Saturday, July 29, 2017

A Week at the Beach and Questions!

We had a nice break away at Ocean City, Maryland, this past week. The weather was lovely and the kids and husband had a blast. I had a fine time, too, although I am really not a beach person. The sand is sticky and sticks to everything ~ lol. However, we had a nice get away and spent some quality time with my Dad and stepmother. We even got to see a few other family members over one big dinner.
Image may contain: one or more people, people standing, ocean, child, sky, outdoor and water

Image may contain: one or more people, ocean, sky, outdoor, water and nature

Image may contain: one or more people, ocean, sky, outdoor, nature and water

Image may contain: one or more people, ocean, sky, outdoor, nature and water

The dancer had a blast trying out different poses with the ocean as her back drop. We also enjoyed miniature golf at night, going to an old time amusement park, riding on a speedboat and getting Henna tattoos that will wash off in a few weeks. 

May I ask all of you a question or two?

Our family is considering a move to another state. For multiple reasons, our current hometown in North Carolina is no longer a great fit. The cost of living is high here compared to the potential income growth, there is a lack of future jobs for our children (especially in their desired fields) so they will be forced to leave the area as adults, and, finally, we are just ready for a change. We have two challenges ~ finding a federal government job for dear husband and finding a homeschool-friendly state. We are finding that many states make it difficult to graduate from a homeschool and force homeschoolers to get a GED in order to go on to college or to get a job. I would love to hear from as many of you as possible in the comments. I should also add that we need an affordable place to live that still provides ample job opportunities for the future.

What state do you homeschool in and do you know any graduates? Did they get a GED plus a homeschool diploma?

Do the general public, school district or potential employers mistreat your homeschool students on a regular basis?

I would really love to hear any and all comments.

Blessings, Dawn

17 comments:

  1. You should have told me that you were in my area. I would have come met y'all.
    Have you considered an umbrella program? They work as a go between your homeschool and the state. We use one that is actually based in TN. That way you can live in any state you want.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bummer! I completely forgot you live in Maryland. Which program do you use? I haven't thought about that. Your kids are in college...did they get a GED?

      Delete
  2. I'm planning to issue diplomas to my crew. I've read in too many places that getting a GED can hamper homeschooled kids because it makes them seem like high school dropouts. Have you looked up homeschool laws for various states on the HSLDA website? You could find out which states are more/less friendly to homeschoolers.

    I AM a beach person, and your pictures make me homesick . . . I was born and raised in Southern California. (I don't recommend a move to CA!)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh, and I forgot. My teens are all taking classes at various community colleges and dual-enrollment programs. By the time I issue them diplomas they'll each have anywhere from 12-20 college credits. They'll apply to college as transfer students, and their high school transcripts will hardly matter (if at all).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are thinking about going that direction. What state do you live in?

      Delete
  4. Virginia is very homeschool friendly. Our area support group has a graduation each June and it's really well done. I have lots of friends who have graduated their kids with a homeschool diploma (no GED) and have gone one to college, or have graduated high school and college at the same time. There is a WONDERFUL ballet studio her in our town, and we are close to Charlottesville Ballet and Richmond Ballet as well, and have had several dancers from our studio go on to dance professionally at each of those, and we have one who now works for Disney and one who is in the NYC School of Performing Arts. The cost of living in our area isn't bad, Northern VA of course is much higher as is the Hampton/Virginia Beach areas.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love the dancer's pictures!! I live and homeschool in Maryland and have graduated three students. Surprisingly, Maryland's homeschool laws are very easy, especially if you choose to join an oversight group rather than have the local school district supervise you. Our oversight group - and all the groups I'm aware of - issues diplomas and our high school transcripts have been accepted by all kinds of colleges and universities all over the USA, by all branches of the military, and by police academies.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love walking on the beach. There is nothing like the fresh sea air. I'm not a fan of lying around sunbathing though. Good luck as you make some decisions. Sounds like you've got some exciting times ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  7. A shout-out from the great Northwest here... I'm in Montana and absolutely love homeschooling here. Requirements are positively minimal and many homeschool families here like to do college classes while their homeschooler is in 11th and 12th grade... I know multiple kids who graduate high school while also obtaining their associates degree! I know of a high school math teacher who did this and had his Bachelors by the time he was 20, 2 years ahead of his peers, and found a job right away.

    We aren't doing the college option just because it doesn't fit for us, but everyone I personally know writes their student's diploma and college acceptance is never a problem. I wrote my daughter's diploma last year and she easily started college that fall with only the typical college entrance test requirement. Most colleges that I know of in the west care more about your SAT/ACT score and as long as the student has a transcript, even a homeschool issued one, those entrance tests verify all the college needs to know to enroll them.

    Depending on the city, we even have a thriving homeschool sports program and some counties have a theater and choir that rival the public school alternatives!

    No testing is required in our state, the only thing is to report that you are homescooling each year.

    As far as government jobs, I believe some of the bigger cities would have a thriving job market; Helena, Bozeman, Billings, Missoula to name a few. Cost of living is much lower than the east as well... and as far as your kiddos, it would just depend on their ambitions post-graduation.

    I hope this helps! Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun this week!

    Blessings to you and yours...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comments.
      Blessings, Dawn

      Delete
  8. I'm with you. I disklike sand and salt water. I grew up in the Niagara River and the Great Lakes.

    Okay, so we are in rural MN. About an hour south of the twin cities, Rochester, and 45 minutes from Mankato. MN requires testing to be done every year and records kept but no submitting anything. Very homeschool friendly state. Trey just graduated last year and was not required to get a GED. He went to the local community college last year and was accepted into the University of MN for fall. No problems at all.

    I find that state taxes are a little high here but we do not have school taxes and our property taxes are very low. We pay $1200 per year for 12 acres of land with a house and three barns. Of course, moving closer to the cities will make your taxes higher. However, you can comfortably live 30 minutes away and still be pretty rural, except for the twin cities. Really, 30 minutes is still in the suburbs. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone that lives up there so I can't confirm taxes for you. There are government jobs up in the cities though.

    Once in 11th grade, the kids need to take the ACT. They don't do the SAT around here. That is pretty standard anywhere though. Also in 11th grade, kids have the option of taking PSEO classes at a local college of their choice. The state pays for classes up to 24 months. Once you start a class, the clock starts ticking. As long as you don't graduate from high school during that time, they will cover it. If you decide to take the spring semester off of the first year, the clock is still ticking.

    Hope that helps! have a wonderful day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. We are actually strongly considering Rochester, NY. The homeschool laws are strict in New York, but possible.

      Delete
  9. I'm not a beach person either. It just doesn't appeal to me.

    Missouri is a VERY homeschool friendly state. Our kids do not need a GED to go on to college.

    I know quite a few homeschoolers who have gone on to college and they all have done well. Generally our homeschoolers are not mistreated. There are some public school districts that don't like the idea of homeschoolers, but honestly they can't do much about it. We do not even have to register as homeschoolers, so we really do not need to have any contact with the public schools.

    Now, if your kids want to be involved in public school sports, that is a problem for Missouri homeschoolers because of the state sports organization. However, many school districts are happy to allow homeschoolers to participate in just a select set of classes or activities.

    A friend of my daughter is going to the public school this year for gifted / advanced classes and help in another subject, but she's only going a few hours a day. Other kids have taken just band, etc. But it is all school district dependent how easily they let them participate.

    However, the state laws are very friendly, especially if you don't care or want to be involved with the public schools. I actually don't know of anyone who had difficulty after high school getting into the college they wanted without a GED and using their homeschool diploma only.

    No testing is required in Missouri. No reporting. Nothing. There are records you are to keep on your student in case something comes up, but only a prosecuting attorney can request those records.

    Since we live in the St. Louis suburbs there are quite a few opportunities for homeschoolers. There are numerous homeschool groups that sponsor field trips, have their own co-ops, and even formal dances. Homeschooling is actually fairly popular in our area.

    We never lack for educational opportunities. And the actual city of St. Louis has a large array of cultural sites and museums.

    From what I understand, the cost of living here is very reasonable compared to almost everywhere. LOL. I'm not sure what federal jobs would be available, but since St. Louis is a major city I assume there is a wide range of federal jobs given what I know about the agencies with offices here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much. St. Louis is one of the places on our list.
      Blessings, Dawn

      Delete
  10. We live in CT and our state is great for homeschooling; but cost of living is HIGH and there is not a great job market either. Many people are moving out...

    ReplyDelete