Many families are discovering the world of homeschooling and choosing a "parent directed" education model of schooling instead of a model with a teacher in a classroom. This term, "parent directed" was first introduced by the director of a private school designed exclusively for homeschooling families. The Director of Family Tree Private School spoke at a Florida senate education sub-committee in the early 2000s, using the term "parent directed" model, and this phrase has since been adopted in many public and governmental bodies to describe education in this "type" of school.
"Homeschooling" was practiced only in private schools in Florida until 1985, then the Florida legislature provided a means for those students to register publicly with the state. Yet many private schools, like Family Tree remained open for enrollment to continue this "parent directed" model with the added benefits and one on one support.
Students enrolled in Family Tree Private School are not considered "homeschoolers" as defined in the 1985 law though they do the exact same things as all homeschoolers. Family Tree students are 100% private school students for all intents and purposes of the law, yet these students join all the same homeschool support groups for activities and are strongly encouraged to do so! So, they get the best of both worlds, unlimited activities in their local community of homeschoolers and registration with Family Tree Private School for the added benefits of documentation, privacy and one-on-one support.
Why Family Tree Private School is the Best Choice
There are other schools like Family Tree out there and they may be even less expensive; but Family Tree Private School is one of the oldest and most respected schools of its kind in Florida. They maintain numerous professional affiliations for academic involvement, such as Florida Virtual School online, the College Board, dual enrollment programs, the Florida Parent Educators Association and more. Family Tree students regularly go on to college, the military and into the workforce well prepared. The school encourages families to join other active support groups and are never in competition with other organizations, but instead work in concert with them for the benefit of students! They are very affordable at $40 monthly tuition with discounts for siblings (parents pay for curriculum and an annual registration fee).
Advantages to enroll with Family Tree Private School:
- Complete privacy (instead of state enrollment)
- Choice of excellent, reputable curricula and activities
- Official documents (transcripts, report cards and a high school diploma)
- One-on-one support and guidance for testing, choice of curriculum, special education services, etc.
- High school credits for dual enrollment, church activities, hobbies, job training, apprenticeships, etc.
- Documentation for Community Service Hours
- Access to free on-line classes (Florida Virtual School),dual enrollment and district testing services
Family Tree Private School and Director, Nancy Moral have a long standing, excellent reputation statewide. Director Moral has an extensive background in classroom and individual instruction, curriculum development, school administration and special education. For information visit http://www.familytreeprivateschool.org
