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One of the most often heard phrases in the homeschool community is, “…to meet state requirements.” It is usually prefaced with a question about transcripts (“Does my child need a foreign language…?”) or testing (“Does my fifth grader need to take a test…?”).
If you’ve interacted with me on social media or through email, you may know my personal feelings about this subject. If you’re a new friend, read on.
Homeschooling — A Definition
First of all, you need to understand that there are two kinds of home education. There is “traditional homeschooling” and “school at home” (also known as virtual school).
If you are using a program such as Epic Charter School, K12, or Connections Academy, you are doing school at home under the guidance of the public school system. As part of the public school system, you will need to follow state requirements. End of discussion — unless you’re curious about traditional homeschooling, in which case, please keep reading!
Who’s In Charge Here?
You are! {woot!} You decide what to teach and what goes on the transcript.
As you may have guessed, I’m a traditional homeschooler. Thus, I am writing to those who are also homeschooling in the traditional manner. The views and opinions on state requirements expressed in this post are mine alone, and not to be taken as legal advice (since I’m not a lawyer). I’m also not teaching your children–you will need to make your own decisions about how your homeschool journey will look.
Before you start thinking you can slack off and put whatever you want on the transcript, think about your child’s dreams and goals in life. It will do him or her no favor if you exaggerate on their transcript! On the other hand, if you created your own course on world history made up of documentaries and reference books, and they put in all the hours, like any other class they did, go ahead and give them a World History credit. You are in charge.
State Requirements — Pros and Cons
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of following the state requirements, shall we?
- Pro: Less thought on your part. By following the state requirements, you won’t need to think as much about what will be on your child’s report card or transcript; it will look pretty much like every other public school student’s file.
- Con: Boring transcript. As mentioned above, there won’t be much variety on your child’s transcript.
- Con: Frustration. What if your child isn’t ready to move into fractions in 3rd grade? Must you push them through so they stay on course?
- Pro: No hassles. Since you’ll be following the same requirements your local public school does, any family and friends who oppose your decision to homeschool will have no reason to hassle you about what your child is learning.
- Con: Repetition. If you have multiple children, you’ll find yourself teaching some subjects (such as state history) multiple times. If you’re children work independently, this may not be a problem. But, if you teach them together (with a unit study approach) your younger children may find it boring if they are “required” to go through a class a second time just because they are now in 4th grade (or whenever your state requires the subject to be taught).
- Con: Stress. What if your child is already reading fluently by the time they enter Kindergarten? What if they are a whiz at math and cover both Algebra 1 and 2 in a single year? What if your child doesn’t take the 8th-grade reading test in 8th grade?
To Follow or Not — That’s the Question
To be honest, only you can answer that question for your homeschooling journey. If you choose not to, don’t let anyone make you feel guilty! The fact is, you will probably be very closely aligned with your state requirements anyway. You may not teach a specific class at a specific age, but you will, no doubt, cover that class before graduation.
Just remember: as a traditional homeschooler, you are in charge of what your children learn. You know them better than anyone else, and you have their best interests at heart. If you want to follow the state requirements, go for it! If not, don’t stress over it. Do what’s right for your family.
What about children with learning issues? How do you give them an education equal to the state? When your child obviously isn’t able to study algebra 1,2 and then chemistry? How do you write their transcript? I’m at the end of my homeschool journey, but no one talks about this. I know I’m not the only one that needs to know.
I know many people with children who have learning issues, and this is the biggest reason they have taken them OUT of the public school system–because they feel the state’s education is not up to par. After having children with different learning styles and desires, I’ve found that one size doesn’t fit all (as I’m sure you’ve found, as well). Homeschooling allows us to tailor their education to fit their needs. Does the child plan to go to college? Talk to a college advisor about what they’d like to see on the transcript. I understand many colleges (and even Tech schools) have remedial math classes for struggling students.
I’m finding there is a lot in the homeschool community that isn’t talked about. This is something I hope to change over the coming months with this blog. We shy away from talking about out ‘imperfect’ children because we perceive Susy-Homeschool-Mom has perfect children and we can’t help but feel … embarrassed? Ashamed? No, these are not words we use when it comes to our children … I think it’s more a feeling like WE have failed our children. We feel WE are the problem. But, it’s not true! Let me say it again: IT’S NOT TRUE!! No one loves our children as much as we do. No one is as invested in their future as we are. I’m hoping to be able to share resources and insights into homeschooling to help moms know, without a doubt, that they can do this, and it won’t “ruin” their children.
Thanks for commenting and sharing your heart!