The
first thing you have to do is "Don't Panic" - All
of us have been in your shoes - it's all so overwhelming - take
a Deep Breath - and read on......
You
are not alone!!! Just look here at the statistics
of how many other homeschooler's there are in Australia alone,
let alone the world.
You
are probably on information overload and your brain probably feels
like it will explode - you are probably thinking - "Yes, Yes,
Yes" - this all makes sense and I'm gonna Do it" - and
then you sleep on it - or discuss it with relatives or friends and
panic sets in - Oh NO What Have
I Done?????????.
We
have heard it all, from sisters being accused of child abuse for
making the decision to home school their children -to sisters who
have been told they are denying their children their right to an
education.
First,
If this is what has happened to you then please realise
that most of these people making these accusations know NOTHING
about home schooling and they genuinely believe that they are protecting
you from making a big mistake - and they are also really scared
that if - by some chance you succeed - it might make them feel bad
that they didn't join and support you in the first place. And seriously
-what do they really know about Home Schooling anyway??? Usually
nothing- I remember a similar reaction when I embraced Islam 16
years ago - its called - FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN...................and
it too will pass. (insha'Allah)
Subhana'Allah,
Trust Allah that if you have made this decision to please Him -
then He will make it easy for you. Always ask Him for help. He has
given you children as a trust and He knows that you are most able
to take care of your trust, if you always turn to Him for help and
guidance.
Below
we have listed some articles and advice that we hope will help you
get started (insha'Allah):
Depending
where you are in Australia or the world you need to find what the
legal requirements are for home schooling If you are in Australia
you will find the laws relating to your state located in this article: Is Home schooling
Legal?
If
it is necessary to register contact the government department in
your area and ask them to send you the appropriate application forms.
In most cases it takes up to a month, depending on how busy they
are. You will probably receive a letter as a receipt of your application,
followed by a phone call to organise an appointment so they can discuss
your application to home school and to approve you for registration.
(Insha'Allah)
The
next step will be deciding what you are going to teach your children
and how. We have prepared an article on The
Various Approaches to Home Schooling. Most new Home Schoolers
initially try to implement "school at home", so for this
reason they usually use a classical text book method to start off
with.
If
you are not sure what curriculum to use there are a few Home
Schooling Curriculum Review sites where you can read and compare
the various programs to help you decide.
You
are not just restricted to using curriculum available in Australia
you can also source programs produced overseas, some of which are
imported and are available here from Home schooling Suppliers.
Many
of the programs are Christian based so remember to buy from suppliers
that have a return policy incase you don't like the program and
wish to return it. I have not seen an Islamic based secular program,
no use complaining that we don't have one - if you end up using
a Christian based one , tell your children when they grow up (insha'Allah)
to design an Islamic one.
If
you find a program overseas that you would like to use, you can
often contact them directly to find our whether they have a supplier
here, or if you can order from them directly.
Here
is a list of suppliers who concentrate on supplying programs for
homeschooler's in Australia:
Also,
for online ordering of text books we have found the following links:
There
may also be Education Resource Centres located near you that supply
educational materials usually to teachers or schools. Many of them
will give you up to 10% discount if you tell them you are home schooling.
(Insha'Allah)
It
is also a good idea to find a support group in your area. They are
often really helpful in providing support and resources. They usually
meet regularly often going on excursions and educational or just
getting together to brainstorm helpful ideas as to how to home school.
Many
of these groups are Christian based here in Australia and you will
have to shop around for the one that suits you. My experience has
been that generally many of these groups cater to their particular
sect of Christianity.
There
are some support groups that are not religiously based and that
just focus on the needs of home schooling families. They are few
and far between though, so keep looking if you are not close to
any Muslim Support Groups. (Insha'Allah) Or if you have met a few
Muslim Home Schooler's in your area start a Muslim Home Schooling
Support group yourself. (Insha'Allah, we will include notes on the How to's of that soon)
If
you are not close to anyone that home schools another great support
idea is the vast amount of mailing lists on the net:
Mailing Lists:
Homeschool List through Stepping Stones - e-mail address:
homeschool@australia.edu Send an e-mail to homeschool-request@australia.edu
with the word subscribe in the body of the e-mail, nothing in the subject.
Australian Homeschool (AHS):
http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/australianhomeschool
Christian Home schooling in Australia:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ChristianHomeschoolinginAustralia
Home schooling or Unschooling in Australia message board:
http://communities.ninemsn.com.au/HomeschoolingorUnschoolinginAustralia
CM & Friends Australia:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CmandFriends-ANZ/
Waldorf Inspired Home schooling list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Waldorfhomeschool
Australian Unschoolers:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/australianunschoolers
Classical Home schooling in Australia:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chooz/
If
you decided to home school children that have been in school for
a while, you may have to de-school them for a while in order
that they get used to being taught at home and also become used
to have their Mum or Dad as their teacher.
"Deschooling specifically refers to that period of adjustment experienced by
children removed from school settings. It also can include the process
of De-schooling parents; that is, the unlearning of concepts and
beliefs about the nature and purpose of education. Often this is
best begun with a 'holiday' at home, a time to observe and record
what naturally occurs in the child's life, and where additional
resources are needed to introduce additional learning activities
considered important and essential. It often takes many months,
and sometimes even a year, for the process of De-schooling to unfold.
During this time it is a great idea to seek support from families
who are home schooling to yourself. " [—Beverly Paine]
We
hope that this information has helped you get started with less
stress. Please let us know if you think we could add any further
information in order to assist new homeschooler's (Insha'Allah)
We
are dedicated to provide encouragement and support to you as you
educate your child(ren) at home. Feel free to contact
us at any time if you have any questions about home schooling
