A beginners guide to starting homeschool - a 4 week online workshop

Ever since I began home educating a decade ago, I've always believed that our community could benefit from training days just as teachers receive training days in school. To continue our own "professional development" in the educating of our own children at home and all that entails. It is certainly something I have always craved for myself and absolutely see the value in.
The role of the home educator is probably one of the biggest learn on the job responsibilities that any of us will ever face - and if there is something out there that can help us get started and find our feet, then brilliant!

I am thrilled to announce the launch of our four part online workshop: Homeschooling with confidence - a beginners guide to starting homeschool. 

Registration is open I am genuinely so excited for this; I really can not wait to work with a whole bunch of you on a much deeper level that the general support and information I love offering through the Muslim Homeschoolers Facebook group and Instagram as well as here. There is so much information out there, this workshop aims to give you everything in one place - but more than that, I really want you to walk away completely confident in your ability to start building the homeschool of your dreams that meets the needs of your own family inshaAllah - not mine or anyone else's.

To find out everything you need to know about this online workshop, you can download the Homeschooling with confidence information brochure, or continue reading below (if you download the brochure and want to enrol, make sure you come back to this post and scroll down to the end to join).

Homeschooling is on the rise

Home education is growing, and within our Muslim community it is gaining popularity fast.

More and more families are turning to homeschooling, and that is awesome because it means as our community grows, support is easier to find.

No longer is homeschool considered a strange "alternative lifestyle”, but rather it is recognised as a positive and reputable education choice that inspires a love of lifelong learning.

Across America, the number of homeschooled children more than doubled from 1999 to 2012 reaching 1.8 million.

In the UK, over just three years the number shot up by 40% reaching 48,000 in 2017. This figure doesn’t include the numbers of children unknown to council authorities, as if a child has never attended school then it is not a legal requirement to notify the LA.

Dissatisfaction with schools

Parents today from all backgrounds and walks of life, are finding dissatisfaction in the school provisions available to them, with complaints including but not limited to:

• Schooling seems to be more concerned with meeting targets and checking tick boxes, than focusing on the actual education provided and childrens needs.
• Schools are teaching material contrary to religious or moral beliefs.
• The difficulty in preventing bullying effectively.
• An inability to help children with special educational needs.
• Nearby schools are failing schools.
• Schools are unable to meet the individual needs of every child.

Benefits of home education

Home educating parents experience and report many benefits of homeschooling. I have 100 reasons to home educate for the Muslim parent, however the following is a brief summary:

• Greater emphasis can be given to the Islamic cultivation of children and character building.
• More time can be dedicated to the memorisation and understanding of the Qur'an.
• Provides the freedom and flexibility to educate at the child's individual level; moving ahead or slowing down as appropriate.
• Greater opportunity to follow and develop the child's interests and strengths.
• Can get through the same work that is done at school in less time.
• Negative peer pressure and bullying can be greatly reduced.
• The homeschool day is not limited to Monday-Friday between the hours of 8-3.
• Home educated children are shown on average to perform better in standarised testing than their schooled peers. [1]
• Allows children to develop and hold onto their own identity, values and morals with confidence.
• It is a more affordable option to Islamic schools.
• Parents are in control of what their children learn...or don't learn.
• Parents have a greater level of control on what children are exposed to from both positive and negative influences - and are in a strong position to guide their children when issues arise.
• Offers quality time for families to spend together.
• Children are able to pursue learning subjects of interest or developing skills which are not available in school.
• Education and socialisation is not limited to the home in the same way that schooling is limited to the school building.

What is this homeschool workshop?

Homeschooling with Confidence is the first of a two part series of online workshops that has been designed to help you build the Muslim homeschool of your dreams inshaAllah.
Not my version of a dream homeschool, or anyone else's; YOURS.

The first is this one - a four week online workshop that offers a beginners guide to the nuts and bolts of getting started as a new home educating mother and is perfect for anyone new to home education, in its early stages or wanting to prepare for future homeschooling.

I’m here to help inshaAllah.
I’ve been where you are now; a new home educator trying to find my way through the fog, searching for direction and someone to show me how this works!
Since 2011 I've been providing support to new homeschooling Mums, and this workshop is an accumulation of information, insights and experiences designed to save you time figuring this all out alone.

Whilst home education is nothing at all like school, I have always believed that as home educators we would benefit from training days in the same way that teachers receive training days in school – no matter the stage in our journey. It is something I always wanted for myself when I was a new starter but never found.

And so this workshop has been designed with that need in mind; as a first stop port to provide information that will aid you - but more than that; help to give you confidence in what you’re doing with your family going forward inshaAllah.

What will this beginners guide to homeschool look at?

Over four weeks we will explore some guiding principles to help you kick start your journey. Not so that you won’t make mistakes (we all do), and not so that I can tell you the right way to home educate (because there isn’t one); but so that you can step into your new homeschool with greater certainty in your ability to succeed inshaAllah, knowing what options are available to you.

We will:

• Introduce and explain home education
• Define what homeschooling is and what it is not
• Break the homeschool myths and misconceptions (such as socialisation and qualifications just to name a couple).
• Talk about deschooling...for you as well as your child.
• Introduce and explain homeschool methods and practices
• Explore various ways your child can show or record his learning.
• Help you to develop your own Education Philosophy - discover what matters to you. 
• Help you build your homeschool routine
• Explain popular organisation systems
• Guide you through simple lesson planning strategies
• Help you create your homeschool space - no matter the size of your home and budget.

Week 1: An introduction to home education

Our first week introduces the concept of home education, addressing what it is and what it is not.
We'll break some popular homeschool myths which hold people back from starting and extended family members worry about.  Also discover why deschooling is important for you and your child, even if your child has never attended school.

Week 2: Homeschool methods and study tools

In our second week, I'll introduce you to homeschool methods including Montessori, Charlotte Mason, Unschooling, Unit Studies, Classical, and Eclectic. We'll discuss how to adapt these education methods to fit the Muslim home and warn of some potential dangers contrary to Islam within them.
We'll also explore popular tools for homeschool study such as lapbooking, notebooking and pocketbooks, looking at how to use them, where to find them and how to make them.

Week 3: Organisation and lesson planning

During our third class, we will explore organisation strategies and help you to develop a homeschool routine that works for you. 
You will also be introduced to some simple lesson planning techniques that can help you create your own fun lessons for your family.

Week 4: Creating your homeschool space and sharing homeschool secrets

In our final week, you will learn about the importance of creating a homeschool space which invites your children to learning, creativity and discovery - no matter the size of your space or budget. 
We will end the workshop with the secrets homeschoolers learn through trial and error so you can hopefully avoid some of the same mistakes as you go forward inshaAllah.

What you will receive 

I want you to go away with everything in hand ready to take your first steps forward into your homeschool adventure. I want to make it as easy as possible for you to have the information you need right at your fingertips and so have carefully designed this course to provide you with:

4 live classes

Each week you will have a live 1.5 hour class. I know timings can get a little messy depending on what country you're in, so recordings will be available inshaAllah so you can tune in whenever is convenient for you.....and you can still ask questions.

Please note that the classes are for women only. As a Muslim woman I don't speak openly in front of non Mahrem men, and so it is important that you're able to listen in when no men-folk will be able to hear. You are welcome to share the class notes (see below) with your husband to help you to discuss and plan for your family.

Detailed PDF class-notes

At the end of each live session, you'll be able to download detailed notes that have been prepared for you, so you don't have to worry about missing any important information as you write your own notes!

Homeschooling with confidence workbook (PDF)
I am super passionate about making sure that you get what you need out of this course. The accompanying workbook has been designed to help you understand your new homeschool and figure out what you want from it.
There really is no one right way to home educate, and through this workbook you will be prompted to think about what you want your homeschool to be and how you can achieve that inshaAllah. My goal isn't to tell you the right way to educate your family. We are all different, facing different situations and having different needs. My objective is to help you find what is a right fit for you.

Homeschool FAQs and Coaching eBook

This FAQs eBook not only answers some frequently asked homeschooling questions, but also provides you with coaching questions to help you find your own answers to the same ones.
As I've already said, my objective is to always help you find the answers that suit you personaly since we're all individual. So whilst I can give general advice, I am a firm believer that the best answers are those which you find solutions for yourself - and here I'll show you how to do that inshaAllah.

Some of the questions include:

• How can I teach my children if I'm not a qualified teacher?
• My family and in-laws are against homeschooling, how do I handle this?
• At what age should I begin homeschooling my child?
• How many hours do I need to homeschool each day?
• How do I fit in all the subjects?
• How can I homeschool multiple kids of different ages?
• My child wants to go to school but I want to home educate, how do I handle this?
• How do I know my kids are doing enough?

And more!

Creating Your Homeschool Map Activity Guide

As soon as you have enrolled, you will be sent this fun 4 week activity guide (PDF) to help you create a unique homeschool map that meets your own family's specific needs and goals inshaAllah.

The activities have been designed so that the whole family can participate, however they can be completed alone or with just your husband if your children are particularly young.

The exercises here can be completed independently of the workshop, so you can start it right away.

*Note: If you have been part of my Planning Club, this activity guide is an edited version of the same activity posted in September's discussion theme.

Private Online Forum

Throughout the 4 week workshop you will have access to a private online forum to allow you to ask questions as well as interact and create discussions with fellow participants. It is a place you can get support from me throughout the duration of the course and benefit from a like-minded tribe.

The forum is not through Facebook since I know many of you don't use it - you will however need an email to join.

Who is this homeschool workshop for?

• Mums wanting to find out about home education and prepare ready before their children are old enough to start
• New homeschool Mums 
• Homeschool Mums in the early stages of homeschool who are still finding their feet and would like some guidance
• Mums who have children already in school and would like to homeschool

Why join this workshop?

One of the things I have always advised sisters looking to homeschool or who are in its early stages, is don't do what I did as a new starter; scrolling blog after blog trying to figure this all out and piece together random tid-bits of information.
Instead, find everything you need to know in one place - read books about homeschool and education.

This workshop is more interactive than a book. It will provide you with everything you need to find your homeschooling feet, all in one place so that you can continue your journey knowing exactly what you need and where to find it.

So if you want to homeschool but don't know where to start; if you're in the early stages of your homeschool adventure feeling lost and in need of guidance; if you're a new mother planning ahead for when your children are of school age, if you're confused by homeschool methods and learning styles; if you want to know how you can meet the educational needs of your children or you want someone to answer your questions and help show you how to get started and what you'll need...then this workshop is for you.

Homeschooling With Confidence Workshop FAQs

When is it?

Sundays, 5th,  12th, 19th and 26th January 2020 at 7:30pm - 9pm GMT (UK Time).
 Class recordings available so you can tune in whenever is convenient for you. 

Where is it?

A live class will run online once a week for four weeks on Zoom (requires downloading - you will receive the link) so you can join in from anywhere around the world inshaAllah with separate access to a private online forum to ask questions and discuss anything between classes. 

How much does it cost?

The total is £40 inclusive of all classes and digital materials (4 classes, 4 detailed class notes, workbook, FAQs eBook,  activity guide and forum access).

Can I split the payment?

You can pay the workshop fee in full, or alternately you can make 2 equal payments of £20. You can sign up with the instalment option until 30th November 2019. After this date, enrolment is only possible with payment of the fee in full.

Do I need Facebook?
I know many of you don't use Facebook, and so I have created a private forum away from social media. The only thing you will need is your email address to sign up.

Can I share the classes and materials?
Enrolment is for one attendee. The classes and workshop material are for one user only and can not be shared (the exception is sharing the written material with your husband).

Can men join?
My classes are strictly for women only. I trust that attendees will not listen where men will be able to hear since I do not speak openly in front of non-mahram men.
Women however are welcome to share the reading material and class notes with their husband.

Why is this not free?

I love helping my sisters, and will continue to offer general advice and resources through my blog which I don't seek any payment for bi'ithnillah.
However I realise that there is a need for a deeper level of information and support than I am able to give freely. I want to give you the best experience so you can take away real benefit inshaAllah.
A great deal of time has gone into the preparation of this program in order to provide that higher level of support and benefit. The proceeds help to pay for programmes used to create and host the workshop, as well as compensate my time which allows me to create such higher depth of resources.

Download the Homeschooling with Confidence brochure

Just a reminder, you can download all the information above in the workshop information brochure, it tells you everything you need to know - get it {HERE}.
When you're ready to enrol just head back to this page and scroll down to the payment section below:

I can not tell you how much work has gone into preparing this 4 week programme...I've put the hours in so that you don't need to inshaAllah.

If you're ready to stop blog hopping and find some real direction then this course is an ideal first look at what homeschool is, designed to help you create the best start to yours bi'ithnillah.

Are you ready to enroll and find your homeschool confidence?

The course has ended and registration is closed.
The course is being updated and extended to 16 weeks instead of 4 to provide even more support to you insha'Allah. New dates and information will be announced shortly.