My thoughts have turned to this common core I've been hearing so much about. I have my thoughts on it , which I will share with you, however I would love to hear your opinions on the matter. My children go to Pathways Charter school which happens to be public so we are required to follow state standards. Common core, as I understand it, is a federal program to make our young people as smart as the rest of the world. Our country ranks 12th in the world on standard tests. I think it is a worthy goal to aquire knowledge. It is what propelled our nation to greatness. Our grandparents worked to get their children to college or universities and the legacy continues with parents encouraging college attendance. The work places have changed since their time and a lot of degrees don't provide for families the way they used to. Many people lose their jobs long before they should. Businesses tend to turn their employees over so they don't have to pay higher wages. Many years ago a father could work at one job for 50 years and take care of his family comfortably. Many things have changed since then. One sad downfall is the need for two incomes. Where does that leave the children? What happens to the importance of education? Do our children get left to themselves while we work to care for them?
My father-in-law was a teacher many years ago and his biggest complaint was the lack of support from the parents. They didn't help their children succeed. Instead the children were required to help the family when they got home. Another problem he faced were the parents blaming him for the childs bad grades. Based on this we can see that reform needs to start at home, not from "the top". My other school teacher friend has talked to me about common core. She says it reminds her of the 50's style of teaching. She mentioned that she got into teaching because she could be creative and connect with the students and really learn how to teach them effectively. Common core has taken that opportunity away from her. Everything being taught has pretty much been scripted with little room for imagination. It seems like the government assumes that if we're taught the same that we'll turn out the same; cookie cutter scholars. I'm glad that I homeschool. I can have common core workbooks, but teach it the way I want. There are a lot of people fighting against this new system and I can understand their fear of it. I just hope this power hungry government won't try to affect our way of homeschooling.
Showing posts with label Homeschooling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homeschooling. Show all posts
Monday, October 21, 2013
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Legally Homeschooling by Gillian Estes
By Gillian Estes
I'd like to share with you the legal options for homeschooling in California/Sonoma County. Children between the ages of 6 and 18 are required, by California's compulsory attendance, to be enrolled in a public, full-time day school, unless they are exempt. Thankfully, there are several options for exemption in our state!
The first, and perhaps easiest, route is to homeschool through a home-study program or charter school. Most districts in Sonoma County offer home-study options, and there are a couple of charter schools specifically targeted at homeschoolers--Orchard View in Sebastopol, and Pathways, in Santa Rosa. Charter schools and/or home-study are great options for families just starting out, or those who simply want a little extra support. When enrolled in any of these programs, you work directly with a fully credentialed teacher to lay out your plans, and you can contact them any time with questions. Many of these programs provide educational materials, and optional, supplemental on-campus classes. Pathways offers a small annual stipend for educational supplies or outside classes. Generally once or twice a month, you meet with your supervising teacher to turn in work samples, and discuss what your upcoming plans are. Starting in second grade, you will be asked to participate in standardized testing, which is necessary for school funding, although people have and do opt out. Overall, this is a good, solid option for families who would like their kids to have some classroom experience, those looking for assistance with planning and implementation, or help with certain subjects like math and science, and those who want their kids to get regular high school diplomas.
Similar to this is the online school. These schools offer grading services, along with record keeping, student support, and more. For some online schools, you will buy all your own materials, usually directly from the school. Others offer the materials as part of an overall package deal, and some offer free supplies with enrollment. Some popular options in this category are Oak Meadow, K12, Calvert, and California Virtual Academy, though there are many more choices out there! Some online schools are accredited, others are not, so if a high school diploma is important to you, do your research first!
A second legal option is to file a Private School Affidavit. This is a pretty simple and straightforward option; between October 1st and 15th of each year, you fill out one online form with the California Department of Education, essentially registering your private school with the state. While state educational codes do require certain subjects to be taught to all students between the ages of 6 and 18, how you approach these subjects is then entirely up to you. You do have to keep some paperwork on hand--a copy of your affidavit, a list of courses offered, attendance sheets which can can as simple or complex as you make them, and a listing of all "staff" involved in teaching (usually just the parents). HSC's website lays out these particular requirements very clearly, and offers line-by-line instructions for the affidavit, so I highly recommend visiting their website. Some parents have expressed concern with the gap time between the typical school year beginning, and the filing date for the affidavit. However, there is no issue of truancy, as this is simply a registration of your school, not permission to create or operate it. Since no private school, no matter what size they are, can register until October 15th, if there were truancy issues, then every private school statewide would be truant. Overall, this is the option with the most flexibility and is very popular among homeschoolers for that reason--you decide what you are teaching, as well as when and how. Naturally, you do not have to participate in any standardized testing unless you want to!
Parents with a valid teaching credential may wish to look into the third legal option: tutoring. You can also hire a credentialed tutor for your child or children. This option comes with the most requirements to be met, among them hours of instruction each day, 175 days per year. Instruction must be given in English, and cover all subjects as outlined in the California State Content Standards. Most people do not choose to go this route, as it is the most restrictive and disallows possibilities such as concurrent enrollment at the JC or other community colleges.
I hope this overview helps you understand that homeschooling is perfectly legal in California, and that there is more than one way to approach it. Check out HSC's website for more details! http://www.hsc.org/home-page.html
I'd like to share with you the legal options for homeschooling in California/Sonoma County. Children between the ages of 6 and 18 are required, by California's compulsory attendance, to be enrolled in a public, full-time day school, unless they are exempt. Thankfully, there are several options for exemption in our state!
The first, and perhaps easiest, route is to homeschool through a home-study program or charter school. Most districts in Sonoma County offer home-study options, and there are a couple of charter schools specifically targeted at homeschoolers--Orchard View in Sebastopol, and Pathways, in Santa Rosa. Charter schools and/or home-study are great options for families just starting out, or those who simply want a little extra support. When enrolled in any of these programs, you work directly with a fully credentialed teacher to lay out your plans, and you can contact them any time with questions. Many of these programs provide educational materials, and optional, supplemental on-campus classes. Pathways offers a small annual stipend for educational supplies or outside classes. Generally once or twice a month, you meet with your supervising teacher to turn in work samples, and discuss what your upcoming plans are. Starting in second grade, you will be asked to participate in standardized testing, which is necessary for school funding, although people have and do opt out. Overall, this is a good, solid option for families who would like their kids to have some classroom experience, those looking for assistance with planning and implementation, or help with certain subjects like math and science, and those who want their kids to get regular high school diplomas.
Similar to this is the online school. These schools offer grading services, along with record keeping, student support, and more. For some online schools, you will buy all your own materials, usually directly from the school. Others offer the materials as part of an overall package deal, and some offer free supplies with enrollment. Some popular options in this category are Oak Meadow, K12, Calvert, and California Virtual Academy, though there are many more choices out there! Some online schools are accredited, others are not, so if a high school diploma is important to you, do your research first!
A second legal option is to file a Private School Affidavit. This is a pretty simple and straightforward option; between October 1st and 15th of each year, you fill out one online form with the California Department of Education, essentially registering your private school with the state. While state educational codes do require certain subjects to be taught to all students between the ages of 6 and 18, how you approach these subjects is then entirely up to you. You do have to keep some paperwork on hand--a copy of your affidavit, a list of courses offered, attendance sheets which can can as simple or complex as you make them, and a listing of all "staff" involved in teaching (usually just the parents). HSC's website lays out these particular requirements very clearly, and offers line-by-line instructions for the affidavit, so I highly recommend visiting their website. Some parents have expressed concern with the gap time between the typical school year beginning, and the filing date for the affidavit. However, there is no issue of truancy, as this is simply a registration of your school, not permission to create or operate it. Since no private school, no matter what size they are, can register until October 15th, if there were truancy issues, then every private school statewide would be truant. Overall, this is the option with the most flexibility and is very popular among homeschoolers for that reason--you decide what you are teaching, as well as when and how. Naturally, you do not have to participate in any standardized testing unless you want to!
Parents with a valid teaching credential may wish to look into the third legal option: tutoring. You can also hire a credentialed tutor for your child or children. This option comes with the most requirements to be met, among them hours of instruction each day, 175 days per year. Instruction must be given in English, and cover all subjects as outlined in the California State Content Standards. Most people do not choose to go this route, as it is the most restrictive and disallows possibilities such as concurrent enrollment at the JC or other community colleges.
I hope this overview helps you understand that homeschooling is perfectly legal in California, and that there is more than one way to approach it. Check out HSC's website for more details! http://www.hsc.org/home-page.html
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