Hello everybody,

I have never taken the opportunity to write on this blog before but I thought I might give it a try.  I think it might be a good idea to just give you a short account of my homeschooling experience and how I began this journey.

I first thought of homeschooling when my first daughter was born nearly 24 years ago.  When she reached the age of 3 I met a friend who was homeschooling her kindergartener.  I was so enthralled with this possibility because I loved being with my daughter and couldn't stand the thought of her going off to school every day.  Then we moved back to my hometown of Florence and my oldest turned 5 and was ready to begin kindergarten.  I had put homeschooling on the back burner since I now had the opportunity to send her to a private Christian school in the area.  Well, she attended there for 3 years and when the 4th year came around we had another child to enroll.  Private school tuition was just too much for us so we considered homeschooling.  So began our journey.  But not without it's problems. I had a 3rd grader and a kindergartener plus a toddler.  Even though I had made some good friends I did not give myself enough time to get plugged into the support system.  I struggled with thinking outside the box.  I was trying to homeschool with my public school mentality.  It did not go as I had planned.  After about 9 weeks, I panicked and put them in a public school.  I felt a sense of relief when I did this but it was very short lived.  My girls finished out that year and we began the next.  It didn't take long for me to see that this was not the path for our family.  When the new year started in 1999 I began once again on the path that I was suppose to be.  We have been home educating ever since.  I can't say that I have loved EVERY minute of it but I know now that is is what God was calling me to do.  For the first several years I struggled each time the new school year began.  "Should I put them in school?  Can I keep doing this?  Are they going to miss something? What curriculum should I use?  What about dd reading challenges?",   and so forth. Well, I spent much time in prayer and thankfully had the support of my husband and extended family.  So, we kept on keeping on and it has been the one of the best decisions of my life.  I would not exchange it for anything.  Not even more peace and quiet.  I rest when I'm dead. 

Alabama Legal Home Schooling Options

There are two options under which you can legally home educate in the state of Alabama.

Option 1: (If you are enrolled with Creekside or any other church school, you are homeschooling under this option)
Legal Option: Establish and/or enroll in a church school
Required Attendance: None specified (175 days required for the public schools)
Required Subjects: None
Qualifications Required: None
Notice Required: File a notice of enrollment and attendance with the local superintendent on a provided form (not required annually)
Required Recordkeeping: Maintain a daily attendance register to be kept by the principal teacher of the church school
Testing Requirement: None

NOTE: While the law doesn't require many things under this option, the church school you choose MAY have requirements that they have set individually. Find a church school that you are comfortable with as far as their belief system and their requirements for membership. http://www.chefofalabama.org will have a listing of available church schools in the state of Alabama.

Option: 2
Legal Option: Use a private tutor
Required Attendance: 140 days per calendar year, 3 hours per day between the hours of 8am and 4pm
Required Subjects: Reading, spelling, writing, arithmetic, English, geography, history of the United States, science, health, physical education, and Alabama history
Qualifications Required: Teacher certification
Notice Required: File a statement showing children to be instructed, the subjects taught and the period of instruction with the local superintendent
Required Recordkeeping: Maintain a register of the child's work showing daily attendance and make such reports as the State Board of Education may require
Testing Requirement: None

NEW Families Enrollment Paperwork

Click here to download the Enrollment Paperwork package for NEW families (not currently enrolled with Creekside Academy)

SAT Testing Form

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School Rules

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