| One of the first problems a new parent-teacher | | | | Even in the most rigorous of methods, the time |
| will face is choosing a homeschool curriculum for | | | | needed from the parent-teacher lessens as the |
| their new student. There are many factors to | | | | child ages. Early elementary teaching can be just |
| consider when making these decisions. | | | | an hour or two a day, whereas high school |
| What method of homeschooling will you be | | | | students will need five or six hours. The |
| subscribing to? Will it be the unschool method or | | | | difference though comes into play when you |
| the classical, video/DVD, school-at-home, unit | | | | analyze how much of that time you need to play |
| studies, eclectic, Charlotte Mason, Waldort, | | | | a direct part. In the early years it's going to be |
| Montessori or Internet method? This is actually | | | | close to be nearly a 100% time commitment, |
| the very first choice to make after committing to | | | | whereas in high school teaching you're going to |
| homeschooling. After you decide on the method | | | | become more of a monitor of the work done |
| of homeschool education you're going to follow, | | | | with very time required by you in the process. |
| your choice of curriculum just got a whole lot | | | | You will be mainly laying out the course work and |
| easier. | | | | assignments, checking on their progress and |
| You see some of the methods prescribe to a | | | | grading the work when completed. |
| fairly tight and specified type of curriculum. The | | | | Some methods of teaching don't require much in |
| classical method, for instance, dictates a lot of | | | | the way of purchase of outside products for |
| specific topics in each of the three stages of the | | | | homeschooling curriculum. They rely more on |
| trivium divisions of grammar, logic and rhetoric. It | | | | library books, Internet use or fashioning their own |
| deals in the more traditional basics of reading, | | | | learning tools. Some choose to buy certain learning |
| writing, spelling and math to build a good | | | | aids to add a little variety to the school day. They |
| educational foundation in the grammar stage, then | | | | want to mix it up a little to keep things fresh and |
| progresses on to the logic stage where language, | | | | keep the student from getting bored. Some |
| logic, history and science come into play. In the | | | | choose to take snippets from various methods of |
| last, or rhetoric stage, is more about working | | | | teaching and put them together to form hybrid |
| within the mind using skills used earlier to form | | | | methods of teaching. These methods might for |
| and defend opinions expressed in writing and | | | | example take the basics portion of the classical |
| speech formats. | | | | method and add in some Internet studies or video |
| Also some methods require a lot more hands-on | | | | aids. Some like to add in some real-life studies like |
| time by the parent-teacher, especially in the early | | | | cooking, carpentry, computer science or nature |
| years. This should factor into your decision on | | | | studies. There is virtually no end to the number of |
| which method you're going to follow. How much | | | | ways you can put together a homeschooling |
| time do you have to devote to homeschooling? | | | | curriculum. It's a matter of personal choice that |
| Reading about the various methods should give | | | | combines your personal situation with your |
| you a good idea how much time will be required | | | | eventual goal of what you want your student to |
| for each type, then cross-match that to your | | | | learn. |
| personal profile as to when and how long you can | | | | Freedom of choice and flexibility are two of the |
| teach. | | | | finest attributes of a homeschooling curriculum. |