For a lot of people, this is when the "new year" begins - when school starts! It seems to be a rite of passage, like birthdays and anniversaries. What is the first question most people ask a child when they talk to them? "What grade are you in this year?"

And so, another school year begins. Homeschoolers, like those who go to public and private schools, progress one grade level at a time and the official school year is the same. However, you have the freedom as a homeschooling family to structure the school day and the school year to fit your lifestyle.

For those new to homeschooling, the internet can provide a lot of useful information. Every homeschool student and instructor should learn the basics of using a search engine. The library isn't open at midnight or on Sunday afternoon, when someone suddenly realizes they need to know the name of the plane that bombed Hiroshima! You don't know? Go to www.google.com  and type in, exactly, plane +Hiroshima. You'll get the name plus a lot more. On AOL Search, which uses Google, I got 108,000 "hits" and the first one gave the name of the plane. The beauty of the search engines is that the most relevant information shows up first!

People often ask me how I plan the school year. When children are little, you obviously have to spend a lot of time with them - helping them learn to read, teaching the basics of arithmetic, and so on. It helps to have some sort of schedule for small children. As the years go by, you will find that the student is usually able to do much of their work on their own, using you as a mentor more than a traditional teacher. Working with teenagers, I have found that "unschooling" (letting the child decide what to work on) works best at our house. Yes, I make a lot of suggestions. Even the brightest child may not realize that it helps to know geography and climate to understand history. A child who wants to program computers needs to realize that a strong background in mathematics is the first requirement in that field. Some children need you to lay out a program of instruction that is much more formal than what I find works for me.

As a parent, teacher or homeschool instructor, you need to become familiar with the learning styles of each child. This will help with academic work and will also make life a lot easier at home. The child you have to nag, nag, nag to do chores may forget everything he/she hears, so write a note or make a chore chart. Other children may not remember much of what they read, but learn by listening. Still others may need you to actually show them how to do a task before they will be comfortable doing it. This knowledge also helps you to plan lessons and activities.

This year, I will only be homeschooling one teenager. I have taught as many as five children at one time. But no matter how many children you are working with, the most important thing to remember is that they are all going to be very different! There is no such thing as "one size fits all" when it comes to education. If one approach doesn't work, the beauty of homeschooling is that you can try other approaches until you make the connection. Unlike a traditional classroom, where all the students are expected to work at the same pace, your students can work at their own pace until they master the subject at hand. Relax, and enjoy the new school year!