And it doesn’t take a lot of time. As homeschoolers, we spend an average of three hours a day on our bookwork and by year’s end, children are typically ahead of their grade level. It’s really not that hard. Parents do not have to wait for someone else to “give” their children an education. There is a lot they can do on their own.
For starters, the Ministry of Education posts everything a student needs to learn in each grade. These are called Provincial Learning Outcomes or PLOs. Anyone can go online and print out the outcomes for their grade. For instance, my son is heading into Grade 6. This means he needs to know about extreme environments, the five kingdoms and electricity. He needs to do a novel study. He needs to cover the math outcomes for his grade. There’s more, but it’s all listed on the government website.
Each year, I print off the list of what my children need to learn to meet B.C. PLOs and then head down to a bookstore that specializes in curriculum (there are several) and pick up the math book that meets the outcomes, language arts non-fiction and creative-writing textbooks, a spelling workbook, a few social studies books and some art and science supplies.
Then I go to the local library and stock up on reading material that also happens to align with the PLOs. This is all free.
There are excellent educational resources online, such as the Khan Academy for math outcomes, and IXL. These also allow parents to track their child’s progress and spot any weak areas. These require almost no teaching on the part of the parent, when combined with their math textbook or the instructional videos that sites like the Khan Academy provide. For free.
As a bonus, games like Sim City and Minecraft also have a lot to teach.
We also plan several field trips and group events with other home learners. B.C. is full of great venues, including museums, galleries and conservation areas. My children keep a journal and I keep a portfolio of their work.
Three times a year, a certified teacher reviews our children’s work and updates their report cards for the Ministry of Education. Of course, you can track your child’s PLOs and empower them to learn without enrolling with a school board or being assigned a teacher.
If, however, you choose to enroll with an independent (a.k.a. homeschooling) board, you receive $600 per student (more for special needs) for supplies and any lessons you add to their learning plan, including swimming, music, art, science and other programs that align with the PLOs. Several independent school boards also offer terrific community classes for students. Plus, you have until Sept. 30 to make your final selection of which school in which to enroll your child.
Meanwhile, you can stock up on curriculum and get your child on track before the schools open for business.
I hope this little cheat-sheet to home education alleviates some of the fear. The books and resources are available to anyone. It is doable. For you and your student.
Not to worry, we’ve found learning is not that difficult when you have a few children in a safe environment learning through books and resources picked out just for them, with guides on the side who care about them and challenge them in appropriate ways. In many ways, the homeschooling environment sounds like what teachers are asking for — maybe because they know it works, when the basics are firmly in place.
Dayna E. Mazzuca is a Victoria writer and homeschooling parent.
