CASD HomeSchool Option: Denise Truxler's Story

I decided to homeschool after I spent about 7 years serving as a teacher, reading specialist and teacher trainer in public schools.  I took some time off from work and was able to invest some time into evaluating my children's experiences as learners at the private school and public schools they attended.  After seeing that some of their learning needs were not being met as well as they could be, we decided to try homeschooling.  We started when my children were in 1st, 3rd and 7th grades.  

Since I had some background in teaching, my biggest concern was the number one question homeschoolers get - "what about socialization?"  Fortunately, I lived in an area that had a thriving homeschool community.  My college roommate was homeschooling her similarly aged children, so I had a mentor of sorts to help me navigate through some of my questions and challenges. My best friend had been homeschooled, and her life was evidence to me that homeschooling led to outcomes that were very different than what the stigmatized version of a homeschool graduate was.  As I engaged with the homeschool community, it became clearer that homeschooling was an opportunity to do what the schools strive to do, but also struggle with - providing an individualized learning plan for each child.  

When we started homeschooling, I remember saying over and over how much I was concerned with my children's character development.  Traditional schools excel at teaching curriculum, but I was deeply concerned about the character education that seemed to be lacking in my children's school based experiences.  Another positive for our family was the ability to choose a curriculum that resonated with my children, with us as parents, and that matched our teaching and learning styles.  We are now able to make adjustments more quickly if we see that something is working or not working for our family.

One of the biggest struggles has been avoiding recreating school at home.  Finding a balance between the traditional school model ways of doing (highly scheduled, less flexible with "have to do's") and the flexible model of our homeschool (flexible scheduling, some things optional) can sometimes be challenging.  Another struggle is providing instruction/finding resources for subject areas which may not be a personal strength.  Luckily, both of these struggles have been mitigated through really plugging into the homeschool community, and learning more about the cyclical nature of learning (repetition over many years), and making friends with other moms/dads!

Community resources were the most important in moving forward and knowing what to do.  By community, I mean other homeschooling parents, Facebook support groups, and our state homeschool organization.  Many states have one or more major support groups to help with a range of questions.  For someone new to homeschooling or just thinking about homeschooling in our area, consider joining the Chester County (PA) Homeschoolers group on FB.  

There are also groups for other counties and other parts of the county, as well as regional groups.  There are also a wide variety of groups based on whether you like to unschool, prefer outdoor experiences, prefer a faith-based approach, etc.  The thing to remember is you are not alone. In a way, homeschooling allows you to reinvent your "tribe/village" and find families that you can connect with based on interest or philosophy outside of the traditional school community. Creative Google searching is a must. And ask others.  Don't be afraid to call local organizations like dance studios or libraries, for example, to see if they offer classes to homeschoolers, or if they would be willing to.  Great friendships are formed between both moms/dads and children around passionate interests.  

Finally, the Home School Legal Defense Association is an organization you might consider joining; it provides legal advice for members as well as guides for non-members for how to homeschool all the way through high school.  Even without joining, you may be able to speak to an attorney about basic questions you have about the homeschool laws for your state.

We moved from Virginia to Pennsylvania in the middle of the school year three years ago.  The transition was much easier than I imagined.  I was able to connect with an evaluator who helped us through the process of completing the affidavit for homeschooling, along with learning objectives, which is the first step.  An evaluator can also be a resource to those starting, to how to locate great curriculum that may fit your family.  Creating a learning plan that you use for your child may be a help.  What do you want your child to know by the time the year has ended?  Also, evaluating the rhythm and style of your family can be helpful.  Do you want a highly structured daily experience, or more flexible?  What are non-negotiables in your family? What are some areas of choice? These are just a few reflective questions to begin with.

Over the past three years, our family has joined a co-op that provides academic courses and enrichment/elective courses.  We've also been able to participate in online courses at CASH and to participate in the orchestra program at North.  We have had good experiences with the guidance counselors at both the 9/10 and the 11/12 center, and have been able to take the SAT without challenge.  I have found our district to be really supportive, welcoming and generally homeschool friendly - including the teachers, specialists, and administrators.  The school was also helpful in lending curricular materials to our family, in case we didn't have the resources to choose another curriculum, or we just wanted to use the school curriculum.  There are also a ton of free curricula materials (at all levels) available online.  There are also groups that give away free homeschool curriculum.  For older students, TCHS and DelCo also are great options for those who wish to pursue vocational education and/or dual enrollment credits alongside their home study.

I would recommend finding an evaluator who is willing, either for free, or for a small charge, to help support you through the first steps of homeschooling by consulting, if you are new to homeschooling.  Many experienced moms are also willing to do so, but make sure that the advice you are getting is in compliance with the laws, some of which have recently changed.

Ultimately, the decision to homeschool is a deeply personal one, that should be made with as many family members as possible.  Identifying the "why" of homeschooling for your family will be important.  Remember that there will be good days and bad days (sometimes more of the latter than we would like).  But both kinds of days teach us more about life, as it really is.  Homeschooling affords greater flexibility to stop when needed, take a deep breath, and start anew the next day. And hopefully, it will be a good one.