How To Begin

When parents decide to home school, the first question that comes to mind is:  How do we begin?  The following is a list of practical things you need to know.

          1)  Find out your state's home school laws.

          2)  Decide on an educational approach..

          3)  Decide on a curriculum.

          4)  Locate resources.

          5)  Choose a schooling area in the home.

It is very important to ascertain how to legally home school in your state.  This can be done by visiting your state's official website.  There you can search for the home school laws.  Once you establish the legal route to home schooling in your state, you begin by complying with the laws.  Here  is where all Christian parents wince, but the Bible gives very clear instruction in such matters.  "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake . . . ."  I Peter 2: 13  Therefore, we move on and thank God that at least we can school our children at home even if under the auspices of the state.

Next,  decide on an educational approach that suits both parents.  Consider the child's learning style and your own.  What teaching method do you like?  How will your child best learn?  Perhaps, you have already learned of approaches that you like such as  the classical approach, unit studies, hands on activities,  reading centered curriculum, or standard seat work.  As children of God, we must always keep in mind that  "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge . . . ."  (Proverbs 1: 7)  With that truth firmly fixed in our minds we proceed to teach our children the necessary skills and academics needed for life. 

Choosing a curriculum is an awesome task.  There are so many to chose from; yet, very little, if any, that are founded on the principles of  the doctrines of grace.  For those of us that want all subjects taught from that foundation, we sigh in disbelief.  Writing curriculum is a timely task that involves  many things.  Believe me, our support group has tried and has found that we cannot keep the pace of our learners.  That discourages us because teaching must come on our children's timeline, not ours.  So, as an attempt to remedy this lack, we have investigated curriculum already out there and have found some that will fit into our framework of teaching; that is using the Bible as our guide. We do not alter any of the curriculum, rather we use it according to our own curriculum needs. You will find our recommendations on the Curriculum page.

Locating resources for the curriculum texts can also be an exhausting job.  There are many websites that offer home school curriculum, so many that it can be confusing.  We have narrowed our search to a few select sites that best suits our curriculum needs.  These are listed on the Home School Website page with a short description.

Finally, when the curriculum has been decided upon, and the time has come to get started,  where does one actually have the schooling?  The answer, of course, is in the home.  Most home school students define a certain room of the house to be just the school room.  Others choose only an area in the house, and still others take a more relaxed approach and have school wherever mom is, such as in the kitchen.  Keep in mind that you will have quite a collection of textbooks, readers, and school supplies that will all need a home.  You will need book shelves, perhaps, desks, an activity table, a computer station, chalkboard, and a host of other things.  Yes, this room will really look like a classroom, but it is not necessary to have class in this room all the time.  You will find that many things come along that will require your presence in another room.  In time, you will learn how to manage school in the midst of all these distractions.  However, it is important to note that home schooling requires consistency and daily attendance.  Making a schedule of the number of days you want to teach, keeping holidays in mind, is a necessity.  Most schools operate on a 170 to 180 days per year.   Most curriculum is designed to this scale.

You will certainly need, above all, the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  There will be days when you think you cannot do this.  You will feel discouraged and even think that you are a terrible teacher.  Many home school parents have felt this way, but we are not left to ourselves.  Remember in these times, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."  Philippians 4:13  Also consider, that ". . .He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."  Philippians 1:6