When to start?

Tagged: 

Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • Cindie2dds
    Member

    When do you all start your school year?  Does anyone start in the winter?  I was thinking about starting in January since I’m still planning and that’s when we will finish up things we already were using before we found this wonderful place.  Does anyone else start at an odd time of the year?

    ~Cindie

    crazy4boys
    Participant

    I “start” whenever I feel like it.  We usually don’t really “stop” though, just take a week or so, or a month if needed.  Just add stuff in or change it or start it whenever you want.  It’s homeschooling – that’s what we do!!!!

    lsacher
    Participant

    We go year round (which is hard when everyone else is on their summer break and the doorbell rings all day) but take weeks and months off all the time. Since we are CMers with unschooly tendancies, this works well for us. We usually take 1/2 of August, 1/2 of september, 1/2 of december and the beginning of january, a week or two in march, and lots of weeks here and there in the summer. Our on weeks are lessons 3 mornings a week – the other days and afternoons are filled with activities, trips, and playdates with our homeschooling group. I love the flexibility. don’t think for a second there is anything wrong with “starting” whenever works for you. We just move on to the next level, book, or whatever, when we are done with something.

    Misty
    Participant

    Our offical school starts in August and runs till end of April/May.  But we also school year round.  We do more fun things I find and want to try out.  We continue math and reading ALWAYS.  We feel that it’s important to keep the brains working.

    Start whenever you feel it’s best, don’t worry about it as long as you are doing what you want to get done! Misty

    Cindie2dds
    Member

    The reason I am asking is because I’m stuck on this “age thing.”  My dd will be 6 in January, but she’s already narrating on her own (I’m not backdooring, Sonya, I promise Wink) and loving picture study, etc.  I thought I could just start after her 6th birthday instead of waiting until the fall.  Some kids go to first grade right after their 6th birthday, if they have a summer birthday.  I’m going to take it slow and see how she does, maybe even take a year and a half to get done.  She’s asking all sorts of questions and really enjoys school, especially after we switched to a CM approach.

    Any opinions?

    FYI: We will school year round, 3 weeks on 1 week off.

    Sonya Shafer
    Moderator

    Do you have any local legal requirements that might be involved in the decision?

    Cindie2dds
    Member

    Well, great question.  It’s not crystal clear.  I live in Texas and HSLDA says:

    Compulsory age:  “a child who is at least six years of age, or who is younger than six 

    years of age and has previously been enrolled in first grade, and who 

    has not yet reached the child’s 18th birthday shall attend school”

    This is the rest:

    Required Days of Instruction: 180 days. Only required for public schools. § 25.081. 

    Required Subjects: Good citizenship, math, reading, spelling and grammar. 

     

    Home School Statute:  None. 

     

    That’s all it says about Texas.  There’s no reporting, no notification, nothing.  Also, no History, Literature or Science at all!  The way I read it is during the school years the above subjects are required to be covered.  I’m not sure what the “at least 6” means.

    Any thoughts?

    nerakr
    Participant

    I was going to wait and follow the ps calendar, but dh said, “Go ahead and start already,” so we started the first Monday of July. We had some unexpected (and expected) dr’s appts and other things come up, so we finished 45 days last Thursday. If we don’t take off more than two days, our next 45-day term would end the day before Thanksgiving. But we may be spending the day at Grandma’s since our water’s running slow today. We’ll still finish before Christmas. Whenever we finish this term, I plan to stop until after the new year. We’ll still read. He’ll still count his cars and play math and language games on the computer, so it won’t be like he’s not learning anything.

    Karen

    Cindie2dds
    Member

    What do you think, Sonya?

    RobynN
    Member

    I also live in Texas and I worked with my 6yr old very slowly. She is a little immature for her age so I go at her pace. She will be 7 in a couple of weeks and we will be speeding up the pace since she is ready for harder work.  I would wait if that’s what you want to do. We are not starting school until October.

    No where in the Texas law  (that I’m aware of) does it  say when you have to start school or what times during the year you must do school. 🙂

    Sonya Shafer
    Moderator

    Sounds like Texas law won’t be a factor, so I agree with Karen and RobynN. Go ahead and start giving her a little more if she wants it. You’ve already been educating her all along, so just keep going as she’s ready and don’t worry about what the calendar says.

    Cindie2dds
    Member

    Thank you.  You are truly a blessing.  I hope I can come to a seminar in person to give you a hug!  

Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)
  • The topic ‘When to start?’ is closed to new replies.