Homeschooling Gifted Children
There are a number of reasons why parents of bright students choose to homeschool their children.
- Their children are very smart and it is difficult for their needs to be met in the public school system.
- The family is traveling extensively and traditional school is impossible.
- At least one of the children has a very special talent, often outside of the realm of the traditional school curriculum. This talent may be in music or acting or art or a specific area of science. Whatever the talent, it requires more time than is possible while attending a traditional school.
Some families decide to homeschool their children for the entire K-12 education. Others may do it for just a few years. Some combine traditional school with homeschooling by enrolling students in only some subjects at their neighborhood school and homeschooling all other subjects. Some combine homeschooling with enrollment in courses in a junior college or in a university. By keeping an open mind, one can come up with many possibilities.
Support for homeschooled families is vital. The good news is that the resources to help are out there. Here are just a few.
This site includes listservs, websites and electronic magazines, bibliographies, and research studies--all on homeschooling gifted children.
You will find a wealth of information here, which is provided by the Homeschool Association of California. It includes reasons for homeschooling your gifted child, how to do actually do it, working with teens, preparing for college, working with gifted children who have learning difficulties, and resources.
At this site you will find a message board, supportive articles, sources for supplies, and suggestions for curriculum.
This book helps families decide if homeschooling will be right for them, ways to approach homeschooling, testing, and resources.