Debating on Homeschooling

by Marl W.
(Wisconsin, too!)

I am debating on homeschooling my daughter who will be starting Headstart the next school year.

I have read your website over and over. I have thought about my own pros and cons and still am worried. My pros outweighed my cons and I do want my children to be homeschooled, but I don't know if I will be able to do it. I barely graduated high school myself...and thinking back on it all do I even know algebra or how to add and divide fractions? I never was that great at math. How do you know what curricula to use?

Diane's Comment for Debating on Homeschooling

Hello Marl!

Great hearing from another Wisconsinite! (We have one of the best homeschooling laws in the nation, BTW!)

You CAN do it! Just sharing your concern shows that you are willing to spend the effort to do what is required. I wasn't an A student either, so I'm thankful that all the books have answer keys in them. Most, if not all, also give detailed step-by-step instructions on how they arrived with the answers. And if you're still stuck, most curricula have an 800 number for you to call. Believe you can, and you will...ONE day at a time!

Because your daughter is still young, get a hold of Ruth Beechick's 3R booklets. They're inexpensive and a wealth of knowledge. You will be able to use them until she's in 4th grade. That is pretty much what we used (although you probably already know that having read the site over and over!) And then read, and read, and read. My children have a love for reading because we read aloud to them all the time.

When she's in 4th, Mrs. Beechick has another book, You Can Teach Your Child Successfully, and she's right. We supplemented with Math-U-See, but any math book will do. I even know of a family who uses workbooks from a department store or learning center. Remember this...your child is just starting, you already know how to add and subtract! She will learn math slowly and sequentially, and as she does, you will re-learn it easily. I did. Drill the basics with flash cards in the elementary grades. Later math will be so much easier for her if she aces the flash cards.

What curricula is best? That is a toughy. It's a matter of trial and error. We had tried Saxon and Miquon and settled on Math-U-See...just use what is comfortable for your family. You won't know until you jump in!

Is anyone holding homeschool meetings in your area? That would be an excellent resource for you, too. Get to know others and they will give you tips along the way. I was so thankful to meet other Moms who had children a year or two older than mine. They always gave me tips and ideas from past years' experiences.

Just start. You'll be so glad you did. Please let me know how you do!