Homeschooling for beginners: 5 first steps

Happy New Year. Have you resolved to remove your kids from the public school system yet?

In "Get Out Now: Why You Should Pull Your Child from Public School Before It’s Too Late" (2019, Regnery Press), Mary Rice Hasson and Theresa Farnan sounded a wake-up call to parents with children in public schools: “The truth is that nearly everything in America’s public schools — the culture, discipline, curriculum hiring practices, school policies, even the names of schools themselves — is determined by progressive ideologues, both inside and outside the school systems. … Public education has been incredibly successful in one area: churning out youthful progressives — growing numbers of men and women in the grips of existential confusion, perpetual victimhood, and political intolerance” (p. xii).

Since their book’s publication, the situation has only become more tenuous, more ideologically insane, and more challenging for conservative — or even centrist — parents. There are some good arguments for staying in, but thousands have heeded Hasson’s advice in the meantime. Whether or not that’s a leap you want to take, understanding your options remains important.

And if you do want to homeschool, below is a step-by-step guide to getting started.

1. Meet legal requirements

Before getting into the question of how you’ll teach your kids, familiarize yourself with the more basic logistical problem of abiding by local laws. The Homeschool Legal Defense Association provides information on homeschooling laws in each state and offers legal support for homeschooling families.

2. Pick an educational approach

Once you understand the legal landscape of your locale, it’s time to explore the best pedagogical style for your family, which can depend on various factors such as your educational philosophy, teaching style, and the specific needs of your family. Research different approaches to homeschooling. The most popular include Charlotte Mason, the eclectic approach, Waldorf, Montessori, classical, and unit studies.

3. Find your friends

While determining which educational philosophy best fits your family’s needs, it’s important to talk to parents who are actually engaged in the non-abstract act of homeschooling in order to get an even clearer sense of what to expect and to tap into pre-existing homeschool networks. We weren’t meant to do it alone, and friends have a way of keeping one another accountable and inspired.

4. Choose curriculum

It’s important to refrain from running out to buy a curriculum before you feel fully prepared. Take some time to marinate in the other steps before spending any money. All-in-one boxed sets seem promising, but they are expensive, and you may very well end up using only a part of them, or not at all. This is where friendly input will matter most.

In that spirit, here are several homeschool curricula recommended to me by experienced mothers in my church community. They combine the teaching philosophies of classical education and Charlotte Mason, conformed to the Catholic tradition. These include Seton Home Study School, Mother of Divine Grace School, and Mater Amabilis.

5. Begin

Ryan Topping writes for the Cardinal Newman Society, “Insofar as homeschooling habituates parents and siblings to make room for each other, they win opportunities to practice charity. By the subordination of their finances and their time and their sweat to the great project of educating their children, they are particularly suited to the building up of Catholic culture in our time through embracing new life and nurturing the children that come to them.” The same is true for the more specific American culture that has been systematically undermined from the inside out, beginning in our public schools. The new frontier is our own front stoop; if only we practice the courage to begin!