As you know that making decision to do homeschooling for your children, it is not easy.
This is what I did the first time I started homeschooling for my kids.
- First: saying Bismillah.
- Second: knowing the homeschooling law in your state.
- Third: going to your local school district if you needed,
- Fourth: finding the material for teaching our kids at home (online, library, or used text books)
- Fifth: Making plan and schedule.
- Sixth: patience and doa every day and night.
Insha Allah, it will help you to make decision.
Here are some questions and answers:
Q: I have a few questions regarding the homeschooling process. Do I have to tell the school authorities that my children will not be attending school, or submit some kind of form for the same?
A: If your children are already in public school, I suggest you to write letter to Board of Education (BOE) that saying you are withdrawing your children from the school or you can call the BOE and tell them that you are going to home-school your children.
It's good if you are doing this when it starts the new semester of school year.
The BOE will ask you to fill the form of Notice of Intent (NOI) to do home-school for your children. In that form you will have to write:
- What subjects are you going to teach? It must be including these 5 subjects: Math, Language Arts, Social Study, Science, and Electives (Islamic Study, Citizenship, Arts, etc)
- How many days of school year for you children? at least 180 days in a year.
- Who is the teacher? of course parent ( if you will be the teacher for your children)
- signature
After you submit this NOI, they will send you an approval letter that you can start home-school your kids.
At the end of school year (around June-August), they will send you a letter about when you are going to have the portfolio meeting with BOE.
Q: Do homeschooling groups meet for some kind of group activities?
A: We used to have groups meet for science activities in Elly Whitney Museum, but now our children are grown up. They are busy with other things.
You can start making a new group to do activities together with other home-school family, if you want to. The Muslim family who are doing home-school and live in Connecticut area are: Waterbury(1 family) , Bridgeport (1 family) , Stamford (1 family) , West Haven (1 family), Windsor (1 family), New London(1 family), and Hamden (2 families). I hope i don't miss anyone.
Because of the situation that we live far away from each other, it's not easy to do activities together.
Insha Allah, there will be family event for homeschooling day in the future.
Q: My children have been in the public school system, and enjoy working with other children. I was hoping you could suggest some ways I could provide this interaction for them?
A: My children were the same thing. They went to public school, too.
Some of activities that I did to have socialize with other children: such as
- bring them to masjid for Sunday school
- teach other kids about Islam and the same time you teach your own kids while they are having friends.
- go to field trip
- join classes for homeschooling kids such as: science class, Physical Education, etc.
- join the contests such as, Geo Bee, American Math Contest, Islamic Study contest, science activities, etc.
If you want to know more, you can join other homeschooling group that close to your area to know more activities for homeschooling family.
Here the link: Local Homeschool Support Groups Map
Q: And finally, how do I assemble a year end portfolio? What are the components?
A: The portfolio, you can find more information about it in my blog: Home school portfolio
Have a Happy Homeschooling....
