Beginner seeking knowledge

ReeceFamily

Hi!  My DD is young (5 months) and so I have plenty of time, but I am increasingly unhappy about the thought of DD living through the No-child-left-behind glut of drills and mandatory testing that education in the U.S. has become.  Can anyone suggest any resources (books/websites) that provide a good overview of all of the alternatives out there?  I know nothing about homeschooling, charter schools, etc., so I need the basics! I am not traditionally religious, so I would likely pursue a secular education for DD.

Thanks - and thanks for letting me lurk.  I've already learned a lot from reading your posts.

hayleydeee

Some of it will depend on the state you live in, and what's available in your area.  Most of what I've learned has come from asking other parents and searching around on the internet.

A good place to start is your local school district. Many of ours offer alternatives like charters or homeschool support services. A charter school is still public, but many are structured in a non-traditional way. They can vary greatly depending on the school. 

Also, if testing is you main concern you might want to investigate more. In some traditional schools (again depending on your area) testing isn't necessarily the major focus. The sad truth is that if your local school is well funded and consists of mostly English speaking students then they probably won't be as preoccupied with getting the kids to pass the tests. 

I've taught in both affluent schools and schools with primarily English Language Learners. There was a HUGE difference. The tests are in English, so if the kids can't understand the language they score low, and the school is in trouble. So, the focus becomes teaching to the test. It's a horrible system that makes me so mad, but it's not necessary an issue at every school. In our state schools have to make their test scores available to the public. Look on their websites for "accountability" reports.  

ReeceFamily

Thank you - I'm in CA like you (Sacramento area).  I'll start investigating what's going on in the local school district!

hayleydeee

Well in that case, check out these links! (sorry can't make them clicky on my Mac)

https://www.ieminc.org/education_choices.html  A great way to learn about homeschool charters that you might not find through your district. Plus talks about other schooling choices. 

https://californiahomeschool.net

https://www.hslda.org/hs/state/CA/ 

ReeceFamily

hayleydeee:

Well in that case, check out these links! (sorry can't make them clicky on my Mac)

https://www.ieminc.org/education_choices.html  A great way to learn about homeschool charters that you might not find through your district. Plus talks about other schooling choices. 

https://californiahomeschool.net

https://www.hslda.org/hs/state/CA/ 

Awesome, thank you! 

Dani428

I'm lurking too and am so happy you asked this. My husband and I are expecting our first in a few weeks so I know it's farrrrr too early to be planning...but my husband is very passionate about homeschooling so I'm looking to educate myself as much as I can. I just found this board and it's so helpful already! 

BananaPancake

The book "Teaching In My Tiara: A homeschooling book for the rest of us" is really good! 

ObLaDi

I was unschooled myself, and we're unschooling DS now (also 5 months!).

I highly recommend the book Teach Your Own by John Holt.

I only post intermittently here since I usually bump on my phone and can't seem to find this board there--but welcome! I've seen you on AP and Jan13 too--I think we have some similar philosophies

ReeceFamily

ObLaDi:

I was unschooled myself, and we're unschooling DS now (also 5 months!).

I highly recommend the book Teach Your Own by John Holt.

I only post intermittently here since I usually bump on my phone and can't seem to find this board there--but welcome! I've seen you on AP and Jan13 too--I think we have some similar philosophies

Hi - I recognize you too.  Love your LOs photo! 

calimama2007

I recommend this book to anyone thinking about homeschool: So you're thinking about homeschooling by Lisa Whelchel. Sealed the deal for me