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What about sick days?

What about sick days? Do they count in our 180-day requirement?

My philosophy is we learn 365 days a year. It’s our job to document 180 of those days. If your children (or you) are sick and don’t feel like documenting, then skip it until everyone feels better.

If your kids are reading, watching educational streaming or documentaries, etc., then you can document and count attendance (even if they’re sick, they’re learning).

I remember when my whole family had a virus and there was a “History of NASA” documentary series on TV. We spent the whole day watching one episode after another, just enjoying it (and learning a lot from it). We counted and documented that.

Homeschoolers don’t have “sick days” like the schools do. But we have better – 365 days to work with.

Skipping Grades and Graduating Early

Carolina Homeschooler — *Learning is a journey, not a race.*

I’m often asked about skipping grades and graduating early.

In my opinion, learning is a journey, not a race. And hopefully, it’s a life-long journey. In my homeschool, grade level is beside the point. My children learned at home until they were of the normal age to graduate and pursue their post-high school goals.

So my advice is to focus on providing more in-depth learning experiences rather than skipping grade levels.

If you’re using a school-in-a-box curriculum where everything is targeted to a specific grade level, you can move ahead, or provide different, enriched, and more meaningful learning activities for the rest of the year.

If you’re using different providers or resources for each grade level, you have a lot more flexibility to tailor education to your student’s strengths and weaknesses. You can move ahead in some areas, slow down in others.

For high school students, use all four years as a period of exploration by adding apprenticeships, independent projects, and internships in whatever area of study your student is passionate about. Don’t cut this short by rushing to college or post-high school jobs. If given this time and space, your student will be more likely to have solid career and life goals, and a clear path on how to get there.

And finally, college is a totally different social scene. Over my 30+ years of homeschooling, all of the parents and students I’ve known personally (public, private, and homeschool) who’ve graduated and entered college early have regretted it. I’m sure there are others who didn’t regret it, but I don’t know them personally.

What is homeschooling?

Many families are interested in homeschooling but aren’t sure about the differences between homeschooling, virtual public charters, and other options. I hope this helps to clarify.

Homeschooling

Homeschoolers are governed by SC’s homeschool law. We pay for everything ourselves and have the freedom to choose our own curriculum, resources, methods of assessment, and schedule. Our children are not considered public school students, can learn at their own pace, don’t have to answer to outside teachers, and aren’t required to take standardized tests.

If you choose to homeschool, you have to register with a homeschool association. Most families choose an association that operates under Option 3 of the SC homeschool law. (Options 1 and 2 are considered more restrictive, requiring curriculum approval, more documentation, and testing. For more details, see this.)

Personalized Education Program (through ESTF)

The Education Scholarship Trust Fund, administered by the South Carolina Department of Education, allows eligible parents to apply for a scholarship that can be used toward a personalized education program for their child. These options may include enrollment in approved private, online, or religious schools; curriculum and tutoring services; educational equipment and supplies; specialized services; and more — all subject to state approval.

NOTE: Families choosing this option are not homeschooling, and cannot register to homeschool through Options 1, 2, or 3.

Students must take standardized tests (possibly three times a year, depending on circumstances), and the results of these tests must be reported to the state. Graduation information must also be reported to the state. (Other tracking information is required – see the links above for more information.

This new alternative raises a lot of questions, and the available information is often conflicting and unclear. Here are some FAQs from an external website — I can’t guarantee their accuracy.

SC Public Virtual Charter Schools

If you want to enroll your children with one of SC’s public virtual charter schools (Connections, SCVCS/K12, Odyssey Online Learning, SC Whitmore School, whatever), they will be public school students. The state will pay for their curriculum, but your students will have to follow public school requirements (curriculum, testing, schedules, etc.).

If you choose to enroll in one of these schools, don’t register as a homeschooling family. (You won’t be homeschooling.)

Online Private Schools (religious, secular, accredited, or whatever)

If you want to enroll your children in an online private school that serves homeschoolers, you’ll likely still have to register with a homeschool association. You have to be “counted” somewhere in a public school, private school, or homeschool association that reports to the South Carolina Department of Education, and most online schools don’t. The online school is providing your curriculum, but you’re still homeschooling because you’re paying for it and you have the freedom to choose a different curriculum at any time.

Still confused?

If you’re paying for it and can change it up at any time, then you’re likely homeschooling. It all boils down to freedom. If you want to have the most control and freedom over what your children learn, and the way they learn it, then homeschooling is the best fit for you.

If the state is paying for it, then you’re likely not homeschooling. If you’re more comfortable with someone else taking the reins, and don’t mind following their scheduling, course requirements, and testing, then a virtual public charter school may be a better fit for you.

VirtualSC

VirtualSC often confuses people because they think it’s a SC public virtual charter school, but it’s not a school at all. The state of South Carolina provides free virtual classes to public, private, and homeschool students in grades 6-12 through VirtualSC. These classes are for all SC students who may not otherwise have access to certain subjects. They also provide credit recovery classes for public school students who failed a class in their local school and need to retake it to get the credit. (You have to be legally registered as a public, private, or homeschool student to take these classes.)

Not sure what you want to do?

If you’re still not sure what you want to do, don’t stress – you have time to decide! Research all your options and then start with what you think is the best fit for your family. My FAQs will help you learn more about homeschooling.

If you think you want to start with a virtual public charter school (because that’s what you’re used to with the public schools, or you want them to pay for your curriculum, or whatever), then apply as soon as possible. There may be limits, and time-sensitive requirements.

If you change your mind during the year (not uncommon), you can switch to homeschooling.

I want to homeschool, but I want to keep my kids on track with the public schools so they can return next year. What should I do?

You can talk to your school and see if they’re willing to help you coordinate their learning.
You can enroll with a public virtual charter school since that’s public school at home and should (theoretically) be the same as brick-and-mortar schools.
You can embrace homeschooling this year and take advantage of all the benefits of homeschooling, then coordinate re-entry whenever you decide to return.

(For the record, I recommend #3.)

Dear Crisis Homeschooler

NOTE: This was written in response to families homeschooling due to the COVID pandemic. My answer is still relevant to those who’re using a “school-at-home” method and are frustrated with the results.

Dear Crisis Homeschooler,

Speaking as an ex-school psychologist and, more importantly, a 30+ year homeschooler, it helps to understand that what the schools do is second best (actually, not even second best). The teachers and principals I worked with would’ve loved to do what we do (or should do) – tailor education to each child’s interests, abilities, and passions.

But they can’t – they don’t have the time or resources to do that. So they have to use textbooks and other resources that have been passed through committee after committee to get approved. Then they have to standardize everything to a class of 25 or so same-age students and focus on teaching to the test.

Why would we want to duplicate that?

We don’t want standardized children. We want children who can engage in meaningful learning experiences, who value learning, and who will learn how to learn for the rest of their lives.

Meaningful learning doesn’t involve 8-hour days full of textbooks and worksheets. It doesn’t mean homework. (Homework is irrelevant in a homeschool setting). It doesn’t mean testing. (Which is also irrelevant in a homeschool setting). It means unlearning everything “society” has taught us about learning as it’s portrayed in the public schools (and in many private schools, and even some homeschools).

That’s why what you’ve been doing as a “crisis homeschooler” isn’t working. It doesn’t even work for the public schools, and you’re seeing first-hand why it doesn’t.

When your local library opens again, see if it has my book, Homeschooling Essentials. It will show you what homeschooling really is (or could be). It describes typical days and schedules, different homeschooling methods, favorite curricula and resources, and includes advice from hundreds of homeschool parents who answered my surveys.

If your library doesn’t have it, I will donate copies. Just ask them to email me.

You can do this!

Trial Run

I’m often asked how to do a “trial run” before fully committing to homeschooling, especially during the summer. My advice is not to bring out the textbooks and workbooks.

Instead, do this:

Go to museums and zoos, and participate in any extra educational programs they offer.
Visit state parks and historic sites and participate in their park programs and junior ranger programs.
Watch and discuss educational television, documentaries, and/or streaming that interests you.
Go to the library and check out laundry-basket-loads of books, both fiction and non-fiction, and read/discuss them together.
Do any projects or experiments that interest you.

Document the details and dates of these activities, and list the titles of books, documentaries, movies, etc., in a planner or journal (learn how to document here).

At the end of the summer, you’ll have a truly meaningful and fun learning experience that you and your children will remember longer than anything learned through a textbook or workbook. And all of it counts.

If you decide to continue homeschooling, choose an Option 3 homeschool association to register with, and count these summer days as attendance. Then keep doing what you’ve been doing.

If you want to add more structured learning for math and writing when the “traditional” school year begins in August, choose different resources then. But for now – keep learning outside of the classroom!