Homeschooling for Fall

[Anonymous]

Sadly I don't believe FCPS will be 5 days a week come fall. We are a bright 2nd grader who is bored with DL and over learning via a computer. So I think the best course of action for her would be to homeschool her for 3rd grade. However, knowing me and my DD there is no way I can be her teacher. For those of you who outsourced your homeschooling to tutors/teachers where did you find them? How days during the week and for how long each day? Did you provide the curriculum yourself or just tell the teacher what you wanted to cover? I'm new to whole idea of homeschooling so any advice, secular resources etc would be helpful. TIA

[Anonymous]

I'm a live-in nanny who also tutors or homeschools, when the family needs it.

Hours and days for homeschooling vary state to state and between families. I've done 3-6 days per week and 2-7 hour days. Some states require that you check with your local school, and it's easier for them to understand if they see the same type of schedule. IME, consistency of schedule and adhering to the law matter most.

There are a bunch of online school options, but most have some adult involvement at 3rd grade. K12's vocabulary is entirely online, but spelling are entirely offline with the parent/teacher (it is broken up into weekly lessons, and you are provided with a rough lesson plan, but you also have to pick/design the practice yourself or have a child who likes to write a lot). Time4Learning covers the main subjects, but they just give you a spelling list for the year. There are numerous all-inclusive curriculum boxes/kits, but at the elementary level they're still entirely dependent on an adult teaching the material before the child practices. By middle school, many of them can be used by the student with minimal adult help. There are a ton of single subject curricula that vary from entirely independent (as long as the child knows how to run the DVD or program) through entirely adult-guided. So, you might be able to cobble together a program that doesn't involve much teaching, but all of them still require supervision at a third grade level, just for organization and staying on task.

As for finding a tutor or teacher, there are several options. Outschool has 1-1 and group tutoring available. You can find a nanny who has experience with homeschooling, but the best place would definitely be through an agency. You can advertise for a private teacher on care or other websites.

As to whether you provide the curriculum to the teacher/tutor or let them choose, that depends a great day on your state and their experience. Some states have very specific requirements about what must be taught and when, while others just require progress in the 4 core subjects. Most teachers and tutors will have curricula that they like, but they should always be willing to at least adjust based on the child's learning style. The teacher or tutor will likely either have extra resources or provide you with a list of manipulatives and books to purchase.

[Anonymous]

-Daily Mathnasium
-K12’s ELA curriculum that is worked through with an online tutor, hired through Wyzant (child works one on one). I scan the learning coach guide and email it to the tutor. I also mail the tutor copies of the books, so that I don’t have to photocopy/scan novels.
-In person enrichment classes for homeschoolers (these exist!) for science, history, and an elective.

Good luck!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sadly I don't believe FCPS will be 5 days a week come fall. We are a bright 2nd grader who is bored with DL and over learning via a computer. So I think the best course of action for her would be to homeschool her for 3rd grade. However, knowing me and my DD there is no way I can be her teacher. For those of you who outsourced your homeschooling to tutors/teachers where did you find them? How days during the week and for how long each day? Did you provide the curriculum yourself or just tell the teacher what you wanted to cover? I'm new to whole idea of homeschooling so any advice, secular resources etc would be helpful. TIA

OP - All parents say this about their children before beginning homeschool. Think this through. If your child is done with computers, please don't get an on-line curriculum. Do you really think a babysitter is going to do a better job than you? How about taking a month or so and just doing fun projects together... cooking, science experiments, crafts, etc. on topics that your child enjoys. Slowly re-introduce more challenging topics by reading the same books and discussing, writing journals back and forth about the book, etc. Suddenly you will be your child's teacher and you and your child will be used to it. Re-introduce math (also as something interesting - for a bright child, they are often fascinated by the history of math, which leads to calculations, etc.), spelling and grammar. Hire out the subjects you can't do, like art and foreign language. Make sure to find a group of homeschoolers to socialize with. I assume that they will be meeting in-person by the fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sadly I don't believe FCPS will be 5 days a week come fall. We are a bright 2nd grader who is bored with DL and over learning via a computer. So I think the best course of action for her would be to homeschool her for 3rd grade. However, knowing me and my DD there is no way I can be her teacher. For those of you who outsourced your homeschooling to tutors/teachers where did you find them? How days during the week and for how long each day? Did you provide the curriculum yourself or just tell the teacher what you wanted to cover? I'm new to whole idea of homeschooling so any advice, secular resources etc would be helpful. TIA

OP - All parents say this about their children before beginning homeschool. Think this through. If your child is done with computers, please don't get an on-line curriculum. Do you really think a babysitter is going to do a better job than you? How about taking a month or so and just doing fun projects together... cooking, science experiments, crafts, etc. on topics that your child enjoys. Slowly re-introduce more challenging topics by reading the same books and discussing, writing journals back and forth about the book, etc. Suddenly you will be your child's teacher and you and your child will be used to it. Re-introduce math (also as something interesting - for a bright child, they are often fascinated by the history of math, which leads to calculations, etc.), spelling and grammar. Hire out the subjects you can't do, like art and foreign language. Make sure to find a group of homeschoolers to socialize with. I assume that they will be meeting in-person by the fall.

I echo this poster re: being unable to teach your child. I have a very difficult child. I always thought that homeschooling would the the end our our relationship. 3rd grade and we're done BUT, it turns out that homeschooling is awesome. Drawing her close, spending that time with her, has done wonders for our relationship. She's bright and wants to be challenged to learn in different ways. Being able to adapt has been amazing, and being in charge of my own assignments (rather than just trying to pull her through school assignments) helped.

[Anonymous]

OP here thanks for the feedback. We definitely won't do an online program. This year has taught me that my child works better in an in person environment.

We're definitely not looking for a nanny to handle this. I'm a SAHM so I don't need childcare. We will be looking for an actual tutor.

Having tried a very basic loose homeschool schedule with her last spring and during the summer I learned that I am not the best teacher for my kid. Our relationship isn't the best and adding this extra aspect would make it snap. We can barely get through cello lessons together (damn you suzuki method and your intense parent role).

I'm fine knowing my limitations and outsourcing this. So I'm wondering for those who go outside tutors how often did you have your kid meet your tutor? Also, did you get a general all around tutor or did you split it up? Say a math and language arts tutor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here thanks for the feedback. We definitely won't do an online program. This year has taught me that my child works better in an in person environment.

We're definitely not looking for a nanny to handle this. I'm a SAHM so I don't need childcare. We will be looking for an actual tutor.

Having tried a very basic loose homeschool schedule with her last spring and during the summer I learned that I am not the best teacher for my kid. Our relationship isn't the best and adding this extra aspect would make it snap. We can barely get through cello lessons together (damn you suzuki method and your intense parent role).

I'm fine knowing my limitations and outsourcing this. So I'm wondering for those who go outside tutors how often did you have your kid meet your tutor? Also, did you get a general all around tutor or did you split it up? Say a math and language arts tutor?

Ok, you don’t want to do any computers. Nor do you want childcare and teaching combined. Knowing your needs makes advising much easier!

Is your daughter interested in cross-curricular projects? If so, look for an experienced elementary teacher who can teach all subjects. In that case, have them put together a list of curricula they like and you can choose together, based on rigor and learning style.

If your daughter prefers single subjects handled separately with minimal projects, finding separate tutors for each subject might work, but it would also increase the covid exposure.