Homeschooling in Texas

I have been asked by several friends recently about homeschooling, so I thought it might be helpful to make a post for anyone else who may be considering it as an option for their kids this upcoming school year.

For the info I am sharing, it is mostly relative to Texas. Homeschool laws vary WIDELY by state, so if you live outside of Texas, please check your state laws before proceeding. I recommend visiting HSLDA.org which is a national  homeschool advocacy agency and where you can find legal information for every state. 

The legal rules of homeschooling in Texas.

Homeschools are exempt from the compulsory attendance statute because they are considered a type of private school under Section 25.086(a)(1) of the Texas Education Code.

According to the TEA vs. Leeper case, the only legal requirements to homeschool in Texas are:

* The instruction must be bona fide (i.e., not a sham).

* The curriculum must be in visual form (e.g., books, workbooks, video monitor).

* The curriculum must include the five basic subjects of reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics, and good citizenship.

There are no testing requirements, and no reporting requirements. If your children are currently in public school, you should submit a letter to the district stating that you plan to withdraw your children for homeschooling. No matter what you are told by the district, you do not have to submit a list of curriculum to them or anyone else. You can visit THSC.org, a Texas specific advocacy agency, for more help with withdrawing from public school. 

Understanding homeschooling in Texas. 

This is often where I start getting the most questions. “What about science and history?” “What day do we start our school year?” “How many hours/days/months etc. do we need to do our school work?”  It seems a little daunting at first, but there really are no requirements for these things. We are blessed by incredible freedom in Texas to educate our children in the manner we choose. In Texas, homeschools are considered private schools, which means your private homeschool is exactly the same legally as the private school down the street. 

The daily homeschooling schedule can look different for each family. Some keep to a set schedule of hours, days and months, some school at a more casual pace, and some (like me) school year round, taking breaks as needed for their family. It’s important to know that while public school may last 7+ hours each day, you will likely spend half that time or less teaching your children at home since there isn’t down time for transitions, special classes, assemblies, meals, and managing a whole classroom of other students. There are many different estimates you’ll find of how long to spend schooling each day, a general rule of thumb I have found is about 15 minutes per each year old the student is. So for my oldest who is 7, we spend about an hour and 45 minutes a day on schoolwork, sometimes a little more, sometimes less. We don’t skimp either, we do about 12 different subjects a day and about 17 different subjects a week. 

Because of this great difference in public school expectations and homeschool freedom, it is often recommended for those transitioning to spend some time de-schooling to let go of old presuppositions and habits before jumping straight into a homeschool routine. You can find out more about this from texashomeeducators.org 

What Homeschooling is not (in Texas). 

Due to the current educational climate in regards to the Covid-19 pandemic, I have seen a huge influx of new homeschool families in various homeschool information and support groups. For Texas it’s important to know there are a few options that may look like private homeschooling, but legally are not defined as such. 

I think everyone is familiar with the distance learning or e-learning available from the school districts since the spring. This is not considered homeschooling, and is an extension of your local public school. You may have heard of other online options like Texas Virtual Academy, or Texas Connections Academy. Both of these are online public school options and are not private homeschooling. Why does this matter? When a student is enrolled in an online public school, there is no difference than if they were attending their local school. They are still subject to attendance requirements, grades, and STAAR testing because they are still a public school student. When a student is a private homeschooler in Texas, there are no attendance requirements, no grade requirements, and no standardized testing requirements. Your family is the private school, and therefore sets the requirements. 

So what do I use for homeschooling?

The next step (and my personal favorite) is to choose how you will educate your children. If you’ve already searched google you will no doubt have been overwhelmed by the hundreds of homeschool curriculum options available to you. So how do you narrow it down? First, consider how you want your homeschool to look. Do you want online instruction? Lots of workbooks? No workbooks? Self-guided? Heavy teacher interaction? Literature based? Large family learning or individual students working? With that, consider how your children learn. It may not suit every child to sit and go through workbook after workbook. Or they may not be ready to work independently online. Having an idea of what your homeschool instruction will look like each day will really help in choosing a curriculum. There are several major methods of homeschooling, and a great resource to check them out at is https://pambarnhill.com/guide-to-homeschool-methods/  by Pam Barnhill. She goes into great length explaining the methods and even linking some of the major curriculums belonging to each one. For fun I always recommend taking this Homeschool Style quiz http://eclectic-homeschool.com/what-kind-of-homeschooler-are-you/  which gives a rating of what methods might appeal to you most. 

After you’ve narrowed down your thoughts on what method might suit your homeschool best, it’s time to start digging into individual curriculums. I recommend CathyDuffyReviews.com as she has great reviews on all major curriculums. Find a few that you like, and visit their websites. Most have samples to download, videos to watch, free-trials to download, and some are completely free!

Take your time, try not to get overwhelmed, and don’t feel like you have to use one method or curriculum exclusively. Many homeschoolers pick and choose a little to adapt to their individual family’s needs. Some even create their own curriculum from various resources. The important thing is to remember that homeschooling is a lifestyle more than just a thing you do at home. You’re creating the learning environment, and with it, the attitude and desire to learn in your children. You don’t have to recreate public school at home, or have a Pinterest-worthy schoolroom. Just find a comfortable space to engage with your children and meet their needs as you learn together. 

WHAT ABOUT SOCIALIZATION?!?

*insert eye roll here* The dreaded question that every homeschool family just hates to hear. Yes, socialization is important. No, my kids are not cave people who don’t know how to make friends and talk with other people. Socialization varies family to family, just as it does in the public school realm too. Many homeschoolers attend homeschool co-ops (we do!), enroll their kids in various sports and extracurriculars (we do!), attend a local church (we do!), play with neighborhood friends (we do!) and spend time with extended family and friends (we do!) which all contribute to a healthy social life for children (and adults) of all ages. Plus, you know us homeschoolers, we think 4 kids is a small family 😜 There are also TONS of online communities (especially on Facebook) to join where you can find support and meet other homeschoolers. You can search by curriculum, interest or location to find various groups to enrich your homeschooling experience. 

I hope this post has been helpful for you. If you’d like to know more about what we use in our homeschool specifically, check out the rest of my page here, Waters of Rest Homeschool, or visit my Instagram. Instagram.com/mamakculb/

Blessings ❤