BDB Academy

There are many different ways that one can homeschool in California.

You can enroll your kid in an independent study program at a public, charter or private school.  Each program is different and requires different things like being forced to use specific curriculum, meeting with a paid teacher,  participating in school events and normally testing.  There are perks to ISPs.  You usually get free curriculum.  There are organized field trips and lots of “socialization” opportunities.  Plus there is a “professional” to help you.

For those who want more independence, you can register as your own private school.  There is the freedom to choose any curriculum (or none).  There are no meetings with teachers.  There isn’t any forced testing.  You can be as secular or nonsecular as you like.  Your kids can work at their own paces.  If your 1st grader is a whiz at math, nothing is stopping them from being at a 3rd grade level.  If your kid loves art, you can tailor their whole learning experience to revolve around their passion.  If you want to spend a month caravaning around California to visit every mission rather than make a stupid mission model, more power to you.

While we were researching all of our options, this was the one that Dave was  a little bit hesitant on.  Forming our own private school meant that there wasn’t anyone to pass the buck to.  Literally the buck stopped with us.  If our kids grew up and had no idea what their times tables or what photosynthesis was, it’s totally my fault.  I couldn’t say that our ISP never told me to teach multiplication.  Then we learned that not only would we have the freedom to make all of our own rules, but we could also make up our own name and give ourselves any positions that we wanted.

You could be the superintendent and I could be the headmistress…

Of course, this was the option we chose.  Freedom, Choice and Fun.

While working on his Scholar badge for Cub Scouts, Marshall casually reminded me of this today.  First, he read about how a school system is organized. By the way, don’t you just love the illustration.  I especially love the coach.  I’m guessing these are the same illustrations from 1950.  At least the hairstyles are timeless.

Then he had to draw a flow chart about how his school system is ran.

No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t get him to draw a picture of us next to the flow chart.   I tried to get him to add in all of the other boxes.  He wasn’t going for that either.  At least he knows where the buck stops now.  Yep, the buck stops here.