Step One: DON'T PANIC

The guidebook known as The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (from the novel of the same name) is said to have on its cover these words: DON’T PANIC.

If I were making a guidebook on homeschool reporting, I would take a page (pun intended) from Douglas Adams and start the same way.

Maybe your town has a new homeschool policy. Maybe they are making requests they never have before. Maybe instead of approving your education plan, they are asking for more information. Maybe you are just new and nervous about sending in your first education plan.

Whatever your situation, the first step is the same: DON’T PANIC.

What you do next may depend upon your circumstances, but here are some suggestions (in no particular order):

• Breathe.
• Review the law and familiarize yourself with what your town can require.
• If you are reporting for the first time, check out the many resources on AHEM’s website, especially our sample education plan.
• If your town is asking for more detail, reread what they have sent you. Make a list of what they are actually asking for so that you can think about and address each issue. You may find that a lot of words are overshadowing just one or two actual requests.
• If your town is asking for a form or application to be filled out, read Conform to Forms.
• If your town has a new policy that seems intimidating (or just plain wrong), read our article on homeschool policies.
• Reach out to others in your district to see if they are having similar issues and to make a plan for a unified response.
• Reach out to experienced homeschoolers you can trust.
• Consider doing nothing. If you have approval or you are not actually being asked for anything specific, sometimes the right response is just to ignore what has been sent.
• Ask for clarification. If your town is asking for more information, be sure you understand what they want. It may be that they are satisfied with less than you would expect.
• Try giving them the same information in a different format. It may be that sending your progress report in the form of a report card or organizing your materials by subject is enough to satisfy them.
• Ramp up slowly. If your town is asking for more detail, try giving a little more at a time.
• Be polite. You are likely dealing with an administrator who has a lot of balls they are juggling. A little civility can go a long way.
• Don’t assume the worst and don’t assume that your town knows the law. With only a few, rare exceptions, most school administrators are not out to get homeschoolers. If the things they are asking for seem to go beyond what is legally required, it is likely because they just don’t know the law very well, if at all.
• Contact us. AHEM offers one-on-one support and we are happy to talk through any issues you are having.