"You're homeschooling? Is he in a group, like a co-op? Is she in a class? What about high school? Are you teaching upper level math and science?" These and other questions come my way from friends and family, because to many, the idea of being wholly responsible for your child's education is a little scary. Even homeschool parents feel that way, which is probably why so many believe they need to outsource a portion or even most of their children's learning.
Outsourcing your homeschooling takes on a lot of different forms. It may look like a co-op where parents work collectively to offer classes for one another's children. It may look like classes taken in person at a resource center or online. It may look like dual enrollment in high school. It may be recorded courses or extracurricular groups. It may look like a university style approach where students attend school for two or three days a week and work on assignments at home on the other days.
While we used a group-curriculum approach for many years, for the last four we have been truly independent homeschoolers, selecting the curriculum that best matches our family's goals and needs. That doesn't mean that I don't outsource any of our learning, but I do so very strategically. Happily, we live in a time when homeschooling resources are abundantly available - often overwhelmingly so! If you are wondering if you can really homeschool, and when and how to outsource it, this will help you think that through!
Outsourcing your homeschooling takes on a lot of different forms. It may look like a co-op where parents work collectively to offer classes for one another's children. It may look like classes taken in person at a resource center or online. It may look like dual enrollment in high school. It may be recorded courses or extracurricular groups. It may look like a university style approach where students attend school for two or three days a week and work on assignments at home on the other days.
While we used a group-curriculum approach for many years, for the last four we have been truly independent homeschoolers, selecting the curriculum that best matches our family's goals and needs. That doesn't mean that I don't outsource any of our learning, but I do so very strategically. Happily, we live in a time when homeschooling resources are abundantly available - often overwhelmingly so! If you are wondering if you can really homeschool, and when and how to outsource it, this will help you think that through!
When is it a good idea to consider outsourcing our children's learning? These are my three biggest reasons.
When I really can't teach a subject.
The first reason many parents outsource their child's education is because they lack the ability to teach certain subjects - or they lack the confidence to do so. My first step in this is to see if, in fact, I do simply lack the confidence, but could teach it with the right resources. This is how I began teaching Latin to my children - a subject I never studied myself. We use Memoria Press's Latin Forms program, and the Teacher Guide is wonderful at painlessly walking me through each lesson. However, this may be something I outsource as they get into more challenging levels. The same is true for math as we get into more advanced topics, and of other skill-based subjects such as art or music.
When they need something I can't provide at home.
There are other subjects that I am confident of my ability to teach, but doing it in a group environment will offer something to my children that I can't duplicate at home. Subjects where a student will benefit from discussion with their peers is one example. Sometime, science labs will fall under this category. Being able to give oral presentations or recitals to their peers is another example. Anything that involves working together as a team is also difficult to give them at home - acting, performing, competing.
There are also times when I am very capable of teaching a subject, but for whatever reason, my child has difficulty learning from me, but will learn better from someone else. I'm not talking about a situation where my child is simply not obeying me - that is usually a parenting issue that I need to address. I'm talking about particular subjects where my teaching style is just not connecting with my child's need to learn, or a subject where someone else has a dynamic way of presenting the material. And for some students, their special needs require a different approach (although there are some truly wonderful materials out there for special needs learners!).
There are also times when I am very capable of teaching a subject, but for whatever reason, my child has difficulty learning from me, but will learn better from someone else. I'm not talking about a situation where my child is simply not obeying me - that is usually a parenting issue that I need to address. I'm talking about particular subjects where my teaching style is just not connecting with my child's need to learn, or a subject where someone else has a dynamic way of presenting the material. And for some students, their special needs require a different approach (although there are some truly wonderful materials out there for special needs learners!).
When I need to lighten my load.
Sometimes we as homeschool parents just need to lighten our load, whether that is because of the number of children we are homeschooling, the need to also carry a part-time job, or a season of life that is particularly challenging. That is a great time to figure out what you can delegate to others to make life easier.
How to outsource learning
Once you've decided that you need help with part of your homeschooling, how do you do it? You have choices!
Outsource the whole thing.
By this, I mean that someone else does the teaching and the grading - but it doesn't have to be a person. I have done this with my son's math. Because of some of his special needs, he needs to be able to do math on the computer. We tried Teaching Textbooks for about a year and a half, and loved parts of it, but we also really like Saxon (which my daughter has done for years). We ended up going back to Saxon, but also use My Math Assistant which allows my children to enter their work online, access videos when they don't understand something, and have their work graded - saving me time and frustration (use the code MMA26007 to get $5 off your first purchase if you want to try it)! Of course, traditional classes where an actual teacher handles the teaching and grading is another option. That may be through a co-op, a university model program, a resource center, through an online class (Memoria Academy and True North Homeschool Academy are two excellent options), or through a dual-enrollment college program.
Outsource the teaching part.
Often, I prefer to control the grading portion of my children's learning, but I want to outsource the actual teaching. This can also be done in a co-op setting, especially for elementary ages, as well as in-person PE, art, and music classes. What we have found to work best academically, however, is to use pre-recorded videos.
The videos with My Math Assistant mentioned above are one example. We have also taken advantage of the videos available for many of our Memoria Press classes, especially for Latin and Composition and for some of the upper level classical studies courses, such as Greek and Latin epics and plays.
Another source of video-based learning that we have discovered is Compass Classroom, where my daughter took Devotional Biology last year and is taking American History this year. The format is easy to follow and track progress, and the presenters are engaging and knowledgeable. Other sources of video-based teaching include Khan Academy (though you need to be watchful for content that may contradict a biblical worldview) and the Hillsdale College Online Courses
The videos with My Math Assistant mentioned above are one example. We have also taken advantage of the videos available for many of our Memoria Press classes, especially for Latin and Composition and for some of the upper level classical studies courses, such as Greek and Latin epics and plays.
Another source of video-based learning that we have discovered is Compass Classroom, where my daughter took Devotional Biology last year and is taking American History this year. The format is easy to follow and track progress, and the presenters are engaging and knowledgeable. Other sources of video-based teaching include Khan Academy (though you need to be watchful for content that may contradict a biblical worldview) and the Hillsdale College Online Courses
Outsource the discussion part.
I very much want my children to learn how to have academically interesting conversations with adults and their peers, and again, this is something that is difficult to recreate in a home environment.
In addition to in-person classes with friends (such as our Community Bible Study classes), we have found two excellent sources for this, both considerably less expensive than a whole teacher-led class. One is through Vita Beata, a nonprofit organization that uses parent volunteers to lead online discussion groups using the Memoria Press materials for literature, classical studies, and history.
The other is a new program from Compass Classroom for "Facilitated Courses" in which students will use the video courses as usual, but also participate in an every-other-week class with other students and an instructor to discuss what is being learned, share projects, and also get feedback (but not a grade) on submitted assignments. The cost for that is $15 per month, or $120 per year (ten months). The courses being offered are all four Dave Raymond high school history courses, Devotional Biology, and Visual Latin 1 and 2.
In addition to in-person classes with friends (such as our Community Bible Study classes), we have found two excellent sources for this, both considerably less expensive than a whole teacher-led class. One is through Vita Beata, a nonprofit organization that uses parent volunteers to lead online discussion groups using the Memoria Press materials for literature, classical studies, and history.
The other is a new program from Compass Classroom for "Facilitated Courses" in which students will use the video courses as usual, but also participate in an every-other-week class with other students and an instructor to discuss what is being learned, share projects, and also get feedback (but not a grade) on submitted assignments. The cost for that is $15 per month, or $120 per year (ten months). The courses being offered are all four Dave Raymond high school history courses, Devotional Biology, and Visual Latin 1 and 2.
Some things to remember about outsourcing.
As you consider what, when, and how to outsource your children's learning, it's important to keep a few things in mind.
First, don't use it as an excuse to tune out of your children's learning. I find this is tempting to do, but I still need to be a big part of it.
Second, don't outsource their spiritual learning completely. I mentioned Community Bible Study above as an in-person class we use for Bible study with their peers. My children also participate in church programs and the Christian leadership organizations American Heritage Girls and Trail Life USA, but the ultimate responsibility for their spiritual growth and development rests with me and my husband.
Finally, remember that homeschool plans are always subject to change! If you start something that is not working, don't wait until the end of the academic year to make a change. Listen to your child and also listen to your own instincts as you curate a homeschool program that meets your child's, and your family's, needs!
First, don't use it as an excuse to tune out of your children's learning. I find this is tempting to do, but I still need to be a big part of it.
Second, don't outsource their spiritual learning completely. I mentioned Community Bible Study above as an in-person class we use for Bible study with their peers. My children also participate in church programs and the Christian leadership organizations American Heritage Girls and Trail Life USA, but the ultimate responsibility for their spiritual growth and development rests with me and my husband.
Finally, remember that homeschool plans are always subject to change! If you start something that is not working, don't wait until the end of the academic year to make a change. Listen to your child and also listen to your own instincts as you curate a homeschool program that meets your child's, and your family's, needs!
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