Request to homeschool someone else's kids!

[Shelly in VA]

Do people ever ask you to do this? I have been homeschooling now for over 10 years, and I have periodically had people ask me, jokingly, if I would homeschool their kids. I always just laugh and tell them they really don't want me to do that! I have occasionally had someone push me a little bit more seriously on the topic, but the conversation has still been dropped with a lighthearted response. Tonight, though, I had someone approach me and ask if I remembered when she jokingly asked a while back if I would homeschool her kids, but she was now asking seriously if I would consider it. My answer is ABSOLUTELY NO!! But I'm wondering how you handle these requests. Dh thinks I should smile sweetly and say, "I don't think you could afford what I would charge." I guess I'm wondering, since this was a somewhat serious request, if I should answer in a more serious way, instead of trying to brush it off as if I think they are joking.

 

And, no, I am absolutely NOT considering homeschooling anyone else's children!! Participating in co-ops, tutoring, hosting any number of events - sure. Homeschooling - no. The teeny tiny bits of sanity I have left after this adventure cannot be used to jump through another parent's hoops right now. :rolleyes: Nor do I want my attention more divided than it already is.

 

Thanks for listening!!

[Chrysalis Academy]

I have had these requests - somewhat joking, but with a hint of a real question underneath. I tend to follow your dh's advice - I would need to charge them more than a good private school, in order to make it worth my time. That usually ends the conversation!

[Gentlemommy]

I have had this request as well. It's illegal where I live so I just say that. ;-)

[Farrar]

I've also had this asked jokingly pretty regularly - though usually when geography is a factor that would make it impossible anyway. If it was a really close friend whose kids my kids adored, I guess I would consider it? But that situation doesn't exist, so it's a moot point.

[duckens]

Is it legal to homeschool someone else's children?

 

Our state (and I imagine most states) say that, unless you have a teaching degree, only the parents can homeschool the children.

 

There are exceptions for parents trading teaching, or some such thing.

 

-----------------------------------------

 

I homeschooled for the family I nannied/babysat for, but I didn't make any of the homeschooling decisions. The mom made all of the curriculum choices and laid out our daily expectations for the two days a week the mom worked. I was just "the ENFORCER." [thunder sounds in the background]

[Ellie]

Is it legal to homeschool someone else's children?

 

Our state (and I imagine most states) say that, unless you have a teaching degree, only the parents can homeschool the children.

 

There are exceptions for parents trading teaching, or some such thing.

 

This would tend to be true only for states that have specific homeschool laws, and not all of those specify that parents can only teach their own.

 

It is, of course, a good idea to know for sure what the law is. :-)

[Ellie]

Dh thinks I should smile sweetly and say, "I don't think you could afford what I would charge."

 

Mr. Shelly in MD is right--they absolutely could not afford what you would charge. :D And yes, I think you should continue to give that answer.

[Lucy the Valiant]

If she really, really pushes it, maybe you could (A) thank her for the compliment, (B) point her in the right direction and give a gentle shove, and © tell her you might* be available in 9 years? :)

[PrairieSong]

And, no, I am absolutely NOT considering homeschooling anyone else's children!! Participating in co-ops, tutoring, hosting any number of events - sure. Homeschooling - no. The teeny tiny bits of sanity I have left after this adventure cannot be used to jump through another parent's hoops right now. :rolleyes: Nor do I want my attention more divided than it already is.

 

Thanks for listening!!

 

 

Why don't you just tell them the bolded part above, maybe saying in a nicer way the part about keeping your sanity. Just tell them you already have more than enough on your plate and cannot handle anything more. You don't want to be stretched too thin and want to have the time and energy to focus on your own kids.

[Um_2_4]

I have been asked and here in CA i could do it, but I WON'T . My answer was cost (they were sending him to private school and I would of had to charge 2 to 3 times what they were paying to make it worth my time) and schedule (I would only take him 3-4 hours a day not full day as he was just 1st grade at the time). They never brought it up again.

[Maela]

I have never been asked, but I would consider doing it after my kids are graduated. Not past the grammar stage though - then it would just be way too much time. And not more than two kids at a time.

 

 

[Catwoman]

Dh thinks I should smile sweetly and say, "I don't think you could afford what I would charge."

 

And, no, I am absolutely NOT considering homeschooling anyone else's children!! Participating in co-ops, tutoring, hosting any number of events - sure. Homeschooling - no. The teeny tiny bits of sanity I have left after this adventure cannot be used to jump through another parent's hoops right now. :rolleyes: Nor do I want my attention more divided than it already is.

 

 

But what if they could afford what you would charge, and wanted to write you a check on the spot? :eek:

 

I think you should just be honest and say that you're already very busy and that you don't have enough time or energy to do a good job with any more kids in addition to your own. If you know the kids, tell the mom you think they're great kids, but it would be unfair of you to try to homeschool them when you know you simply don't have the time to do a good job of it.

[tomandlorih]

I have had this request as well. It's illegal where I live so I just say that. ;-)

 

 

:iagree: This is true for me also..

[higginszoo]

I like the 'can't afford what I charge' answer. There are only three children not my own who I'd consider homeschooling (two of the three, we're the ones who would raise them if their parent(s) couldn't). All three live out of state, and all but the one have competent parent(s) right now.

 

We decided that the one case where we might pursue custody (the child is in the courts system in his state) would be too disruptive to our existing children, and that at a high school level, even if he did end up with us, he might do better in our local public alternative school.

 

The other girls would fit in well academically and socially with our girls, though they are in traditional schools now. If we had moved to MD, I would have seriously offered to homeschool one of them and worked out the legalities with mom (she would have had to be the responsible party). The other one is my niece, and yes, my s-i-l has joked about moving closer to us so that I could homeschool her -- it's legal in our state to do that, but not in hers (she could homeschool her own child, no problem, but for now has gone with private schools, the same ones that I might use if we were to move there). My brother is settled into a really nice job, but doesn't have a degree, so moving is more difficult than with a degree. I tease them about the 'homeschool' decor of their house. My brother painted a chunk of their foyer with magnetic blackboard paint and framed it as a blackboard.

 

In both of those cases, I think that we could work out things that would be difficult with most families, but even more so with non-family members -- things like goals, discipline, philosophy ... things that would absolutely prevent me from ever considering homeschooling some random stranger's kid. :glare:

[armom]

I have had a few jokingly type request to homeschool their children, and everytime I tell them that is illegal in our state.

[MFA323]

I would come up with a price. For me, it would be about $15K per year (more for difficult kids) during the grammar stage. I would only take the kid for 3 hours a day, 4 days a week, and woud expect the parents to help with homework. I'd also use some of that money to hire someone to clean my house every week. Figure out what would actually make it worth it for you. Even if it's an outrageous amount of money, surely there's a point at which you would agree to teach someone else's kid. Name your price next time someone asks you. Either they'll quickly realize that they can't afford it or you'll have an opportunity to make some money.

[Dmmetler]

I like the idea of setting a price point and explaining that, basically, they'd be sending their child to a private school-so they would have no more say as far as what we do day to day, setting schedules, and the like than they do in PS.

 

Another thing to consider-in my state, I believe that regularly caring for someone else's child would be considered a home daycare, and set you up for extra regulations and costs there. I suspect if I ever actually agreed to homeschool someone else's child (and legally, I could do it-TN law is pretty flexible on that point, and I'm a licensed teacher), it really WOULD need to cost as much as a high-end private education to make it worth it to me to do so-and that there wouldn't be all that much profit!

[Mandy in TN]

I don't think it is illegal anywhere for parents to hire a tutor. Children go to Sylvan, Kumon, Mathnasium, etc. in every state. So, legally you would not be homeschooling someone's children. You would be tutoring them. In this situation the parent educator is still in charge of the child's education and responsible for maintaining whatever records are required in your state.

 

I have tutored other people's children. My good friend's daughter was in my home 2-3 days/week for a couple of years while my friend got her master's degree. However, I have had other people inquire and have told them that I didn't think that the skill level of our children or the personalities of our children would mesh well. I have also said that I didn't think I was the right person to meet the needs of a particular child.

 

For me, if an extra student can be worked into our schedule of things outside the home, then I don't mind having another one. It doesn't slow us down. It keeps us on task. So, if the request is serious, then I try to seriously consider the request and produce a thoughtful response. If I knew that for my family tutoring another child was never going to happen, then I would be upfront about that in my response. I would also share any information or thoughts I had on where they could look for help.

 

Anyway, this is where I am right-now-today on this topic, but maybe next week will be different. :)

HTH-

Mandy

[Um_2_4]

My cost would include: someone to clean house, cost to out source all the printing/photocopying, someone to prep some freezer foods for me.Also I told them that books would run $300-500 per year (to minimize photocopying).and that schedule would be per my plans, ie some days we wouldn't start till 9am (late start days) and he would be sent home for lunch and there would still be homework.

These were my neighbors and friends. Their son was the same age as my dd and no matter how many times I told them my hands were full, they said, oh but he's the same age as dd, so just teach him when you teach her. I gently tried to explain that they may be the same age, but not necessarily the same level. They are a ESL family, so he would be behind there.

The cost put off her DH asking me anymore and the schedule stopped the mom's questions as she wanted him gone all day!! Some people won't stop until you answer them, The "my hands are full" doesn't always work when they are serious.

I had the same issue with people wanting me to tutor their kids after school. That time, 3-7pm, is when I clean, cook, do laundry. Those moms had done all that during the day, while I was teaching, so some couldn't understand how disruptive that would be. So the cost would have to pay for a daily housekeeper so I would be free during those hours, and that was more than they wanted to pay.

[fairfarmhand]

" No, I am covered up with my own kids. And I think homeschooling someone else's kids would just change things at home in a way that I don't think I'd like. Besides, I love you as a friend, and once you add money and child responsibilities that can change a friendship. Your friendship is more important to me than money."

 

Anyway in my state it is illegal for anyone but a parent/guardian to homeschool. (homeschool means being responsible for the majority of a child's schooling)

[Tullia]

I have been asked; it is not legal in New Mexico. The law specifies parent/legal guardian. I was relieved because the person who, IMO, was most serious could have afforded to pay well. I did take it as a compliment, but no one was ever pushy. So it was all good.