Seeking Advice About Homeschooling in DE for a High Schooler

Have you looked into a cyber charter school? I've seen advertisements for them and it sounds like they may fit what you are looking for. I've heard about PA Cyber and k-12 Cyber. My son is an infant so I haven't had any personal experience with them but I am an educator so I like that they use certified teachers and often provide the equipment. It sounds like you already have internet access at home so that shouldn't be a problem. Anyway, that is an idea.

I don't know an exact site but I've seen so many ads for the www.K12.com and the site looks great. If I remember correctly, it's free, offers online teachers/tutors, offers a computer and stuff for free. I actually thought of using this if I ever considered homeschooling.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HarrisburgPAChat
chat and events within 2 hour radius

i hear that the online cyber schools are great and they're free. i'm in PA but you should check out your state website and see if that's an option. i would love to enroll my son but i can't stay home to monitor him. i heard they will actually pay for any special services that he may need that traditional public schools won't... they have more money not having all the expenses of a traditional public school. it perfect for the struggling child.

here's the k-12 agora for pa. hopefully you'll find what works for you!! good luck.
http://www.agora.org/dg/dg_agora.html?se=MSN&campaign...

~S.
Good luck!!

Hi P.,

My Family uses the k12 program in Pennsylvania.

Here is their website maybe this would be the school for you www.k12.com.

You can also do a google search on home schools for DE.

I hope this helps?

Mom of 4 Grandma of 1

First check out the law at www.hslda.org
here is another link: http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/Delaware.pdf
http://www.familylearningacademy.org/10.html

You can find many online resources, try by finding a homeschool support group in your area, these are very useful. You do not have to have stuff approved by the school. You will want to find things that fit your son. If you are concerned about what he should be doing try to find an independent tester not associated by the school.
One new curriculum that I love is www.teachingtextbooks.com
this is expensive but so worth the money if your child has difficulty in math. There are tons of online resources. You are very fortunate that you live in a state with so little requirements.

There is another option, but it is not cheap. Back to Basics Learning Dynamics is a private tutoring service that runs a fully accredited private school. The child receives one-on-one tutoring for all required subjects. I have tutored there for years, not with the school, but rather at night with traditional "tutoring" students. I know that the students love the experience and the DE schools really respect the curriculum provided. Just a thought.

P.,

I am in the same boat! I was married this summer to my wonderful, sweet, amazing husband and I also now have a sweet-natured 15 yo stepson who has always struggled in school. We have also decided to homeschool and we also live in DE. I won't go in to the difficulties he has experienced in school, but we have spent the summer trying to figure out what we are going to do. We have decided to homeschool him through the Back to Basics Homeschool support program. It isn't cheap, but he will be getting the private tutoring he needs in academic areas. We are also enrolling him in a homeschool umbrella program that offers classes. This way the teachers teach their classes and the students turn their work back into the teacher who then grades it, etc. The only homeschooling we will be actually doing is some science, and also making sure he actually does his work. We think this option will give him the best of both worlds...academics and some social outlets, and also more time at home.

I don't know how long you have been in your stepson's life, but I'd caution you about being the main disciplinarian and homeschool teacher. This could really strain your relationship with your stepson and has the potential to put a strain on your marriage by making your husband choose between you and him.

I homeschooled all of my own children from K on, so I have a lot of experience with this, and I know how much stress it puts on a relationship. I absolutely refused to be put in that position with my stepson. Every book I've read about stepparenting says that the step parent absolutely cannot be the disciplinarian, and being the homeschool teacher puts you in that position. The homeschool teacher has to 1. teach the subject 2. assign the work 3. help with the completion of the work if the child needs it 4. grade the work. Can you see how many points of break-down there can be with a teenager? If at any point they don't feel like they a. want to listen to you b. think that the assignment is stupid or unnecessary c. won't accept or rejects your suggestions or your help d. gets angry over a grade e. refuses to complete work altogether or refuses to redo unacceptable work, you are going to have to have consequences and take disciplinary action.

So, I strongly suggest you have some kind of support where you can be "the good guy". You, as stepmom, want to be the one he comes to for help in getting his school done (if he needs it) and to let someone else be the "bad guy" for making him do things he doesn't necessarily want to do.

I've graduated 2 from homeschooling and my baby is a senior, and even with my natural children I found this dynamic was needed during the high school years. Check out tristate homeschool network. They probably have a lot of ideas for you.

L.

Hi P.,
There are on line courses that you can buy. I haven't actually done it, but I have a friend whose children schooled themselves this way. If he is motivated to learn, there is a wealth of information on the internet,and a lot of garbage too. It is a huge responsibility that you're taking on. You don't mention the extent to which your husband is willing to share in this undertaking. A troubled teenager is a handful. Good luck.
N

You might want to check out Switched on Schoolhouse by Alpha Omega. It is a pretty much do-it-yourself study, as it is done on the computer and the answers are automatically checked and the student corrects them as he goes. The grade is recorded for the teacher in a separate part. A lot would be taken off your shoulders by going with these courses. However, you would want to google just Switched on Schoolhouse, as you could probably find the courses cheaper at other places than the company that makes them. Alpha Omega charges SO much for shipping and handling, also.

Hi P.,

I also work at home and homeschool my 5 year old. But I did cyberschool my son through high school and it was the best option. With a cyberschool he gets everything he needs, including equipment, and the curriculum is complete. All he has to do is log in and complete his assignments, which he can do on his own. There is also plenty of support and he will have transcripts and a diploma when he is done.

You can check out Connections Academy (connectionsacademy.com), K12 (k12.com) or Calvert School (calvertschool.org). I know they all have cybers in several states; you would have to do a search on whether they exist in yours.

Good luck!

R.