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Getting Started |
You have prayed about it, you have researched the snot out of it, and finally you have decided that yes.... homeschooling is right for your family. Congratulations! But... now what do you do??? It all seems so overwhelming.... all the legal mumbo jumbo, the dozens and dozens of curriculum sites, all the opportunities and inopportunities. How is a parent to know what is best? The first thing you do is take a deep breath and relax. You've made this decision with the help of the Almighty. He will lead you down the right path. He will see to it that the right information falls into your hands. Even this website has come to you by His will. So throw your worry away and rest in Him. Everything will work out just fine. Once you've replaced anxiety with faith in God, you are ready to begin. In the state of Kentucky, the first thing you need to do is establish your home school... decide who will be the teacher, where you will do most of your school work, WHAT YOU WILL NAME YOUR SCHOOL... Yes... you need to name your school. In the state of Kentucky, a home school is considered a private school so it will need a name. It can be anything you want... "Nuts R Us Homeschool"... "School for the Minimally Intelligent"... whatever you want to call it. Most of us just go with our last name followed by "Homeschool", but hey, feel totally free to be creative. Once you've "established your homeschool", you need to send your LETTER OF INTENT (please click here for sample) to the Board of Education in your county. You will need to set up some system for keeping attendance and grades, both of which are required by law in the state of Kentucky. Keeping attendance can be as simple as placing a gold star on the calendar every day you have school (while making a notation of any kids that are sick and/or unable to participate), and grades as easy as pass/fail or smiley face vs. frowney face. You may have heard homeschool moms (or dads) speak of elaborate "lesson plans" and official sounding "transcripts", but you don't need to worry about that right now. Just realize you will learn as you go and develop systems that work well for you. (If you can afford it, it is a great idea to join HSLDA... Home School Legal Defense Association. But even if you can't join for some reason, their website is filled with information that will be helpful to you, so visit them at www.hslda.org.) Now you need to make some decisions about curriculum, co-ops, activities, etc. This is where you could probably benefit from the advice and support of other homeschooling parents. Here in Lexington, we have several Yahoo Lists/Forums that are filled with great people willing to take their time and answer questions from newbies. One of them, associated with this website, is the Lexington Christian Homeschool Yahoo List and can be found at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lexingtonchristianhomeschool/ You will need a (free) Yahoo ID to join, but it would be well worth your effort in helping you find curriculum that fits your needs and is in your budget, as well as learn about activities and other things going on in the homeschooling community. Also, check out the other pages of this website where we have included links to popular curriculum companies, links to area co-ops, etc. Don't try to do everything at once. It is possible for one to be so involved in activities they don't have time for school! Most of all... relax! Don't sweat it! Many will agree that the first year is just a learning experience anyway, but even then, your child WILL learn. Use the first year as a time of rejoicing in your freedom and praising God for the opportunity to homeschool. If you make that a priority, it will set the tone for a successful homeschool in the years to follow. ***Disclaimer: This page is not meant to provide legal information to anyone regarding homeschooling. It is simply a guide toassist in prioritizing tasks related to starting a homeschool. Please check out the "legalities" page for further information concerning legal issues.*** |