Name: Kim F.
Education background: Bachelor's in Music Education, some graduate work
Number of children: Three. Total 8 years homeschooling experience: M was home 1, 3, 4th, 5th, and 6th. E: 1, 2, 3, 4,and 7 W: K, and 1 (so far)
Religion: Heathen, and I homeschool from a secular perspective.
Learning disabilities or special challenges: Oldest is Autistic
State(s) you have homeschooled in: I have homeschooled in Virginia, Colorado, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Virginia and Colorado were very hands off. Maryland seemed intimidating because you had to report to the school each year and show them the work you did. Pennsylvania has a lot of rules and ridiculous hoops to jump through as well, but recently they allowed you to have a private "evaluator" to go over your child's portfolio and give the final seal of approval instead of the superintendent having to also approve it.
One thing I think I wish I knew was how much homeschooling does NOT look like public school. The amount of hours your child spends learning is less. You have the freedom to allow them to pursue their intellectual interests, which I feel is one of the major benefits of homeschooling. It's OK to let your child lead, and help choose a curriculum. I also wish I understood that homeschooling did not mean being at home. It took us a few years to get out of our shells to meet like-minded moms and get out and do things. Now it's a huge part of what we do and we belong to a larger homeschooling community.
Favorite curriculum choice: Currently my favorite curriculum choice is Torchlight. It's a secular literature based curriculum. It's beautiful.
Homeschooling philosophy: I think my homeschooling philosophy is more of a goal to inspire my kids to love learning while preparing them for higher education should they choose.
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