In Texas I have heard Austin and San Antonio have a large and very active homeschooling communities. I am in Corpus Christi and after 3 yrs now I am finding more and more things for the kids to be envolved in and meeting more hsers now.
Not only HS friendly, but if you decide to join a homeschool "correspondence school," you get a stipend ($1600 or so) for each child, every year, with which to purchase school stuff, pay for museum tickets or opera tickets, classes, dance lessons, karate, swim, piano lessons, whatever. You get to pick your own curricula (as long as it isn't religious in nature) and set your own "schedule" --and I use that term loosely.
There are hoops to jump through (standardised testing grades 3 and up, and mandatory work samples and grades every quarter.
But as super-eclectic homeschoolers, we've had great success with it.
Bonus: At the end of their high school year, they have a graduation ceremony and receive a real diploma.
We're secular homeschoolers, but I know a lot of families who are religious homeschoolers that do the program thing, and many who go indy so they can use religious materials exclusively.
We also know a LOT of "indy" homeschoolers; this town is HS friendly in a big way!
I have heard that Texas and Kansas are the best states to homeschool in, and my dh's siblings were homeschooled in SA, TX and we are homeschooling in Wichita, KS.
I don't know if it is the "best", but there are several homeschool groups here and I am surprised at the number of homeschool events and leagues here. I would suspect that the majority of homeschoolers in these two states are Christain homeschoolers, but their sheer volume has meant that the laws and acceptance of it makes it a lot easier for all homeschoolers.
On a funny note, I haven't really done a lot with the groups yet, although I am planning on getting involved, but I noticed that several of the people on the Independent homeschool list are people I know from the attachment parenting list and people I have met through MDC. So, they are out there, even amongst the red state conservatives.
Charlotte, NC. It is a very homeschool/unschool friendly state. A family only needs to register, not be "approved" to homeschool. We have 15,000 homeschoolers in the surrounding area of 1.5 million population.
We love Charlotte for the culture, weather, economy, proximity to mountains and ocean, and NFL/AP leanings. I do a hard sell for homeschooling in Charlotte.
I didn't care for homeschooling in Wichita at all. We are pagan, and did not fit it with the homeschooling community there at all. When I was out with my kids during the day I was always questioned about it, and when people found out I homeschooled they responed with "what church do you go to?"
San Antonio was great, and Tucson was also super. Both cities offer tons to do, homeschoolers of all stripes, wide acceptance by the community, and easy laws.
I never got in touch with the groups to know about that, but just for the city alone, San Diego was a great place to live as a homeschooling family. It seemed like anything we could want, was just right there. And knowing was SD is like in general, I would imagine there are good hs groups too.
Portland, Oregon-We have something going on all the time. Not so full for the teen crowd, but tons of Elementry and middle school age kids doing stuff.
It is! There's a travelling biology instructor who was herself homeschooled who puts on science labs in Wasilla, Fairbanks, and Anch several times a year...There are hs-oriented art classes, PE classes in different styles, etc. We, in our hs journey have been part of HS co-ops, HS 4-H, HS playgroups, HS ice skating time, HS swimming time...the list goes on. Most of these activities are put together by a homeschooling parent.
There are newsletters and of course the "grapevine" to let us all know about upcoming events (FLOT--Fairbanks Light Opera Theater is a huge hit, as is Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre and the Bardathon)...there are opportunities to volunteer at the bird observatory, to mentor younger kids, to join the Weavers and Spinners Guild...
and to do it all for free because it's a deductible expense!
All kinds of HS opportunities are available all over the state. You can live anywhere and join one of the "correspondence" programs and have those funds at the ready. (Correspondence is really a poor term, but it's the one they use...We turn in one work sample from each "class" i.e. history, math, etc., each quarter, along with our assessment of the child's grade). My 12 year old skipped an entire grade last year and is doing wonderfully, with no school-hoops to jump through, just the "ok" of our parent-"teacher" contact.
It is! There's a travelling biology instructor who was herself homeschooled who puts on science labs in Wasilla, Fairbanks, and Anch several times a year...There are hs-oriented art classes, PE classes in different styles, etc. We, in our hs journey have been part of HS co-ops, HS 4-H, HS playgroups, HS ice skating time, HS swimming time...the list goes on. Most of these activities are put together by a homeschooling parent.
There are newsletters and of course the "grapevine" to let us all know about upcoming events (FLOT--Fairbanks Light Opera Theater is a huge hit, as is Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre and the Bardathon)...there are opportunities to volunteer at the bird observatory, to mentor younger kids, to join the Weavers and Spinners Guild...
and to do it all for free because it's a deductible expense!
All kinds of HS opportunities are available all over the state. You can live anywhere and join one of the "correspondence" programs and have those funds at the ready. (Correspondence is really a poor term, but it's the one they use...We turn in one work sample from each "class" i.e. history, math, etc., each quarter, along with our assessment of the child's grade). My 12 year old skipped an entire grade last year and is doing wonderfully, with no school-hoops to jump through, just the "ok" of our parent-"teacher" contact.
I love this state.
love, penelope
I'm completely jealous. I'm in North Central MA and there is nothing here AT ALL.
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