Teachers Turned Homeschoolers

I am not a former educator but have a friend who was one. She and her husband said that when there daughter was born she would then leave her job to be a SAHM and would homeschool their children as she was more than capable. We lost touch when they moved around the time their daughter was 1.5.

Fast forward 6 years and who do I run into at my daughter's school? My friend who was enrolling her daughter in 2nd grade. While quite capable my friend hated homeschooling. I remembered her words years later when I was beginning to homeschool my stepdaughter. I wasn't trained to be an educator but I loved homeschooling!

Moral = you won't really know until you give it a try : )

I am not a former teacher but my children have both been in public school and homeschooled. If you are feeling the urge to do and being a former teacher you are experienced I say go for it. Don't let convential thinking or social norms steer you away from what you think is the right path.

As for curriculums it really depends on what you are looking for. Are you comfortable using different resources to build your own? Do you want structured or unstructured? Personally I use Calvert School and I love it. I always recommend them. It is a secular (non-religion based) complete curriculum, meaning it contains everything you will need for that grade level. It is a little expensive but it is worth it in my opinion. In your kit you will get all student books and work books for each subject, the books assigned for reading, teacher manuals for each subject laid out in a daily format (but being homeschool you can adjust this to fit your needs), every 20th lesson is a test lesson and tests are provided, you will also get a lot of extra manipulatives (pencils, ruler, counting blocks, paper counters, clocks, number lines, rock samples, ect) depending on the grade level. The general course includes online support, games, and other learning tools. You can also purchase the ACS (I think it is called) service that gives you a personal "teacher" and allows you to send papers and tests in for grading as well as feed back. You also have the option of purchasing extra things like special unit studies. If you purchase it you will love it. And in some states they offer their curriculum basically free through a (the term just left me) like a distance education program. Check them out....google them.

not sure why your question is just addressed to former teachers, but as a homeschooler i can say with confidence that whether or not you have formal teaching experience, homeschooling is a great choice.
if i had used a boxed curriculum it would have been a waldorf one, clonlara or oak meadow or something along those lines. i also like aspects of the classical curricula like charlotte mason. but i never liked any one curriculum enough to invest in it. and if someone like me can devise a great individualized curriculum for my kids (one just graduated college, one is getting ready to start his junior year), a teacher ought to be able to do it too. pick one that you like, maybe invest in some of the materials, but be prepared to jump off and accessorize as you and your child sees fit.
nothing better than being able to custom tailor your own child's educational experience to maximize her potential and overcome her challenges.
nothing.
good luck!
khairete
S.

I taught 4th grade in public school, right when they were handing down the NCLB standards. There was so much politics in my school I taught at that I decided I would never send my children to public school. When I got pregnant I quit teaching. I went back to teaching in private school when my oldest went into Kindergarten. The school was good, until they decided it was more a mission than a school and required all of their teachers to attend their church. If you didn't attend the church you lost your job, therefore, I lost my job. So I turned to homeschool. It was the best decision I ever made and wish I would have made it sooner! I got the K12 program. They send you the curriculum, all of the manipulatives, and a computer with their schooling on it as well. My son has to be in school for 4 1/2 hours a day. 2 hours for Language, 1 hour for Math, 45 minutes each elective and 20 minutes of what they call Study Island which prepares the kids for ISAT testing. One tip I can give you is to be teacher when you are working with your kids and be mom when you are not. Since they are used to sitting infront of a teacher it will be more difficult for them to sit infront of a computer or stay focused at first, but once it happens you will be amazed. K12 has the kids learning at such a higher level than public school that they are really more prepared. My friends use IDEA which is where you do most of the curriculum picking and teaching and you have a teacher to turn the kids work into and she grades it and tells you how well you are doing.

Hope this helped :)

I taught for 10 years and "retired" the year of the horrid Columbine shootings. I knew the minute I quit that I would homeschool and I love it. The nice thing is that with your background, it will make the transition a little easier.
If you are planning on having your children attend college, then Saxon is great. It is a college prep curriculum. If you are Christian, then there is Sonlight, A Beka, and a few others. We started with Sonlight and A Beka and have now moved to Saxon (the homeschool co-op we attend uses Saxon).
When my son started 2nd grade we started at the homeschool co-op. It has been wonderful as we get to pick and choose the classes we want and he is instructed by other people, changes classes, eats lunch with his friends, etc... But it is only 2 days a week and we do the rest at home.

One of the best things about homeschooling is that you can get out and take "field trips" every week and get hands-on learning and experience. Instead of reading about things and looking at pictures in a book, you can take your kids out and see the real thing and learn through experience. We write reports on EVERYTHING and even I have learned so much, as well. :)
Best wishes for your possible new adventure!
R.

I taught HS math for 4 years and then decided to stay home with my daughter. She is only 2 years old, but I plan to homeschool her. I actually plan on a child-led interest approach instead of a certain curriculum. Some people refer to this type of homeschooling as unschooling. If you're worried about shedding your conventional teaching style I assume this wouldn't interest you. Just start to give it a try with some kind of method and it will evolve to what suits you best. I have a friend (also ex-teacher) who just started homeschooling. She is following a reading-based approach. She is following a curriculum that she bought but she's also always adapting the curriculum to fit her daughter - since that's the best thing you can do when homeschooling - cater directly to your child one-on-one!!

I am in the same boat. I finally got my husband on board with private school, but the way the school is run causes drama. I HATE DRAMA!
I am seriously considering homeschooling and joining a coop. They have certified, experienced teachers for the upper grades when it gets beyond me.
I found a curriculum for homeschoolers that is free. It is classical and can be adapted. I am trying to find someone who uses it and really can give me feedback. It is called Ambleside Online. It stresses thinking and becoming a moral person as well.

The hardest thing to do is NOT follow the public school's set curriculum. Oh I wanted to make sure my kids got this history at this time and this science at this time. It made me nuts, I was trying to follow their rules still.
So I bought Bob Jones Science and History and it is working very well. And you know what, It is not what the public school kids are taught. Oh no, Bob Jones uses the Bible, gasp!!!
I used Shurley Grammar for two years then switched to Rod and Staff. Shurley gets the nitty gritty grammar down. It has jingles that my senior is still singing and she only had it 5th and 6th grades. Rod and Stafff is very thorough and uses the Bible for most of their sentences.
I use Singapore Math until 6A then we switch to the actual PreAlgebra book used in the VA public schools. I just happen to have a copy so why buy another book.
I use The LAtin Road to English Grammar, I started this in 4th grade.

OK Close your eyes, hold your nose and jump in with both feet.
THe first year is the learning curve. If you can get through Grammar, math, spelling, and maybe a science or social studies you are doing great. Both you and the kids are learning to learn from each other, you are setting the I am mom, now I am teacher tone. It takes a while to get used to.
The first year the testing scores may be low or there may be no improvement from the last scores, don't get discouraged. By year 2 the scores will be much better. In VA we have to have a standardized test every year.

We do a lot of Historical fiction, a lot of science books with experiments from the library. We go once a week.

Check out hslda.org
No there are no tax breaks for homeschoolers

I still work on the public school's calendar as I have one in the high school and next year the next one is going in. It is too hard for me to do school while one is baking cookies or playing Wii. I will have only one home next year.

Good luck, you can do this!!!!