You must possess either a GED or a high school diploma at a minimum to home-school your child. You are required to register your child with the local school district and to send an annual confirmation of your intent to home-school your child, plus updates about your child's progress. Tennessee law requires you to keep and submit attendance records, which demonstrate that your child is being home-schooled at least four hours a day for the same number of days as public schools. Your child will also be required to take the same standardized tests during Grades 5, 7, and 9 as students enrolled in public schools.
Home schooling is most effective if you have a plan in mind. You need to have a curriculum for home schooling -- something that covers all the necessary topics and can be used to build courses around. Similarly, you will want a daily routine for your child, to help him avoid distractions and to ensure that he learns efficiently. Remember that socialization is also an important educational process, and encourage your child with extra-curricular activities.
You must create a curriculum for your home-schooled child to create structure for your educational efforts. Furthermore, it is also one of the pieces of information that is submitted during the annual confirmation of your intent to home-school. Depending on your expertise and available time, you can either devise a curriculum or find one that meets your needs and purposes. Already completed curricula can be easily found on the Internet, and are available for purchase or free distribution, along with other potentially useful home schooling resources. If you are interested in creating your own curriculum, you may also find these curricula useful for inspiration.
Since you are in Tennessee, you can also pursue two options other than independent home schooling. First, you can register with a church-related school, meaning that you will no longer need to report to the local school district, unless your child is in Grades 9 to 12. The church-related school will be the one to determine test and reporting requirements if your child is in kindergarten up to Grade 8. Alternatively, you can also enroll your child in a church-related school, and then make your home a satellite campus. Although this is technically not considered home schooling, there is often very little difference.