Homeschooling tips and pathways

Certainly, the idea of not running around all day and preparing lunches – ah, the famous no-nuts lunches! – may seem like an exciting prospect, but homeschooling requires careful preparation and rigorous monitoring. Here are some tips and information to guide you in your choice, but above all, to ensure that your child follows the same path as at school.

From the age of 6 to 16, all children residing in Quebec must attend school. However, the Education Act allows you to make a written request to teach at home. This request must be sent to the Ministry of Education and the school service center. If it’s approved, that’s when you’ll step into the teacher’s shoes!

You've decided to dive into the wonderful adventure of homeschooling, but don't know where to start?

Children who are homeschooled must complete the same tests as students at school. School service centers must arrange for a home-schooled child to take ther Ministry exams on the premises of the school service center. There is no charge for taking these tests nor for the preparatory activities for the test.

Tools to help you… to help your child

First of all, you should know that, as parents, you will not be left completely on your own; indeed, you will have access, while homeschooling, to:
- Approved textbooks which are required for teaching;
- Approved teaching materials that are offered free of charge,
- Certain equipment related to their use in at least one of their schools, subject to availability.

Here's how to open a home school file with the Ministry:

Direction de l’enseignement à la maison
Ministère de l’Éducation
600, rue Fullum, 8^e étage
Montréal (Québec) H2K 4L1514 787-3583 poste 5265
1 877 787-3583
Téléc. : 514 [email protected]

A rigorous path according to level and field

Where to start when homeschooling? Everything you need to know for your child can be found here. In fact, the Quebec Education Program, which you can consult here for elementary school and here for high school, lists all the concepts that must be mastered by the end of the year, depending on the child’s grade. We’ve also prepared a list of essential knowledge for each level to help you.

A Guide full of all kinds of suggestions

What’s more, a Support guide (available here) written by the Quebec government explains all aspects of home schooling in great detail. You’ll find tips, activity ideas and stimulating projects to help you in your task. The subjects are detailed, so you’ll be able to follow the learning process in languages, math, history or any other subject that suits your child’s grade level. Here are just a few examples of how you can develop your child’s literacy skills:

A museum outing and activity can be an opportunity to put learning into practice: in the visual arts (appreciation of works of art, of one’s own productions and those of one’s classmates); in history (construction of historical landmarks); and to develop cross-disciplinary skills (application of one’s creative thinking);
Creating a play can be an opportunity to learn: in French (writing a variety of texts and oral communication); in drama (using acting techniques); and to develop cross-disciplinary skills (cooperation);

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Here's an interesting video on the subject:

Homeschooling

What are the biggest challenges of homeschooling?

The great challenge of teaching lies in motivating both the student and the teacher. Parent-learners are encouraged to come up with ideas to capture their children’s attention, stimulate their learning and whet their appetite for knowledge. In this way, they’ll develop a sense of self-efficacy and become more attentive and involved during lessons. Here are a few tips to vary the monotony of office work. As a parent, you can :

Subscribe your child to educational magazines for young people.
consult public cultural, scientific, governmental, educational and television resource sites that offer free information and activities;
go on field trips with your child (aquarium, science museum, etc.)
go to the library

What are the mandatory and unique tests?

Here are the compulsory tests:
Grade 4, primary: French, language of instruction (reading and writing) ;
Grade 6, elementary: French, language of instruction, or English Language Arts (reading and writing) and mathematics;
Secondary 2: French, language of instruction (writing).

And the unique tests:
Secondary 4: – Mathematics, Natural Sciences sequence, or Technico-sciences or Culture, society and technology; – Science and technology or Technological and scientific applications; – History of Quebec and Canada;
Secondary 5: – French, language of instruction, or English Language Arts; – English, second language (basic or enriched program), or French, second language (basic or enriched program).

What resources are essential for home schooling?

Finally, there are a number of resources available to help parents with this task. Here you’ll find a number of organizations that are there to help parents make a smooth transition to homeschooling with their child.
- Home schooling MEES : http://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/gouvernance-scolaire/aide-et-soutien/enseignement-a-la-maison/
- Quebec Christian Parent Educators Association : https://acpeq.org/
- Canadian Home School Legal Association : https://hslda.ca/fr/
- Quebec Association for Home Education: https://sosprof.ca/lassociation-quebecoise-pour-leducation-a-domicile/

Evaluations (if mandatory)

Children who are home-schooled must take the same tests as students at school. School service centers must take the necessary steps to ensure that a home-schooled child who may be a candidate for a test imposed by the Minister under the Education Act may attend a session held for this purpose on their premises. There is no charge for taking these tests or for preparatory activities.

In addition, the Ministry of Education recently announced the introduction of new provisions to better supervise home schooling. Among other things, this includes the coming into force of new provisions relating to the obligation to take the ministerial tests in 2021-2022, which will enable the children concerned to upgrade their learning so as to offer them better conditions for success. In addition, school service centers will be required to offer preparatory activities for ministerial exams, starting in the 2021-2022 school year.

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