Frequently Asked Questions

If you do not see the answer to your question below, contact Customer Service by either sending an email to CustomerService@theoldschoolhouse.com or calling 1-888-718-HOME (4663). As always, you can chat with us by clicking the Customer Support box at the bottom of the page.

interactive.SchoolhouseTeachers.com

“iST” stands for “Interactive.SchoolhouseTeachers.com.” The word interactive implies direct engagement and input from the user. Interactive.SchoolhouseTeachers.com provides an interactive, online experience for SchoolhouseTeachers.com members. Courses that have been made interactive still provide the same amazing content found in SchoolhouseTeachers.com courses but in a new, dynamic format. With Interactive.SchoolhouseTeachers.com lessons, students read the content, observe captivating images, watch videos, complete learning activities, and work through the course all within the website. Exercises range from basic multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank type questions to memory games and other picture activities that provide immediate feedback. Interactive.SchoolhouseTeachers.com provides an environment where children can thrive as active learners.
The following brief video explains logging in, enrolling in iST courses, and viewing your student’s iST gradebook: Teacher Video/Student Video. The same information is available in print version within the iST User Handbook: User Handbook
Image sliders, drag and drop, hotspots, and exportable text are just a few of the dynamic activity types included in iST courses. Learn how to complete each common type of interactive exercise by viewing this video: Interactive Activities Video The same information is available in print version within the iST User Handbook: User Handbook

General Questions

Our courses are not accredited by any agency. Only a school can be accredited. On our site, parents reserve the right to choose what their child learns; we are not an accreditation agency making each course fit inside boundaries.
We have a page just for high school students and their parents! This page has been especially designed for parents of high school students! You will find encouragement, planners, free printables, eBooks and valuable links to other pages on our site. You can check out our high school tutorial to help you get started. There are numerous recordkeeping resources available to our members. You can find a list of classes that can be used for high school credits here.
Everything on our site is self-paced and up to the parent (which classes to choose, what work needs to be done, etc.). Though we we don't have classes specifically marked as being for children with special needs, parents are free to adapt any class anyway they like in order to make it work for their students. And they can even change classes as needed. They aren't locked into one routine or schedule. Many resources have been put on one page just for you at https://schoolhouseteachers.com/member-resources/focused-learning-center/help-special-needs/.

We have access to eight of the World Book libraries from our site: Early Learning, Kids, Student, Advanced, eBooks, Timelines, Discover, and Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos (Spanish K–4th grade library). As a member, your family has access to all the content in all of those, and you could use it in addition to the SchoolhouseTeachers.com courses or just for family learning. A few of our lessons point kids to specific articles in the content to read. The rest is simply there to enjoy and enrich your school day. For example, there are science experiments, learning games and activities, short videos on select topics, history with primary sources lessons, research helps, and a lot of other great features. You can find out more about the World Book resources here.

No, The Old Schoolhouse® and SchoolhouseTeachers.com are not aligned with Common Core Standards. SchoolhouseTeachers.com has always worked to set the highest standards for homeschool families and provide the needed resources for all of our students to successfully achieve them. As a result, we have not changed any of our classes to align with Common Core, and we believe our classes exceed those standards—which are often confusing and sometimes inappropriate. We believe each child should work at his or her own pace and continue to progress to reach the highest potential possible, without regard to changing fads or stressful testing methods. SchoolhouseTeachers.com helps parents provide just such an individualized education for their children.
Let’s listen in as Maria* shares how she uses SchoolhouseTeachers.com in her day. Hello! My name is Maria and I have five children, ages 4 to 14. While my youngest is still in bed, I’ll check the Latest News page and the SchoolhouseTeachers.com Facebook group to see if there are any new classes I want to check out. I'll check my schedule and see that my oldest's next Literature study by Adam Andrews is going to be Macbeth. I will make a note to grab a copy when I stop at the library this afternoon. I promised my middle son “fun” science today. Let me take a look at World Book’s science experiments. Before I dive into the day, I’d better print Michelle Miller's  Monthly Reading List for Families. I’ll read it while the oldest is at piano. Writing is usually the first class of the day. I’ll give my ten-year-old a writing prompt from Sharon Watson’s Daily Writing. My twelve-year-old is loving Carrie Daws’ Creative Writing, and my fourteen-year-old will work on analyzing this month’s writing selection from Janice Campbell. I’ll give the seven-year-old some Everyday Copywork to practice his handwriting skills while my youngest and I have some fun with Pre-K Read and Play. I hear the little one getting up. If you’ll excuse me, I have to get some ground turkey out of the freezer. My oldest two are cooking supper tonight with what they learned in Sue Gregg’s Whole Foods Cooking class. Now if I can just remember what shelf I put that on . . . *Maria is representative of an average SchoolhouseTeachers.com user and is not a single actual user.
Yes. Many of our classes are in-depth and can count for high school credit. Read more about this here.
No, additional textbook purchases are not required, however many of our lessons refer to books that are generally readily available through the library.

Homeschooling FAQS

Almost all of our videos can be streamed everywhere in the world. A handful of content (mostly children's animated specials) are limited to North American locations only. So if you have a strong WiFi connection, you should be fine. If the connection is terribly slow or intermittent, there could be problems playing the videos or interruptions while you're watching them.
We are a curriculum site that provides a wide variety of choices for your family. We have developed a Scope and Sequence that lists the academic goals traditionally held for each grade level and where to find that information on SchoolhouseTeachers.com as well as areas where you may wish to supplement.
Unlike the days when parents had to pull together a curriculum from whatever resources they could find, today’s parents are blessed with many resources to choose from. Textbook companies now offer complete boxed curriculum by grade level (with optional DVDs) designed for homeschoolers, such as Abeka and Saxon. Companies such as Veritas Press, Memoria Press, and Classical Conversations (CC) offer products that follow the Classical style, with CC having weekly co-ops for students to meet together one day per week. Memoria Press and Veritas Press also offer select online courses in addition to their independent homeschool courses. Sonlight and Living Books Curriculum follow the Charlotte Mason method and provide books you can purchase individually or with detailed lesson plans based on grade level. Another possibility is www.SchoolhouseTeachers.com. It’s an online one-stop resource that can be used for your entire family at one low monthly price. You don’t have to purchase additional books, just access online and print off what is needed for the lessons your child needs to do. Many families use this as their sole curriculum, but it can also be used to supplement other programs. Members have access to almost three hundred courses (preschool through 12th grade), from core subjects like math, science, history, and language arts, to classes like computer programming, Shakespeare, foreign language, fitness, and even filmmaking. Take a look at all the courses by visiting our All Courses directory. Cathy Duffy’s http://cathyduffyreviews.com/ has hundreds of curriculum reviews and even an online tool to help you choose books that fit your style and meet your children’s needs. Your public library most likely has a section with books on homeschooling that could also help direct you to the style or curriculum that would work for you. And don’t forget, some people homeschool using library books almost exclusively! Talk with homeschool parents in your area, or online, and find out what has worked, or not worked, for them. The biggest thing to remember is that if you find yourself or your child frustrated with a particular curriculum, you don’t have to stick with it! Don’t torture yourself or your kids with a book you don’t like. Sell it or pass it on to a friend. Someone else may like it just fine.
Learn about different styles of homeschooling. You will likely find a style that fits your family’s needs, or you may decide on a blend of two or more styles. In some families, you may see that one style works great for one child, but another child responds better to a different style. Knowing your particular style is not required to homeschool, but it can help narrow your search for curriculum and provide structure as you are becoming more comfortable with homeschooling. Just remember that if you start with one style, you are not bound to stay with it forever. The beauty of homeschooling is that you are free to adjust to the varying needs and interests of your children. You are not trapped into a rigid system of requirements and testing that takes all the joy and wonder out of learning. In fact, as the years go by, you may find yourself becoming quite eclectic! Charlotte Mason: Based on a method introduced by nineteenth-century educator Charlotte Mason, this approach includes nature studies, journaling, narration, and living books. Classical: Based on Dorothy Sayers’ The Lost Tools of Learning, in which child development is broken up into three “stages” of learning commonly called “the Trivium.” Delight Directed: This puts the learning in the hands of the child based on his or her interests. Parents help facilitate this type of learning with appropriate instructional materials. Eclectic: A mix of philosophies and curricula to accommodate each child’s abilities and interests. Parents choose from any method or style only those components that fit their specific needs. The Principle Approach: An approach based on the principles of our Founding Fathers and an emphasis on God’s Word as the basis for every subject. Traditional Textbook: Normally uses a full-range, packaged, textbook type curriculum that also may include a scope and sequence, testing, and recordkeeping. Unit Studies: All, or most, important subjects are covered while studying any one topic or unit of study, using a variety of resources and supplemental activities. Unschooling: A relaxed setting where learning is directed by the child. Parts of this philosophy are based on research by John Taylor Gatto and John Holt.

There are many blogs and websites that focus on homeschooling families. One such site is TryHomeschooling.com, where you can download articles on organizing your homeschool, issuing report cards, creating high school transcripts, keeping a portfolio, dealing with special needs, and much more. The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine is considered the “trade magazine” for homeschool families and is available for free online at www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com. It provides dozens of encouraging and valuable homeschool articles with each issue.

Almost every state has annual homeschool conventions where vendors, speakers, and parents get together to swap books, ideas, and encouragement. Search “homeschool convention [your state]” online.

Many states also have state-level homeschool organizations that can offer guidance on state laws, direct you to local support groups (sometimes called co-ops), and advocate on behalf of homeschoolers in your state legislature.

Even if your state doesn’t have an overall homeschool organization, small independent groups can be found within driving distance of just about every family in the country. Our local all-volunteer group serves a wide range of families from up to an hour away. We have field trips, “Friday Classes,” holiday parties, and public service events. Many of our members found us via our Facebook® page or a Google® search.

SchoolhouseConnect.com, HomeschoolNowUSA.com. and hslda.org may also help direct you to local homeschool organizations and events near you.

You can also find some information on different speakers here: homeschoolspeakers.com.

If you’re looking to homeschool one or more of your children, your first stop should be the website of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA.org) where you can check out legal requirements for your state. Homeschooling is legal in all fifty states, but there are different requirements in each state. For example, South Dakota requires parents to fill out an annual exemption form, do standardized testing in certain grades, and teach at a minimum the topics of “language arts and math” for “an equivalent amount of time” as the public school. If you are planning to withdraw your student from public school after the school year has already started, you should certainly join HSLDA and follow their instructions. While withdrawing during the school year is legal, you must make certain to follow the correct notification process so you aren’t accused of truancy. HSLDA keeps an eye on state and national bills that may affect homeschooling and advocates on behalf of its members if they ever come into conflict with local school districts, which unfortunately still happens on occasion. Your peace of mind and legal support is well worth the $10-12 month that a membership costs.

DIY Education = Homeschooling

DIY has become a way of life for some folks. From landscaping to minor home repair, there are entire websites and even TV networks dedicated to encouraging people to do it themselves. But what about teaching your children? Could you do that yourself? Today, an estimated 2-3 million children are taught by their parents at home. The reasons range from wanting to provide individualized instruction that builds on a child’s strengths and interests, to health issues or special needs, to avoiding school violence, increasing family time, and many more. One big reason is that the public schools are rapidly descending to an agenda far away from Christian principles. DIY Education happens when you take what you have and put your own brand on it.

In the 1970s, a few courageous parents decided to DIY their children’s education. There weren’t a lot of resources available back then, but with ingenuity and determination, they successfully taught their kids. Today, that generation of homeschoolers is all grown up, and the resources available for them to teach their own children have vastly increased. There are complete boxed curricula, online courses, DVDs, homeschool co-ops, homeschool magazines, and hundreds of companies that cater directly to the needs, learning styles, and varying interests of students and their parents. When you start to think outside the “box,” you’ll see that you really can educate your kids yourself.

So, when it comes to your child’s education, there’s no reason you can’t Do It Yourself, especially since it’s completely legal to do so in all 50 states. And with an estimated 2.5 million children currently being home educated in this country, an enormous homeschooling community is standing by to help. SchoolhouseTeachers.com is one such resource of support: it’s the curriculum site of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, the trade magazine for homeschool families. Now is the time to bring your kids home, and we’re glad you’re here. Come explore homeschooling!

“A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher” Luke 6:40.

Membership FAQS

SchoolhouseTeachers.com is based in Tennessee, which is Eastern Time. If you’re unable to access your membership outside of our normal business hours, please contact us through our online chat (even if we’re not available, please leave us a message) or email us at customerservice@theoldschoolhouse.com, and we’ll get back with you as soon as possible the next day.

One of our staff members is set up to help you do just that. Contact customer service at customerservice@theoldschoolhouse.com for details.
Yes, you may cancel at any time. Please contact Cancel@SchoolhouseTeachers.com to cancel the payments. You can also click the chat button in the bottom right of your screen to cancel with a chat representative. (FYI: Current members are locked in at their current rate as long as they keep their membership. We would hate for you to cancel it now and decide later to come back and have to pay more.)
A. Absolutely! You can join SchoolhouseTeachers.com from anywhere in the world where you have Internet access and the ability to pay the monthly membership fees through PayPal. We want your ideas, too! You’ll find we have teachers on the site from the US, Canada, Australia, Wales, South Africa, and England. Note: International memberships are subject to applicable legal restrictions in respective countries.
A. Yes, you can use SchoolhouseTeachers.com on your Apple and Android devices or any other electronic tablet that allows Internet browsing. To login on your phone, you need to first switch to 'desktop', then login with your email address and password, then switch back to 'mobile'. Your back issues of the magazine may also be viewed on an app. Download the Apple app here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-old-schoolhouse-magazine/id495989438?mt=8 or the Android app here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.texterity.android.HomeSchoolMagazine.
A. You can easily find the expiration date of your subscription by clicking on Member Dashboard on the top gray menu. If you have any questions, please contact customer service CustomerService@TheOldSchoolhouse.com or drop us a note in the chat box.
A. Most lessons are available indefinitely. Some lesson designers appear as guest lesson designers and have their material available for a limited time. That happens very rarely, but when it does, a note will be included on the main class page letting you know the length of time the material will be available, and it's also listed on the Class Availability Page.
All Schoolhouse Teachers members have access to a whole collection of recordkeeping resources, including a free Silver membership to Applecore for course tracking, grade reporting, attendance tracking, and more.

Affiliate Program FAQS

Come and join our affiliates for updates, guidance, and information in our new Facebook affiliate group by clicking here. Request to Join the group. We look forward to having you along!
After you log in to your account, you'll be taken to a page where you can see your earnings and your affiliate ID.
After you log in to your account, you'll be taken to a page where you can see your earnings and your affiliate ID.

You can earn money with very little effort on your part. It's a great way to earn supplemental income.  Find out how.

Affiliate commissions are paid out once a month, at the end of the month. Your commission will post to your PayPal account sixty days after the end of the month in which the buyer makes the transaction. Payments are made to the PayPal account that you designated when you signed up with SchoolhouseTeachers.com. You can change that address by logging in to the website, clicking on Member Dashboard, and updating the PayPal address.

If you're old enough to have a PayPal account and can share links with friends and family online, then you're ready to earn money as an affiliate with SchoolhouseTeachers.com. You can set up your own unique affiliate account today!

You earn 25% commission on every single sale you bring in via your affiliate link.
Yes you can! As a member of SchoolhouseTeachers.com, you earn 25% of a monthly or yearly membership by referring others to the site. Simply provide your Affiliate Link to friends or post the information on your blog, websites, or social media sites. This means you can earn every time they pay!  Click Here to find out more.