Choose Which Schedule Will Work Best For you
You are putting together a HIS School for HIS children. It will be a unique, one-of-a kind, HIS kind-of-school. As such it is going to work differently than what you’ve experienced before, especially in terms of grouping by age/grade. A homeschool model is a “Red School House” approach. Many educators have seen the advantages of such an education. This approach enables the use of the benefits of a multi-age, less factory-like education that scholars have recognized, but have been unable to employ in large public and private school systems. Indeed, despite the attempt to funnel children into groups of like abilities, the reality is that that in the vast majority of each individual public and private classroom, there is a broad spectrum of abilities, behaviors, while being taught with a ratio of 1 teacher for 25 or more students.
Christian families vary tremendously in terms of work. Some families require two full-time incomes to sustain the family. Others are headed by one parent. There are other families that have more flexibility in terms of the income demands on the parents. There is also a tremendous variance in terms of extended family who are not only available, but also are not close enough to help.
It was with this in mind that we have put together a variety of models (schedules).
There is either 2 or 3 full-day schedules (8 am-2:30). This schedule requires less volunteer help.
There is also a 5 day schedule. The 5 day schedule can work half day (8 am to noon) or full day (8 am-2:30 pm). This schedule will require far more volunteer help.
You can find a pdf for each of these schedules here. They include important considerations for each to help you decide which will work best for you.
Finally, don’t let these be the last word on the schedule that will work best for you. Pray and ask the Lord to show you how you can modify any of these. These are HIS Schools for HIS children!
Two Full Day Schedule
Three Full Day Schedule
Five Day Schedule: Half-Day or Full-Day
Choose Important Documents
Mission Statements
Although these are not required in most states, it never hurts to have a mission statement. These are best constructed with the parent team, but due to significant time constraints, we are providing some samples. Even if they are not written by a team, they can be modified, and they will definitely help the team pull together in one direction. As it has been said: TEAM — Together Everyone Achieves the Mission
Sample Mission Statements
Links to Helpful Resources
- Legal documents (Click here)
- Legal questions: Home School Legal Defense Association: https://hslda.org/
- Practical Answers to Practical Questions for Homeschools: https://nationalhomeschoolassociation.com/
This link provides help with myriad questions starting with: the problem of public schooling, help for parents who work full time, and even video courses to help with teaching tips.
- Home School World: https://www.home-school.com/groups/
This link offers multiple resources per state. Find your state, click and see what, if any resources your state provides.
Choose Your Curriculum
Big picture as well as ways to organize the instruction
Introduction
It is important to understand that there is no perfect curriculum. In addition, there are various opinions as to which approach works best. Some of you may have curriculum you love! If so, you can skip this section. Others of you don’t have a clue, especially if your child has never been in a Christian school — private or home. This section is your lifeline.
Curriculum will be one cost that you will likely need to bear. Bearing that in mind, we searched high and low for the most effective as well as the most affordable. The good news is that in the process of this search, it was discovered that the most affordable is also the most effective. Some of the very best is free! However, you will need to buy some curriculum. And even then, there are discounts available for homeschool programs (links provided in the curriculum guides). In addition, nine states offer funds for private education through Education Scholarship Accounts (ESA). With an ESA, parents direct their children’s education funding to the state-approved schools, courses, programs and services of their choice—plus unused funds can be saved for future K-12 and college expenses:
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Mississippi
- North Carolina
- New Hampshire (for low income)
- South Carolina (for low-income)
You can find out how to access these at this link:
https://www.google.com/search?q=ESA+Program+for+schools+in+USA&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari
The school you are putting together falls under the following description: “Christian homeschool meeting in a church”. This entitles you to discounts for homeschools, when available. It also provides protection under religious liberty.
Links for the curriculum are found in the Curriculum Guides — Elementary: K-5, Middle School: 6-8,and High School. You will find them below. You can download and print (if needed). Costs are included. There are a few options for you to consider, should you be so inclined, or if budget is a constraint. The following overview will provide guidance in making your decisions.
| Two Statements on the Hidden Costs of Education
Public “Families will pay an average of $577 on supplies for elementary students this year, which marks a 5.3% increase over last year. Those with middle school students can plan on paying an average of $763 and high school students can expect to spend around $1,223 on supplies. Those figures mark 5.3% and 9.5% increases, respectively.” (Public School Review, Grace Chen, June 22, 2023. HIS Schools “The cost per student in HIS Schools will be on average around $430. It will be higher for students in grades 1 & 2, depending on which Language Arts approach is selected. But it can be as low as $140 per student, per family.” Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman, July 29, 2023 |
Curriculum Overview and Guide: Grades K-8
Click Here for Grades K-8 Curriculum Overview
Click Here for Grades K-8 Curriculum Guide
Curriculum Overview and Guide: High School