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Anyone care to tell me what home schooling would be like there?

Might be no reason.

Might be a move.

Dh told me to scope it out.;)

 

The HSLDA page sure doesn't sound very friendly compared to my love for the lack of interference here in Oklahoma.

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Super easy. Especially if you register with an umbrella school. We use Homelife Academy. Everything is done online....enrollment, attendance twice a year, and grades twice a year. That's it. No interference at all. There is a huge homeschool community here....tons of options for tutorials, co-ops, support groups, etc. Good luck:)

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We use option III. http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/tennessee.pdf

 

Our family is registered with Family Christian Academy http://www.familychristianacademy.com/indexL.htm

 

Very easy, no interference AT ALL. Can't imagine it getting much simpler unless you don't have to do anything at all to homeschool. :D

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Well, basically I just register once a year online with Family Christian Academy. I enter my child's name, grade and the subjects I will be teaching and the publishers (I enter various on many of my subject publishers) of said material. I think the purpose of this is simply for transcripts. Then twice a year I enter grades and attendance (just total amount of days). They do not require testing until highschool. Then they require it in 11th and 12th (I believe) in order to issue a diploma. That is pretty much it.

 

FCA has an actual brick and mortar campus and they offer supplemental classes and a Fine Arts Friday. We haven't participated in any of those. They also do field trips; again we haven't done those.

 

I print out proof of enrollment cards for each of my dc each year and I also print out a teacher id card for myself.

 

Hope that answers some of your questions for you. Their website is pretty informative too if you have any other questions. :D

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Super easy. Especially if you register with an umbrella school. We use Homelife Academy. Everything is done online....enrollment, attendance twice a year, and grades twice a year. That's it. No interference at all. There is a huge homeschool community here....tons of options for tutorials, co-ops, support groups, etc. Good luck:)

 

:iagree:We use option 3, registering with a CRS. We also register with HomeLife Academy. Meets the legal requirements. Their transcripts were fully accepted by the college ds attends. As to making your own, you get to do that if you register with the LEA (option 1) but then you don't have a diploma issued by someone other than mom. May or may not be an issue, depending on what your children do after high school. Plus, you have mandatory testing if you register with the LEA. With option 3, you can choose a CRS that does not require it if you don't want it.

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I have lived in OKC and I have to admit they are the best state in the union for homeschooling. I was overwhelmed at the requirements when I first moved here but they turned out to not be so bad. Our first two or three years we filled an intent to homeschool, sent in our attendance each year and had them tested in 3rd, 5th and 7th. Then we changed to Homelife Academy. We much prefer it and it provides much better transcripts and diplomas that what most people do on their own.

 

One thing to keep in mind though is that this is the most expensive county in the state and one of the most expensive in the country. People around haven't seem to have gotten the message that we are in an exconomic crisis. The cost of living is very high. Housing is expensive and still selling fairly well.

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I've never been there, but my curiosity got the best of me and I just checked out some real estate listings. The homes look lovely and there seems to be a wide range of prices, so there would be something for everyone. I was surprised that the real estate taxes are so reasonable -- I thought they would be higher because the area looks so nice, and many of the homes are stunning.

 

Cat

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We are flying out in a couple weeks for another interview and to see what the Franklin area is like. Any other FYIs to share?

 

I'm really not all that excited bc of the HSing regulations, but I'm trying to be more open, just in case.:001_unsure:

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We are flying out in a couple weeks for another interview and to see what the Franklin area is like. Any other FYIs to share?

 

I'm really not all that excited bc of the HSing regulations, but I'm trying to be more open, just in case.:001_unsure:

 

Oh goodness, one very important thing that I forgot to mention is that if you choose to register with the local district , you can not homeschool high schooler here unless you have a Bachelor's degree. You don't have to have one if you use an umbrella school though and homelife at least does not require a SOF. Most of Franklin is pretty expensive. If your hubby is going to work in Brentwood or Nashville you can find some cheaper areas in Davidson County (Nashville), great library be the way. If he is going to work in Franklin then it would probably be a bit cheaper s little farther south in Thompson Stations or Spring Hill. If you are to the east quite a bit then maybe Murfreesboro.

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I know you are used to no regulations at all, but they are really not onerous, especially if you use an umbrella school like Homelife.

 

Franklin and Brentwood can be very expensive for housing. Looking north to Nashville (my preference for many reasons) or south to Spring Hill would be more affordable.

 

If you all get serious about looking in the area, I'll be happy to answer questions about neighborhoods, parishes, etc. :001_smile:

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While the cost of housing is fairly high in Brentwood and Franklin, the cost of living in general here is not by any means high.

I have family in OH and on both coasts and what we pay here for groceries, utilities, clothes and other basics is way, way less than OH, CA, VA, NY and FL. Property taxes are not high. And no state income tax.

 

I do agree that Brentwood, Belle Meade and parts of Franklin do appear to be unaffected by the economic situation - at least if what people spend on vacations, cars, clothes, eating out etc. reflects truly on their financial resources. (Or maybe it's all on VISA with an ever-climbing balance? ;))

 

We live in a SE part of Nashville, not far from Brentwood and find it affordable and convenient.

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We are getting mildly serious.

Nothing is final yet, but this is a third interview and they are interested enough to pay for his flights and lodging, which is becoming unheard of in this competitive job market.

 

It sounds like high school would be my #1 concern.

 

Anyone doing high school there?

 

I'd be interested in details for housing and extracurricular and such. Dh would rent an apartment or something for about 6 months before we would consider selling here. Want to be very sure everything is solid before uprooting the entire family.

 

Thanks ladies.

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While the cost of housing is fairly high in Brentwood and Franklin, the cost of living in general here is not by any means high.

I have family in OH and on both coasts and what we pay here for groceries, utilities, clothes and other basics is way, way less than OH, CA, VA, NY and FL. Property taxes are not high. And no state income tax.

 

I do agree that Brentwood, Belle Meade and parts of Franklin do appear to be unaffected by the economic situation - at least if what people spend on vacations, cars, clothes, eating out etc. reflects truly on their financial resources. (Or maybe it's all on VISA with an ever-climbing balance? ;))

 

We live in a SE part of Nashville, not far from Brentwood and find it affordable and convenient.

 

Oh that is good to keep in mind, tho I'm in Oklahoma and our cost of living is pretty hard to beat thank goodness.:)

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We are getting mildly serious.

Nothing is final yet, but this is a third interview and they are interested enough to pay for his flights and lodging, which is becoming unheard of in this competitive job market.

 

It sounds like high school would be my #1 concern.

 

Anyone doing high school there?

 

I'd be interested in details for housing and extracurricular and such. Dh would rent an apartment or something for about 6 months before we would consider selling here. Want to be very sure everything is solid before uprooting the entire family.

 

Thanks ladies.

 

I could have done high school here as I do have my degree but bu then I had alheady went with Homelife. In my opinion it made record keeping much easier and they get a an official transcript and dipolma from an accedited school which did help with college admissions. If you do a LOI through the didstrict, I think that they have to take the TCAP in 9th through the ocal district.

 

Oh and what someone else said about the rest of cost of living, that is true. We have no personal income tax, property taxes are low and while sales taxes are kind of high the cost of items are pretty low except for gas and sports and activities.

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I am watching this thread with great interest, because we are moving to the Nashville area next summer. Compared to where we are now (NYC) TN seems insanely cheap and the homeschooling regulations extremely lax, but obviously that's all relative :)

 

I am curious about the secular homeschooling scene in the Nashville and/or Franklin area, though, as we are not Christian. Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone have any insight on this?

 

For the original poster, I will be very interested to hear your observations after you visit. Good luck!

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Oh goodness, one very important thing that I forgot to mention is that if you choose to register with the local district , you can not homeschool high schooler here unless you have a Bachelor's degree.

 

I found this

 

On July 1, 1994 a new law went into effect lowering requirement for parents home teaching grades 9-12 from a BA degree to a high school diploma. The law requires that the parent register their students with the local public school.

 

Is this incorrect or has the law changed recently?

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I am curious about the secular homeschooling scene in the Nashville and/or Franklin area, though, as we are not Christian. Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone have any insight on this?

 

Not a hijack at all! I would be interested as well. Catholics often have problems in protestant groups.

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I found this

 

 

 

Is this incorrect or has the law changed recently?

 

According to HSLDA this is incorrect. The law is still listed as I orginally stated and as far as I know that is still the case. The quote you posted applies if you are using an umbrella organization. Here is a link to TN law as listed by HSLDA: http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/Tennessee.pdf

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I am watching this thread with great interest, because we are moving to the Nashville area next summer. Compared to where we are now (NYC) TN seems insanely cheap and the homeschooling regulations extremely lax, but obviously that's all relative :)

 

I am curious about the secular homeschooling scene in the Nashville and/or Franklin area, though, as we are not Christian. Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone have any insight on this?

 

For the original poster, I will be very interested to hear your observations after you visit. Good luck!

 

There is an eclectic homeschoolers group (try Googling for it) that is secular and you can use The Farm School as your umbrella school if you want to avoid anything remotely Christian, but also avoid the public school registration. Also, East Nashville has a homeschool group that is made of of many secular homeschoolers, though it is not exclusively anything, being determined by where people live not what they believe. East Nashville is a great area to live for a hip, secular scene, by the way.

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  • 3 weeks later...

A few more questions...

 

Would enrolling with Kolbe, or other similar provider, take the place of registering with an umbrella school or would one have to do both? I'm still looking into the various umbrellas. Sigh. Basicly I want want that requires as close to nothing of me as possible. My kids want to continue playing band, ballroom dancing, 4-H, golf, and my teens want to have the chance to make lots of new friends without feeling like they are outsiders (their #1 concern). My dh wants to know if home schooling is going to be several grand per year more expensive than here.

 

Also, not home schooling related..

 

How is the health care situation there? Recommendations for endocrinologist, private hospitals, catholic friendly OB/midwives (what are the laws for midwives there?), no-vax friendly pediatricians????

 

Thank you!

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A few more questions...

 

Would enrolling with Kolbe, or other similar provider, take the place of registering with an umbrella school or would one have to do both? I'm still looking into the various umbrellas. Sigh. Basicly I want want that requires as close to nothing of me as possible. My kids want to continue playing band, ballroom dancing, 4-H, golf, and my teens want to have the chance to make lots of new friends without feeling like they are outsiders (their #1 concern). My dh wants to know if home schooling is going to be several grand per year more expensive than here.

 

Also, not home schooling related..

 

How is the health care situation there? Recommendations for endocrinologist, private hospitals, catholic friendly OB/midwives (what are the laws for midwives there?), no-vax friendly pediatricians????

 

Thank you!

 

Do you need an adult or a pediatric endocrinologist? Our son sees Dr. Najaar at Vanderbilt. I don't know if she's adults.

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A few more questions...

 

Would enrolling with Kolbe, or other similar provider, take the place of registering with an umbrella school or would one have to do both? I'm still looking into the various umbrellas. Sigh. Basicly I want want that requires as close to nothing of me as possible. My kids want to continue playing band, ballroom dancing, 4-H, golf, and my teens want to have the chance to make lots of new friends without feeling like they are outsiders (their #1 concern). My dh wants to know if home schooling is going to be several grand per year more expensive than here.

Umbrella schools are pretty cheap. Homelife Academy is $50 for the first child, $20 for the second, $100 maximum per family and all the reporting is done online.

 

TnHomeEd is a good site for information. The link will take you straight to the page on homeschool laws in TN. If a distance learning institution is accredited by one of the 5 regional accrediting agencies, then a student does not need to also be registered with an umbrella school. However, the TN lottery scholarships require that a student attend a Tennessee school unless it's with a school the state has a reciprocal agreement with (some border districts for example) or if the student is a military or religious worker dependent. So, if your student enrolled in Clonlara for example, you actually would still need to enroll in a TN umbrella in order to qualify for lottery scholarship money.

 

HTH-

Mandy

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I am curious about the secular homeschooling scene in the Nashville and/or Franklin area, though, as we are not Christian. Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone have any insight on this?

I am in that area. The vast majority of the homeschoolers south of Nashville are Christian or at least the vast number of activities are run by Christian groups. However, The Eclectic Homeschoolers of Middle TN is a large group in Nashville. Jackie who runs that group also runs the Farm School umbrella program.

 

The Farm School

We are very excited to be able to offer an alternative for homeschool families that, for whatever reason, are not comfortable registering with their Local Educational Agency (LEA) or with a denominational Church Related School (CRS). We require no statement of faith and are not interested in mandating curriculum or any other decisions. We believe in responsive education matched to the needs, interests and experiences of individual children. And we believe that the adults best able to negotiate curriculum with children are the adults spending time with those children on a daily basis.

 

There is the Williamson County Inclusive homeschooling group, but it isn't nearly as large or active as Eclectic Homeschoolers of MidTN.

 

Also the mom's night out through Williamson County, TN Home Schoolers is fabulous! Although Williamson County, TN Home Schoolers is indeed a Christian group, the mom's night out is a large group of wonderful ladies who are very welcoming! We close down Panera and either sit outside or move on to SteaknShake. My dh is Muslim and I have always felt welcome at MNO. I look forward to it every month.

 

HTH-

Mandy

 

 

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Health care in the Nashville area is excellent. Nashville is a health care town and not just a music one.

 

I can't remember if Kolbe is accredited. Seton is a substitute for the umbrella school system and Oak Meadow would be, if they are accredited, which I think they are. But umbrella schools like Homelife are not terribly expensive and allow you to pick and choose your own curriculum without requiring all that much reporting.

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I know of at least one (I'm sure there are more) no-vax friendly pediatrician and he's in the Brentwood-Franklin area. I could find out his name if you want, or you may be able to search it. My friend takes her kids to him.

 

Lots of good health care options here, IMO. The number of holistic md's for adults is growing.

 

We think Nashville is a great place to live! And more trees than OK!

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To explain my confusion

Dh said "Wow they have more than three in the state? Dang they are already better health care than here if they have enough of them to divide up peds from adults!"

 

I'm in the Brentwood area. Trust me, we have PLENTY of doctors. :lol: Your husband will be well cared for. We've had fantastic treatment at Vanderbilt and Baptist for both our kids and for me. and Baptist is a Catholic hospital now, and I know at least among the OBs, a few of them are Catholic. I don't know about the other specialties, though.

 

I have heard really good things about the Farm School as an umbrella, but my oldest is 4 so we have no personal experience there yet. :)

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I am in that area. The vast majority of the homeschoolers south of Nashville are Christian or at least the vast number of activities are run by Christian groups. However, The Eclectic Homeschoolers of Middle TN is a large group in Nashville. Jackie who runs that group also runs the Farm School umbrella program.

 

The Farm School

We are very excited to be able to offer an alternative for homeschool families that, for whatever reason, are not comfortable registering with their Local Educational Agency (LEA) or with a denominational Church Related School (CRS). We require no statement of faith and are not interested in mandating curriculum or any other decisions. We believe in responsive education matched to the needs, interests and experiences of individual children. And we believe that the adults best able to negotiate curriculum with children are the adults spending time with those children on a daily basis.

 

There is the Williamson County Inclusive homeschooling group, but it isn't nearly as large or active as Eclectic Homeschoolers of MidTN.

 

Also the mom's night out through Williamson County, TN Home Schoolers is fabulous! Although Williamson County, TN Home Schoolers is indeed a Christian group, the mom's night out is a large group of wonderful ladies who are very welcoming! We close down Panera and either sit outside or move on to SteaknShake. My dh is Muslim and I have always felt welcome at MNO. I look forward to it every month.

 

HTH-

Mandy

 

 

 

I'm amazed by you who can close down the place. Mandy, I may have met you there but can't tell by your pic. You probably can't tell by my avatar either. :lol:

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