We pride ourselves on having the friendliest
and most welcoming forums for moms and moms to be! Please take a moment
and register
for free so you can be a part of our growing community of mothers.
If you have any problems registering please drop an email to boards@justmommies.com.
Our community is moderated by our moderation team so you won't see spam or offensive messages posted on our forums. Each of our message boards is hosted by JustMommies hosts, whose names are listed at the top each board. We hope you find our message boards friendly, helpful, and fun to be on!
Hi everybody. Just thought I'd write a quick intro and get to know y'all.
I'm Rebecca, mom of 4 human kids, running a small homestead/hobby farm.
I've wanted to home school for a while but it seems too daunting. My 2 middle kids have been at a private school this school year that basically uses a home school curriculum. I used that curriculum for part of a year for my oldest and have seen that it's not as terrifying as I thought it would be.
So my husband and I have decided to make the leap and home school the others next school year. I want to change curriculum though, so that's adding a new level of uncertainty.
I want to use Abeka (the private school uses ACE) and my mom used Abeka for me when I was in 8th grade, the only year I was ever home schooled. I know I like their curriculum a lot, but my mom used the videos and I don't plan to.
I guess my biggest fear is messing up and not getting them the education they need to be high school graduates and they have to get their GEDs instead.
I have several reasons for home schooling, but time is my biggest one. For public school they would have to be up by 5:45 to get ready for the bus and wouldn't get home until nearly 4, and that would be 5 days a week PLUS home work. It's just too much for kids IMO. I want my kids to actually have a life outside of a classroom.
It feels like it could be scary, but in all I'm really looking forward to next school year and having more time with my little ones.
Anyhoo, I look forward to getting to know you ladies, though I've seen some familiar screen names in here, and I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Let me reassure you that you've probably been mis-informed on one very important point: your kids don't need to get a GED. A homeschool diploma, accredited or not, holds just as much weight these days as any other school's diploma. The transcript, along with college entrance test scores, essays, etc., are what matter. No one has a diploma when they apply to college, because most begin applications their Junior year. Diplomas simply don't matter anymore unless your child's aim is to get a blue collar job without a college degree. Many of them still require something from an accredited school or from a passing GED test. Not all do, but a lot do.
Abeka is a great curriculum, and it has plenty of instructions in the teacher's manuals. Yes, it'll seem daunting at first, but you'll get the hang of it, and you can always ask questions (here, local HS groups, calling Abeka directly, etc.).
I think you'll find that while things can be overwhelming at times, being able to have more control not to mention being able to take your time, will make all the difference. Sometimes it feels like a bigger leap than it really is, once you jump in.
I think a lot of moms fear not being able to do the best their children deserve as far as their education is concerned. But, it's a fear I think we have the moment we become parents. Hey, we could screw our kids up in so many ways, yet most parents rarely ever do.
The schools here are terrible, and if my kids were still attending, their schedules would be similar. I'd have three getting on the bus in a three hour time span and they wouldn't be home before 4:30. Not worth it, for a mediocre, at best, education.
Now at home, they are doing amazing. They're all above their actual grade level and they really enjoy learning to it's fullest. Even on our worst days(everyone has them), we still get more accomplished than they would on a semi-good day in an actual school outside the home here. One nice thing about being home, is a really bad day, can be fixed much easier. If you're stuck in a classroom and just not having a good day, there's nothing you can do about it. The good days, the great days and the downright fabulous days though, are really awesome. Because you get to share them with your kids, not hear about them at the dinner table second hand.
If you ever get really overwhelmed, or need help, there are a ton of resources out there to help you, too. This board is a great place to go as well. I'm pretty sure there are others using that curriculum here too, or have used it. I don't have any experience with it, but they can probably help you out a lot with that one.
Welcome! I'm pretty new here as well, but it hasn't been nearly as "hard" as I had expected it to be, and I love knowing that we are the ones in control of our children's educations.
Thanks for the warm welcome! I'm glad there's a place to come to to talk about my worries. I actually haven't thought much more about it this weekend as hectic as it's been around here.
I didn't know all that about the graduation issue. When I spoke to someone from Abeka about it they said I'd have to find out from my state what the guidelines are for "officially" graduating. But personally, if I cared what Georgia thinks of the matter I'd just leave them in public school.
The schools are are good enough, I don't dislike them. I just think they're too full of fluff. The private school the kids are at this year takes up so much less of their time. They still get art, music, PE, and depending on their grade level, 5-7 general study subjects and school is only 8:30-2:30 and only Monday-Thursday. So they've basically proven to me that kids don't need to be at school as long as full time employment to get everything they need.
Like 2pinks, I believe parents should have more control over kids' education.
Thanks again ladies. I look forward to learning a lot here.
If you go to a psychologist with a stomach ache, he'll tell you its anxiety. If you go to a surgeon with a stomach ache, he'll tell you it's your gall bladder and remove it for you. If you go to a pharmacy with a stomach ache, they'll give you a name brand acid reducer for $40/bottle.
Abeka is looking for a profit, and they're looking to cover their butts. Going through their accredited program is expensive and just as much (or more) time consuming than public school. Abeka is written for private school classroom settings, but is adaptable for homeschoolers. There's a ton of "busy work" that can be skipped when you're not killing time in a classroom. It's a GREAT curriculum, but there's a ton in it, some of which can be skipped.
Here are the homeschool requirements for GA. To figure out what you need to do about graduation (which isn't in any state's laws that I'm aware of), you just need to ask the college/occupation on the horizon what they require. Colleges are almost certainly going to ask for a transcript and test scores, not an actual diploma. Once you have a college degree, people will no longer ask about high school.
Welcome!!! I think at one time or another we have all worried about messing up. You taught your kids from the beginning and they did fine, so you will do great with this too! Just make sure you follow your state law and you will be fine
I really do feel that Abeka is top notch. As long as I can figure out what's merely "busy work" and can be skipped I still want to use it. The ACE program the kids are using now would cost me in the area of $300-$350 a year each, and from what I've seen of Abeka it's going to be $450-$500ish each. So yea, a big price tag. But I love their books. The private school I tutor at uses ACE but has some Abeka books in the library for enrichment and they're great.
Besides that, some of the books I'll be able to reuse. I'll have to buy them for my eldest but can hang on to the text books for my younger ones and just buy new work books and other one-kid-only materials.
The more I think about it the more comfortable I get. My son was having some behavior problems at the private school so I've pulled him out and have already begun his home schooling with the remainder of this year's ACE paces. And my daughter just finished this week because of standardized testing and next week she'll be home schooled as well just for the sake of things running smoothly around here. I don't like the idea of one being in school and the other being at home. It gets on my nerves if things feel unbalanced. Haha
I just plain feel ready to embrace this. I've wanted to be a homeschooling mommy for years and I finally feel like I have what it takes to be that. And it feels great! DH and I are already talking about all the possibilities for our family "field trips." Being only an hour from Atlanta has its perks. Tons of museums, the ballet, zoo, aquarium, endless hands on things for the kiddos. The whole family is excited.
Look at Abeka's site to find out if there will be a display in your area soon. You can go in person to choose what you need, and ordering from the display means you'll get free shipping, too.
