If you’re here, that means you’re thinking about pulling your child from public school and starting down the homeschool road. Welcome! I’m so glad you’re here. Here are the 4 most important things you need to know.
Love for your Child
First know that I truly believe you can homeschool your children with excellence and see them through to a triumphant graduation. I’m totally confident that you will succeed and rocket your children off to be successful adults. But how can I possibly know that if I don’t even know you? I’m so glad you asked, friend. You will succeed because you love your children! As simple or silly as that may sound, I know that your love for your child will carry you through the rough days, through the hesitation or questioning that every homeschool parent inevitably faces. If you’re ready to make the jump, you’re ready to love them through it all the way to graduation. Everyday love looks like researching the perfect curriculum, correcting with patience, and encouraging them to be the best they can be. With those things in place, you are destined to succeed. Plus, myself (a homeschool graduate) and my staff (veteran homeschool moms) are always here to support and encourage you. We’ve got your back!
Laws to Guide You
Second, you need to know about your state’s homeschool laws. These will govern your homeschool journey and determine some key points. For example, do you need to give official notice to begin homeschooling? Are you considered a private school or an individual school? What kind of records are you required to keep? How many credits are needed to graduate? The answers to these questions will affect the beginning, middle, and end of your homeschool so it is very important to be familiar with them. Time4Learning explains the laws for each state very well, and I have always had my questions answered by them. All states should have an official website of homeschool laws as well.
Learning Attitude
Thirdly, you must adopt a learning attitude. There will always be something new to learn about homeschooling, about your student, about yourself. When you give yourself grace on tough days and when you decide to keep on learning, you will grow every single year you homeschool and one day you will look back with awe at how far you’ve come. A learning attitude will help you learn about all the amazing curriculum that’s out there and how it might fit with your unique student. It will help you to master your schooling budget and invest in your weakest areas first. Your eagerness and willingness to learn will set the example and rub off on your children. Maybe not every day, let’s be real, but overall, it’ll surely help!
Little Bit of Guidance
Finally, all you need is a little bit of guidance. There are record numbers of people just like you who are beginning their homeschool journey for the very first time. You are not alone! Find yourself a community of other like-minded parents who can guide and support you on your way. Nearly all medium-big cities have tons of resources like co-ops, groups, and activities where you can mingle. If you’re in a smaller town, the internet is just bursting with videos, reviews, and encouragement. Guidance is out there, my friend, and it may be closer to home than you expect.
But I know one of the biggest concerns for parents pulling their kids out at a high school level is often the transcript. If you’ve never made a transcript before, it can seem scary! But thousands of parents have walked before you and succeeded, so you are no exception. The public school is responsible for sending their transcript to any college your child might apply to, but it might be handy to have a copy of it so you can include those high school classes on your homeschool transcript.
Pro Tip: You can wait to pull your child from public school until the grades are released for the year or semester. BUT, if they aren’t getting good grades, then you can pull them out BEFORE they get their grades, and then they won’t ever be on their transcript. It’ll show up as a W for Withdrawn instead. Then you don’t have bad grades affecting GPA!
When you are ready to make your official homeschool transcript each year, you’ll need to keep track of the exact course title, credit value, and precise grade in each class. Now this sounds hard, but it is pretty simple when you keep good records which I talk all about in this article, Homeschool Record Keeping in High School. I also have a template and training on how to put your official record together in my Total Transcript Solution. All you need to make a transcript is the knowledge! I’ve got all you need in one spot so you can get it done quick.
If you are on the edge of homeschooling, going back and forth in your head, I would encourage you to jump in and not look back! The water’s fine and I know you can do it! With the love you have for your child, knowledge of the laws, a learning attitude, and a little bit of guidance, you’re set up for success. Here in a few years you’re going to look back with awe at how far you’ve come.
If you’re on the edge of homeschooling, and you need someone to talk to, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Any member of my staff or I can share how impactful homeschooling was to each one of us, as well as answer any specific questions you may have.
