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I've heard this a couple of times in different circles. I'm not sure I understand.

 

If the kid is AT HOME and not AT SCHOOL, isn't that home schooling? 

 

Is this just another nitpicky argument about who is homeschooly enough and who isn't? 

 

I understand that online school is not the same as what I do. Neither is school-in-a-box, but I would certainly not say THAT is "not homeschool".

 

I remember hearing arguments way back when that "real homeschoolers" don't use textbooks. Living books only! That sounds kind of silly to me now, in the age of Rainbow Resource. 

 

Is this just more of the same? Or is there a legitimate definition that separates some kids who learn at home from other kids who learn at home?

 

I just remembered that someone argued that because K12 is funded through the state, and students are officially registered as public school students, they are not homeschooling.

In that case, what about public charters which offer funds and oversight, but no instruction? Does the fact that the state offers a stipend for books mean that those families are not actually homeschooling, even though they use the exact same materials and resources that the rest of us do? 

 

I'm not looking to start a war. I'm just trying to get a bit of perspective so I can stop looking like a deer in headlights when people say these things. 

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I think some just define homeschooled as "outside the realm of public education", i.e. no public funds, no state testing requirements, no oversight by public school officials.

I think in some states you can enroll in online schools as a private school option from what I've read.

Also some look at homeschool as parents choose and implement the curriculum. Those states that have public charters (CA does and I investigated them for my friend) that provide $ usually require testing/specific list of curriculum/reporting/projects, etc. so it is much more "school-like" if that makes any sense. Parent "choices" are limited, basically only the method/place of instruction are all that is left up to parents.

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I think it is just one of those things where people want to make a martyr of themselves over what they do for their child.

 

I had to argue with myself over those stupid voices that if I went through K12 as independent learning that I would no longer be a "real" homeschooler.  In the end, the buck stops with me as far as their education is concerned. I have no one to be accountable to for what they learn. That makes me a homeschooler even though we do school on the computers most of the time.

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IMO, it's not homeschooling if they're doing so through a public school. If they're going the correspondence school route on their own, then I'd be more apt to consider it homeschooling. For me it has less to do with the being at home part and more to do with which laws they're covered under. If they aren't required to follow the state's homeschool laws, then it's not homeschooling.

 

I think it's perfectly ok for them to participate in homeschool groups and socialization stuff, but it is not the same thing.

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This is how it is where I live:

1.  Homeschoolers have to take a nationally normed test (ie ITBS) every odd year starting in 3rd (or get an evaluation done).

2.  Public schoolers have to take the state test (yearly, I think, and I forget what it's called).

If you enroll in the K12 VA through the state, you are, by definition, a public schooler doing school at home.  You have a teacher to check in with.  You have to be prepared to take the state test.  

Now, my younger boys attend a 1 day a week program through the public school.  However, they aren't there enough hours to lose our homeschooling designation under the law.  We have to take the nationally normed test every odd year starting in 3rd.  We are homeschoolers who attend a publicly funded enrichment program.

I have a friend who uses another publicly funder charter school program for her sons.  One takes 2 classes; he's still legally a homeschooler and falls under homeschool laws.  The other takes 5 classes; he's legally a public schooler and falls under public school laws.

So, while I would consider all of the valid educational choices, legally, there are differences.  But it's not a hill I'm going to die on, though it is a hill that I'll climb up and answer to avoid vacuuming and reading history to my younger boys.

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I don't know how it works in every state, but in the states we have lived in, legally there is a definite distinction. We had friends that were enrolled through the state's virtual ps school. The daughter had to meet with the teacher for weekly conferences, had to turn in assignments, and everything she did was actually controlled by the school. She had to actually go to a ps to take her standardized tests, etc.

 

Are far as who is a homeschooler? That is a loaded question. ;). I don't discuss really homeschooling with most homeschoolers IRL. There is a reason for that. :)

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From a government standpoint, it is not homeschooling if it is a public online academy of some kind.  I recently called our state's online academy up.  It follows public school regulations on enrollment, course load etc.  And it is funded by taxes.  This has nothing to do with whether or not people who use this option are accepted by homeschoolers in coops etc. or where they do their schooling.  

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Well technically speaking it isn't homeschool it is virtual public school. People in our state who do Connections are not registered with their district as homeschoolers. Most homeschoolers I know welcome them to join in with any local homeschool events though since they are schooling at home. ;)

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I don't consider it real homeschooling unless the parent is the one making the final decisions.  So, doing K12 on your own?  Homeschooling.  Doing K12 where they get to grade you?  Not homeschooling.  I don't care who pays for it - I know in some states you can buy curricula through certain programs with some small regulations.  I think that's homeschooling.  But the parent has to be the major decision maker, grader, curriculum picker, and schedule maker.  The buck stops with the parent in homeschooling, not the virtual academy teacher.

 

But that said, I don't especially care in terms of who posts on boards, or who comes to homeschool events, or what you want to call yourself or whatever.

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We have two distinctly different groups here in Australia, because we have had distance education for more remote locations for a long time. We have

 

Distance Education/Correspondence and Homeschooling/Home Education

 

Distance education is when a child is sent work from a distance school, government or private. Their parents are the tutors, helping to teach the work sent out, but work is sent back to the school regularly and there is regular contact with the teachers at the school, either with the parent in younger grades, or with the student themselves as they get older. Often there are online classes or phone classes with these teachers. The parent cannot control what is being taught, what resources etc, they are simply help and supervision for the assigned work. Your K12 seems to fall into this category.

 

Homeschooling involves the parent setting out the year plan, determining resources, and, aside from a few items sent in for reporting purposes, all work is marked by the parent, overseen by the parent, assigned by the parent and taught by the parent unless they outsource. They have near complete control over what is taught and what they use, and can pick and choose and edit programs as they see fit.

 

There is some overlap. The state DE students generally don't interact with homeschoolers, but the private and ACC DE students will often attend homeschooling support groups etc. They are usually pretty accepted, but there is generally a concrete knowledge that they are not homeschooling, they are not their children's teachers, they are using distance education and are their children's tutors. At least, we have always known the difference between the DE kids and the HS kids when I was a kid at group (I have actually been both, multiple times)

 

There is a big difference in the way their schooling works, their flexibility, and daily schedule. DE requires you to be home for their lessons and there can be a lot of busy work and extra stuff homeschoolers don't do, making for a more school-at-home feel than most homeschoolers aim for. The feel of it can be quite different. But, neither is better than the other, they are just two different things here.

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I like how under California state law there is no such thing as "homeschooling". All students are either private or public school students. Some private school students attend brick-and-mortar schools full-time while other attend single-family home-based schools. Similarly some public school students attend B&M schools FT while others do district independent study programs or virtual charter programs at home.

 

As a Catholic Christian, I get very uncomfortable when one subgroup attempts to narrowly define a general term in such a way to specifically excludes another subgroup that self-identifies with the general term. I don't like it when Protestant Christians try to redefine "Christian" in a way to exclude my denomination, and I don't like it when private homeschoolers try to redefine "homeschooling" to exclude homeschoolers enrolled in public ISP's or charters.

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I've heard this a couple of times in different circles. I'm not sure I understand.

 

If the kid is AT HOME and not AT SCHOOL, isn't that home schooling? 

 

Is this just another nitpicky argument about who is homeschooly enough and who isn't? 

 

I understand that online school is not the same as what I do. Neither is school-in-a-box, but I would certainly not say THAT is "not homeschool".

 

I remember hearing arguments way back when that "real homeschoolers" don't use textbooks. Living books only! That sounds kind of silly to me now, in the age of Rainbow Resource. 

 

Is this just more of the same? Or is there a legitimate definition that separates some kids who learn at home from other kids who learn at home?

 

I just remembered that someone argued that because K12 is funded through the state, and students are officially registered as public school students, they are not homeschooling.

In that case, what about public charters which offer funds and oversight, but no instruction? Does the fact that the state offers a stipend for books mean that those families are not actually homeschooling, even though they use the exact same materials and resources that the rest of us do? 

 

I'm not looking to start a war. I'm just trying to get a bit of perspective so I can stop looking like a deer in headlights when people say these things. 

 

 You misunderstand.

 

It is not whether the learning happens on-line or with books. It is not even whether the children learn at home or not.  It is whether the children are enrolled in a public school program or not.

 

If you enroll your children in a campus-based public charter school, your children are public school students, not homeschooled students. If you enroll your children in a public charter school, they are public school students, not homeschooled students, regardless of where their classrooms are or who their teachers are.

 

Yes, the fact that the state "offers" stipends means that the families are not legally homeschooling. The state only "offers" stipends to the public school students enrolled in public school programs.

 

It is a legal issue of which public schools are very much aware and of which parents need to be equally aware.

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Well here it would be homeschooling because it is not funded by the city/state and you would not be considered a PS student.  In states where it is funded and you are a PS student then it is not homeschooling in the strictest sense.  But my thought is who cares what anyone calls it.  If that works for one's family then go for it.

 

But to me, if I enrolled my kid in a virtual academy on my own dime, where another teacher was making most of the decisions, then that would be like enrolling my kid in private school.  I mean, it *is* enrolling my kid in private school.  So I would still say it's not homeschooling.

 

Again, I don't really care...  that's a good option for many people.  And such students are totally welcome at homeschool events and classes and the parents can be in homeschool support groups and so forth.  I just don't think it's the same as homeschooling.

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I like the term parent-led education. :) I have met many families whose children are in traditional classrooms, both public and private, where the parents are very active in making decisions regarding the education of their children. I have certainly witnessed cases where these parents are more active in their child's education than say a family that is doing BJU distance learning. But, hey, maybe there are reasons for that. I don't care what people call themselves, who posts on the boards, or who shows up for local field trips. I just like the term parent-led education. It sounds so inclusive and acknowledges that, no matter what path you have chosen for your children's education, you can and should play an active roll.

 

So, parent-led education is my hippy-love, koombahyah word for the day. :)

Mandy

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It is a legal issue of which public schools are very much aware and of which parents need to be equally aware.

Lol...Ellie and I agree which I don't think happens very often. As far as the legal term is concerned and as far as the state of Wisconsin is concerned, students enrolled in virtual schools are public school students. They have to take the required standardized tests. They have to do all of the things who attend school at the building a few blocks over.

 

Maintaining that clear distinction is important because it effects the way lawmakers think of homeschoolers and the legal requirements for homeschoolers. I think homeschoolers are better servd of we maintain that distinction which has nothing to do with whether or not they attend the park playdate.

 

For the other squishier stuff, I agree with farrar and again, it has nothing to do with playdates, classes, and coops. We can make legally distinctions without excluding anyone or saying one choice is more valid than another.

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Lots of homeschoolers choose to outsource subjects. Just curious how you feel about these couses since the instruction and grading are not coming from the parent of the student.

I certainly do differentiate it from a subject taught by me.  But I selected the class and paid for it.  And it is not publicly funded or regulated.  So definitely not public school.  Perhaps you could make a stronger case for it being similar to private school except that many online classes don't come from a private school itself.  

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I see this as a legal distinction. It only matters (in my opinion) when legal and legislative issues are under consideration. I would not, for example, tell someone whose children are enrolled in a virtual school that they are not homeschooling UNLESS I was explaining that they are not required to send in the homeschooling affidavit required by our state.

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In my province most who do online school are either blended or aligned so according to the gov't they are public schoolers at home as opposed to homeschoolers.  Although there are families registered as traditional that use online classes but they are still homeschoolers.  Here is all depends on how you are registered for the year.

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Just to blur the lines some more, we are with a CA-based virtual charter. We have used the stipend for a few things like curriculum and one or two online/ in person classes, none of which were assigned or dictated by our school though...we just use the funds for products or services from their approved vendors who are mostly private companies AFAIK. We don't use any public school curriculum. But the majority of what son is doing is paid for from our own pocket...online classes DH and I choose that the charter has no say over. But we still sign the attendance forms and do the STAR test. I don't declare every minute detail of what DS is doing during the monthly meetings. I don't think the charter cares. As long as he's at/ above the grade level standards they don't bother me.

 

Lots of grey areas. I still refer to myself as a homeschooling mom just for ease of reference. In every day conversation it doesn't make sense to include so much detail unless the other person wants to hear it. ETA: just to add that I understand the need for definition from the legal POV. We always state that we are with a charter during official situations. Can't wait to pull out though! Maybe soon.

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Ok. I understand that this is a legal separation. 

Personally, we are registered as a private school, as are the majority of homeschoolers in our state . There is no legal definition of homeschool. The home study program requires state supervision. The private school option does not. For me , it is important to have full independence and autonomy. I don't even report my kids' names. 

There are no charters or umbrella schools in my state that I am aware of and no partial enrollment. K12 started here last year. 

I did hear one reference to K12 students not being welcome in homeschool groups. I run a group and have participated in 6 or 7. This is the first I'm hearing about anyone not being welcome in a group. But then, I stick to inclusive groups, so maybe that's why. 

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I agree, legal distinction.

 

We had a discussion on my local homeschooling group page recently where someone said a relative who was also homeschooling insisted that homeschoolers have to take standardized tests. They don't, but the relative in question is utilizing an online public school, and they do. This is the type of thing where understanding the legal distinction is helpful, even though people utilizing public/charter online schools are fully accepted in the group (and I think the majority use them).

 

Realistically, some of the homeschool charters in California are much more lax and parent-directed than plain old homeschooling in high-regulation states.

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Different states have different laws regarding what is legally a home schooler. The is not consistent, so it doesn't make sense to discuss the legal classification unless you are just speaking to a group from your own state. In the state of TN, you are a homeschooler if you register with the local board of education, but most homeschool families in TN do not register with the state. They don't want the govt in envolved. TN has currently has no situation where you can take some of your classes at the ps and some at home. Just this year are homeschoolers allowed to play sports with at the ps. I wonder if now some family will enroll with the local board of education just so their child can play.

 

We have had k12 for, I think, three years now. If you use k12 you enroll through the county that hosts k12 and your student is legally a ps student of that county even if you live on the other side of the state. I think we have one other situation like this up and running.

 

If you are enrolled with Calvert or another school accredited by one of the big national accrediting agencies then you are a private schooler and your child is said to be attending school in whatever state that school operates from. This may or may not cause problems with in-state status for some organizations and scholarships. There seems to be some confusion over this.

 

You can be enrolled with an umbrella school that reports to the state and then you are also legally a homeschooler. Or- you can register with a TN umbrella that is part of something that legally exists as a private school and does not report to the state. Your home is considered a satellite campus of the private school and your kids are considered students of that private school. It is crazy. I don't even try to keep up with which umbrellas report to the state and which are private schools.

 

Frankly, due to all this silliness, I just sort of tilt my head and widen my eyes when local people try to hash out this stuff.

Mandy

 

ETA I love having my phone to chat while I am out, but the typos are crazy. Someone here has a disclaimer in their sig. I want one, too.

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Ok. I understand that this is a legal separation. 

Personally, we are registered as a private school, as are the majority of homeschoolers in our state . There is no legal definition of homeschool. The home study program requires state supervision. The private school option does not. For me , it is important to have full independence and autonomy. I don't even report my kids' names. 

There are no charters or umbrella schools in my state that I am aware of and no partial enrollment. K12 started here last year. 

I did hear one reference to K12 students not being welcome in homeschool groups. I run a group and have participated in 6 or 7. This is the first I'm hearing about anyone not being welcome in a group. But then, I stick to inclusive groups, so maybe that's why. 

 

Again, this would be an issue not of K12, but of the virtual charter school (because remember that the students are enrolled in the public school, not K12). Some group leaders believe the resources of the group should go to helping private homeschoolers, not public school students, who presumably have the resources of the public school available to them.

 

And if "K12 started here last year," then isn't that a virtual public school program? In many states, government-funded virtual schools are charter schools. You can live anywhere and buy K12 yourself, the same way that you'd buy BJUP or KONOS or MFW or whatever.

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I don't think it's a black and white issue, especially these days. We are full-blown homeschoolers and I've recently signed my ds up for an online literature class that I knew he'd love.

 

Personally, I think anytime a resource available would meet your dc needs and you choose to jump on it, whether it's a part-time school, learning center, local community college, k12 for some subjects or all, afterschooling, etc., you're a homeschooler. I don't think the lines are clearly defined anymore. We know several families who work with the local school district for IEPs for their dc who use the school for services and homeschool most days of the week.

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My oldest is in an online charter school, but we also have the freedom to choose which subjects she takes through the school. She has taken classes at a local private school and co-op. I can use whatever curriculum I want, but the bottom line is that my dd MUST take and pass the CAHSEE in order to receive her diploma. This is the distinction many would make for calling her a non homeschooler. She is technically enrolled in an online, publicly funded school. I see both sides of this issue being discussed. :-)

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It's a gray area for me. On one hand they are doing their schooling at home. On the other they technically are public school students who have decided to do their public school courses via a computer outside of a school building.

 

I do agree with the poster who said they nitpick the age of 'homeschooled' children. Our group does not allow in 'homeschooled' two year olds and some parents get so mad over it. The reasoning is that the group doesn't consider children who aren't yet school age to be homeschooling. Maybe it stems from daycares now referring to themselves as 'schools'. I'm sorry but a one year old is not in school, even if they bring their diapers in a backpack.

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They are at school. They are enrolled and registered at the school and attend virtually.

 

Analogy:

Just because someone telecommutes/virtual office at work does not mean they are self employed or unemployed. They usually still say, "I work for Soandso Company."

 

Likewise

Just because someone telecommutes/virtual class at school does not mean they are home schooling. They are still, "I attend Soandso school district via virtual/online."

 

I don't care if they do.

 

But no they aren't home schoolers in my state and every single bit of info they get from the virtual state options says they aren't too. It repeatedly states they are not home schoolers. They are public school students enrolled in a virtual program.

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And I don't care how much the parent helps them.

 

They still are public school students, not home schoolers.

 

Many parents spend hours every day helping their kid with homework. It doesn't make them home schoolers. Maybe after schoolers? But mostly it just makes then parents helping their kids with homework.

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All parents interested in their child's education have many of the same issues as real home schoolers.

 

Because the issues tend to be on parallel tracks.

 

How to get them a quality education

How to get them to learn it

Organization of Time, Money

Finding Resources

 

None of that is unique to home schoolers.

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And yeah. I don't care if someone uses whatever works for them, but in my state, I'm solo. The schools don't open diddly to home schoolers here, much less support and field trips. So yes it chaps a bit to have a public school drain home school resources. These virtual programs claim they will organize field trips and support with other parents in the program, but they don't. And I don't think it's fair to expect home school groups to do it for them. It's frustrating to attend a support group or whatever home school event and no one can talk curriculum or whatever bc they use the virtual program. It's not much different than speaking to a public school attender about your frustrations with home schooling and they say, "Oh that's why I send my kids to school."

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I've heard this a couple of times in different circles. I'm not sure I understand.

 

If the kid is AT HOME and not AT SCHOOL, isn't that home schooling? 

 

Is this just another nitpicky argument about who is homeschooly enough and who isn't? 

 

I understand that online school is not the same as what I do. Neither is school-in-a-box, but I would certainly not say THAT is "not homeschool".

 

I remember hearing arguments way back when that "real homeschoolers" don't use textbooks. Living books only! That sounds kind of silly to me now, in the age of Rainbow Resource. 

 

Is this just more of the same? Or is there a legitimate definition that separates some kids who learn at home from other kids who learn at home?

 

I just remembered that someone argued that because K12 is funded through the state, and students are officially registered as public school students, they are not homeschooling.

In that case, what about public charters which offer funds and oversight, but no instruction? Does the fact that the state offers a stipend for books mean that those families are not actually homeschooling, even though they use the exact same materials and resources that the rest of us do? 

 

I'm not looking to start a war. I'm just trying to get a bit of perspective so I can stop looking like a deer in headlights when people say these things. 

 

 

I think it may differ according to whom you are speaking to and also according to where you/they are located.

 

 

Where I am it is a clear legal difference.  

 

As a homeschooler there are specific registration requirements, which happen to be with a county wide education district, and the primary governing rules are defined by the state, and include standardized testing.

 

At one point my son had a concurrent enrollment in a brick and mortar public school which had its own rules and requirements.  At that time he did the standardized testing for that school and it fulfilled the homeschool test requirements, although otherwise the homeschool requirements would have been different...but all of that was spelled out under state law.   Even what would be yet different if he were on a sports team at the public school is spelled out.  At another point my son was a private school which was exempt from standardized testing.

 

There are several online and charter schools here which allow all or most of one's schooling to be done from one's home.   But if one is enrolled in one of those then one enrolls under its auspices and follows its rules whatever they are, and not the homeschooling rules for the state.  

 

A neighbor across the street, for example, has her child enrolled at a charter school which follows WTM methods more or less, and only has a couple of days per month when the children actually go into the school itself, otherwise they work at home.   But they get their assignments from the charter school, are reviewed and assessed and followed by the charter school, and follow its rules and curriculum and are enrolled in the charter school and in its district, not as homeschoolers under the homeschooling laws of our state.  I gather it is also different for the parent--she did not want to be in charge of schooling her daughter and is not--the daughter looks to her teacher at the charter as being her teacher.  They also have to use what the program mandates, such as Saxon math.    Another program in our area is more flexible as to curriculum to be used, but has a two times per week (rather than per month) on site connection requirement.

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I have no problem with people making the best choice for their family.  And I have no problem getting together with people who use all sorts of educational methods.  But I do have a bit of an issue when a neighbor etc. thinks "Oh, you homeschool.  That's doing school on the computer, right?"  And when I say that isn't the case for me, they wonder aloud why I wouldn't do that since it's so easy.  And then they wonder aloud why the government should allow me to homeschool without the oversight of an online teacher/school.  And then we have to get into the fact that part of that is because what they are thinking of is not homeschooling even if it is done at home.  

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Several reasons:

 

Many people who started and joined the homeschooling movement didn't make it about location, but about who's in charge. In charge being defined as:

1) Who's paying for it?

2) Who's selecting the content?

3) Who's selecting the materials?

4) Who's selecting the educational method/approach and teaching techniques?

5) Who's setting the schedule? 

6) Who decides if, when and which testing is done?

 

For a significant chunk of the homeschooling community, only when the answer is, "The parents" to most or all of those questions is it considered homeschooling.

 

Depending on which state you live in, it's an important legal classification. Here no one doing online school funded by taxpayers (public or charter/public) can legally be recognized as a homeschooler.  They are legally classified as public or public/charter students.  When laws apply to testing, attendance, etc. it's critical that the courts understand who is subject to the regulatory laws and who isn't.   Homeschoolers are not subject to any of those laws here. 

 

It reinforces the timeless truth that when you accept taxpayer funds, you accept government strings attached to them.  The government decides what content is covered when and in what order.  The government decides if, when and which testing is done.  The government decides mandatory attendance rules. The government has staff (teachers) that oversee it and that do the teaching. The taxpayers pay for it.

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And yeah. I don't care if someone uses whatever works for them, but in my state, I'm solo. The schools don't open diddly to home schoolers here, much less support and field trips. So yes it chaps a bit to have a public school drain home school resources. These virtual programs claim they will organize field trips and support with other parents in the program, but they don't. And I don't think it's fair to expect home school groups to do it for them. It's frustrating to attend a support group or whatever home school event and no one can talk curriculum or whatever bc they use the virtual program. It's not much different than speaking to a public school attender about your frustrations with home schooling and they say, "Oh that's why I send my kids to school."

whoops, posted accidentally before typing my response. Where I live, enrolling in a charter program doesn't necessarily mean online school or having the school choose curriculum. There are families choosing all their own curriculum, setting their own schedules, etc. but making progress reports to the school and participating in state testing. I've personally gone back and forth several times between enrolling in a public school program and homeschooling independently. The way I teach my children and the materials I use has remained the same, the only thing that changes is whether I have a more generous budget and whether I have to jump through testing and reporting hoops. Sometimes I have felt that the hoop jumping was worth while, other times I have decided not. I highly value the freedom to homeschool independently and would absolutely fight to keep that freedom, but I also believe the public/home hybrid educational model has a role to play.

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Well, technically online public school is public school.  But people who go that route do have a lot of the same issues that "real" homeschoolers have, so I consider them homeschoolers.

 

The government considers them public school students. That technicality is a big deal.

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Look, I used to think that.

 

Now I have a daughter doing public school through distance ed ie she does all her work at home.

 

I find I am still homeschooling her through their material for around 50% of her subjects. So now I consider her partly homeschooled.

 

I imagine online school is similar.

 

It is irrelevant whether the school is virtual or physical. It is still public school, and even though you might consider your daughter "partly homeschooled," the government considers her a public school student.

 

I'm not criticizing you; I'm only pointing out the legality of the issue.

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Many people who started and joined the homeschooling movement didn't make it about location, but about who's in charge.

I couldn't disagree more. Homeschooling *IS* about location. A student who is not enrolled in a brick-and-mortar school but who receives his/her education at home is a "homeschooler". That student could be a private school student or a public school student, but in either case he/she is still being "homeschooled".

 

As mentioned earlier, this whole debate reminds me very much of Protestant Christians who narrowly define the general term "Christian" in order to exclude certain Christian denominations.

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In my area PS students who are using a virtual school are primarily referred to as kids who "school at home", and homeschool is a parent led education using whatever materials and resources you choose without the oversight or funding of the school district. Here it's based on who would be graduating the student. I've heard of some groups who will exclude PS virtual students, but not many. In the groups we attend it's only a legal distinction.

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Several reasons:

 

Many people who started and joined the homeschooling movement didn't make it about location, but about who's in charge. In charge being defined

 

I would add to your list

 

7. Who issues the transcript and diploma?

 

Even with outsourced classes that give grades, a legally homeschooling parent would issue the diploma and has complete control of the transcript. Homeschooling is more about the source of who is in charge of the final outcome than where the student is.

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As mentioned earlier, this whole debate reminds me very much of Protestant Christians who narrowly define the general term "Christian" in order to exclude certain Christian denominations.

I strongly disagree with you. What about high school students who outsource classes to the local CC? I would still consider them homeschoolers even if they had full schedules at the CC. And I find your analogy odd if by "Catholic" you mean Roman Catholic.

 

But the fact is that there is a legal distinction between homeschoolers (or whatever your state calls them) and public schoolers. Whether private homeschool groups choose to use that distinction for participation is up to each group.

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If you are not a state official what difference does it make?

It also matters if it changes public perception of what a homeschooler is, because that can trickle down into law.  I had a local politician tell me that I could not homeschool unless I belonged to the state virtual academy.  I set her straight and quoted the law but it was disturbing to me that her perception was not accurate.  And people who confuse the terms contribute to that warped legal perception.  

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If you are not a state official what difference does it make?

It also matters if it changes public perception of what a homeschooler is, because that can trickle down into law.  I had a local politician tell me that I could not homeschool unless I belonged to the state virtual academy.  I set her straight and quoted the law but it was disturbing to me that her perception was not accurate.  And people who confuse the terms contribute to that warped legal perception.  

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