While traditional brick-and-mortar schools make sense for the majority of K to 12 students, kids who are actors, athletes and musicians generally do not have the time to participate in a regular school day. Here’s a short list of celebrities who attended homeschool for at least part of their educational journey.

Justin Bieber – Justin did start out as a student at a traditional school, but when his music career hit high gear, he moved to Los Angeles.  His schedule was too grueling to allow him to attend school daily, so he became a distance learner, taking online classes at St. Michael Catholic Secondary School in Stratford, Ontario – his hometown.  

Miley Cyrus – Miley was homeschooled from an early age when she was a child star on Disney Channel television productions.  Homeschool gave her the opportunity to concentrate on her singing career and provided her with the flexibility to live a normal childhood. She has been quoted as saying that “she enjoyed being homeschooled and found it beneficial to her career.”

Zac Efron – Zac is a well-known American actor and singer who was homeschooled for most of his education and credits his parents for providing him with an education “tailored to his needs.” He is an advocate for homeschooling and has encouraged other young people to explore the option.

Jackie Evancho – An American singer who became famous when she sang in America’s Got Talent in 2010. She was homeschooled throughout her singing career and has become a successful performing artist. Jackie began her school years in the Pine-Richland School District outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but after her singing career began, she participated in online school and graduated in an online program from Pine-Richland High School in 2018. 

Selena Gomez – In an interview with a group called Oakland County Moms, Selena was asked if she enjoyed having been homeschooled.  She replied, “There are a few moments where I would have liked to have gone to [public] school, but it didn’t bother me.  I did most of my schooling on [set], so I was with my other cast members on my show. I have interactive people around me, so it wasn’t just me in a white room with a tutor.”

The Jonas Brothers – These kids were already entertainment sensations when they graduated from high school. They were homeschooled from elementary school through graduation. Their father is an ordained minister with Assemblies of God. They were homeschooled by their mother, but before she took over their education, all three brothers attended Eastern Christian School in North Haledon, New Jersey. When their careers took off, they missed too many classes to stay registered in school so the principal worked with their mother to find an on-the-road tutor to teach them.  They each separately enjoyed unusual homeschool variety high school graduation celebrations. 

Demi Lovato – Many kids end up in a homeschooling situation because they were being bullied while attending public school.  Demi Lovato was one of those kids.  Even though she was a successful actor on the Disney Channel, her schoolmates bullied her endlessly because she was different.  Consequently, she moved from public school to a homeschool situation. In April 2009, she received a high school diploma via homeschooling.

Jennifer Love Hewitt – Jennifer was a “career actor” by the time she entered grade school.  Because her acting schedule made it nearly impossible for her to participate in the 8AM to 3PM public school weekday routine, she was educated at home through the 8th grade.  She enrolled in a public high school at the time her family moved to Los Angeles.

Bindi and Robert Irwin – Bindi and Robert are children of the late Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. Both Bindi and Robert were homeschooled which gave them flexibility to keep up with their media commitments. In 2014, Bindi finished a certificate III in business and tourism. Robert graduated from homeschool high school in 2019 at age 15.

Angelina Jolie – An actress and filmmaker, Ms. Jolie was homeschooled for portions of her educational life. The structure of traditional education was not allowing her to learn at her own pace and explore her individual creativity, so she moved to a homeschooling situation. Before changing over to homeschooling, she attended Beverly Hills High School, but she was bullied and teased there for being very thin and wearing glasses and braces.

Justin Timberlake – Justin started elementary school at a public school in Tennessee but was homeschooled from the sixth grade through high school. Because Justin was a member of the Mickey Mouse Club in elementary school, he had little time left for public school. After he completed the sixth grade, he was homeschooled throughout his middle school and high school years.

Venus and Serena Williams – Both sisters were homeschooled from elementary through high school so they could spend more time working on their tennis game.  At one point, Venus went back to public school because she was interested in entering the fashion business. Their parents acted both as their tennis coach and their homeschool teacher.  Venus went on to be a seven-time Grand Slam singles winner and Serena is a twenty-one-time Grand Slam winner.

CLOSING:  According to The National Center for Education Statistics, 3% of all US students are home-schooled. Over the years, some of these non-traditional students have gone on to become celebrity household names. The above stories are intended to empower parents who are willing to accept the challenge of educating their gifted children outside the traditional public-school model.

For assistance in developing a homeschooling program for your child, contact Global Student Network (GSN) at

www.globalstudentnetwork.com. 

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For Active Kids

There are many play activities that can keep your younger children preoccupied. The classics still remain fun to play even to this day, including Hide & Seek, Tag, and Duck, Duck, Goose. You can even switch up the games slightly, like in Tag, to make it actually count, the person has to tag someone on the back, otherwise it will not count. You can let your kids build a fort in different rooms of the house, which will keep them entertained for hours! 

If your kids are at that age where they are noticing fashion and doing things on their own, you can hold a fashion show! Let them pick out different outfits from their closets (and even yours!) to create their own next trend. Then they can strut down the stairs or through the living room to show them all off! Or if your children love making a scene, let them re-enact their favorite movie or try to create their own! Sit back with some popcorn or a cup of tea and watch your dramatic children put on a show!

For Mental Stimulation

If your kids are more reserved or more of a bookworm, a rainy day is a blessing in disguise! There is always reading a good book, whether it is reading it together as a family for some together time, or everyone choosing their own book and finding a cozy corner. You can also play card games and invite other kids to make it a party. Or even invite a few adults and have a kids’ game night and your own adult game table in another room. You can also grab a puzzle and all work on the same one, or have a puzzle contest, where you each have a smaller puzzle (or large if you are so bold!) and it is a race to see who completes theirs the fastest!

You can also break out the crayons, markers, paper, and more to let your child go to town drawing! They can even make a mural of their summer time activities so far. Grab a long sheet of craft paper and let them create a little timeline or mural of all the things they have done this summer, and they can keep going back to it even when the rain has disappeared!

Katie Kyzivat

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Setting Good Intentions

The first step is figuring out what they can and cannot do, and making sure not to overwhelm them at first. If they are not really doing anything around the house currently, then you don’t want to hand them a list of twenty things that need to be done asap. Look for the tasks that are a little easier or more known to your teen so they can easily pick it up and get it out of the way. Think of washing the dishes, or vacuuming and sweeping. These tasks do not require a lot of knowledge or learning, so they can take these chores on without too much grumbling. As they complete their chores on time and in good faith, you can start increasing the number of tasks or the difficulty level, such as washing the car or figuring out what to eat for the next few nights. 

Keep Them on Task

It is of course easy to say that your teen will go wash the dishes, but it is a whole other challenge getting them to accomplish it too. Some kids may want to help but feel overwhelmed if they have a lot of homework or other extracurricular activities. Make sure they understand that having chores is not a punishment or that you are trying to take away their free time. Explain to them that these are necessary life skills and things they will need to do in the future on their own. You want a break every once in a while, from these tasks as well, but if there is an evening where they do not have much free time, try to be a little flexible. 

If they simply do not want to do the tasks, make sure you have everything laid out on what you want done, how often, and specifically which days of the week. If you want them to do the laundry every day, then have it listed as every day. If you want them to mow the lawn once or twice a week, put down a day of the week and do not leave it up to them, as they may try putting it off until the very last minute. This can make it a little easier pushing them to accomplish tasks when they can clearly see when it needs to be done.

Katie Kyzivat

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It’s obvious that homeschooling costs are different for each family based on several variables:

• The number of children in the family that will be home schooled,
• The type of curriculum the family chooses to use,
• Whether or not one parent will quit their job to act as the principal instructor,
• The dollar amount of taxes the family will still have to pay to support public education, and
• Whether or not home-schooled children will participate in extra-curricular activities.

COST BREAKDOWN

General per/student cost estimates turn up frequently on homeschooling websites. Most estimates total about $500-$2550 per student/per year depending on several factors.  Basic costs include:

• $200 – $700 Curriculum purchase and testing fees
• $100 – $600 Books and supplies
• $100 – $1000 Extracurricular activities and sports
• $100-$250 Field Trips

OPTIONAL EXPENSES

If both parents in the homeschool family are planning to continue working at their regular job, you might want to consider hiring a tutor or even a full-time teacher to handle duties parents are unable to cover.  Ballpark costs for hiring tutors or teachers are completely optional and include:

• $700-$4500 Part time tutor,
• $12K to $35K Shared private teacher, or
• $35K to $70K Full-time private teacher. 

NOTE: There are no federal or state programs that pay parents directly to homeschool their children.

OTHER EXPENSES TO CONSIDER:

The biggest “extra” expense parents tend to forget when creating a home school budget is the cost of one parent giving up their job to become the teacher/administrator of the school.  There are ways to avoid this cost, but it’s common for one parent to take over the full-time responsibility of running the school.  When considering this possibility, look at all the costs attached to maintaining a full-time job and be sure to deduct them from the take-home pay number. You won’t be having to pay for parking, transportation, tolls, wardrobe requirements, etc.  Then, often the best approach is to eliminate the lowest salary and assign that person the full-time administrative task.

The second most commonly forgotten expense is taxes. You pay taxes to support public schools. Homeschooling is not tax deductible in the U.S.  In most counties, parents who homeschool their children and own their homes must also continue to pay property taxes to fund public schools. 

TAX CREDITS AND DEDUCTIONS

In the U.S., most areas do not offer tax deductions for running a homeschool. There are no tax provisions that allow a write off for homeschool expenses.  And, as mentioned above, parents who homeschool their children must continue to pay taxes to fund public schools. There are no federal tax credits or deductions applying specifically to homeschools.

A few states do offer tax breaks for families who choose to homeschool. If you live in one of these five states, be sure to check on current regulations. If you live in the other 45 states, take the time to check on whether your state might have new tax break regulations for homeschooling.

• Illinois has historically sponsored the Education Expense Credit for eligible families.  The credit has been worth up to $750 a year. (NOTE: Some sources report that full-time homeschool parents in Illinois may qualify for the Education Expense Credit if their expenses are over $250/year.)
• Indiana offers a tax deduction up to $1000/year for out-of-pocket homeschool expenses. (NOTE: Applies to elementary or high school-age students only.)
• Louisiana offers a 50% tax deduction for educational expenses up to $5000/year per dependent student.
• Minnesota offers a K-12 Education Credit to qualifying homeschoolers for non-religious materials like textbooks and school supplies.
• Iowa extended a textbook tax credit to homeschool students starting on April 13, 2022. The textbook or instructional material must be required by an Iowa public school. The credit is calculated to cover 25% of up to $2000 per dependent student for textbooks and instructional materials.

FEDERAL ASSISTANCE

The following federal programs may help defray homeschooling costs in qualifying situations.

1. Medical tax deductions for special education and tutoring costs, including Braille school for the vision impaired or a sign language tutor for deaf students.
2. A deductible charitable contribution program that allows deductions for qualifying cash and material donations to an approved nonprofit homeschool association.
3. A Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA) can potentially be used to cover education expenses for primary, secondary, and higher education students.

For all three of these programs, contact a tax advisor for guidance in applying for and receiving deductions.

IN CLOSING

Homeschooling can save family budget money as compared to the cost of private school or public school. It’s important to keep focused on the less obvious costs, which sometimes total more than the more common costs of curriculum and supplies.

NOTE: For great homeschool curriculum packages and excellent staff assistance in implementing your homeschool program, visit www.globalstudentnetwork.com. 

RESOURCES:

The Cost of Homeschooling (investopedia.com)

Here’s How Much It Costs to Homeschool Your Kids (parents.com)

2023 Homeschooling Costs — Programs & Tax Credits (tutors.com)

The Real Cost Of Education In The USA (Infographic) | GradePower Learning

School Vouchers: What You Need to Know (understood.org)

15 States With School Vouchers to Help Pay for Private School (thepennyhoarder.com)

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Talking About Sleepovers

If your child is a little apprehensive or anxious about their first sleepover, it may be due to them not really knowing what to expect. Make sure to talk to them about sleepovers to begin with, and see how they feel about the process. Gauge how they react to see if they seem comfortable with the idea or that they should wait for a little bit before going on their first. Make sure you do not push any sleepovers onto your children, and do not fret if they have not been over to a friend’s house when they were young. It is perfectly normal and acceptable to not go on a sleepover until they are a teen! 

Each child is different and will react to staying the night somewhere else differently. Some children are not phased at all, and could go as early as first grade. Some children feel more uncomfortable being away from home, and may not want to go on one until they are a young teen. All of these are acceptable and should be adhered to, no matter how much you want your kid to go out and spend the night. To help ease their anxiety, you can always be the first house to hold a sleepover; this way, it can help your child feel a little more at ease since it is their friends coming over to what they know. You can even have them spend the night at a relative’s house, and see how they do. This is a slightly less unknown situation for them since they know everyone there. 

Preparing For Sleepovers

If your child is ready to take the dive, make sure they have everything they need. Have them help you pack up the necessary supplies they will need, like shoes, PJs, an extra set of underwear for any accidents, toothbrush, some snacks, and anything else. If they have any dietary restrictions or your child may wet the bed, it is a good idea to reach out to the parents hosting. Letting them know ahead of time can help deter any embarrassment should an accident occur. With these guidelines in tow, you and your child will be set up for success with their first sleepover!

Katie Kyzivat

The post Your Kid’s First Sleepover appeared first on Home School Facts.

 Children suffered as a result. Some teachers reported that it didn’t matter that they worked so hard to make school-at-home work for students. That the effort was a failure.  That they should have stayed in school. Kids lost significant ground in reading, math, and other subjects.  Low-income children and children of color fared even worse.  Reported cases of depression in K to 12 aged children went up alarmingly and the American Academy of Pediatrics declared a national children’s mental health emergency.

Shamik Dasgupta, a philosopher at the University of California, Berkeley, who became an advocate for reopening schools, called the closures “a moral catastrophe” and noted that “It is clear that extended school closures were a mistake — they harmed children while having no measurable effect on the pandemic.” 

PUBLIC SCHOOL ENROLLMENT

During this time, so many parents became alarmed at the quality of public schools that overall enrollment fell by 1.3 million (3%). The number of parents with “little or no trust in public schools” rose to 33%, according to a Gallup poll.

David Leonhardt, writing for the NYT on 4/28/2023, quoted an educator as saying, “It’s pretty undeniable that the last few years have been bad for public schools — even very bad.” 

 NPR Host Sacha Pfeiffer on the March 14, 2023, episode of Morning Edition, noted that “We’re now able to measure the impact of the pandemic on kids in schools. We know there was significant learning loss, now being reflected in test scores. An AP investigation found that almost a quarter-million children across 21 U.S. states are missing entirely from schools. And the CDC says teen mental health is worse than ever.” 

IMPACT ON HOMESCHOOLING

It’s now a well-known fact that the number of kids enrolled in home school nearly doubled during and immediately following pandemic public-school closures.  The question that seems to remain unasked is – if children suffered such academic losses while they were being educated at home, what do these losses say for the homeschooling model in general? 

The temptation is to judge the losses against the entire concept of homeschooling. If kids were so damaged by being forced to school at home, how can homeschooling be good for them?

The answer is not in the homeschooling model as a concept. The answer lies in exploring the quality of the homeschool experience itself.  What we have learned is that one teacher – no matter how well trained or how well intentioned he or she is – cannot be expected to provide quality education to 35 or 40 kids who may or may not be turning on their cameras during class sessions. 35 or 40 kids who have literally no opportunity to bond one-on-one with a “screen personality,” and who – as many teachers reported – have the option once role call has ended, to turn off their cameras and take a nap.

A DIFFERENT EDUCATION MODEL

First, and perhaps most important, we must recognize that “school-at-home” is not the same concept as is “home schooling.” What happened with public schools during the pandemic was that 58 million students and their teachers were directed by state and federal governments and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to attend public school at home via Zoom or more than twenty other options for online teaching. (20 Alternatives To Zoom For Online Teaching [Updated] (teachthought.com). Public schools were literally closed to any on-campus educational activity for nearly two years.

This is a decidedly different approach than homeschooling. In stark contrast to public “school at home,” home school students can learn at their own pace, have input to their own curriculum choices and, most important, have direct one-on-one communication with an online teacher or a real teacher or parent.

And – unlike public school attendance – home school students are, by and large, pursuing the education model by choice. Yes, they are required by law to attend school and complete grades K to 12, but many have made the decision to homeschool in cooperation with their parents, who recognize their child’s particular learning patterns and needs.

PARENTAL SUPPORT 

In defense of public schools and the school-at-home experience, it’s important to remember that most schools had little or no experience with remote instruction at the beginning of the pandemic. Teacher training in remote learning was mostly non-existent, appropriate software was not always available, and many students did not have reliable Internet access.

But the biggest differential was that of parental support. The lack of a stable home experience and supportive adults at home to help with their education, set thousands of students behind from the start.

Most traditional home-schooling models are established based on parental participation in a child’s education. The parent establishes a school, removes their child from public school and then becomes both teacher and administrator for the duration of their child’s education.  Successful home school experiences generally begin because a parent recognizes they can add something valuable to their child’s education in terms of quality and breadth of instruction. Negative home school experiences are often based on an adult removing their child from school in order to delete something they see as having negative value rather than adding something of greater value.

THE NUMBERS

It’s too early to be able to statistically compare the success of traditional homeschooling during the pandemic to the disappointing results of the public education school-at-home experiment. But we do know that pre-pandemic, numerous studies demonstrated that homeschooled children do better than their public-school counterparts in many areas, including higher grades in core subjects and the ability to successfully bond with their own parents.  Because school lockdowns during the pandemic did not apply to homeschools, it’s a pretty safe assumption to conclude that home-school students maintained their previous advantage over same-age public school students. We’ll have to wait for the numbers.

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What Is Year-Round Schooling?

You may or may not have heard of year-round schooling, and it may not even be available in your school districts, but you can always homeschool with a year-round schedule! And before your kids panic from hearing the words, “year-round”, it isn’t everyday of the week either. Year-round revolves around no summer break and varying chunks of school time with a few chunks of time off. 

This can oftentimes feel more immersive for children, and can make learning a little easier if they have more time to learn the information, rather than moving onto the next subject week after week. If you are thinking about this in terms of homeschooling, you can also assign your kids more projects and deeper, more in-depth assignments to give them a better concept of research and exploration. 

The Schedule

If you are choosing a school with year-round teaching, they may be separated into two different systems, call Single Track and Multi-Track. Single track systems are more unified for the students and teachers, where they are all in attendance at the same time for the school period. Multi-track systems may have more staggered attendance plans, where the students and teachers may not be perfectly aligned each calendar year. 

There are different timetables for year-round schooling, and you can always play around with each of them to pick one that works, or simply jump right into one and see how it goes! Most programs follow the 60-20 timetable, where there are three 60-day school day schedules along with three 20-day breaks. There are variations on these, including a 45-15 schedule, which involves 45-day lengths of learning with 15-day breaks in between. All these variations can be used in both Single and Multi-track teaching systems as well. 

Food for Thought

There are always going to be pros and cons to any type of teaching method. For year-round schooling, many parents feel like there isn’t enough of a break for vacations, extracurricular activities like camp, or even working. But on the plus side, year-round learning seems to aid students in better information retention, and can make the transition “back to school” easier with less of a break in between. 

Katie Kyzivat

The post Is Year-Round Schooling Right for Your Kids? appeared first on Home School Facts.

Times are Changing

With a tech boom at large comes a need for more technology-centered learning. It is predicted that nearly 65% of students will be working in jobs or fields that do not even exist right now! So how can we best prepare our children to learn what they need to know? 

Leaning heavily on the sciences and math can help your tech-driven kids learn vital information that can help them learn newer and bigger tech down the road. Having a good concept of math and how the world works and forms can give them the tools to create or improve what is already out there in the tech world. It is also beneficial to boost their problem-solving skills too. These skills will always prove useful in most real-world situations anyway, but can also significantly help your tech-savvy kid reach their full potential. 

Constantly Learning

With technology constantly changing and morphing at a moment’s notice, it is no surprise that kids today will need to keep up. In this style, they will most likely need to continue their education past high school and college to stay ahead of the game. Kids with a love of technology will most likely already love learning. But prepare your children if they feel like school is boring, as a job in the tech field will most likely involve a lot of continued education. 

And remind them that their continued education may not be a full degree, either; with how fast technology is moving, the level of learning will be fast-paced too. They may be webinars, quick trainings, and other convention-style learning opportunities for your kids to learn more in the tech field than attending lectures and classes.

New Frontiers

No matter where the technology field is going, if your kid wants to pursue a career in it, start now! Since everything is changing constantly, this can allow your child the chance to fully explore all that the tech field has to offer, and more! This can help them prepare for all the changes and challenges that come with it, as well as honing their skills to help make technology even better!

Katie Kyzivat

The post How Technology Is Changing Teaching appeared first on Home School Facts.

Understanding What Your Child Needs

Your family may have just recently found out that one of your children has a special need, or maybe you’ve known for years but you’re feeling stressed and overworked. Either way, you need to do your research and find out as much as you can about what your child’s special needs entail. Gather information from their doctor, teacher, and potentially therapist to know how to better focus on their health aspect of life, whether it’s more diet based or education based. As well as learning a lot of information for your own family to use, whether it is tips on how to get a day to go smoothly, or how to understand where your child is coming from. 

Having a better scope of what your child is going through everyday and what they do and do not understand will make a huge impact on reaching them. It can help them feel comfortable in their own home and in accomplishing tasks. And helps you understand what they can and can not do in a day and how to better talk to them and get your point across. 

Seek Support

Whether you are a single parent or not, seeking support outside of the home is always a good idea. See if there are specific support groups around you that meet in person or at least meet online. These groups of parents can help you and be a sounding board for any stresses or questions you may be experiencing. They also have the hands-on experience that you’re dealing with on a daily basis and may be able to help you. Or at least be another person you can vent to! 

This can also help you potentially find other parents with special needs children who may live close by. You can stay in touch with them and meet them as well to help your child see more children who are experiencing what they are going through too. And make sure to set aside some time for yourself to recharge too, especially if you are a single parent. See if any of your parent-friends would mind baby sitting here and there to give you a chance to have a break, and then do the same for them. Remember that in order to be your best self, you also need time for yourself!

Katie Kyzivat

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The Allure of Phones

Most adults didn’t have the luxury of cellphones when growing up, or were at least older teens before they got a phone of their own. Having so much information and fun stuff available at your fingertips, it can be hard not to check your phone after every bing or beep. We also know that kids, though, mimic their parents’ actions, which can include how much they’re on their phones. So if you are on your phone as soon as you get home from gathering up the kids, chances are they will be too. 

Of course, not every parent is glued to their phone. We all know the work doesn’t end as soon as we step inside our homes, and you may be cooking, cleaning, prepping, and continuing to work while your kid scrolls online and plays games. But if you are conscious of the time you are on your phone, it may help decrease their screen time too. 

 Limiting Kids (And Your) Screen Time

According to a study conducted by Common Sense Media, parents are spending an average of nine hours watching screens. And this study is not including work hours, where most people may already be spending nearly eight hours in front a screen as well. If you’re thinking there’s no way you’re on your phone for nine hours a day, then keep in mind that this also includes all screens, so TVs, computers and tablets are included. 

If you’re thinking you may be spending too much time on devices, don’t worry, it can be far too easy to get sucked into these distractions. And if you are setting time limits on your children’s screen time, you should be limiting yours as well. Even if you at least keep track of the time first, then you’ll know if you’re within a safe zone or spending too much time on them. 

Easy Activities

There are plenty of relatively quick ways to stay off your phone, and to include your kids too. Cooking can be a fun activity to bring your children into! Mowing the lawn or doing any other landscaping or weeding can take some time. Even grabbing a real book off the bookshelf is a great way to escape without staring at a screen!

Katie Kyzivat

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