Where do I start?

[motherof5]

Hi!
My husband is in the military here in Columbia South Carolina ,we have been here for a year. Our daughter started High School and she is having alot of problems,with the boys there and is very uncomfortable. I read the laws for Home Schooling,but where do I start there is so much out there. Is it necessary to purchanse a curriculam? or would it be cheaper not to. We are on a tight budget we have 5 children.Any info would help me out alot. We would like to pull her out of school as soon as possible.
Thank you :confused2

[Dianna]

Hi!
My husband is in the military here in Columbia South Carolina ,we have been here for a year. Our daughter started High School and she is having alot of problems,with the boys there and is very uncomfortable. I read the laws for Home Schooling,but where do I start there is so much out there. Is it necessary to purchanse a curriculam? or would it be cheaper not to. We are on a tight budget we have 5 children.Any info would help me out alot. We would like to pull her out of school as soon as possible.
Thank you :confused2

When you have time, read through my FAQ section at http://www.carolinahomeschooler.com/faq.htm It will answer a lot of the questions you have. The first thing you need to do is choose an association.

Since you want to do this quickly, I would recommend Homeward Education Association (http://www.homewarded.com) - it's nearby (in Sumter) and you can drive to her office today and register in person. I think that's your most pressing need right now - to remove her from the situation she's in.

Once you pull her out, then it's time to choose a curriculum. You can spend as little or as much as you want on a curriculum - a library card and time to read would give anyone a top-rate college education. However, it may be easier on you to buy a few resources for different subjects. If you could tell us more about what classes you'd like your daughter to take this year (and what her abilities are in the skill areas like math and language arts), we'd be better able to help you. There are a lot of ways you can get resources very inexpensively.

I'll go ahead and post this now so you can go to HEA today if you'd like, but please let me know if you need any more help.

Dianna

[motherof5]

Diane,
Thank you for you help and quick reply. As far as curriculm we would like her doing college prep classes she is currently taking Physical science,Algebra 1 English.She also plays the violin and is taking NJROTC is there any way she can continue doing this while being home schooled?
Thank you again we would this transition to be as smooth as possible.
Have a Good Day,
Marianna:wave:

[duboisa]

are you pulling out all of your kids? I think that you will be fine.. I pulled my son out in a hurry too and it was hard at first, just dont get discouraged. The curriculum.. Be careful here.. last year i spent a ton of money on stuf we never used, if you are interested, i probably have some stuff that i could give you for your younger kids if you need it.. just let me know.

[duboisa]

correct me if i am wrong dianna but you cant do rotc thru the school while being homeschooled, but there is always the civil air patrol which is very very similar to that.. my son is doing that and loves it.

[chrispeters]

As far as curriculm we would like her doing college prep classes she is currently taking Physical science,Algebra 1 English.She also plays the violin and is taking NJROTC is there any way she can continue doing this while being home schooled?
Thank you again we would this transition to be as smooth as possible.
Have a Good Day,
Marianna:wave:
We started using Math U See this year and I LOVE it. You could probably find it used, but I thought it was reasonable even if you had to buy it new. My daughter is working on the first year of Algebra(7-8 grade) and she says she enjoys this math program

[motherof5]

Angie,
Thanks for the advice on the curriculm,I would just be home schooling my daughter. Do you have anything for 9th graders that I could use?? I'm pretty scared about doing this ,but I've always wanted to homeschool our children and just never did it. I think this will be a great oppurtunity for my daughter and I to get even closer. Thank you and any advice you have would help me alot.
Have a Good Day:wave:
Marianna

[motherof5]

Angie,
Do you have any books for 9th graders?? Our other children are still going to stay in public schools for the time being. I'm in school myself and I don't know if I can handle all of our children,plus working. Do you know for sure if they are still able to do NJROTC if they are homeschooled. That would great she just loves the program.
Thank you again and Have a Great Day!!!:wave:
Marianna

[Dianna]

She also plays the violin and is taking NJROTC is there any way she can continue doing this while being home schooled?

Marianna, if she's taking violin through the school, they probably won't let her continue once you withdraw her. She also probably won't allow her to continue in ROTC. Schools in SC aren't legally required to provide extra-curricular classes for homeschoolers, and they usually don't. Talk to the school, though, and see if they'll let her stay in those classes - you may get lucky. :smile2:

Dianna

[motherof5]

Diane,
Thank you for all you advice I'll ask the school about violin and NJROTC.
I'll keep my fingers crossed on that I guess.
Have a Good Day:wave:
Marianna

[Dianna]

Diane,
Thank you for you help and quick reply. As far as curriculm we would like her doing college prep classes she is currently taking Physical science,Algebra 1 English.She also plays the violin and is taking NJROTC is there any way she can continue doing this while being home schooled?
Thank you again we would this transition to be as smooth as possible.
Have a Good Day,
Marianna:wave:

For Algebra 1, I'd recommend Introduction to Algebra by Lial, et. al. You can buy the 7th edition used at Amazon Marketplace for around $5 to $8 (including shipping). If you decide to use this, make sure you get the paperwork version (so your daughter can write in the text - saves a lot of extra work) and make sure it's not written it. Here's a link to find out more about the text:

http://www.aw-bc.com/catalog/academic/product/0,4096,0321064585,00.html

There's a newer edition, but don't buy it because it costs over $100... buy the 7th edition - it's almost the same, and you'll save a lot of money.

I'll post more later... need to go for a few minutes.

Dianna

[duboisa]

I have an algebra 1 book and basic college math that you can borrow. i might have a science book too that that might work..

[motherof5]

Diane,
Thank you for the advice on the math I'll go check it out now. I was looking on ebay last night but those were kinda high for some of them.
Have a Good Day!!!:wave:
Marianna

[motherof5]

I have an algebra 1 book and basic college math that you can borrow. i might have a science book too that that might work..

I just purchased an Algebra book off of amazon,but Thank you very much.
I was wondering about the science book is it physical science?? That would be great if I could borrow it. Have a Great Day and ya all have been so helpfully.
Thank you :smile2:
Marianna

[Dianna]

Marianna, Apologia has a physical science text that a lot of homeschoolers like. (They are religiously-based.) Since this is the beginning of the year, your daughter can choose a different science, though. If you go to the Apologia website at http://www.apologia.com/ , you can read about the different texts they offer, and you can read the first chapter of each text. Don't buy from there, though. If you like these texts, this place offers a better price, and free or low shipping: http://gallery.bcentral.com/GID4463224DD384347-Apologia-Science.aspx

If you don't think you'll like these, let us know and we can recommend other resources.

Dianna

[Dianna]

English is a little trickier to offer recommendations for because it really encompasses so much - composition, literature, grammar, vocabulary, etc. At the high school level, I just focus on composition and literature with my children. With literature, we develop a book list and read, discuss, and write about different books. We tie composition in with other subjects as much as possible. If you'd like a specific resource to teach writing skills, I like the Wordsmith series (see my links page for a link to samples http://www.carolinahomeschooler.com/links.htm ). I'd recommend starting out with Wordsmith, then follow up with Wordsmith Craftsman.

Dianna

[motherof5]

English is a little trickier to offer recommendations for because it really encompasses so much - composition, literature, grammar, vocabulary, etc. At the high school level, I just focus on composition and literature with my children. With literature, we develop a book list and read, discuss, and write about different books. We tie composition in with other subjects as much as possible. If you'd like a specific resource to teach writing skills, I like the Wordsmith series (see my links page for a link to samples http://www.carolinahomeschooler.com/links.htm ). I'd recommend starting out with Wordsmith, then follow up with Wordsmith Craftsman.

Dianna
Diane,
Thank you for all great advice I really appreciate it alot. I'm going tomorrow to sumter to to enroll in the association you had recomended to me. Now once I go there do they contact the school or is that my department?

[Dianna]

Once your registration goes through and you're officially a member, you'll just take your membership letter to the school and withdraw your daughter. That should be all you need to do, but ask the Director and she'll guide you.

Dianna

[motherof5]

Diane,
What do you think of the Abeka books for physical science. Is it a good curriculum? I can't wait to start teaching my daughter I'm so excited to be able to have this opportunity. I don't have many things in this world that make me happy except my children they bring joy to my life.
Have a Great Day!! and Thank you again for all your advise.
Marianna:wave:

[Dianna]

Diane,
What do you think of the Abeka books for physical science. Is it a good curriculum?

Marianna, I don't have personal experience with Abeka, so I hope someone else will answer. However, it does seem that more parents tend to find Apologia more student-friendly than Abeka (at least on the homeschooling forums/mailing lists I visit).

Dianna

[duboisa]

I personally am not fond of abeka, but that is just me.. You can go to apolgia.com and print out the first chapter of every book they have and try it.. That is what I am using for science. It is great. and it qualifies for honors or AP in high school. abeka doesnt i think .

[motherof5]

I personally am not fond of abeka, but that is just me.. You can go to apolgia.com and print out the first chapter of every book they have and try it.. That is what I am using for science. It is great. and it qualifies for honors or AP in high school. abeka doesnt i think .
Thank you for the advice on the science I'll go print the first chapter out.
I could'nt go enroll my daughter yesterday so hopefully I can go on Tuesday. You are all very helpful on this site,Thank you , Marianna