Homeschooling: Freeper Needs Guidance on *Effective* and *Proven* Programs

quesney | quesney

[quesney]

I'm looking into effective, *proven* home schooling programs and curricula as I come across ongoing reports on the many failings of the US school system. I have an eye toward a future family w/kids, but have a limited budget to pay for private school.

Can expert Freepers out there advise me on the best home schooling programs, curricula, support groups and testing programs out there? I could also use any advice on the U.S. states most receptive to and supportive of home schooling programs.

I'd really appreciate the help, especially from homeschooling parents.

[Manfred the Wonder Dawg]

My wife and I (mainly her) home schooled our kids for several years, using the Abeka curriculum(http://www.abeka.com/), supplemented by Saxon math (http://saxonpublishers.harcourtachieve.com/en-US/saxonpublishers.htm) in junior high.

The Abeka curriculum is excellent, and many institutions will also provide the grading and report card functions if you want. We bought from Pensacola Christian Academy and had them do this the first year so my wife could focus on teaching. For the next 6 years, we kept our own records and made our own report cards.

Our kids went to government schools in 9th and 6th grades, respectively, and excelled there and have graduated into young adult life.

Abeka taught us as we taught the kids. We re-learned this country's Christian foundation and established our children on the bedrock of Truth before turning them out into the world.

[metmom]

I agree with these, as we used them successfully:

Literature: ABeka
Penmanship/Creative Writing: ABeka or BJUP
Science: ABeka
History: ABeka
English: Rod and Staff to 8th grade

I liked BJU's penmanship, we never used Abeka. Two of my kids were good spellers so I just corrected what I saw wrong as we went; the third, well, she's come along but I did pretty much the same with her. We did do word lists sometimes and it helped a little. Some kids just don't get it.

The math is where I have the big disagreement. We used Saxon Math all the way through Saxon Physics and Calculus (which is the main reason we chose it) and have had tremendous success with it. The two oldest have had great SAT scores and the oldest who is in college and taking calculus now, says she still hasn't learned anything new.
My husband, who is an engineer, says that other engineers he knows who are familiar with Saxon say it's the best curriculum for preparing students for the real life application of math. I found it so easy to use that even I learned all the math I missed in high school as I taught the kids myself. I would encourage you to take a serious look at it before deciding against it.

Rod & Staff English is very thorough and by 8th grade goes way beyond what most people are going to need for life. I loved it but never really got through 8th, as I found it too intense.

[meandog]

As a teacher, I would suggest you put your kids in private schools and seek a job to pay the tuition.

[Homeschoolmom]

You should know that there are many, many effective programs that hs'ers use these days. Our choices are so varied that you're going to get several different answers. In my ten years of hs'ing I've used BJU, Rod & Staff, Abeka, Teaching textbooks (for high school Math), Apologia Science, and other programs too numerous to mention. It changes from year to year. For instance, I used Rod and Staff for Math until the ninth grade, but found Teaching Textbooks and switched to that for high school. I reevaluate very year.

It's a matter of researching the materials and finding what's best for you and your child. If you have a hs'er close by, spend time with them and pick their brain. If you have a hs support group in your town (and most towns do), ask for one-on-one advice from them. There are often curriculum fairs in every town or neighboring town once or twice a year. I highly recommend going to them and looking at the materials for yourself.

Hs'ers have a vast amount of resources available to them. You're not going to be able to find one answer to your question, because most programs out there have been proven to be effective. It's a matter of finding the right one for your family.

If you need any more advice, feel free to ask. Hs'ers love to help newbies. :-)

[quesney]

What helps you evaluate what works best for your child year to year? And how do I find out about support groups in the Maryland area?

[Oberon]

Veritas Press publishes their own set of curricula that are highly effective. They write their materials from a Reformed Christian (i.e. Calvinist Protestant) point of view, just FYI. The materials are still excellent for homeschooling parents of a more Catholic or Arminian bent, but such folks should understand that going in.

How would you know that such material is proven good? Because it's what's used at the Veritas Academy, the private Christian classical school affiliated with Veritas Press, and located in Leola, Pennsylvania. Veritas Academy is a classical school of the Doug Wilson model, strong and rigorous and good. They graduate whole classes of leaders every spring.

I and a friend of mine are team-teaching our high schoolers with Veritas's Omnibus curriculum. Their reading list for this semester includes Homer, Herodotus, R. C. Sproul, C. S. Lewis (Till We Have Faces and all the Narnia books), Tolkien, Genesis, Exodus, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the Code of Hammurabi, plus other authors and books that I fail to remember at the moment. Before it's over they will have read Darwin's Origin of Species, with an eye toward being able to discuss it intelligently.

It doesn't just teach them information; it teaches them how to think for themselves.

[paradoxical]

bttt

[Conservative4Life]

Ping for additional reference.

We homeschool our children and are relatively below middle income. We keep our own records and use alot of the cheaper curriculum from SAM'S Club and used school books. We also refer to several websites for tests and additional information. In addition to that, we take vacations for history field trips which in turn is more memorable than reading about history from a possibly biased book.

[cblue55]

ping

[AZHSer]

We use the CLASS program from Christian Liberty Academy in Illinois. The curriculum is a mixture of Saxon, Abeka and others. They grade the tests, keep records, and send out report cards. A large part focuses on history. In the lower grades, the history books are in a storybook format. It helped to foster a love of history in my kids. Our son graduates this year and our daughter is a sophomore.

[hsmomx3]

Why do you say that? I see nothing wrong with homeschooling as the parents are committed to this.

Tuition can be very expensive as you well know, and that is not an option for many.

[voiceinthewind]

Calvert School, founded in 1906. Secular.

[TChris]

Google is a useful thing:

Google: homeschool|homeschooling curriculum gives these as some top picks:

Homeschool.com
Robinson Homeschool Curriculum
Homeschool Curriculum Reviews
Homeschooler's Curriculum Swap
Homeschool Curriculum, Advice and Resources

Those ought to get you started.

[hsmomx3]

And there are many churches who now have homeschool support groups.

Our church has a Friday co-op for the homeschoolers. The homeschoolers are also able to participate in some of the classes that the private schoolers are taking at the school located right there on the premises such as band and choir, PE, etc.

[Homeschoolmom]

To evaluate what works best, I first try to find someone who actually has the program I'm thinking about using. This is where a curriculum fair comes in real handy! If there's no curriculum fair coming when you're making your decision, you can ask around at the local hs group and see if anyone is willing to let you just look at the program.

After I use it for several months, I ask myself if my child is comprehending what's taught, if there's a lot of resistance, and if he's retaining what's being taught.

You will want to be cautious about switching around too much because it can cause confusion. Whatever you choose, try to stick with it for the school year, unless it's just abundantly clear that it's not going to work for your family.

Here's a link to find out about Maryland hs laws and groups.

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/regional/Maryland.htm

[voiceinthewind]

Previous post about Calvert on Free Republic:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1599746/posts

[Tirian]

We've homeschooled since - hmmm - 1988 or so: through 8th grade with our first (now out of college), through 10th with the next (in college), in 10th (and planning to go all the way to 12th) with our 3rd child, and just starting up with the younger ones. Several primary recommendations that precede the choice of curriculum or programs:

1) Most importantly, find people who homeschool and learn from them. This will yield not only information but also modeling and encouragement.

2) Join a local support group. We are members of the local chapter of New York we have LEAH (Loving Education At Home), a Christian homeschooling group. The annual convention in the Syracuse area started out in high schools, the moved to the OnCenter (convention center) and now has to be held at the State Fairgrounds.

3) Consider co-ops: homeschool cooperatives can do core curriculum together or just some fun enrichment activities. Works best with like-minded people. Can be everything from two families meeting once a week to a large weekly gathering. We're doing both at the moment. My wife and 2 moms meet once a week for some enrichment activities related to the curriculum they're using. Then another afternoon is the local LEAH chapter's weekly co-op meeting with two classes and a recess gym period in between. The classes chnge each semester - this fall there's a major play, birdwatching, art, crafts, cultures around the world ... you name it. Past classes included logic, language, history, CPR certification for teens, too many to remember, but you get the picture.

4) Asking about curricula is asking for a case of "option overload" - there are mountains of choices, from prepackaged programs all the way to general guides that let you tailor everything. There are guidebooks written to help you walk through the choices (One author is Cathy Duffy - there are others that I forget at the moment.) The most important thing is matching curriculua to your teaching style and your kids' learning style. My wife employs a range of sources and adapts from year to year.

5) Costs? We seem to average about $75 per month, but that's with a great local library and a huge annual booksale close by.

6) Plan ahead to have room for a bunch of bookshelves :)

[Jeffrey_D.]

ABeka is a non-denominational program that I use. What I particularly like is that they set up video cameras in their Pensacola Christian Academy class rooms and make it available to home schoolers. They should be coming to a town near you with a homeschooling display. Check their website for time and location,

www.abeka.com

[Moose Dung]

Ping for research & followup.

[diamond6]

bttt