5 Things To Take Into Account When Moving A Child From Public School To Home Schooling

By Author: Donald Saunders
Total Articles: 84
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If you find that a child is struggling in the public school and is getting increasingly disheartened as the year progresses then home schooling might be something that you ought to look into. However, be prepared for a period of transition after taking your child out of the public school system before leaping into 'full-time' home schooling.

If your child is in public school at the moment then you will need to begin by acquainting yourself with your state's home schooling laws. Make sure that you can comply with all of the state's requirements before you do anything else. As soon as you are happy that you can meet all of the state laws you must contact your child's school and formally remove your child. If you do not formally remove your child then this might lead to problems with truancy at a later date. Also, be prepared for them to ask questions and possibly to attempt to talk you out of this course of action.

How you go about withdrawing your child will depend on where you are living however it will frequently involve simply addressing a letter to the superintendent of your child's school system. You will ...
... have to inform the superintendent that you are opting to school your child at home. You may also need to furnish evidence that you are following your state's laws and that you are legally permitted to remove your child from the public school. If you can quote part of the state regulations in your letter then it will show the superintendent that you understand the law and your rights as a home schooling family.

Having dealt with the formalities you will then need to think about the following:

1. Your child is no longer imprisoned by the rules and regulations of the public school system and must be permitted a little bit of time to get used to the change. So, you should not throw yourself into schooling but ought to let your child have a little bit of time to get used to this new lifestyle.

2. Allow yourselves a bit of time to get to know each other. You might feel you know your child however it is entirely possible that you do not really know him at all. You might unearth areas of your child's personality that you did not know were there and he may also learn a few new things about you too.

3. Do not be shocked if your child continues to do a few things that he has grown used to doing at public school. Some new home school children will put their hand up when they want to ask a question or if they need to use the bathroom. It may take a bit of time but those school habits will disappear eventually.

4. Try to hang on to some of the better habits that he has learned. If, for example, your child is in the habit of having spelling tests on a set day then add this into your home schooling schedule. If you permit him to stop doing everything he did in public school then you may end up with more problems than you are solving.

5. Do not forget to enjoy home schooling with your child. Deciding to home school is of course chiefly for the student however it should also be enjoyable for you. Try not to take yourself too seriously and cut loose and enjoy yourself. Probably most important of all do not forget just why you elected to home school your child and enjoy the independence which home schooling offers.