Trafford Publishing: The California Homeschool Guide

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The California Homeschool Guide - Second Edition

by California Homeschool Network; Edited by Karen Taylor

365 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #01-0111; ISBN 1-55212-712-5; US$29.00, C$39.95, EUR26.00, £18.00

The California Homeschool Guide is a comprehensive handbook that answers the questions about homeschooling that parents need to know regarding their legal options in California, along with where to begin and how to find the resources they want.

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about the book      about the author      excerpt      catalogue info

About the Book

The California Homeschool Guide is the answer to what prospective and experienced California homeschoolers have been needing for years -- a comprehensive handbook that includes how to homeschool, legal options for California parents, inspiring advice from veteran homeschoolers, and extensive resources. The wisdom of many experienced homeschoolers was brought together into this guide to provide a resource that parents will be able to use for years as they go from new homeschooler to veteran.

About the Author

The California Homeschool Network (CHN) is an inclusive, statewide non-profit organization serving families across a diverse spectrum of homeschooling styles and philosophies. Editor Karen Taylor is CHN's former Executive Director, and she has also served as trustee, legal secretary, and moderator of CHN's e-mail list for California homeschoolers. She is the mother of two children; her oldest attended school, and her youngest has always been homeschooled.

Excerpt

Foreword by Diane Flynn Keith, editor/publisher of Homefires
Dear Reader,

    You are holding in your hands a wonder of the modern homeschool world in California. That's not an exaggeration. Just a decade ago, homeschooling in California was a clandestine activity and finding information on how to homeschool was next to impossible. My own story offers proof...
    In August of 1991, at 9 p.m., I stepped aboard a tiny sailboat moored in a harbor on the San Francisco Bay. I was directed below deck. There, in the dark galley three other women and I squeezed into seats around a scaled down table. In the faint light of a single lantern we watched as our hostess revealed a large, black binder with the words "Proprietary Information" stenciled across it in big, bold, type. She held the book up as if it was a sacred scripture and seemed to speak in tongues as she cited a string of education codes including 33190, 48224, and 51745. She mumbled strange acronyms like DOE, CTA, HSLDA, and CHSPE to name a few. The mantra concluded, she translated for us, "This book contains the information you need to homeschool in California!" She passed it around for each of us to examine--but warned us not to reveal the contents of the sparse pages to other people as it might get into the "wrong hands." She was referring to truant officers. She suggested that like some impatient vultures, they would swoop down on our school-ravaged carcasses and carry our children off to state-approved foster homes and government schools if they got wind of our homeschooling plans. We passed the book around and tried to imprint its contents to our brains--and proceeded to ask urgent questions in hushed tones. Two hours later we left, with her admonishment to keep our children inside the house until 2 p.m. each day in order to avoid nosy neighbors who might report our kids as truant.
    I left there frightened, but determined not to succumb to my fear. Since I had exhausted all of my other education options (public and private schools) I didn't have a choice. I was going to homeschool my children. It didn't matter that information was scarce, that the few support groups that existed operated like secret societies, and that there were just a handful of ready-made resources through which to develop a curriculum. I was not going to pay tuition for another year of tears and frustration at school. The light was dim that night, but I held hope for a brighter future for my family through homeschooling.
Fast forward 10 years...

    If you are reading this, then you are holding the future that I hoped for that night. A book, available to anyone, that sheds light on all of the accurate information, support, and resources available to families who make the choice to educate their children at home in California. A guide that not only explains how to homeschool, but one that inspires the reader with the wisdom of personal stories, along with suggestions for resources and activities. A manual that provides support and encouragement, and most of all--one that declares loudly and clearly that homeschooling is not only legal in California, but a viable educational alternative to proudly proclaim without fear of retribution. A handbook that declares homeschooling to be an activity to be conducted in broad daylight with the security of knowing it is safeguarded through the diligent efforts of tens of thousands of families throughout the state who believe in a parent's fundamental right to determine the educational course of their own children.
    The California Homeschool Network knows that information is power--and with this guide they are empowering families and giving them the courage to homeschool their children independently, without fear of government interference or regulation. This guide is a compendium of the wisdom and experience of veteran homeschoolers. In your hands you hold:

Reliable information about how to get started in homeschooling including the legal ways to homeschool, and how to develop a course of study based on your child's interests, abilities, learning styles, and needs.
The latest research studies about homeschooling and homeschoolers.
"Insight" to a typical day in homeschooling and how homeschoolers use the world as their classroom.
Answers to questions about socialization including "The Prom."
Kids' views of homeschooling told in their own words.
A Who's Who of famous homeschoolers.
Practical advice like: scheduling; record keeping; withdrawing children from school; choosing curriculum.
Advice on how to diplomatically tell your relatives about your plans to homeschool.
Examples of how everyday experiences like reading aloud, planting a garden, visiting a factory, taking a hike, cooking a meal, and playing games are the best curriculum.
A discussion of the various approaches to home education from traditional academics, to unit studies, to interest-initiated learning and more.
Real Samples of Curriculum--see for yourself the resourcefulness and creativity that homeschooling parents bring to the task of teaching their kids at home.
Advice on how to homeschool high school students, including information on the California High School Proficiency Exam, the GED, Driver's Education, and Work Permits.
Helpful hints on college admissions procedures and testing (includes SAT, ACT, and AP Exams).
Guidance for homeschooling kids with special needs.
Suggestions for incorporating computers into your homeschool along with ideas for educational software, Internet research, and online classes.
Sensible ideas for dealing with parent burn out, working with kids of different age or grade ranges, overscheduling, and dealing with parental inferiority complexes.
Pennywise tips for frugal homeschooling.
Suggestions for finding and developing homeschool support groups.
A comprehensive directory of homeschool resources including a list of educational product suppliers and textbook publishers for every subject including math, science, language arts, foreign languages, history, social studies, music, art, writing and computer sciences.

    And, as if that weren't enough, a Companion Guide to this book is available--a CD ROM containing many of the forms used by homeschoolers that will make getting started a breeze.
    In 1991, aboard that little boat, the prospect of homeschooling in California was a dim light flickering amidst fear, prejudice, and ignorance. Today, thanks in large part to the efforts of grassroots organizations like the California Homeschool Network--homeschooling is flourishing. Like the ancient world wonder, The Lighthouse of Alexandria, that guided mariners to safe harbor--this book, The California Homeschool Guide, is a wonder too. It is a wonder of the modern homeschool world. It is a beacon illuminating the way and openly guiding California families toward homeschool success.
    The California Homeschool Guide will help you to enjoy the wonder of homeschooling with your children!

Diane Flynn Keith
Editor/Publisher of Homefires

Catalogue Information