FAQ
How can my homeschooler learn how to drive?
How do I teach the difficult subjects such as Biology or Spanish?
How do I homeschool multiple ages at the same time?
What organizations are available to help me homeschool?
How can my homeschooler learn how to drive?
Your options for teaching your home schooled student to drive depend upon what age you want them driving. By Montana law, drivers under the age of 16 must have Driver’s Education to get a learner’s permit and a license. Home school students can register for Driver’s Education at any of the area public high schools just like any other student. They must be 14-1/2 years old to enroll. The sessions during the school year have a limited number of spots open and can be more difficult to get into due to the number of students who enroll. The summer sessions take all students who register. Check with your local high school to find out when registration begins.
If your driver is 16 or older, they do not have to take Driver’s Education to get a learner’s permit. Some insurance companies give a discount for Driver’s Education. Some insurance companies also have a safe driver’s course that your child can take in place of Driver’s Education to get the discount if they are over the age of 16. Drivers under the age of 18 are subject to the new graduated driver’s license that went into effect on July 1, 2006, which requires supervised driving, including a log, and places restrictions on the number of unrelated people that can be in the car with the new driver once they are licensed.
The Department of Justice Driver’s License Bureau at 615 South 27th St. in Billings has Driver’s Education manuals available for free that will give you the complete details on licensing requirements for the State of Montana.
How do I teach the difficult subjects such as Biology or Spanish?
Home school parents come to the task of home schooling their older children with different talents and skills. As a result, some subjects may be more daunting to you than others. Depending on the subject and your child, there are several different options for you and your child.
1. If your child is a good independent learner, with the right curriculum, they can teach themselves subjects with which you have no prior experience. Think they might need some help? Sometimes a family friend or other home school parent with expertise in that area can fill the gap. Don’t be afraid to jump right in and learn along side your child. Two heads are always better than one and much more fun!
# Cooperative classes are also available for older children through the CHEC program and others. These classes provide a mixture of at home study with some class time with a teacher. Check out the website for class offerings and costs.
# Tutors are also available for many subjects. Tutors give you the flexibility to build your own schedule. Many tutors post messages on the YCHE email loop with the subjects and fees.
# Several junior high and high schools in the area will allow home school students to attend classes without being a full-time student at the school. There are usually requirements that your student take a minimum of 2 classes. These arrangements are made by you contacting the school directly to get the offerings and requirements of that school.
# The colleges in the area also allow students to take college level classes for either credit or by audit at reduced fees. Some of these classes are online giving your student flexibility in their schedule while having access to an instructor for assistance.
# There are numerous options online with home school academies, private schools, colleges, and universities all over the country.
The important thing to remember is that whether you think you think you can help your child learn a difficult subject or whether you think you can’t, you are usually right! Approaching your child’s learning with a “go-getter” attitude allows both you and your child to accomplish whatever goals your family has set.
How do I homeschool multiple ages at the same time?
First, I believe prayer is key to being effective at homeschooling several ages at once. It is only by His strength that we could even attempt to home educate our children. I ask for wisdom on how to speak to the needs of each of my children. Next I ask for creativity to make the material I teach come alive for my students.
Second, you must be organized! I plan my unit out three weeks ahead. Every Sunday night I get ready for the week ahead by writing things up on the board or making copying or what ever my unit calls for.
I use a unit study approach with my five kids. This works well with multiple ages because they all get something out of a unit depending on their age and abilities. It also gives us good time together every day of the week. My favorite unit study is Weaver. There are many unit studies out there. Ask the Lord and your spouse which one to use for your family.
I work with my little ones while my older ones work on some of their work by themselves. Then later I take time to work on any problems the older kids may have. It is important to spend time with each of your children every day. Let each child know they are a blessing not a chore. At times I have to remind my kids that there is only one of me and five of them so they must be patient with me and learn to wait their turn. Also it helps to have several munipulatives on hand for your little ones to do while you work with your older ones. Puzzles, blocks, cubes, arts materials Discovery Toys and the like can educate them while you focus on another age child.
What organizations are available to help me homeschool?
LOCAL — Yellowstone Coalition of Home Educators
YCHE was formed in the 1980′s in response to a legal threat in Helena that would have made homeschooling illegal. Families banded together and formed phone trees (no email back then 
) in order to effectively contact their legislators. After the threat was allayed, YCHE continued to develop as a group so as to better serve local homeschool families and has grown in numbers and resources ever since!
www.YCHE.org
STATE — Montana Coalition of Home Educators
MCHE was founded in 1988 in order to unite Montana pioneer homeschoolers for the purpose of establishing favorable homeschool laws for future generations. It has been led, and is currently being led by Steve White, our fearless experienced leader of many years. Steve is the legislative liaison for homeschoolers, keeping a diligent vigil during the time when our state legislature is in session. He has “caught” many threatening bills and rallied homeschoolers to action before the bills could become law. It is because of these efforts that Montana families can continue to educate their children in relative freedom. YCHE is GRATEFUL for our homeschool freedoms and for Steve White’s tireless work on our behalf.
www.MTCHE.org
As a note of interest, each state has their own homeschool laws. Several states have laws that are so restrictive, that it keeps many families from teaching their children at home. An additional note of interest, test scores are nearly identical in states that are highly regulated versus states that have very little regulation. Interesting, huh?
NATIONAL — Home School Legal Defense Association
In 1983, two homeschooling dads who also happened to be lawyers–Michael Farris and J. Michael Smith– founded Home School Legal Defense Association to defend and advance the constitutional rights of parents to direct the education of their children.
Why join? HSLDA is available 24/7 to defend your right to homeschool. If a truant officer knocks at your door, you can call HSLDA and they will walk you through it step-by-step and word-by-word. It rarely happens in Montana, but it DOES happen.
You do not need to be a member to visit their website and it is FULL of help for new homeschoolers, those who are homeschooling high school, and even curriculum ideas. hslda.org is the place to go!
Psssst — You can receive a discount on your HSLDA membership if you are a member of YCHE. The discount number is on the back of your membership card!
www.HSLDA.org