Homeschooling with NAFS

 Home education provides an excellent learning environment through private tutoring and apprenticeship, long regarded as superior teaching methods. We believe that, immersed in a warm secure atmosphere free from negative peer pressure, children can develop to their fullest potential.

At North Alabama Friends School, parents are the primary teachers. The school provides counselors that offer curriculum and teaching advice and encouragement.

North Alabama Friends School offers activities each month for their enrolled students. These activities offer students and parents opportunities to make friends, interact with other young people, and explore new places and ideas. Activities are listed in the newsletter that families receive each month. Families are encouraged, but not required, to participate in activities.

We offer several field trips each year which may include attending a play or events at the Von Braun Center, or educational sites in the local area. Other activities that we offer are art activities, science labs, student council for grades 7-12,  and science, social studies, and/or geography fairs. We have two school picnics each year, with the student council planning games for our spring picnic. We also participate in Let's Pretend Hospital (grades 1-2) and Young People's Concert (grades 4-5).

North Alabama Friends School offers a diploma program for our high school students. As part of the diploma program, high school students are expected to submit several essays and a portfolio demonstrating their achievements during the year and attend an annual review meeting with the school counselors.

Our high school students are also able to enroll in dual enrollment courses in several colleges around the area. We offer the  PSAT and AP tests and have ACT and SAT registration packets available.

NAFS parents are expected to:

1. Provide adult supervision for enrolled students during public school hours (8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.).

2. Purchase curriculum and provide an organized course of study.

3. Teach most lessons during school hours.

4. Meet regularly with their counselor to set goals and review accomplishments.

5. Keep a daily journal or lesson plan.

6. Maintain records of attendance.

7. Turn in attendance records and pay tuition as they are due.

8. Notify the school and their counselor if the student is away from home for more than four consecutive days that public schools are in session.

9. Notify the school, the treasurer, and the counselor of any changes in address or phone number.  

In order to be effective teachers, parents should:  

1. Read the newsletter and other mail from the school promptly.

2. Participate in and bring their student to appropriate school activities.

3. Seek ideas and information on teaching from seminars, group discussions and articles on education, home schooling or related subjects.