Homeschooling 101

Tips on being a homeschool parent
Many parents may worry about burnout if they've taken on the responsibility of teaching their children, but the Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents website offers three tips for staying engaged in what they're teaching:

1. Join a support group to participate in activities with other children.

2. Have other parents teach your child material you find difficult and you can return the favour.

3. If you have a working partner, have them play with or teach the children when they return from work.

Elementary school and beyond
Many parents worry that their low level of education will stunt their homeschooled child from reaching her full potential. However, a study released in 1997 by the National Home Education Research Institute in Oregon found very little correlation between a parent's education and the ability of their homeschooled child to reach a higher level of education.

The purpose of homeschooling is to give children the skills they need to learn on their own, so once they have surpassed your education level they can find the proper resources with your help to learn what they need to meet career goals.

All universities have a homeschool admissions policy (except Queens University in Kingston, Ontario). Ottawa University offers the Head Start program where high school-aged students can take university level classes.

The key is finding a support group
Support groups are available in every province of the country, and can all be found easily online:

• Directory of homeschool support groups in Alberta

• Directory of homeschool support groups in B.C.

• Directory of home school support groups in Nova Scotia

• Directory of home school support groups in Ontario

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