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VHC FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS click on any title to see full comments DO I HAVE TO BECOME A MEMBER OF VHC TO USE THIS WEBSITE? VHC WEBSITE FEATURES EXPLAINED IS HOMESCHOOLING LEGAL? WHAT IS HOMESCHOOLING? WHAT ARE HOMESCHOOLERS' REGISTRATION OPTIONS? WHAT IS UNSCHOOLING? IS HOMESCHOOLING EXPENSIVE? CAN TWO PARENTS WORK AND HOMESCHOOL? IS HOMESCHOOLING TIME CONSUMING? WHAT ABOUT SOCIALIZATION? WHAT ABOUT A DIPLOMA OR UNIVERSITY? AM I QUALIFIED ? DO I NEED A DIPLOMA TO TEACH? WHY DO PEOPLE HOMESCHOOL? WHAT ABOUT MOM BURNOUT? DO I HAVE TO FOLLOW THE BC LEARNING OUTCOMES? IS ACCOUNTABILITY REQUIRED? HOW DO HOMESCHOOLERS PERFORM ACADEMICALLY? IS THERE ANYWHERE ONE CAN RECEIVE STATISTICS ON HOMESCHOOLING? WHAT IS A HOMESCHOOLING CO-OP? WHAT ARE THE SCHOOLS OF REGISTRATION OPTIONS? DO I HAVE TO BECOME A MEMBER OF VHC TO USE THIS WEBSITE? No, you do not have to become a member. There is no membership for the Victoria Homeschool Connection (VHC) website. You DO have to be a VCHS (Victoria Christian Home Schooler) member to access the VCHS MEMBERS area of the site, but that is only because that area has information which is specific to those members. Anyone can use the rest of the VHC website. The VHC website is a volunteer-run, free service provided to all local homeschoolers regardless of affiliations or religious beliefs. The hope is that many will find it helpful and many will contribute to make it even more helpful. In this way, it will become an easy-to-use, central resource for new and experienced homeschoolers on Vancouver Island. The VHC website's succcess or failure can be measured by how many people use it and will depend on how many contribute to it. No one person could create and maintain it all. VHC WEBSITE FEATURES EXPLAINED HOW TO USE THE VHC WEBSITE... The VHC website is navigated using the links located at the top of the screen just under the VHC logo. There should be 21 link-options available with such names as "CO-OP CONNECTOR", "IDEA DRAWER", "PHOTOS", "REGISTRATION/ENROLLMENT" etc. If you do not see all 21, the most likely reason is that you have your TEXT SIZE set too high on your web browser (i.e. Internet Explorer/Netscape Navigator/Safari/Fire Fox) The TEXT SIZE adjustment is usually located in the VIEW, PREFERENCES or OPTIONS menus of your program. Set TEXT SIZE to smallest for best results. RESIZING THE MAIN MENU AREA If, after doing this you still can't see the bottom-most VHC options, you should be able to click and hold on the border of that area and pull down a little more red-space (in other words re-size the website frame that contains the menu) so that it all become visible. If, you have any problems don't be afraid to E-MAIL us. We need the input to make this work for all the different computers and web-browsers out there. THE SIDEBAR AREA Though TIMELY MEMOS (organized by date of the event) are accessible from the top menu, direct links to the MEMOS also appear in the website sidebar which is organized by the date the MEMO was received at VHC. The Sidebar should stay visible as you explore VHC. You might have to scroll the sidebar window in order to see all the items it contains. If you want your main screen "realestate" back, you can simply grab (click and hold) the sidebar border and resize it. VHC MAIN MENU OPTIONS... VHC HOME : returns you to the home page which contains the "ABOUT US" message and the "interesting picture of the moment." VCHS MEMBERS: Is a secure area available only to members of the Victoria Christian Home Schoolers. It contains info that is relevant only to them. VHC E-MAIL: automatically activates your e-mail program so that you can easily drop us a line. TIMELY MEMOS: Lists events, field trips, sources of information, announcements and other timely information. FREE CLASSIFIEDS: A free forum where users can list items for sale, items wanted and businesses. CO-OP CONNECTOR: A forum for new homeschoolers, or those who have recently moved, to connect with their local homeschool co-op. Co-op organizers can also utilize this feature to look for more members. PHOTOS: Photos used on this website, or submitted by homeschoolers are posted here. Anything goes. You can submit photos by attaching them to an e-mail. DEALS & DISCOUNTS: Many local businesses offer discounts or deals for homeschoolers. VHC posts such deals here. CALENDAR: An at-a-glance calendar of coming events. You can submit events. We will post them here and then you can look here online or just print out the calendar to keep track of your events. LOCAL SUPPORT GROUPS: A list of local co-ops and other support groups where local homeschoolers can meet others or find resources. REGISTRATIONS/ENROLLMENT: By law every homeschooler in BC must register or enroll their child in an education program. This VHC feature explains the legalities and the processes in detail. EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES: A list of educational resources with contact info. Resources include guest speakers, consultants, performers, specialty teachers, government programs, recreation centers and much more. FIELD TRIPS: A list of field trips including trip details and contact information. UNIT STUDY ACTIVITIES: Hands-on educational activities and exercises organized by subject matter. TEACHING TOOLS: A collection of educational images and lined papers as well as web links to sites that offer such things as specialty magazines, reference material, glossaries, online calculators, experiments or simulations. IDEA DRAWER: Have you or your children come up with an interesting approach to teaching something. If so... send it to VHC. ARTICLE LIBRARY: Print media articles of general interest to homeschoolers are collected here. VHC F.A.Q.s: Well... you're here so you probably already figured out that this is the VHC Frequently Asked Questions area of the site. USER INPUT: An automated form that sends your input directly to "the Boss" and the "System Administrator." With this system, the user can remain anonymous, if he/she wishes. VHC GUEST BOOK: Passing through, got some comments that you'd like to share with everyone else? If so, submit them here. SITE UPDATES: Ok, so you've just come back from vacation, you log onto VHC and suddenly can't find anything. We try to update the site regularly (often at the prompting of users) so things can change overnight. If there are major changes, they will be listed in this section which is simply the System Administrator's journal. Checking here could save you a half hour of searching around to find where we hid your favorite feature. IS HOMESCHOOLING LEGAL? Yes. Referring to the bc school act: "Division 4 - Home Education" (#12) A parent of a child who is required to enroll in an educational program under section 3 (a) may educate the child at home or elsewhere in accordance with this division ,and (b) must provide that child with an "educational program" "Educational program" - as defined by the bc school act means: an organized set of learning activities that, in the opinion of (a) The board, in the case of learning activities provided by the board. (A1) the francaphone education authority, in the case of learning activities provided by the francaphone education authorities. (b) the minister in the case of learning activities in a provincial school, or (c) The parent, in the case of learning activities provided to a child registered under section 13. Is designed to enable learners to develop their individual potential and to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to contribute to a healthy, democratic and pluralistic society and a prosperous and sustainable economy for a complete copy of the bc school act click on school act (448kb) at SCHOOL ACT for further information on Canadian regulations click article#51 and see this interesting article at: ARTICLE #51 WHAT IS HOMESCHOOLING? The definition of homeschooling tends to different depending on whom you talk to however; the obvious definition is one who schools at home. The definition of homeschooling debate exists primarily because there are so many home educational options and styles all being very different from one another. For further information on homeschooling click article #51 and see this interesting article at: ARTICLE #51 WHAT ARE HOMESCHOOLERS' REGISTRATION OPTIONS? - Registering with a local school - Registering with a private school - Registering with a electronic busing program provided by the bc ministry of education - Distant education program provided by the ministry of education For more detailed information check out the SCHOOLS OF REGISTRATION page of this website or visit BC GOV'T-INDEPENDANT SCHOOLING OPTIONS WHAT IS UNSCHOOLING? Un-schooling is a more relaxed approach to home education, there is little if any formal schooling. "Curriculum" for this style is based on the child's needs and interests at the time. Most of the education received is obtained through day to day living. IS HOMESCHOOLING EXPENSIVE? Homeschooling does not have to cost any money. Some people however feel more comfortable with a prepared curriculum. There are many (thousands) of providers of curriculum. (See curriculum links) Purchasing an entire curriculum can become expensive but it is not necessary. the internet provides immense amounts of sites with free educational worksheets; unit studies and more. (See Internet links) Most of the cost comes from field trips and extra curricular. Homeschoolers have more time to pursue these avenues. Most homeschoolers get addicted to books and I am pretty sure that almost every homeschooler dreams (if they don't already have one) of having their own library - a big one. Money does not have to be factor in ones decision to homeschool, it's all in the choices that are made. There are local workshops available "schooling without workbooks" showing how effectively and inexpensively homescholing can be. (See calendar for upcoming workshops) CAN TWO PARENTS WORK AND HOMESCHOOL? Although it is not common it is not unheard of. One of the great perks of homeschooling is that there is no set schedule. There is nothing to stop one from schooling at night or on weekends. Home education is a lifestyle choice that adapts to the need of the child and family. IS HOMESCHOOLING TIME CONSUMING? Well this is another one of those questions that has many answers. It really all depends on the style of homeschooling one chooses. However I think it is safe to say that no matter what you choose that it is less time than a regular school day. With the advantage of one on one schooling you can get through subjects very quickly. I personally spend about a total of 6-10 hours of school time a week for all three of my kids (during a good week). These hours do not include extra curricular activities. WHAT ABOUT SOCIALIZATION? The dreaded "s" word. Statistics continually show homeschooled children more socially adept. Homeschoolers have been reported to have more self-esteem and confidence and an ability to socialize with all members of society -both young and old better than public schooled children do. For further information on socialization click article#51 and see this interesting article at: ARTICLE #51 WHAT ABOUT A DIPLOMA OR UNIVERSITY? Getting into post secondary education is getting easier for the homeschooler with every passing year. Many homeschoolers maintain portfolios of their work providing a clear and detailed outline of the student's abilities and past accomplishments. This is has proven to be a very helpful tool, in achieving the goal of post secondary education. Students have often been given the opportunity to take entrants exams. For more information on this subject visit EXAMS AM I QUALIFIED ? DO I NEED A DIPLOMA TO TEACH? Schools have only been around for little over 100 years. homeschooling was the only educational choice up until then . Parents have been educating children since the beginning of time. One does not need nor is one required to be ministry qualified. The only thing a home educator needs is the ability to maintain a good relationship with their child; and provide a nurturing learning environment. Every homeschooler will tell you that they learn along with their child. Confidence, being able to find the answers to the many questions your inquisitive children's mind will continually come up with, is all the qualifications needed. WHY DO PEOPLE HOMESCHOOL? Every homeschooler begins homescholing for a different reason but the common link between all homeschoolers is the desire to do what is best for their child. For further information on reasons for homeschooling click article #51 and see this interesting article at: ARTICLE #51 WHAT ABOUT MOM BURNOUT? This is probably one of the most common questions surrounding homeschooling. It is very important to hook up with other homeschoolers. Co-ops with other homeschoolers are very common nowadays where families work on units together and share the workload. These relationships also add much needed adult time for the mother (educator). There is also a lot of support in this community. (see support group page.) DO I HAVE TO FOLLOW THE BC LEARNING OUTCOMES? No. The choice of "homeschooling" and the school one is registered with determines what, if any curriculum needs to be followed. If one chooses to sign up with their local school as an independent homeschooler there is absolutely no guidelines other than that that the bc school act states, (division 4 part 12). However the BC learning outcomes are available on lie at: BC LEARNING OUTCOMES IS ACCOUNTABILITY REQUIRED? NO. Once again, testing and assessments are dependent on the homeschooling choice of registration. If one chooses to sign up at their local school as an independent homeschooler testing is not required. Testing and assessment is available however upon request through the school of registration, if one desires it. HOW DO HOMESCHOOLERS PERFORM ACADEMICALLY? Historically home schoolers tend to keep to themselves, up until lately statistics on home schoolers has never really been requested. Now however with the incredible growth of homescholing people are starting to ask questions. There have not been many surveys done regarding homeschooling. Currently the most in-depth and unbiased study is one by the Frazer institute. This article is an extensive study, which clearly shows homeschoolers do very well and in many cases exceeds public school children in many subjects. For further information on homeschoolers academic achievement, click article #51 and see this interesting article at: ARTICLE #51 IS THERE ANYWHERE ONE CAN RECEIVE STATISTICS ON HOMESCHOOLING? Yes. The Frazer institute recently did an extensive study on homeschooling in North America. To view the entire articles go to: FRASER INSTITUTE HOMESCHOOLING ARTICLES WHAT IS A HOMESCHOOLING CO-OP? Co-ops are vastly becoming common in the home school community. A co -op is a group of families that get together generally once a week to study a previously decided upon theme. The parents take turns preparing and teaching a class on the particular theme. (Hands on activities tend to be a strong component of the lesson) Co-ops have many benefits. One of my favorite benefits is that I get to take a break from preparing and teaching and get to enjoy the ideas from other parents. Not only do I enjoy co-op but they are a very enjoyable time for my kids as well. My kids love getting together and working on projects with other families, and they too, love to take a break from teacher mom. The co-ops that I have been involved with have also kept me on track and disciplined. It is much harder to put off 'til tomorrow when other families are depending on you. Besides the academic benefits, co-ops are an enjoyable and sociable time for both students and educators. WHAT ARE THE SCHOOLS OF REGISTRATION OPTIONS? Nechako electronic busing program Sides distant education through the ministry of education Traditional learning academy Wondertree foundation Valley Christian school Vancouver Christian school (604) 435-3113 Pacific academy (604) 581-5353 KAMLOOPS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL |