What is homeschooling and how to switch to it

But modern parents are increasingly choosing outschooling, or learning outside the school walls. There are no official statistics on homeschooling in Russia. According to various sources, homeschooling from 8 Myths about homeschooling. What you need to know about family education for up to 100 thousand children. And every year there are more and more of them.

What is homeschooling

According to the Federal Law Forms of Education and Forms of Education, you can study in an organization, that is, in a school: full-time, part-time and part-time. And outside the institution: in the form of family education and self-education.

There is a fundamental difference between these groups. When a child receives an education in an organization - whether full-time or part-time, the school is responsible for him along with the parents. And if the option is chosen outside the institution, all obligations fall only on the family.

The term "homeschooling" encompasses all forms in which a child learns at least part of the time outside of school.

Distance learning

The child does not go to the institution and works independently - with the help of online resources or private tutors. Moreover, he is listed as a student of the school. This means that you need to scrupulously follow the curriculum, you cannot change the program developed on the basis of Federal State Educational Standards, Federal State Educational Standards, or skip over the classroom. And the textbooks are better to choose the ones provided by the library. Certification takes place on schedule, at school or remotely.

Some people confuse distance learning with its form - distance education.

In the first case, the child receives knowledge on his own, and the school controls and directs him. In the second, school teachers will study with him for free - for example, via Skype. This is possible only if the student is seriously ill or physically unable to attend lessons.

Part-time education

The child comes only for part of the lessons, at the choice of the parents, and the rest of the time he studies at home. For him, an individual curriculum is drawn up, which, for example, involves attending school three days a week or being present only at the lessons of the Russian language and mathematics. Certification must be taken in class, with other children.

If a child is seriously ill, teachers can sometimes visit him themselves. This option is called home learning, but it is rarely practiced and is not considered a separate form of education.

Family education

The family does not take the child to school and teaches him on their own. Parents choose the program. They decide on their own which teaching aids and online resources the child will study, they can enroll him in an educational center or in an alternative school (Montessori, Waldorf, etc.) or hire tutors. True, the student is deprived of benefits, for example, for travel. Certification can be taken in person - at school - or remotely.

Unschooling can be considered a kind of family education.

With this form of education, the child is not attached to the school and does not follow the program, even drawn up by the parents. He reads books that are interesting to him, studies the world around him, is engaged in creativity. In Russia, when choosing this form, difficulties will most likely arise - general education (nine classes) is obligatory for us Article 66. Primary general, basic general and secondary general education.

The wording in the law is rather vague and, in theory, allows you to study according to your program, and to show teachers only to pass the OGE. But in practice, the guardianship authorities may be interested in families that have not assigned their children to school. In addition, it is difficult for such students to pass the final certification.

Self-education

The child learns by himself, without the participation of the school or parents. He also makes the decision to switch to this form of education independently, after the 9th grade.

Who is homeschooling suitable for?

There can be many reasons to choose home schooling. Here is some of them:

The student lags behind the program or, conversely, is much ahead of it.
He has difficulty communicating with peers. Or he is just a shy introvert who is much more comfortable learning alone.
The child has survived bullying and does not want to go back to school.
He is involved in sports or creativity on a professional level - he acts in films, goes to competitions and contests, and so on.
The student lives where there are no schools.
The family travels a lot and does not stay in one place for a long time.
Parents have their own vision of how and what the child should learn. And it does not coincide with the position of the school.

Who better not to go homeschooling?

Homeschooling can seem like an idyll. But in reality, this format is not suitable for everyone. Here are some reasons to refrain from doing this:

The child needs daily communication with peers, he is bored at home, he does not tolerate isolation.
The student is very disorganized and, without constant tight control, quickly relaxes and refuses to do anything.
Both parents work a lot, they do not have time to study with the child - after all, in a family education, they will have to take over all the functions of a teacher. Unless, of course, they are willing to pay a large sum for alternative schools or private lessons.
The family lacks the strength, patience and teaching skills to build the educational process at home.
Parents have financial difficulties. Home schooling is more expensive than schooling, especially when it comes to family education.
The child does not have the right conditions to study outside of school. For example, a small living space, many brothers and sisters of different ages, the house is noisy and restless.

How to upgrade to part-time or part-time education

1. Inform the school administration

It is necessary to write an application for the transfer of the child to part-time or part-time education.

It is better to do this before the start of the school year - so that the director has time to prepare, make changes to the statements, inform the Department of Education about your decision. Unfortunately, correspondence students are not welcome everywhere. For the institution, this means additional difficulties, because if the student does not pass the certification, the teachers and the director will have to answer.

Law Article 17. Forms of education and forms of education on the side of parents - they can choose any form of education. But many families prefer not to get into conflict and transfer the child to a school that treats correspondence students loyally.

2. Study the program

Receive the curriculum and manuals at school, teach your child at home, without deviating from the program. If a full-time and part-time form is chosen, some of the subjects are mastered at school. All this needs to be discussed with the administration.

3. Take the certification

In theory, this can be done remotely, but in practice, most schools do not provide such an opportunity. The list of organizations in which it is still allowed to write tests and tests at home is on the alternative education portal and in the magazine "Family Education", as well as in thematic parent communities.

How to switch to family education

1. Assess the possibilities

Teaching a child at home is a big responsibility.

You will have to fully take on the roles of the methodologist, director, school chef and psychologist.

Perhaps a teacher. True, very few people can teach mathematics, chemistry and English at the same time, so some parents are looking for tutors, turning to alternative or private schools. Prices for services start at several thousand rubles a month and go to infinity, so not everyone can afford it.

Many believe that parents of children studying in the form of family education should be provided with monthly material compensation. But it is paid only in four regions of the Russian Federation: Omsk Region On approval of the Procedure for payment of compensation when a child receives general education in the form of family education (as amended on July 16, 2018), Perm Territory On approval of the Procedure for providing compensation for expenses to parents (legal representatives) for receiving students of primary general, basic general, secondary general education in the form of family education in the Perm Territory (as amended on November 21, 2018), the Sverdlovsk region expenses related to the development of general education programs in the form of family education , the Tula region ON APPROVAL OF THE CONDITIONS, ORDER AND AMOUNT OF COMPENSATION OF COSTS TO PARENTS (LEGAL REPRESENTATIVES) on: 2016-26-10).

Therefore, before transferring a child to a family form of education, you need to weigh the pros and cons and carefully plan the budget.

2. Learn your rights

This will come in handy if the school administration opposes the transfer of the child to family education or refuses to accept the certification from him.

Carefully read the Federal Law Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation” dated December 29, 2012 No. 273-FZ “On Education in the Russian Federation”. Pay special attention to Articles 17, 33, 34, 58 and 63. It will also not be superfluous to read the letter Letter of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation No. NT-1139/08 dated 15.11.2013 "On the organization of education in the family form" of the Ministry of Education and Science RF "On the organization of education in the family form" and with regional provisions on family education, in each region they are different.

3. Inform the state about your choice

In a free form, write a statement that you want to transfer your child to family education. The paper must be provided Article 63. General education in the local government of the municipal district or city district.

4. Select a school to enroll

Perhaps at this stage it will be necessary to find a new school for the child, even a private one - if the previous one refuses to meet halfway, does not help, insists on a strict schedule of attestations and the personal presence of the student.

Article 44. Rights, duties and responsibilities in the field of education of parents (legal representatives) of minor students to choose any school - not necessarily in their area or even city.

To join the school, you need to contact the administration, write an application and provide the necessary documents:

birth certificate or passport of the child;
passport of one of the parents or legal representative;
certificate of registration of the child at the place of residence - if he is under 14 years old;
SNILS of the child.

5. Make a curriculum

In some cases, the school can help with this, but more often the parents have to do everything on their own.

In addition, at this stage you need to decide how you see the child's learning. How much time can he devote to classes, should he study subjects in turns or in blocks? Are you advocating a strict approach or a more creative one? Based on this, you need to draw up a program.

6. Educate your child at home

Follow the program, adjust it depending on the family circumstances, needs, mood and state of health of the child. If necessary, contact tutors, private schools and educational centers.

7. Pass attestations

According to the law Letter of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation No. NT-1139/08 of 15.11.2013 “On the organization of education in the family form”, a student is not obliged to undergo intermediate certification until the 9th grade, but has the right to do so. However, many parents, like family education centers, believe that tests are still needed - to assess the child's knowledge and control the educational process.

Certification can be taken in person or remotely - it depends on the school.

In the first case, the student writes test papers in the presence of the teacher. In the second, the process takes place in different ways. Some private schools have their own platforms where a child can take tests online. Or the teacher will give an assignment to be completed at home in front of the turned on video camera.

Assessments are carried out once or twice a year - as the school and parents decide. If the student has mastered the program faster, it is possible to pass all subjects earlier.

8. Take care of socialization

One of the main arguments of opponents of home education is that the child will be isolated and will not receive the necessary communication with peers. The argument is partly fair: the student does not go to lessons, communicates only with parents and tutors. But there are a number of nuances.

For example, in traditional schools, children do not always Teens Are Over Face-to-Face Communication, Study Says play and talk a lot, especially with the advent of smartphones. In addition, everyone has different needs for communication. Someone is ready to chat all day, while another, having studied six lessons surrounded by 30 classmates, feels completely devastated.

You can and should contact not only at school.

Nobody canceled circles, sections, children's camps, interest clubs, creative and sports teams. Think about where you can take your child and how to fit extra activities into their schedule.

How to go to self-education

As we said above, this can only be done after the 9th grade. For this, the child must independently write an application addressed to the school director.

Then the student masters the program of the 10th and 11th grades in a format convenient for him - by attaching to an alternative institution or on his own. And upon completion, he undergoes intermediate attestation for the 11th grade, receives a high school graduation certificate and passes the exam.

Where to find information about homeschooling

Earlier, Russian parents, who thought about transferring their children to home schooling, were left alone with questions and problems. But over time, many resources have appeared where you can find informational support and materials for classes with a child, as well as learn about the experience of other families or share your own.

conducts webinars on alternative education, advises parents, helps with certification and curriculum development.
writes about the theory and practice of out-of-school knowledge acquisition in Russia, holds a festival of free education.
consults parents, conducts conferences, festivals and webinars. Also on the site you can find materials about alternative education.
"" (Facebook group) is a platform for experience exchange and online communication. In addition, offline meetings, joint walks and visits to museums are organized here.
“” (Group “VKontakte”) - online communication, articles on out-of-school education, a selection of useful resources.
is a complete school course of lessons. Free, state project.
- free video lessons on basic school subjects for grades 1-11.