Question for all of you....

I have two friends, both teachers on the brink of being laid off. One is an elementary teacher, the other mid school.

They are considering starting a "homeschool consultation" business. They would offer their services to people getting started to include assessment testing, building the curriculum, setting targets and goals, and resources for the local area such as co-ops.

Once you are successfully h/sing, they would be available to update curriculum as needed either by semester or yearly.

What I want to know is would you guys consider using a service like this? They are considering around $299. for the initial, then maybe $100. a year after that.

They really want to know if people would use a service of this type. I promised them I'd post the question here and let them know what you guys think.

I think a lot of homeschoolers who are just starting out would probably love to have this, particularly in states where they have to provide curriculum details as part of the homeschooling requirements. Assessment testing and portfolio evals from certified teachers are also in demand here, due to legal requirements.

One note, however - I would personally never have used this, because I started homeschooling because our schools (and teachers) really didn't have a good idea of what my son needed or how to give it to him. He isn't an average child, and from what I have seen of the homeschoolers in my area, most homeschooled kids aren't "average" kids for whom standard educational practice necessarily works well, either - if they were, they'd be in school. As long as your friends walk into this with the understanding that they may be dealing with a very different student (and parent) population than they are used to, they'll probably be able to make it work out.