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

If you feel that a child is struggling in a public school and is becoming more and more disheartened as time goes by then home schooling may be something that you should look into. However, prepare yourself for a changeover period after taking the child out of the public school system before diving into 'full-time' home schooling.

If your child is currently in public school then you will need to begin by determining the home schooling laws in your state. Ensure that you can meet all of your state's requirements before taking further action. As soon as you are happy that you can meet all of the laws of the state you should get in touch with your child's school and formally remove your child. If you fail to formally remove your child then this may lead to problems with truancy at a later date. You must also be prepared for the school to question your action and perhaps to attempt to talk you out of this course of action.

How you go about withdrawing your child will vary depending on where you live but it will normally 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 home school your child. You may also be required to provide proof that you are following the laws of the state and are legally allowed to remove your child from public school. If you can quote part of the state law in your letter then it will show the superintendent that you are conversant with the law and with your rights as a home schooling family.

Having sorted out the formalities you will then need to think about the following 5 points:

1. Your child is no longer imprisoned by the rules of the public school system and will have to be given a bit of time adjust to the change. For this reason, you should not rush headlong into schooling but ought to let your child have a little bit of time to adjust to this change in lifestyle.

2. Take some time to get to know each other again. You might believe that you know your child but it is quite possible that you do not know him at all. You may find that there are parts of your child's character that you never knew existed and he could also learn some new things about you as well.

3. You might find that your child does some things that he has grown used to doing at school. A few new home school children will put their hand up when they have a question or when they want permission to use the bathroom. It might take some time to do but those habits will eventually be broken.

4. Try to keep some of the better habits that he has learned at school. For example, if your child has been in the habit of doing spelling tests on a set day then add this into your home schooling schedule. If you permit him to stop doing everything he has become used to in public school then you might end up making more problems than you are solving.

5. Finally, take the time to enjoy home schooling with your child. Opting to home school is of course first and foremost for the student but it should also be enjoyable for you as well. Do not take things too seriously and cut loose and enjoy yourself. Perhaps of prime importance remember just why you decided to home school and take joy in the freedom which home schooling affords.