nZone Blog

Thinking about homeschooling, but not sure you can do it? Maybe you’re worried you’re not a certified teacher, you don’t feel confident in math or writing, or you’ve heard concerns about socialization. Confused about the curriculum choices or the different types of home education available? Wondering which of these options would be the right fit for your family? You are not alone. These doubts are common for parents considering homeschooling. The choice to homeschool is a big decision. It’s challenging, it’s scary however, ultimately, it can be a rewarding experience. 

My Homeschool Journey

When a friend first suggested I homeschool my eldest daughter during her kindergarten year, I dismissed her suggestion immediately. How could I possibly manage that? My daughter thrived socially in her classroom, and she needed social interactions with friends. How would she get what she needs when I was caring for a three-year-old and a one-year-old? I doubted that I could teach her effectively while juggling two toddlers. Feeding into these doubts were family and friends who voiced concerns about my qualifications. “How are you qualified? You don’t have a teaching license,” they would ask. The truth is, homeschooling parents don’t need a license. What they need is the ability to research, learn, and adapt. Those were skills my own public education had instilled in me, and they became the foundation of my homeschooling journey. And socialization proved not to be a problem. We quickly learned homeschoolers build social networks through sports teams, church groups, scouting organizations, and a local co-op, much like the nSpire Program at the nZone. Far from being isolated, our daughter stayed connected to her friends and built new relationships through her community-based activities, and thrived in a flexible environment that allowed her to explore her interests at her own pace.

By October of my daughter’s kindergarten year, we sat in a teacher conference, where the teacher reviewed all the milestones our child had met for kindergarten. She had met all of them. We weren’t surprised. She was an early reader, and attended kindergarten reading Magic Treehouse books and already solving addition and subtraction equation problems. When I volunteered in her classroom, she was writing pages of stories about penguins while her peers were still figuring out how to write a sentence. After that meeting, we decided to request the school evaluate her for giftedness. When the evaluation came back that she had not qualified, we decided to homeschool her to provide her with the academic support she needed. This was actually why my friend, a reading specialist, suggested homeschooling.

My doubts about being qualified to homeschool didn’t immediately disappear, and when researching home education options, virtual school seemed like the ideal hybrid between a brick and mortar school and homeschooling.  I enrolled my daughter in a virtual school,  feeling that the blend of having someone else handle the record-keeping while I focused on instruction built a solid foundation, and would alleviate my doubts about qualifications. They evaluated her for their gifted program, which she qualified for. This allowed her more flexibility to work at her academic level and still remain with her social peers. 

Over the years, I learned that home education is not a one-size-fits-all model. Some families find success with virtual schools, others with co-ops or microschools. The right approach depends on each child’s personality, learning style, and the goals of the family. For us, we shifted between models based on our family’s needs. 

Three Different types of Home Education

Virtual school is typically a “school without walls,” where students learn and interact with teachers entirely online instead of attending classes in a physical building. In 2007, our virtual school used an All-in-One box curriculum, relying on parents to provide the daily instruction, administer testing, and then sending it off to have it graded by one of their virtual teachers. This model is different from traditional homeschooling because parents still have to follow state standards and a specific curriculum that the school chose, while homeschoolers had complete control (within state guidelines) to choose their child’s courses. Another key difference was grading. In cyberschool, parents implemented lessons but did not grade their children; the school handled assessments. In homeschooling, parents have full authority to design, teach, and grade coursework. Virtual schooling remains an ever‑evolving option for families seeking more partnership in their child’s education, without having to do all the work of pulling together curriculum, or in some cases, teaching the child directly. 

Many families find this model to work well, especially when their children are athletes, because the flexibility to do work around their sports allows for more time. And, families looking for NCAA scholarships, must follow the regulations set by the organization. Many virtual school options meet these regulations. Parents can find approved virtual schools on the NCAA website. 

For us, virtual school allowed me to supplement the curriculum provided by her school with additional academics to meet her needs. Since our daughter finished school at an academic pace faster than her peers, we dug deeper into topics that interested her with curriculum and field trips. Knowing she could write, read, and do math above grade level, we added to these subjects with additional tasks and coursework, so her academic needs were met without having to skip her grade. 

Eventually, we found that following three different grade level curriculums, and three different children’s pacing did not suit our needs, and therefore, we transitioned to homeschooling.

 

Homeschool Co-Ops

Since I made the decisions on all aspects of the curriculum we purchased and taught within our home, homeschooling provided us a chance to learn the same topics all together; however, I differentiated learning based on the child’s needs. This gave us more time to socialize within the homeschool community, which was needed because we also moved states when we made the transition. Therefore, my children needed to make new friends in our new state.

Our new area offered drop-off homeschool co-ops like nSpire. I knew about co-ops where  families pooled resources, shared teaching responsibilities, and offered classes in subjects they felt confident teaching. There was usually a small fee to cover supplies, but parents were expected to volunteer. By contrast, a drop-off co-op, is typically run by an organization that hires professional instructors, sometimes homeschooling parents themselves, to teach academic or enrichment classes. Families use drop-off co-ops as a form of supplemental enrichment, giving their children opportunities to learn in group settings, explore specialized subjects, and build community while still maintaining overall control of their child’s educational experience. In some states, parents must grade their students under the homeschool statute, and so some co-ops do not grade students while others will provide a suggested grade for the effort or work provided. 

Microschools

After 2020, the homeschooling community experienced the rise of microschools. This style of home education resembles traditional schooling but on a much smaller scale. Typically, a group of five to fifteen students attend a microschool where they participate in more formalized instruction, often following the same curriculum. Some microschools are parent-drive, where they hire a professional instructor collectively to teach the group. Others are run by a professional educator that aligns with their family’s needs. Microschools function much like small private schools, offering structure, peer interaction, and shared resources, while still maintaining the flexibility and personalization that many families value in alternative education. Just like with any form of home education, microschools vary by structure and what they provide in terms of records. 

Is Record-keeping required?

The biggest concern many parents have with homeschooling is how to keep records, whether it is for a transition to public school, private school or admission to colleges or for scholarships. They are concerned with messing up and their children not being able to get into what they need. The differences between the choices in home education makes an impact on how you keep records. Parents need to research the programs to make sure it first meets their family’s needs and educational goals.  

 

Throughout our homeschooling journey, I concerned myself with similar thoughts. Could I create a transcript well enough for my children to be accepted into college. The answer is yes. Having detailed records allowed for two of my children to try out public school, three children dual-enroll at our local college, graduate, and apply for colleges. Our three daughters were soccer players, and we also had to ask the questions regarding whether they wanted to try to be recruited to play in college, and how to meet NCAA eligibility requirements. The best resource for parents to find official NCAA regulations for homeschool students is the NCAA’s own website. The NCAA provides a dedicated section with eligibility requirements, a Homeschool Toolkit, and step‑by‑step guidance for record‑keeping and transcripts.Ultimately, my children decided they wanted the flexibility of homeschooling based on their interests and not to try for athletic scholarships. 

Based on my experience, here’s a chart to help you see the differences between the home education models. These can vary widely and change based on location, state laws, and structure of the programs. 

Comparison of Home Education Models

Feature / Aspect	Virtual School	Homeschool	Microschools
Instruction Style	Online classes with teachers; parents may be asked to facilitate daily lessons	Parent-directed teaching; curriculum chosen by family	Small group instruction led by hired educator or parent collective
Curriculum Control	Set by the school; must follow state standards, pacing similar to a traditional classroom setting	Full parental control (within state guidelines), set to child’s pacing	Often standardized curriculum, but flexible depending on group, pacing to a small group of kids
Grading & Assessment	School handles grading and testing	Parents design, teach, and grade coursework	Varies: educator may grade, or parents may keep records
Flexibility	Moderate; tied to school schedule but allows pacing	High; customized to child’s interests and pace	Medium; structured like private school but smaller and more adaptable
Socialization Opportunities	Online peer interaction; extracurriculars outside school	Co-ops, sports, church, community groups	Daily peer interaction in small group setting
Parent Role	Facilitator; ensures child completes school’s curriculum	Teacher, administrator, and record-keeper	Organizer or participant; may hire professional instructor
Record-Keeping	School provides transcripts and official records	Parents must maintain detailed records, transcripts, grades	Depends on structure; some provide records, others require parents to track
Challenges	Less curriculum freedom; may limit parent involvement	Heavy responsibility on parents; requires organization	Limited availability; may vary in quality and consistency

Homeschooling and College Admissions

None of my three daughters had issues getting into college or earning merit scholarships. Colleges accepted our homeschool transcripts the same way they accept transcripts from traditional high schools. Come join me February 3rd from 12-1pm for a Creating a Transcript seminar during nSpire’s Coffee Chat. Check out our nSpire Facebook group for more information about this coffee chat and other offerings.