Parents who elect to provide for the education of their children outside of a classroom setting and at their own expense are considered homeschooling parents. This differs from traditional classroom education in that the child does not attend a school on a daily basis. This does not mean that parents always do all the teaching but that they direct or are responsible for their student's learning. It is also differenet from cyber-charter schools in that the parents provide the funds for the child's materials and do not receive teach assistance and oversight at state expense. Charter schools are not homeschooling, and are really public school at home. Families involved in charter schools lose flexibility and freedom to control the education of their children (Pennsylvania does require school districts to make textbooks available to home educating families).

Who Homeschools?

Many families are discovering the joy of working with their children at home. Single parent families, dual wage earner families, and traditional stay-at-home-mother families are all found among homeschoolers.

What are benefits of homeschooling?

Homeschooling provides an incredible number of benefits, many not even identified yet! Among these benefits are:

• Enhanced parent-child relationships and sibling friendships
• Individualized academic programs that allow students to progress academically at their own pace. This benefits th eager learner as well as the student who finds academics more challenging.
• More time for fun activities such as field trips and family outings
• Time to participate in community activities such as political campaigns and service opportunities
• More time to enjoy reading and following their own interestes
• More time for extra curricular and community involvement
• More time and freedom to develop a love of reading and learning
• More time to develop life skills
• Peer group reliance is diminished
• More time and freedom to share your values with your children
• Much more!

What is required to homeschool?

Homeschooling requires parents who love and enjoy their children. Some resources are necessary, of course, but these are minimal and can often be obtained second-hand or free from the Internet. In Pennsylvania, the school district must lend curricula to the homeschooling family, if requested by the family. The library also provides many excellent resources and is widely used by homeschoolers.

Do many people homeschool?

Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states. There are between 1.5 and 2 million homeschooled children nationwide. In Pennsylvania nearly 24,000 children are homeschooled. Since compulsory attendence does not begin in PA until age 8, that figure does not reflect the large number of children younger than 8 who are learning at home!

To Start Homeschooling

1. MDHSA publishes a booklet about how to homeschool which is helpful for beginners and those who have homeschooled for a long time - An Introduction to the Fine Art of Homeschooling. Addressing Learning Challenges will help those parents whose children do not "fit the norm" when it comes to academics. The MDHSA Diploma Guide will give direction to high school students who are interested in a high school diploma generated by a third party. See the publications section on how to order.
2. Read about homeschooling in books and on the Internet (it is everywhere) to help you make the homeschool decision and to learn about how to do it. If you decide to homeschool, it would be wise to subscribe to at least one homeschool magazine each year to give you encouragement, new ideas and keep you abreast of trends and legislation (you can rotate magazine until you fine a favorite).
3. Learn your state homeschool law and comply with it. In Pennsylvania, one parent must have a high school diploma or its equivalent (a GED, for example) and no adult living in the home may have been convicted of specified crimes within the five years preceding thebeginning of the home education program. (Parents who do no have a diploma may enroll in Charter Schools, however). In Maryland, there is no such requirement, any parent may homeschool. See links section for legal information on other states. It is important for you to understnad the PA law, and the MDHSA booklet Homeschooling and the Law is a great place to state (found on this website).
4. Locate support. Mason Dixon Homeschoolers Association, Inc. has been in existenece since 1986 and has a group of families who have varying approaches to education. MDHSA serves families in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Viriginia. MDHSA has worked legislatively and locally as an advocate for homeschoolers in Pennsylvania and has served hundreds of families locally and statewide. You should be able to search the net and find a support group near you. If there is none, start one by putting up a notice in a library (homeschoolers go there all the time!)

QUICK START UP GUIDE TO HOMESCHOOLING

If may be that you need to get started immediately. Here are suggestions on what to do while you are reading the MDHSA Fine Art of Homeschooling booklet or wating for curriculum to arrive. The library will have fun books on every subject listed below. Just look in the children's/young people section in those subject area (Ruth Heller books are great for teaching kids the parts of speech). If your library does not have a particular book, ask them if they can get it for you from another library (inter-library loan). Simply read the books together as a family and do activities suggested by the books or discuss them or write small blurbs about the books as they are being read. (Non-writers can dictate their thoughts to a parent). Don't make it painful - just discuss the concepts and things learned.

1. Learn your state homeschool law and comply with it. VERY IMPORTANT!!
2. ORDER The Fine Art of Homeschooling from MDHSA - see publications section - it will give you a wealth of information about how to homeschool.
3. Examples of educational activities you may do.

• Language Arts/English: Have your children keep a journal or do other writing (composition) and read library books (reading/literature). You can read to non-readers.
• Math can be studied by grocery shopping, cooking (measuring ingredients), using real money to make change (young kids love to play "store" with your canned goods and older kids can help them), math games such as monopoly, reading library math books, dominoes, or ideas from the Internet and library.
• Science - Biographies of scientists or science experiment books or nature books are available at the library.
• Social Studies - Read history, biographies, historical fiction; discuss current events; read the newspaper. Fun workbooks for young children can be found at department or grocery stores. (Don't buy very many till you know what you are doing or determine if you want to use workbooks at all). Do not push young children (4-6) to do a lot of writing.
• Home Ec, Life Skills - Have them help with chores, cooking, cleaning.
• For this year, you can continue in their textbooks fromt he school district if you are in PA and can borrow tests. However, plan on looking at catalogs for next year to see of there are better products available.
• Counnt days or hours of "school" above depending on what your homeschool law requires. If your child was in school for 110 days, the first day of homeschoooing is day #111. Until you understand your state law - Keep records of what they are doing daily - jot it down in a notebook and save all of their work. High school students, especially, should keep track of hours and save all their work until a transcript and a diploma can be issued either by the paretn or an outside agency.