Laureen

Hello!

I'm returning to this list, after having been nomail forever, because
it's finally time for me n mine to get serious about this. So here's
my re-intro:

My name is Laureen, and I live in northern CA with my four-year old
DS#1 Rowan, and one year old DS#2 Kestrel, and DH Jason. We've done
the whole AP package; cosleeping, babywearing, EC (I see some familiar
faces from the EC list), yada yada yada. DH and I were committed to
homeschooling before we even became parents. DH was a "bad boy",
consistently being punished by the educational system, and I was a
"good girl", consistently doing what I was told and getting "rewarded"
(HA!) for that. We both feel we were poorly served by that whole
system, and if a kid with all the advantages and a kid with none both
came out disgusted, well, then, it's not much of a stretch to
recognize that there's got to be a better way.

Due to hanging out on the Continuum Concept list on and off, I became
familiar with unschooling, and that just felt right. So here we are.

I don't have many concerns with the theory, or with the actual doing.
My concerns are all legal/political. I don't understand how you manage
to do this without having the law on your back. So, a bit more
specifically:

* Is there anyplace I can go to find out what paperwork is required,
and how to deal with it?

* Are there any gotchas or tips collected anyplace for dealing with
the inevitable hassles?

* My family is in the process of selling our house and moving onto a
boat, permanently (cruising). Does anyone know of any special
resources or information for "the rules" that would apply if we're in
constantly shifting political status?

* Has anyone here successfully unschooled while aboard?

I'm probably being a bit of a pawlicker here. Part of my concern with
the legalities is that I have been threatened by family for my
freakish ways before (mostly-unassisted homebirth VBAC), and I want
all my ducks in a row.

Thanks much for your patience if these questions have been asked a
bazillion times before!! I know that topics on most lists go round and
round, but for a new person, it's tough to know what search terms to
use in poking around the archives.

~~L!

Deb

--- In [email protected], "Laureen" <splashing@...>
wrote:
>
>
> * Is there anyplace I can go to find out what paperwork is
>required,
> and how to deal with it?
CA homeschoolnetwork has a great website with info. In CA, you have
a variety of options but the one it seems most folks use (at least
unschoolers anyhow) is to file the R4 private school affadavit. Once
you do that, you ARE a private school with no reporting obligations
to the state at all. See the CHN site for details (and links to
where to get the form to file, I believe the CA DoE has it online
now).

> * Are there any gotchas or tips collected anyplace for dealing with
> the inevitable hassles?
The hassles are not "inevitable" when it comes to legal stuff.
Family and friends are a whole different thing and that all varies
depending on the relationship and all. If you know that there will
be doubting relatives, simply don't open it up for debate at
all. "It's our decision. Period. Let's discuss something else." and
move on or hang up the phone.

> * My family is in the process of selling our house and moving onto
>a
> boat, permanently (cruising). Does anyone know of any special
> resources or information for "the rules" that would apply if we're
>in
> constantly shifting political status?
You'd still likely have some sort of "home address", a PO box,
someplace to get your mail, someplace you'd use to file taxes and
all like that (whether it's in the US or elsewhere). That's the
statutes you would go by, I would think - that's where your kids
would go to school if they were going to go to school. If you get
to "pick" where to call home, CA isn't bad (the R4 filing is annual
but not burdensome as far as I can tell) and there are other states,
such as AK, CT, DC, ID, IL, IN, MI, NJ, OK, and TX that don't even
require that - no notification, no testing, no portfolios, nada.
We're in CT and have never contacted nor been contacted by the
school system and DS is 8.

Also, closely check whichever state is "home" as to the compulsory
attendance age (the age at which you are required to send the child
to school or file paperwork) - in CA, for example, it's 6 (by a
certain cut off date I believe). In CT, where we are, any parent,
whether or not they homeschool or intend to homeschool can file a
waiver until their child is turning 7. And so on.

> I'm probably being a bit of a pawlicker here. Part of my concern
>with
> the legalities is that I have been threatened by family for my
> freakish ways before (mostly-unassisted homebirth VBAC), and I want
> all my ducks in a row.
If "home" is a place that requires paperwork, be sure to keep copies
(preferably stamped "Received" and the date or some way indicating
that it was indeed send in and received by the proper office) on
hand, perhaps in a waterproof pouch in your safe (someplace you can
get at easily enough but that won't get waterlogged).

--Deb