My teaching credentials...

A certain smart alecky home schooling friend has asked how I will teach the upper levels of math. :)

Since my oldest is only 6, I will start with basic addition and subtraction and move from there. By the time he reaches trigonometry and calculus, he will likely learn on his own by looking at examples and solving problems as we did in school (as homework). We're not math phobic, so I think we'll be able to field any questions he may have. I took calculus in high school and tested out of college level math and J has an engineering degree. If we run into something we can't handle, we can always hire a tutor.

But I think the question behind the question of how I will teach certain subjects is, "Are you qualified to teach?" I asked this question myself when I decided to home school, and a friend (who is a public school teacher) told me that the only thing a person needs to become a certified teacher is a college degree and information on teaching, and I have both.

Now here's where it gets really interesting. Research has shown that homeschooled students outscore both public and private school students on standardized tests and by eighth grade perform four grade levels above their peers. This has held true whether or not the teaching parent had a college degree or has even finished high school.

Contrary to what the "experts" would have us believe, college degrees and teaching certificates have no bearing on a person's ability to teach. In fact, I have heard from homeschooling parents who are former public school teachers that some of what they learned in their teaching courses was detrimental to successsful homeschooling.

To answer the question - Am I qualified to teach? Yes!

So far I've taught my son to add, subtract, read and (gasp) socialize. By virtue of being the mother God gave him, I am qualified to teach.