FAQ's: Homeschool for Military Families
By Mimi Rothschild
Homeschool can be a great option for a military family. A typical military family moves every 2 to 4 years. By utilizing homeschool for the children, a military family can ensure continuity in education for their children and lessen the distress of leaving one school and starting somewhere completely different. There are, however, some specific guidelines that military families should be aware of so that they can maintain their homeschool to the legal standards.
Continuity in education is very important. If your child changes schools every couple of years, he is at a severe educational disadvantage. Even if your child attends school on the base, where the curriculum should be the same, he could still suffer academically as a result of frequent moves. Homeschool can solve this problem by providing a consistent education no matter where in the world your family happens to be stationed. Furthermore, changing schools can be rough on children. Homeschool can help this problem, too. Of course, children will still have to say goodbye to old friends, but they will never have to worry about being the new kid in school. When they are introduced to new kids, it will be through activities like dance, scouting, sports, music, or through homeschool support groups. It will ease the stress because they won't be by themselves all day in the new school. When they do meet other children, it will be through activities that they all enjoy. They start off with something in common, something to talk about, which may make making new friends easier on your child.
There are some guidelines, however, that military families need to follow when they decide to homeschool their children. For one thing, those wanting to homeschool their children need to follow the rules of the state in which they are presently living. There are no military guidelines for homeschool, but parents are subject to local rules regarding the education of their children. Furthermore, each individual command might have policies regarding homeschool, so you will need to double check with your local community commander for any rules. If you happen to be overseas, your community commander will have information regarding local policies concerning homeschool for your children.
It should be noted that the military sponsors no support groups, though there may be some on your base. Furthermore, there are no regulations and no support offered by the military for those who choose to homeschool their children. That being said, it is the official policy of the United States military to neither encourage nor discourage people from using homeschool for their children. You may find, therefore, that there are more support groups for homeschool families in the wider community than there are on the base.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling parent, children's rights activist, author, and Founder and C.E.O. of online education company Learning by Grace, Inc. Rothschild and her husband of twenty-eight years reside in suburban Philadelphia with their eight children.
Feeling that “our current system of education has broken its promise,” Rothschild co-founded Learning By Grace, Inc. to provide families with Internet-based multimedia education to PreK-12 children all over the world.
In addition to her twenty years of experience as a homeschool mother, Rothschild has written a number of books dealing with education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Home Education Websites Blog consists of helpful online content and activities for Christian homeschooling families.
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