but the cost is higher.

Then, you just go to it.  An internet connection is a good thing to have, but if it's not available, that's ok; there are CD and DVD based resources that are just as easy to use.  (I'm not sure how rural or small a village you're talking about - assuming electricity isn't an issue?)

Many kids are homeschooled overseas, even in very rural areas.  If you won't have an internet connection or library nearby, you may want to buy a few more resources to have on hand, but it's still very doable.

Hope that helps!

Edit - talk with the school before you go, if you're looking at her going back in after a year in Colombia.  Some schools will not accept homeschool credits at all (or international credits, for that matter), while others are fine as long as she can pass the placement test.  Find out what they will want her to know so that you can choose the curricula accordingly.

Also - get in touch with a homeschooling group in your area, they will have all the info on working with local schools.  They will also be able to guide you step by step through this, from choosing curriculum to scheduling, assigning, and record keeping.  Just Google the name of your city and "homeschool group".

Answer 4

You will have to teach her English, math, social studies, a foreign language and science. You had better start now assembling all the resources you will need to teach those classes. You will need lesson plans and materials. There are sites online where you can get a lot of these, and there are teacher supply stores. The problem with the stores is, they deal mainly with elementary grades, so you're going to have to scramble to get high school materials, so start today. When your sister gets back, she will have to submit her previous transcripts and take the SAT and any other entrance exams to get into college if she wants to go. I'm afraid big sister's remarks won't count for too much.

Answer 5

homeschooling is easy, stop worrying, sit back relax, and it doesn;t cost much to homeschool:)