If you feel that your child is having difficulty in the public school and is getting more and more discouraged as the year progresses then home schooling might well be something which you ought to look into. If so, be prepared for a changeover period after taking your child out of the public school system before jumping into 'full-time' home schooling.

If your child is in public school currently then you will need to begin by acquainting yourself with your state's home schooling laws. Make sure that you are able to comply with all of your state's requirements before you do anything else. After you are confident that you can meet all of the requirements of your state you must contact your child's school and formally remove your child. If you fail to formally remove your child then this might result in problems with truancy in the future. You also need to be ready for the school to question your action and possibly to try to talk you out of this course of action.

The process for the withdrawal of your child will depend on where you are living however it will frequently involve simply writing a letter to the superintendent of schools. You will need to inform the superintendent that you are opting to school your child at home. You will also have to provide proof that you are adhering to the laws of the state and that you are legally allowed to remove your child from school. If you can quote sections of the state law in your letter then this will help to show that you understand the law and with your rights as a home schooling family.

Having dealt with the formalities you should then think about the following 5 points:

1. Your child is no longer imprisoned by the rules of the public school system and will have to be permitted a little bit of time adjust to the change. In the light of this, you ought not to throw yourself into schooling but ought to let your child have a bit of time to get used to this new lifestyle.

2. Take a little time to get to know each other. You might well believe that you know your child however you could be surprised to discover that you do not know him at all. You might well uncover areas of your child's character which you did not know existed and he may also discover a few new things about you as well.

3. You may well find that your child does some things which he has grown used to doing at school. Some new home school children will put their hand up when they want to ask a question or when they have to use the restroom. It may take a little time but those school habits will be broken eventually.

4. Try not to lose the better habits which he has learned. If, for example, your child is in the habit of having spelling tests on a set day then add this into your home schooling plan. If you let him stop doing all of the things he has become used to in public school then you may end up creating more problems than you solve.

5. Do not forget to enjoy the process of home schooling with your child. Electing to home school is of course above all for the student however it should also be a pleasure for you. Try not to take things too seriously and cut yourself some slack and enjoy yourself. Probably of prime importance do not forget why you decided to home school your child and enjoy the freedom that home schooling offers.