katherinesaund

I would love to hear from anyone in Vermont (or other similar States)
where a portfolio or letter from a certified teacher is required
to "certify" the learning that has taken place over the course of the
year. I LOVE the idea of unschooling, I'm just not sure how to do it
in this State and not potentially run into trouble with the State
Homeschool enforcement division. Anyone out there with ideas or words
of wisdom?

swissarmy_wife

Hi Katherine,

I am from Vermont. If you would like to chat, please feel free to
email me offlist. Whether you are compliant or not, unschooling in
Vermont is totally possible!

-Heather

--- In [email protected], "katherinesaund"
<ksaund@...> wrote:
>
> I would love to hear from anyone in Vermont (or other similar States)
> where a portfolio or letter from a certified teacher is required
> to "certify" the learning that has taken place over the course of the
> year. I LOVE the idea of unschooling, I'm just not sure how to do it
> in this State and not potentially run into trouble with the State
> Homeschool enforcement division. Anyone out there with ideas or words
> of wisdom?
>

Stephen

Vermont requires that home schooling be certified? I've always had the
impression that Vermont is more of a hands-off state when it comes to
individual rights. We live in central mass and spend a lot of time in
Vermont, with the hope of living there one day. Can you point me to a web
site that explains their home schooling policy?


At 03:25 AM 2/5/2008 +0000, you wrote:

>I would love to hear from anyone in Vermont (or other similar States)
>where a portfolio or letter from a certified teacher is required
>to "certify" the learning that has taken place over the course of the
>year. I LOVE the idea of unschooling, I'm just not sure how to do it
>in this State and not potentially run into trouble with the State
>Homeschool enforcement division. Anyone out there with ideas or words
>of wisdom?

swissarmy_wife

Certified isn't the proper word. In Vermont you must be "enrolled".

I'm not sure being the highest tax burdened state in the nation
screams individual rights.

Here is a ling directly to the Dept. of Ed. so you can see EXACTLY the
paperwork that comes along every year. Have fun! (said sarcastically)

http://education.vermont.gov/new/html/pgm_homestudy.html

We are considered a "red state". Very strict.

Don't get me wrong. Unschooling is very, very possible. There are
many of us here. There are a few ways to "assess" at the end of the
year and still be compliant. Also, there are plenty here who are
non-compliant. Those who have chosen to fly under the radar.

If you would like a brief explanation of the guidelines the HSLDA
website should have them listed. (although I am not endorsing the
HSLDA, they have a good map. LOL)

Hope that helps

-Heather

--- In [email protected], Stephen <mtic@...> wrote:
>
>
> Vermont requires that home schooling be certified? I've always had the
> impression that Vermont is more of a hands-off state when it comes to
> individual rights. We live in central mass and spend a lot of time in
> Vermont, with the hope of living there one day. Can you point me to
a web
> site that explains their home schooling policy?

swissarmy_wife

Also, In Vermont, when enrolling you must prove that your child is NOT
disabled.

I always thought that was the most screwed up policy. I mean to we
really have so many disabled children here that I have to prove that
mine isn't? Vermont likes us on state programs and state insurance.
That might be why.

--- In [email protected], Stephen <mtic@...> wrote:
>
>
> Vermont requires that home schooling be certified? I've always had the
> impression that Vermont is more of a hands-off state when it comes to
> individual rights. We live in central mass and spend a lot of time in
> Vermont, with the hope of living there one day. Can you point me to
a web
> site that explains their home schooling policy?

Debra Rossing

Interesting that a state whose motto is Freedom and Unity is rather less
than that if you choose to homeschool. NH is another one, fairly
regulated homeschooling state with the motto Live free or die!

Deb


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Jodi Bezzola

I don't know much about Vermont or NH, but here in Alberta, Canada I'm learning things are fairly regulated as well. Seems we all have our own very different definitions of freedom huh?!? Sheesh! :o)

Jodi

Debra Rossing <debra.rossing@...> wrote:
Interesting that a state whose motto is Freedom and Unity is rather less
than that if you choose to homeschool. NH is another one, fairly
regulated homeschooling state with the motto Live free or die!

Deb

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Stephen

I was surprised, but I don't live in VT. Saddens me a bit. We like to
think of the northern New England states as supporting the old values of
Yankee independence and self-reliance. Another illusion shattered ;-)

But the NEA is a national organization with a lot of clout at the state and
local level. MA is moving towards adding an hour and a half to the school
day. School districts get a lot of funding if they agree to do this. Two
school districts close to ours have implemented pilot programs. If they
did it here it would mean that elementary school children would go from
8:30 AM until 4:30 PM. They call it expanding the child's learning
opportunity or something like that.

The older of my two still school aged opted out and is unschooling now, but
the younger, in grade 6, is not ready yet. I don't push her but she's
beginning to think about how she can leave school and still maintain the
things she enjoys, mostly the social aspect. We talk about participating
in sports, involving her school friends in our volunteering efforts,
etc. I think she'll be ready next year, but will honor her choice if she
wants to stay in school.

At 01:00 PM 2/5/2008 -0500, you wrote:

>Interesting that a state whose motto is Freedom and Unity is rather less
>than that if you choose to homeschool. NH is another one, fairly
>regulated homeschooling state with the motto Live free or die!
>
>Deb

Ian Brown and Sheila Trask

We're Vermont homeschoolers. This is our second year.

We used the teacher assessment option last year and it went very well.
No pressure. She talked to us for a while, learned what we had been
doing, wrote a letter to the state and that's it.

At the beginning of the year (for the first 3 years, I believe) you have
to send in a notice of enrollment in homestudy and a "minimum course of
study" describing your plans for the year. I can tell you my first
year's study plan bore little resemblance to what we actually did, and
that was fine. This year my study plan was much shorter!

Other than those two sets of paperwork, we've had no interaction with
the state on our homeschooling.

The VT Dept. of Education Home Study pages are here:
http://education.vermont.gov/new/html/pgm_homestudy.html

Sheila

Jodi Bezzola

Hi all, I received this from a member of the Canada unschooling group and thought some here might be interested in this info:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you belong to any YahooGroups this may be important...

Yahoo is now using something called "Web Beacons" to track Yahoo
Group users around the net and see what you're doing and where you
are
going (similar to cookies.) Yahoo is recording every website and
every
group you visit.

Take a look at their updated privacy statement:

1.
http://info. yahoo.com/ privacy/us/ yahoo/details. html

2. About half-way down the page, in the section on Cookies, you
will see a link that says Web Beacons. Click on the phrase "Web
Beacons".

3. That will bring you to a paragraph entitled "Outside the Yahoo
Network". In this section you'll see a little "click here to opt out"
link which will let you "opt-out" of their new method of snooping You
need to click the confirm opt out on that page.

4. Once you have clicked that link, you are exempted. Notice the
"Success" message on the top of the next page. Be careful because
on that page there is also a "Cancel Opt-out" button which, if
clicked, will *undo* the opt-out. It appears after you have hit the
opt-out button so is very confusing.

Feel free to forward this to others and groups.


---------------------------------
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

swissarmy_wife

I do live in Vermont and thought that was the way it was much of my
childhood. Then I grew up and tried to make my own decisions!

Thats what happens when you elect the same democrat governor for 9
years. Theres no balance. Not to get all political or anything...
(Go Ron Paul!)



--- In [email protected], Stephen <mtic@...> wrote:
>
>
> I was surprised, but I don't live in VT. Saddens me a bit. We like to
> think of the northern New England states as supporting the old
values of
> Yankee independence and self-reliance. Another illusion shattered ;-)
>
> But the NEA is a national organization with a lot of clout at the
state and
> local level. MA is moving towards adding an hour and a half to the
school
> day. School districts get a lot of funding if they agree to do
this. Two
> school districts close to ours have implemented pilot programs. If
they
> did it here it would mean that elementary school children would go from
> 8:30 AM until 4:30 PM. They call it expanding the child's learning
> opportunity or something like that.
>
> The older of my two still school aged opted out and is unschooling
now, but
> the younger, in grade 6, is not ready yet. I don't push her but she's
> beginning to think about how she can leave school and still maintain
the
> things she enjoys, mostly the social aspect. We talk about
participating
> in sports, involving her school friends in our volunteering efforts,
> etc. I think she'll be ready next year, but will honor her choice
if she
> wants to stay in school.
>
> At 01:00 PM 2/5/2008 -0500, you wrote:
>
> >Interesting that a state whose motto is Freedom and Unity is rather
less
> >than that if you choose to homeschool. NH is another one, fairly
> >regulated homeschooling state with the motto Live free or die!
> >
> >Deb
>

Debra Rossing

>I was surprised, but I don't live in VT. Saddens me a bit. We like to
think of the northern New England states as supporting the old values of

>Yankee independence and self-reliance. Another illusion shattered ;-)
Don't be too sad - CT is still the land of the free, us diehard, hard
nosed New England Yankees. There is NO homeschooling law here, not even
"case law" (as in MA). The applicable statute is basically an updating
of the original Ludlow's Code of 1650 that says that a parent is to
educate their children - no word on how, when, where. A later clause was
added to allow for public schools "educate or cause to be educated".
Yes, there are those who try to coerce parents into things that aren't
required and there's the occasional attempt to legislate regulations
but, like the Minutemen of old, we hit the state capitol en masse and
make sure that doesn't happen.

Deb


**********************************************************************
This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they
are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify
the system manager.

This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Alysia

Deb,

How are the taxes in CT? My dh is from CT but his home of record is VA (military). I've been trying to get him to switch back to CT because I heard they don't require military living outside the state to pay any state taxes. That wasn't my reason for asking that, though. I'd move there (which my dh would love) for the homeschooling laws if I didn't have to freeze my butt off. Is there ANYWHERE warm to live in CT? I cannot stand being cold. If the temp dips below 70, I need long pants and a sweater.

Alysia (as I hear my 4yo in the background yell at the "Idiot!" driver in the car in front of the line he's playing with. I really need to stop doing that.)


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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Jodi Bezzola

Hi Kenrah, I don't have another way of sending it - it was sent on another unschooling list...could you try typing it in manually instead? That's what I had to do too...
Jodi

Kendrah Nilsestuen <carebear-79@...> wrote:
Hi Jodi,

I tried to access the link you sent to opt out, but it didn't work.
Could you possibly send it again?

Thanks,
Kendrah:)





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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

keetry

i've noticed a lot of links don't work because there are extra spaces
in them. if you copy and paste the link and then delete the spaces, it
should work. that's what i did. also, sometimes the end of the link
will get wrapped in the text and cut off so make sure you get the
entire thing.

alysia

--- In [email protected], Kendrah Nilsestuen <carebear-
79@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Jodi,
>
> I tried to access the link you sent to opt out, but it didn't work.
> Could you possibly send it again?
>
> Thanks,
> Kendrah:)
>