Is there anything I can do to help?

If you are one of our friends and family members that has asked this or even thought about asking, Thank You. Your support is appreciated! And YES there are many ways you can help! The most basic way you can help is to talk to Esme about what she's learning. Ask her questions - answering them reinforces lessons we've taught.

Another way you can help is to share your talents or time with Esme. Everyone has something to offer - we have a friend giving our Girl Scout troop folk dance lessons, we have a friend who makes Esme letter-shaped pancakes, and we have a friend who took Esme bug hunting in his yard during our bug unit.

Esme loves getting mail and letters are a great opportunity for her to do some language arts lessons!

We welcome friends and family who would like to accompany us on field trips, who are willing to give special lessons, or who would like to be a part of a daily session.

Several people have asked if there are any supplies we need. This Fall we were able to purchase several items and Esme's grandmothers generously gave us many other things they knew we would use. We always have a wish list things of things that we would like to add, but at the moment we have the essentials to finish Kindergarten.

Is homeschooling legal? What do you have to do legally?

Yes, homeschooling is legal. In our state you must follow the guidelines set by your school district. Even though we don't have to file any paperwork until the September that Esme is six years old, I have already been downtown to talk to someone in the school department, just to insure that we are prepared. The person I met with was extremely supportive and answered many questions for me. We have to send a Letter of Intent to the school department outlining when we plan to homeschool, how many hours we plan to devote, what books we'll be using, etc. There are questions that they can ask, but we don't have to answer, and there are some reasons they cannot use for not approving our plan. (See the Brunelle decision.) For instance, they can ask what our qualifications are, but we don't really need any legally. They cannot insist on visiting our home. They can ask that we send quarterly samples of Esme's work, have her take standardized tests, or send a written narrative of her progress. These things are negotiable and we don't have to do all of them, but if they ask we do need to provide some kind of proof of her progress. For our part we plan to be as flexible as we can reasonably be.

Edited in response to a comment: Quarterly work samples need not be submitted quarterly. It is helpful to provide samples that show a student's progress throughout the year. Here are some points on legal decisions affecting homeschoolers that I found well-written and interesting:

Thirteen Points: Perspectives on the Charles and Brunelle Decisions

1. While an educational plan may be requested, a program that duplicates that of the public school is not required. You need only provide a program that is equivalent. For example, you do not need to cover Australia with your ten-year old just because the local school includes it in their fifth grade course of study.

2. While the school district may inquire about your qualifications, Charles does not require that you provide a school system with your transcripts. Charles does not even require you be a college graduate. While a school may ask for college transcripts for those whom they wish to employ, asking for transcripts to inquire about a homeschooling parent's qualifications may be beyond the legitimate authority of the school.

3. Access to instructional materials is permitted BUT ONLY to determine the type of subjects taught and the grade level of the child. In Massachusetts there is no list of approved texts as in other states. You have a great deal of freedom to select materials. If asked, most families simply list their resources or copy the text's table of contents. Charles dates from 1987, before current advances in educational technology. The Court's 1998 decision in Brunelle indicates an understanding that instructional materials may include travel, community service, films, internet coursework, mentored apprenticeships, visits to educationally enriching facilities and places, meeting with various resource people etc.

4. Assessment is permitted. While Charles permits a school to use a standardized test at the end of the year, other methods of evaluation such as portfolios, interviews, anecdotal records, signing off by a third party, etc. can be used. In good educational practice, assessment is aligned with curriculum and methodology. Thus, if you use a text-based curriculum that includes multiple-choice quizzes, and your child was familiar with test-taking strategies, a standardized test might be an appropriate means of evaluation. If, however, your program is more flexible, then other forms of evaluation should be considered and negotiated.

5. Your rationale for deciding to homeschool is not required. School officials do not need to know your rationale. If it is known to them they do not need to agree with it. You do not need to convince school officials that your program is better or more appropriate than those delivered by the school. You don't have to explain your rationale or defend it. You simply can say, "This is the right thing for our family at this time." The school cannot legitimately evaluate your educational plan on motive, only on content. Your rationale is extraneous information; your plan should speak for itself.

6. Information on socialization is not required. You do not even need to provide group socialization via outings, gatherings, group instruction or group discussions. While your child will probably participate in group situations, it is not within the legitimate authority of the school to ask about group processes or require them.

7. A daily schedule matched to that of the school calendar is not required. Under the 1993 Educational Reform Act, public school students are required to receive 990 hours of directed instructional time per year at the secondary level (900 at the elementary level; check to see where your town has placed middle school grades). It is still not clear if private schools and those otherwise educated, which includes homeschoolers, are required to meet this hourly requirement, since it hasn't been addressed by the courts. However, if pressed to answer the question of time, you can assure school officials that the hours will be covered....but in a flexible manner. Because homeschool instruction needs only to be equivalent, not duplicate, you may consider certain hours when the local school is not in session as instructional time. This means that your equivalent schedule can include instructional time during the evening, on weekends, on snow days, during vacation periods, while traveling, while utilizing the internet and educational technology. Most school buildings are only open for instruction 180 days, and the length of the school day is determined by local collective bargaining agreement. Homeschoolers are not bound by collective bargaining and can utilize time in ways different from those expected of classroom teachers. However, the school system's year runs from July 1 through June 30. Because of homeschooling's flexibility you can use a 12-month school year instead of a 10- month one. This concept is called year-round schooling.

8. Information about your employment schedule is not required. While the school may have a legitimate interest in validating that there is coverage during instructional hours, asking for information about the child's non-instructional time is beyond their legitimate authority. Schools do not check the work schedules of their students' parents during summer vacation. Nor should they inquire about your child-care arrangements during non-instructional time.

9. Your methods and instructional practices, the manner in which you teach, may differ from that of the school. Charles was quite clear that it was beyond the scope of the school's authority to require any certain method of instruction. The Brunelle opinion acknowledges that school officials cannot expect to apply institutional standards to non-institutional settings.

10. A statement of student willingness to be homeschooled is not required. Parents have a right to select educational options for their minor children. Districts do not ask for a statement of student willingness to attend private or parochial school. Nor should they request homeschoolers to submit this information.

11. The names of persons living in the home is not required. However, this is public information that the school can find in town census records. There is no upper limit on the number of children a family can homeschool, nor are there restrictions on who may be included in the household.

12. Permits required for public buildings are not required for your homeschooling residence. Your residential occupancy permit is enough.

13. Information regarding the qualifications of persons you hire to provide educational services is not required. Charles says that a school system can ask about the parents' qualifications...not the rest of their support team or those to whom they delegate instruction. The school signs off on the parent as the primary educator. The primary educator then makes decisions (including the purchase of instructional services) that implement the educational plan.

By Loretta Heuer

What do you do in an average homeschooling session?

Esme and a parent sit down together and start with a warm-up - usually a repeat of a theme activity or a fine motor development activity. We go over our sight words (usually two a week) and do a lesson around our book of the week. Our book of the week usually relates to a theme Esme has chosen to study. We continue to work on language arts for about the half of our time. Then we take "Milk Break" and Esme gets a choice of activities that she enjoys, such as books on tape, PlayDoh, lacing cards, Chutes and Ladders, etc. After choice time we work on Math, focusing on counting, patterns, attributes, and simple addition and subtraction. The last part of our session is focused on the theme that Esme has chosen. We break each theme into smaller segments and focus on one segment a week. We try to include outdoor activities when the weather is good, and we also try to incorporate physical movement into this time.

What is your schedule like?

While there are many teaching moments and connections made outside our alloted time, we sit down to homeschool approximately two hours a day, three days a week.

Is this enough time? Yes. Esme is on schedule to meet or exceed the the kindergarten standards by the end of this school year. As years go on and her workload gets heavier, we will evaluate her schedule to make sure it fits her needs.

How do you know what to teach and how do you make your lesson plans?

Massachusetts has set learning standards for every grade level. Our first step was to print ourselves a copy of all the Kindergarten standards (we'll do this every year as Esme progresses through grade levels.) We use these standards as a guide and focus on activities to help her reach these goals.

We use a variety of books for ideas on activities. We've used books on phonological awareness, learning Math through different kinds of play, fine motor skill development, books relating to the themes we've studied, and many more. The internet is also a great resource for us since many teachers and homeschoolers share their ideas online. Sometimes we get creative and come up with our own original activities.

At the core of our studies are books written and illustrated for children. Each week we choose a book to repeat at least 3 times, as well as using a variety of other books. We believe strongly in literature based learning. We are using the Bob Books to help her learn to read on her own, in addition to other early readers. This year we will also be buying a math curriculum. At this time we are still researching which one will work best for our family.*

*An update - we purchased and are using the first grade Houghton Mifflin Math book that I have used while subbing in Chicopee Public Schools. I had the opportunity to look through several other curriculums and this was the one that made the most sense to me. Because we do not do lessons five days a week, we double up lessons when it makes sense, so that we will complete this book on schedule.

What about socialization?

This is the most commonly asked question we get. In fact, strangers on the street, or even in the library elevator, ask us this question and prepare to judge us based on our answers. Blog readers, I beg you, do not ask a homeschooler this question. We are so tired of answering it.

The huge majority of homeschoolers have no desire or intention to sequester their children from the rest of the world. Please trust that we are responsible parents and are not going to turn Esme into a hermit or agoraphobe who wants nothing to do with or is afraid of society. If you are compelled to ask such a question, please think of framing it in a different way.

Some suggestions:
What kinds of group activites is Esme participating in this season?
Has Esme met any new little friends lately?
What kinds programs is your homeschooling group offering these days?
Is Esme still a Girl Scout?
What sport is Esme interested in trying next?
Have you been having a lot of play dates?
What do Esme and her friends usually like to play together?

The first year we homeschooled Esme participated in many group activities including Daisy Girl Scouts, soccer, Homeschooling Lego League, swimming, Sunday School, homeschooler field trips, and more. Esme will continue to particpate in group activities with her peers. Some things she'll do in her second year of homeschooling are the Homeschooling State Park series, soccer, dance class, and Daisies. Esme will also continue to have playdates with her friends.

Why are you homeschooling?

This is an easy to answer questions but there are many parts to the answer.

We enjoy being around Esme and want to spend as much time with her as we can, especially while she's still little.

We like knowing that that we're in control of what she's learning and the context in which she's learning it. She will get a strong sense of our values.

In homeschooling she has the opportunity to work at her own pace - faster or slower at any given time or in any given subject.

Homeschooling gives our family a very flexible schedule.

We like knowing that Esme isn't wasting her time on busywork or interruptions due to disciplinary issues with other students.

None of the local school options were ideal for us - the public schools in our city are underperforming, the religious school we would have sent her to only teaches Biblical literalism (which is against our beliefs), and school choice would require that we drop her off and pick her up in a different city every day.

We are learning so much through this process. Teaching her opens our own minds to new things.

In homeschooling Esme can take a more active role in choosing what she studies, and the lessons are likely to hold her interest.

At home there is a greater opportunity for hands-on learning. We can take as many field trips as we want - even if they're just around our block.

We have opportunities to use a wide variety of resources and aren't confined to district-approved anthologies. We are strongly for literature-based learning.

Hermit Crabs

Esme read A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle this week and then made this scrapbook page about her memories of seeing hermit crabs this summer. Scrapbooking is a great way to reinforce her lessons, teach her about different kinds of media, and encourage her creativity!

Shells, Crabs, and More

This week we're studying shells and the animals that live in them. We'll also continue looking at 3-D shapes, working on fine motor skill development, and of course do lots of reading! Our book of the week is Seashells by the Seashore and our words of the week are we and two.

Two Goals Surpassed!!

We are so proud of our little girl. The kindergarten goal is for her to count to 20 by ones, and Esme can officially count to 40. Another goal is for her to know 20 words by sight by the end of the year. We are about halfway through the year and are happy that she is already up to 14.

Coming up with have some challenging work. Esme will have to learn to count to 50 by fives and tens, she'll do more writing, and she'll learn her very first fractions. Also, we're hoping to get more involved with some other homeschoolers and possibly even hold a lesson for a larger group at our home.

Ethan has done wonderfully with homeschooling while I've been working full time these past three months. I've done the lesson plans and he's done ALL the lessons! I'm looking forward to helping him with that aspect of homeschooling again.

Vacation is over - we're back in school!

We've recovered from our vacations and we're happily moving on with our ocean unit! We're finishing up mammals and moving on to sharks and more fish. Our book of the week is The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark. We are reviewing some previous words of the week just to be sure she had all the words we've done down. This week she'll also be learning about the three-dimensional shapes, sounding out words, and sponge painting.