My File

Homeschooling is a spiritual experience for the whole family. Because it is not just about books, or curriculum, or tests or achievements. It is about love, change, growth and enlightenment for both the children and the parents. Famous homeschoolers includes Alexander Graham Bell,Albert Einstein, Agatha Christie,Bernard Shaw,Benjamin Franklin,George Patton,Winston Churchill and many others.

The term ‘homeschooling’ basically refers to the process in which one or more children of not more than 2 families are instructed by parents or legal guardians, or a member of either household.The laws that define homeschooling vary from state to state. The legal requirements for establishing a homeschool also vary with the state.

According to the National Center For Education Statistics, almost 1.1 million children underwent homeschooling in 2005 alone. That’s a lot of children. Once upon a time, homeschooling used to be a
radical statement – something like a declaration of independence. It was the conservative Christians who advocated homeschooling in the ’80s and legalized it in every State. But the typical homeschooler of the day is not religiously motivated.

For most children, the actual process of learning begins much before school. Many children already know their alphabets, the names of animals, colors and other more complicated stuff before they reach school. This is mostly due to the hard work of a member of the family who has taken the time to teach the child. Homeschooling is just a natural progression from here. Instead of sending their children to a public school, parents make their own curriculum and teach their children in ways that best suit the child. This is homeschooling, in its most simplistic form.

Before you decide to go in for homeschooling, there are certain important matters for consideration. First off, meet with parents of other homeschoolers. Find out the pros and cons of homeschooling. Then ask yourself why you would want to adopt this method. This is a very important aspect, as the success of the program depends on the clarity and sincerity of your purpose.

Next, it is time to consider the expenses of homeschooling. It may cost anywhere between a few hundred dollars to a few thousand every year. More importantly, you are also effectively shutting out any job opportunity for one of the parents. It is only obvious that one parent will have to stay at home full time to manage the homeschool. A home-based business however is a great alternative.

Are you qualified to take on homeschooling for your children? Teaching is a continuation of your own learning process. With the advent of the internet, information is aplenty. There are various books and resources for those interested in homeschooling. Go through the various methods of homeschooling and choose one that is most suited to you. It helps if you know what kind of learning style your child has. Also, find out what your child feels about homeschooling before you start.

Every state has its own laws regarding homeschooling. For instance, in North Carolina, you must first file a ‘Notice of Intent’ to start a home school. In this you have to mention if the school is a ‘Private church’ school or a ‘qualified non-public school’. The persons providing the education are required to have at least a high school diploma. You have to maintain an annual record of the child’s attendance and disease immunization. Every year, the child is required to undergo a standardized test. Each student attending the eleventh grade has to take a nationally standardized test. These are the requirements in North Carolina, but it is enough to give you a good idea of what homeschooling entails.

Homeschooling may seem like a lot of fun and freedom from the outside. However, things are seldom as simple as they seem.Homeschooling is a lot of added responsibility and hard work. But, if successful, it will forge a strong bond of love and respect between parent and child, while providing your child with the best form of education he needs.

In many of the Landmark forums all participants are often urged to get in touch with their feelings. Of all the life coaching mechanisms used in the forum, this has been established to be the most effective. Although, it is not everyone who is able to share personal issues to strangers, with encouragement from the group this is possible. At any forum you will have to tell a personal story whether painful or not and share with others in the meeting about the experience. The essence of this kind of training is to foster openness with yourself and others. The advantage of this is that you get to have the confidence to have open relationships with loved ones and those at work.

It is not easy being open to a group of strangers. To make this much easier and simple enough for you, the organizers of the forum often have in place various mechanisms. In any Landmark Forum it is not strange to find participants being given assignments. The homework you will get from the education forum is geared towards helping you to become more open. A common assignment offered with the Landmark education is for each individual to write down about a given topic. Whatever you have written down is what you will have to present to other members at the meeting.

This Technique is used in all the forums offered by the Landmark Education. No matter the language used in a forum the education system is the same. This is why you do not have to worry about which forum you get into.

When making confessions and talking about your past, you will be encouraged to come clean of whatever is holding you back. It has been established that many people are not productive because of something that may have happened in their past. Therefore, if you are to move forward and be productive, you must forget about the past. There is no good way of forgetting a past mistake or wrong you may have done than if you talk openly about it to others.

At the Landmark education you get to use openness as one of the healing points from any mistakes or pain that held you back from achieving your dreams. If you get to successfully graduated from the forum, you will be able to understand and attest to the success of using openness to heal. The idea of letting go of your past memories opens up a world of new possibilities to you.

The main reason why you should enter a Landmark Forum is to train yourself on how to make every circumstance a positive one. This kind of life training will give you the freedom to live life the best way you can. Furthermore, it provides you with the power to make anything you dreamed of possible. All this can be possible only if you become open, both on a personal level and with others. Furthermore, once you get to interact with others who are in search of personal fulfillment, then you will be able to have successful life training.