Need help with IHIP for 8th grader in New York

[Nolongerachild]

I have recently taken my 8th grade daughter out of public school in favor of home schooling, because of many issues. Education is very important to both my daughter and I. We discussed at length the choice of homeschooling before I filed the letter of intent. Right now I am more stressed about filling out the Individualized Home Instruction Plan, than anything else. When I saw that it was asking for 'syllabi, curriculum, materials, textbooks, tests, or plan or instruction' for each subject I started to panic a bit. I know that I can teach my child, but I have been unable to find a curriculum that I feel comfortable with. I had written down previously what I wanted to teach her according to New York State requirements, but are there set textbooks we have to use? Do we have to use textbooks? I believe education and structure are very important, but so are flexibility and a freedom to learn from everyday experiences based on the child's learning style.

Any help is appreciated. I would not want to fill out this IHIP only to have it denied, and have problems when what all I'm trying to do is help my child learn.

Gretchen Bailey