As the new year sits just around the corner, many parents are adding to their list of resolutions the job of homeschooling for the first time. Just like any job, homeschooling requires commitment and the ability to follow through. If you live in a state that requires accountability to your school district or school board, please be diligent in adhering to the requirements. Many states require a letter of intent, notifying your district or school board of your home education endeavor. This is not to be taken lightly. Students not accounted for are considered truant, and the responsibility lies with the parents.

There was a story in the news last week about a Utah homeschool family ordered by a judge to enroll their children in public school or face jail time, all because of a lack of communication between the parents and the school district. (Read the entire story here: http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/12/judge_threatens_homeschool_mom.php )

It pays to follow up on any communication sent to a government office to make sure it was received. One simple way to do this is to send documents via Certified Mail with Return Receipt. This provides a paper trail in case there is any question later about whether the document was received, or even WHEN it was received. If the parents in that Utah family would have done that, no judge would have ever had the case cross his desk.

No matter how many accolades and kudos homeschoolers receive each year, there are still many nay-sayers and downright enemies of home education. Those people watch and wait for any opportunity to prove parents unfit to teach their own children. That puts tremendous pressure on the homeschool community to be upstanding, accountable citizens exhibiting responsible behavior in all walks of life. And when it comes right down to it, isn't that the kind of example we want to set for our children anyway?

When you're new to homeschooling, finding the right curriculum is like looking for a needle in a haystack. The choices are overwhelming, and so are some of the price tags! Our tax money pays for a school system we're not using, so it's hard to justify a huge chunk out of the family budget for books and other educational materials to use at home. Publishers often package curriculum in sets consisting of a student textbook, workbook, test booklets, answer keys, teacher's edition, and sometimes additional tools like cd-roms or dvds. There's nothing worse than buying an entire grade-specific set of science or math, only to find out that it's as dry as toast! Ebay here you come! Check the publisher's web site before buying their product to see if they have some sample pages posted online for your review. Another way to preview materials is the old fashioned way...go to the bookstore and thumb through the material. Either method can be time consuming, but well worth the effort.

Parents new to homeschooling are usually better off mixing curriculum, especially for the younger grade levels. It's a great way to try out different publishers and keep things fresh all year. Your kids won't be the only ones who appreciate the variety!

I've listed below some resources for finding curriculum online. Don't forget to use the library too. It provides a good reason to leave the house each week, and the shelves are full of rich history, intriguing science, and entertaining biographies.

http://www.homeschoolreviews.com/

http://school.familyeducation.com/home-schooling/curriculum-planning/38847.html

http://www.homeschoolsupercenter.com/

http://www.homeschooldiscount.com/

http://www.hsadvisor.com/

http://theswap.com/

http://www.abeka.com/

http://www.time4learning.com/

http://www.homeschoolclassifieds.com/

http://www.usedhomeschoolcurriculum.com/

http://www.thebackpack.com/

http://www.rocksolidinc.com/

Even after you've chosen a variety of books and other tangible learning materials, there's still plenty to be found online to enhance your at-home library. You may be in the middle of a unit study about castles and medieval life, and your children can't seem to get enough. That's the time to jump on the Internet and begin researching the subject in greater detail. It's surprising what you can find, and if you have older children you may be amazed at what they can dig up on a given subject. Internet research skills are crucial to this budding generation, so why not incorporate a little practice into their schedules and call it a lesson? That's what homeschooling is all about...turning life into lessons and lessons into life!

There are as many different reasons for homeschooling as there are homeschoolers, so what brought you to this point isn't really important. But everyone seems to share the same level of apprehension when it comes time to put the rubber to the road. After all, you are about to make a huge impact on your child's future and you don't want to screw that up! Chances are though, if you care enough to worry about your child's future, you won't mess it up. Staying organized and staying flexible...those are the keys to managing your child's education.

The first step in organization is assessing your own authority as a parent. If the inmates are running the asylum, you won't get much teaching done! So having a good system of discipline in place is very important BEFORE you begin homeschooling. You don't want to be an evil taskmaster. But if your education program were a ship, you (and your spouse) should be at the helm.

The next step in organization is formulating a plan. Your plan can be for the week, for the month, or for the year. And that plan can, and probably will, change to some degree. That's where staying flexible comes in! Start by writing down the reason you want to homeschool your child(ren). That will usually prompt you to set a goal. If your child has been struggling in a classroom setting, you may have a goal of getting him or her up to grade level in a certain subject. From there you can begin to research curriculum choices and develop a strategy for meeting this goal. Think of your home education program as a business with you as the manager. Believe me. It's a full time job!

Now that you have a business plan, it's time to research the "market". Each state has different laws regarding home education. You can find a complete listing here: http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp

There are some states that have no regulation on home schooling. On the other hand, there are states that impose home visits on parents by state officials. Make sure you know the laws for your state before you begin. Once this homework is complete, you can start digging into the mountains of curriculum that every homeschool parent must sort through. We'll climb those mountains in the next article. Until then...Happy Homeschooling!