From Our Forum a Reader Asks:
Do you struggle with not knowing all of the effective techniques that a certified teacher would know? Do you have trouble making the learning experiences fun and meaningful? If someone started a business as a home school consultant, what specific types of services should he or she provide to home school parents?
As a teaching assistant in the public system I have to say that a certified teacher doesn’t automatically mean a great teacher, all teaching comes with experience with children.
Effective techniques aren’t really needed by homeschool teachers since we aren’t dealing with teaching lots of students at once.
The homeschooling parents that consult with me have a variety of concerns. Usually they have questions about curriculum options, how to meet state requirements, how to deal with specific needs of their child, or testing options. Parents who might be interested in a consultant are usually those new to homeschooling who feel that they need someone knowledgeable about local laws and curriculum options. They want someone whom they can come to when they have a specific question about the material that they have to teach or about what to do when having trouble teaching something specific to their child. Sometimes they may have questions about dealing with an unmotivated child or other concern that they hope a trained teacher will have more insight into.
Services to offer:
Testing (either pretests to help a parent decide appropriate curriculum levels to use, or achievement tests at the end of the year).
Curriculum consultation (At the beginning of the “year”: discussing curriculum options, relating them to the specific concerns, learning styles or needs of the family. Throughout the year: helping troubleshoot.)
Grading/reporting (More intense: Grading papers or curriculum tests. Writing grade reports, transcripts, diplomas, or other reports for parents who want someone else to do it for them.)
The biggest problem that homeschooling parents face are the ignorance of those that do not know anything about homeschooling and instead of learning something, they perpetuate the myths and stereotypes.
What effective techniques would a certified teacher know that a homeschooling parent can not? Most homeschool parents, especially myself, strive to find the most effective techniques for our children, and we are free to use the technique that works best for those children. We can access the same resources as those certified teachers, with the exception of the NEA. I think that I am better able to make the learning experiences fun and meaningful for my children- I am certain they would not get that in a traditional setting.
If you are considering starting a business as a homeschool consultant, I would not put to much effort into the above ‘concerns’.
Honestly, I do not know what to recommend to you. I, personally, would not hire a homeschool consultant- if I ever need guidance I consult experienced homeschoolers, not someone wanting to do it for a business. Those experienced homeschoolers will have more practical information than any consultant could offer.
There is a wealth of information available, so perhaps the best someone wanting to get into this “business” could do is gather all of that information together for homeschooling parents- links and print material of laws, curriculum providers, etc. You can use your favorite search engine and find some of the many resources that do this for free for more ideas 😉
What a new homeschooler needs is support from friends, family and veteran homeschoolers. Who knows your children better then you? To have a consultant come into your home and try to teach you tricks on how to teach your children I do not think would work. If you want to start a business in the homeschool community…Top notch curriculum is the way to go. I am one who likes to have lots of choices.
Effective techniques?
Most of what they teach in teaching classes (and trust me, BTDT) is crowd control and discipline, and finding a way to relate the stuff you want to do in class with the mandatory state standards. None of those things are an issue…
Fun and Meaningful?
Not usually. There are a billion things out there, you just have to match the experience to the kid’s personality. Since I live with the little buggars, I generally know what makes them tick. Way more than you do in a classroom setting.
Consultant?
Most people start off pretty jittery unless they’ve had some solid exposure to homeschooling. I’ve been doing it for 3 years now and I’m feeling more confident, but at first I was worried about “missing something.” I think the biggest hurdle is overcoming fear, which is because it’s new and unknown.
If you’re starting a service that will offer to go around and shake some sense into rude and ignorant people, I have a small list of names you can get started on. First on that list is the neighbor who asked “But who checks his work?” and then rolled her eyes, flapped her hand at me in a shooing motion and made a “Pfffft!” noise when told *I* checked his work.
Karma is cruel, though. Her 5th grade student was just identified as reading at a 2nd grade level. She praised her kid’s school up one side and down the other because “He doesn’t get in trouble there at all!”
Ok, then. I guess we’ll just go back to our 3rd grade pathetic selves and reading about the Battle of Thermopylae.
What are these effective techniques that a certified teacher would know that are secret knowledge and would benefit a homeschool environment? Most certified teachers I know that start homeschooling, say that their training is an obstacle once they realize that homeschooling does not reflect a traditional classroom.
The only problem I face is the bigotry and prejudices of those who believe that certified teachers have some magical power that makes them more qualified than I am to teach my children.
Do you struggle with not knowing all of the effective techniques that a certified teacher would know?
Nope. There are no secret techniques available only to credentialed teachers. The techniques most commonly used are traffic control, not real teaching techniques.
Do you have trouble making the learning experiences fun and meaningful?
Not at all.
If someone started a business as a home school consultant, what specific types of services should he or she provide to home school parents?
To be honest, if I was looking for help with our homeschooling, I would rely on the wisdom of other homeschooling parents.
All the best.
Ignorance about homeschooling