Since Eli just turned 7, this is our first year that hours matter. Missouri requires 1000 total hours in a 12 month period, 600 of which have to be in the "core" subjects. Aside from the fact that a parent could conceivably do all 1000 hours in, say, math and that would meet the state requirements, we've run into further proof that the idea is ludicrous. It took Eli nearly 45 minutes this morning to answer a single, solitary question in Bible. He never got up from where he was sitting, but he was in la la land, or stressing over how he couldn't find the answer for most of the time. But that counted towards our hours. lol. Can I just say, what a dumb way to track school. We're going to a free homeschool showing of Yakov's Moscow Circus tomorrow. I see two hours of Social Studies ahead of us. :lol:
Do you have to actually track the hours? If not, don't worry about it. In Ohio, we have to guarantee they're getting x-number of hours, but we don't have to document it in any way (thankfully!). If there's a problem, we are not responsible to prove we provide enough; it's up to the prosecutors to prove we DON'T.
We really do need to track hours. A simple list of how many hours were spent a day is sufficient. Homeschool tracker does it for me, so no biggie. It's the only thing we HAVE to do (aside from have a couple examples of work on hand). We never need to turn them in unless we are called into court for abuse or truancy or something. I'm not really complaining, I just find it funny. I mean, I don't have to send a letter of intent, turn in lesson plans (they don't actually care at all about what your child is doing, only that he/she is doing it for 1000 hours a year), or anything else. But if you're going to ask me to prove I adequately educate my child, how does hours spent really tell you anything?
*thankful I live in TX* Seeing posts like this one ... and many others I've seen lately ... make me really appreciate the freedom Texas give parents to do as they please. I wish all states were like that. I agree that it's rediculous to track hours. Some kids take 3 days to eat their breakfast. Some kids blow through the entire math book in 2 months. Do you penalize students who learn fast by making them sit in a chair when they'd rather be exploring on their own? I hate standards, because I've never met a standard child in my life!
Fortunately, we can pretty much count anything under the sun as school. We do have to do at least 400 hours in our "normal home school location", so it can't be a field trip ever day... just most days. lol. But if he wants to go play outside, that's PE. If he helps me cook dinner, I can count it as core (math, science, even history/geography depending on what we cook) or as an elective (home ec.). A lot of parents here let certain activities count as double duty. For example, they count work done for scouting badges, or Sunday School as Bible hours. I personally don't like that, but it's just me. Truth is, you can pretty much get away with whatever you want here just by being creative.
I'm going to second this! I am so glad I live in Texas. Tracking hours and needing to label activities into certain set catagories would just wear me out. I fell bad for anyone who has to do anything like that.
"In our normal school location"? WOW! We went camping Memorial Day Weekend, and my dad took the camper up for us on Wednesday before (so we could be sure of getting a place!). We took school books with us, and did school there. We probably put about two to three hours each day doing academics, not counting bike riding and hiking, etc! Why is it that "real" schools can count their field trips, and you can't?
I am glad I live in Texas, also. It is ridiculous to track hours. Each child is different. I guess they are still trying to place homeschoolers in a "one fits all" category.:?
That would count. I only have to log 400/1000 hours at our "normal school location." That means we can do 600 hours via field trips, classes, etc.
Seriously though, I'd take tracking hours over the restrictions of states like PA and OH any day. Of course, it would be nice to not have to do anything at all, but if I have to do something, checking off an hours chart is the lesser of all evils.
We have to track either hours or days... for me days work, I can count a day even if we just do 5 minutes of work that day... try adding up 180 days at 5 minutes each.. doesn't even touch the 900 hours that are required if you count hours.
875 hours a year here in the subjects of Reading, Language Arts, Math, Science, Health and Social Studies. Conceivably we could do a ton of hours on just one subject and not very many of the others per year, but I try to balance it out (I admit to not doing too much in ss and science for the 1st and 2nd grade year). We are suppose to have a scope and sequence/curricula in each subject, I believe, but not handed in or checked. It is recommended that we keep track of hours for our records just in case we need to disprove a case if it went to court or something (burden of proof is not on us). We are very fortunate though that we don't have to do testing, submit curricula or records or anything like that. We just submit a form to our Dept. of Public Instruction each year saying that we truthfully carry out the private education of our child/children (in other words that we are following the law). Oh ya....we are not suppose to count hours that are spent in places/classes that are open to more than one family (i.e. hs co-op classes and other such things like Library times and VBS). Tutoring sessions though are able to be counted, of course.
It's all the other nonsense you have to do each year that would drive me batty. lol. The lesson plans, letters, adviser, etc. I'm far too lazy for all that junk. :lol: Though I would rather track days than hours. Again, I wasn't really complaining. I just find it funny that how many hours we spend is somehow indicative of a quality education.
PA is bark with no bite. I was terrified at first, but it's really not bad. I like the accountability. I would NOT want to track hours!!! My oldest is done official school work in 2 1/2 hours - and she's in 5th grade!!!! We'd never make it! LOL (of course that's just her seatwork, we do do school more than that....but...you know what I mean!)
The hours tracking scared me when I first started homeschooling. Some people told me that I needed to do 4 to 5 hours a day of school for a typical school year (think public school year) with my 1st grader! I was thinking "seat work" and I was freaking out!! I realized that I could be creative with counting hours and that 4 or 5 hours didn't mean just seat work. I also decided to not have my son be off of school for the entire summer. We take a few days off here and there during the year and just about the whole month of August (this year anyway) instead of taking off all of late June, July and August.
I counted hours last year - not because I had to. I alloted a certain number of hours for each subject for the entire year. I then counted our time in each subject. It gave me flexibility to spend a whole day on history if I wanted and still make sure I was putting the amount of time I wanted in each subject. I'm trying something different this year though. Where I live I don't have to do anything except walk by the kids in the schoolyard and smile
What restrictions in Ohio? We're really very easy state. I send in a paper each year that says I have a high school diploma, I promise to teach x-number of hours, and include math, language, etc. I also send a list of subjects and textbooks, both of which are NOT binding but for "informational purpose only". My friend does a "written assessment" based on a portfolio review...basically signs her name on a paper that says my kids are working "on level". Testing is optional, no record keeping is required. No one questions what I use or how. Sure, I'd rather simply tell them on Day One of Kindergarten that I'm hs'ing and forget about them forever, but....
Yep I agree. As far as having to show a lesson plan.. nope not at all. I show them a very general list of objective.. very very general like for reading: we will continue to read books of interest... in fact it's a page I found online and printed out, I didn't tweek it at all. When I turn in my portfolio it just has a list of subjects in it with a check after it for each day we do that subject, a few samples of his work (I shoot for 9 pages for each subject 3 from the begining, middle and end), the letter from our evaluator and a copy of our affidavit from that year. No big deal, in fact it takes me all of a few hours to put together at the end of the year!
