 Introduction Joe:
One of the problems facing many families today with the high divorce rate is the
single parent that wants to homeschool. Is this possible and what strategies should a
single parent use to develop a homeschooling program?
 Shari:
It's definitely possible; however, and probably needless to say, it's
difficult. Homeschooling laws vary from state to state, so in one state a parent may be
able to work a few hours during the traditional school day while leaving an
appropriately aged child home alone, such job hours in another state may open that same
parent up to truancy charges. Single parents especially benefit by rallying outside
support.
  Flexibility is a key factor
My gut is to always think that flexibility is a key factor in difficult
homeschooling situations, but many single parents have told me that structure and a
finely tuned schedule is critical to their survival. Some bring their children to
their workplaces, others have family or close friends help with their homeschooling.
Developing a homeschooling program that suits them depends on their comfort level with
their own education (not to be confused with schooling), and with their work schedule. As
outside classes (including the internet) become more available for homeschoolers
(where the student draws help from and is accountable to someone else for at least some
subjects), I imagine homeschooling will become a more attractive option for single
parents.
Joe:
Unlike children who go to school all day, one of the things about homeschooling is that
your children are always home. Over the years, Sue and I have developed techniques to
carve out time for ourselves as a couple.
Have you developed any ideas or techniques for a couple to maintain their sanity and
mutual relationship when they are homeschoolers?
See the answer from Shari
  Making
Time
Meet the Author
Homeschooling: The
Early Years
Your Complete Guide
to Successfully Homeschooling the 3- to 8- Year-Old Child
by Linda Dobson, Jamie Miller
Interview & FREE Excerpt
  
The formative years are the most critical to a child's education. They lay the foundation
for developing learning skills that last a lifetime. For that reason, homeschooling during
those early years takes on considerable importance to parents dissatisfied with
traditional schools.
Meet the Author
"The Complete
Idiot's Guide to Homeschooling"
by Marsha Ransom
hosted by Joe Spataro
interview & FREE excerpt
  Marsha
Ransom, author of The
Complete Idiot's Guide to Homeschooling, is the mother of four children,
two of whom have always been homeschooled. She serves as a homeschool resource for her
local library and writes articles for Home Education Magazine, The Link: A Homeschool
Newspaper, Women's International Net, and Homeschool Dad Magazine. In this interview on
the Zone, Marsha discusses how she came to write this book,
developing your program, homeschooling
on a budget, what is happening with her homeschooled
children, her future plans and a FREE
excerpt which tells you how to set up a homeschool cooperative. |
homeschooling
books, ADD
& ADHD books, & Curriculum
Guides
