It’s probable that parents lose a bit of cognitive function while working in the trenches of early childhood, battling those dirty diapers, dealing with sporadic tantrums, and managing the mountains of housework families leave in their wake. But I can assure you – we have gained quite a bit in common sense, problem solving ability, and how to think fast in a pinch. Believe me—you’re ready!

Tip: Don’t underestimate your credentials as both a parent and teacher

It will certainly help to educate yourself on each subject to some degree BEFORE delving into a curriculum with your child. Remember that you don’t need ALL of the answers… just a solid head start and the resources to uncover an answer when the eventual questions arise. Let us help you get a leg up with these great resources!

Homeschool Worksheets.

Worksheets are an excellent resource to help with identifying where your child might be weak – and where you are weak as well. They can help you to organize lessons, brush up on forgotten material/terminology, and they are cheap or free online!

• Math.com
• EdHelper
• Highland Heritage Forms

Study Guides and Strategies.

A website deserving of its own category! If you can think of it, there’s a whole guide to it found here. A wealth of valuable information in one location – use as a jumping off place for all your searches.

• StudyGS.net

Science/Outdoor Resources.

The natural world can sometimes feel more complex and unnerving than quantum physics! If science was not exactly your forte, and the thought of insects, fungal growth, scat, and poison ivy rash leaves you shaking in your never-before-worn hiking boots, fear not! With these resources, it might just be fun.

• BBC Blue Planet

The Power of Google.

If you have a question you don’t know how to find the answer to, just type it into a Google search, word for word. You might be amazed at what pops up.

Local Support Groups.

If all else fails, reach out and ask others in a similar situation. Networking with local homeschooling families is always a great idea!

• Jon’s Homeschool Resources

As your child gets older, keeping a firm grasp on the subject matter WILL undoubtedly become more difficult. With your older homeschooler (just for fun and to see how it works), you may want to role swap. Have them research their designated topic areas – then teach you the basics of the subject matter. As questions arise, you can tackle them together, essentially by functioning more as “classmates” than as a traditional “teacher” and “student”.

In summary, the pure beauty of homeschooling is that there is no “right” or “absolute” solution to any given situation. You can make homeschooling fit your lifestyle, your capabilities, AND your child’s individual learning needs. Your synergy together will always be a wonderful work in progress!

Step 1. Consider Your Available Time

Realistically, please! Remember that you will still need to accomplish the items every ordinary parent handles in the course of a day, such as laundry, cooking, cleaning, health issues, appointments, and the general drama and conflict that erupts on a daily basis when children and teens are concerned. You need to budget a slot of time for these items, even if your laundry pile is manageable, as issues will surely creep upon you without fail.

If the realization that children enrolled in the public system spend nearly 8 hours of each day engaging in the “school process” gives you cold sweats, fear not. Some estimates conclude – if you subtract the time involved in bus rides, recesses, lunches, walking in hallways and visiting lockers, electives like gym and art, study halls, roll calls, and the general passing out of papers – a child schooled in a public system may only receive about one hour of valuable learning time (where information is actually absorbed) a day. That’s a number you can trounce in a heartbeat!

Tip: Check around online to find out how much time other successful homeschool families are budgeting time – but remember that each child is different!

Step 2. Consider Your Approach

Your approach is going to be affected by the number of children in your family, their ages, and their learning speeds and abilities. There is just no set formula to figuring out exactly how needs will be met before you get totally immersed in homeschooling. But the beauty of homeschooling is – it’s flexible!

Younger children learning to read and write are going to require a more intensive approach with the need for larger time increments with more built-in breaks. Older children will require a greater number of outside resources and direction, but should be able to self-direct to a significant degree. Children with disabilities or special learning needs require a different approach, and you may need some outside help too.

To get a realistic grip on what the best approach for your family will be, you must fully understand how much time it will take you to complete a number of tasks. Many parents fall into the daily trap of underestimating this figure. Even if you are only cutting yourself short on a task by ten minutes, if you complete 15 tasks a day – you are going to come up 2.5 hours short!

Tip: Take a full week to note – and write down – how long your child needs to complete specific assignments, such as spelling lists or math tables. Average the figures, then be sure to tack on a few extra minutes for good measure!

Step 3. Consider Your Priorities

Get out that curriculum well in advance, and take the time to really pull it apart – ALL of it. Start with you biggest goals, and then work backwards. Beginning with the year in general, list all subjects, coursework, service activities, and projects necessary to complete the year. For each course, develop a list of monthly goals (ie. amount of tests, reading, worksheet pages, hours of service, etc).

Continue onward, breaking each month down into weeks, before finally arriving at your daily schedule.

Working backwards puts the emphasis on the big goals, and not the individual time increments, which can help to prevent over-scheduling and the needless spinning of your wheels.

Remember that meals, breaks, outdoor activities, special interests, and social groups are a significant part of the homeschool process as well. They should be officially entered into your daily schedule as items of importance. You can shuffle the when, where, and how, but don’t leave them out (or underestimate their allotment by ten minutes!)

Tip: Treat yourself to an over-sized activities planner BEFORE you begin your budgeting/planning process. It will become your best friend and personal assistant! Free printable versions online.

Step 4. Consider When To Relax

With time being the unrelenting task-master that it always is, a good bit of stress from the homeschooling commitment is inevitable. We often begin to doubt our capabilities, our patience, and our organization. Failure to meet goals, no matter how small, will wear you down over time. At some point (much as with parenting), homeschooling will become about “when to just let it roll off your shoulders.”

You may also feel guilt about your child not being involved enough with district sports teams and activities. But the truth is, many public school children are suffering due to the fact that parents become obsessed with the success of their child in school sports to the extent that grades falter, self-esteem is damaged (or over-inflated), and a child is taught the wrong kind of sportsmanship altogether.

Tip: Remember that a solid moral background and the academic self- confidence to succeed in college and the job market is going to outplay Little Johnny’s star pitching in the long haul – hands down.

Homeschooling is ultimately about embracing values, creativity, and the LOVE of learning – and not about watching the clock tick away to feel like you’ve accomplished a task. To be sure you don’t fall into the age-old parent trap of faulty time management, don’t doubt yourself. You CAN do this!

We have also heard the homeschool stereotypes, we have fought the “homeschool socialization” battle, and we have struggled with family who don’t support our efforts.

In addition, we have fielded the many questions from “Is that legal?” to “How do you do it?’ and “Don’t you think your kids should be in school with other kids?” to “What do you do all day?”

But that misguided perception of homeschooling is quickly changing.  College recruiters have long been seeking homeschoolers, more and more parents are seeing the incredible value of homeschooling and those who oppose homeschooling are losing ground.  With homeschoolers scoring significantly higher on standardized test scores, exceeding their peers in college and university, and earning greater and greater respect among college admissions officers and employers, there is little left to argue.

Combine the success of homeschoolers with the increasing decline in our education system and I think we will see homeschooling on the rise for many years to come.

So to all of you on the front lines of homeschooling, I have one thing to say . . . Keep up the awesome work!

But as I have grown as an educator (and mother), I now see the great advantages of audio books. Homeschoolers (and all of us of all ages) can really develop some terrific skills from audio books.  Listening comprehension and auditory processing (the ability to process what we hear) top to the list.

Imagine a child who struggles with auditory processing or memory–this is the child who will go upstairs to do the three things you just finished telling him to do, get there and forget why he is there (auditory short term memory problem).  It is also the child who often struggles to reply or contribute to a conversation because she is still trying to process what she heard (auditory processing).  Start using audio books with this child and you are targeting that struggle.  Combine that with a book that he or she will really enjoy and you have a winning combination!

On the other hand, when you have a child that is an excellent communicator and who is an auditory learner, you can challenge that child with more advanced “reading” using audio books.  I am constantly amazed at how much more insight and analysis my auditory learner is able to contribute when we discuss a book she has heard rather than read.

So when homeschoolers ask me if they can count audio books on their reading list, my answer is now much more ready . . .

Do it!

In fact, I encourage all of our homeschooling families to expand beyond the printed word and include at least a few audio books every year.

Not only are they are terrific way to build the auditory modalities but they are also a great way to read in the car without feeling “car sick!”

It is that attitude that gets me into trouble all the time!

Just today I fell into that trap of what I call “homeschool drama.“  Homeschool drama is when we make a big deal out of little things.  It is when we fail to see that things aren’t as bad or as important as we are making them out to be.  It is when we blow things out of proportion and don’t even realize we are doing it.

So, how did I fall into the trap of Homeschool Drama?

My fourteen year old has the privilege of taking most of her classes from other teachers.  And she takes her classes very seriously, spending a great deal of time every day ensuring that she is on track with her studies and her homework.  In fact, she has been commended several times for how well she engages in class discussions and stands up for what she believes to be true.

However, since English is my specialty, I decided that I would teach her English at home in order to free her up to take Musical Theater and Drama.  And that has been a challenge.  For some reason, my class is a very low priority for her.  Every week we hit the same brick wall.  She is not meeting my expectations or my deadlines and I am ready to throw in the towel and turn her over to a different instructor.

Today, we once again hit a wall.  Her paper is now three days late (and at a loss of one letter grade per day, at best she can now earn a C) and I blew it out of proportion.  I found myself putting on my “lecture hat” and spending a good ten minutes slamming her up and down about how she is going to end up with such a low grade in English that no college or university will accept her, blah, blah, blah . . . (which is I am sure all that she heard)

ARGH!  I know better!  I was blowing her lack of responsibility into this major drama that will impact the rest of her life. The reality is, she will earn a lower grade in this class, but she is learning and she is becoming quite a skilled writer, and she is really enjoying the study of literature.  If I keep this up, I will quell that love for learning and turn it into a hatred of English!  Now for an English teacher,  THAT would be a major homeschool drama!  :-)

Over the years I have found that when I begin to blow things out of proportion (whether it is the messy house, the overwhelming feeling of so much to do and so little time, the frustrations of days where nothing seems to go smoothly, or whatever), I have to stop and say “Here I go again; where are the reality TV cameras?” Somehow, this helps me to calm down and get things into perspective.  I mean really, how will a messy house or a late assignment impact me a year from now?

Have you ever watched a reality TV show?  Watched how the characters seem to take every situation so seriously and how there is always conflict among them as a result?  And it never stops at just a conflict between two people–no they take their conflict to the others and begin to create a huge melodrama out of a small offense.

Is that the kind of stressful home you want?

Not me.  But I must admit, I fall into the trap of “homeschool drama” far more often that I care to reveal.

So next time you feel that blood pressure rising, take a moment and remind yourself that your reality doesn’t have to be a TV show.  And step back and put it into perspective.  Will this situation really mean anything to you a year from now?  If not, it is probably worth letting go.

For my daughter, the consequences will come naturally.  She will get out of this class what she puts into it.  I will keep holding her accountable (because she does need to learn to meet deadlines and requirements), but I will do my best to calm down and let her take ownership of this course.

And I am fairly certain, that by letting go of my “homeschool drama”, she will benefit far more than my blowing things out of proportion can ever achieve.

First, this writer mentions that one of the drawbacks to homeschooling is that:

It’s уουr responsibility thаt уου teach уουr child everything thеу need tο know аt thеіr age, аnd thаt thеу understand thаt thе material thаt thеу hаνе learned.

The writer is correct that you are responsible for your child’s education and that you need to ensure that your child understands the material.  However, there is no magic formula for what a child must know at each age level.   Instead, parents will want to ensure that their children are learning and mastering the skill courses—Math, English (and Science as they get older) and developing an interest and passion for learning that impacts their other core courses and electives.   In homeschooling, parents have the privilege of owning their child’s education—that is not a drawback of homeschooling!  In fact, the ability to customize and individualize teaching to each child is a major plus!

According to this writer, another drawback of homeschooling is:

One οf thе drawbacks tο homeschooling οn уουr раrt іѕ thе amount οf free time thаt уου wіƖƖ hаνе tο give up fοr homeschooling.

Here the writer comes close to telling it like it is.  You will sacrifice the “free time” that you would generally have while kids are in school for homeschooling.  However, in exchange you gain the time in the evenings where many parents spend hours helping children with homework and/or reteaching the concepts taught in school (and I speak from experience on this one) and you gain the help of your children with the day to day responsibilities of keeping a home (not what I would call “free time” anyway).  The sense of purpose gained when you are committed to your child’s education combined with the rewards of seeing your children learn and enjoy learning is well worth the loss of a few hours of “free time.”

And yet another drawback of homeschooling mentioned in this article is that “your career may be put on hold.”  Yep, you got it.  My career was put on hold to allow me the time to homeschool my children.  But again, I would not call this a drawback of homeschooling.  As I get older I realize just how much time we have on this earth.  To spend part of it investing in our kids, teaching them and preparing them for their future is well worth “putting our careers on hold.”  If the Lord tarries and we are permitted to live our lives until we are old, we have plenty of time to pursue a career once the kids are grown.  Looking back, how I wish I could go back and focus only on homeschooling rather than trying to juggle both homeschooling and a career.

As for rest breaks and homework (also mentioned in the article), may I suggest that you decide when and where you will take a break and if you are giving homework, stop it! If you are engaged with your child during your homeschooling day, you do not need to add homework to their evenings.  Homework is a reality of a school system where teachers cannot work one on one with students and therefore cannot confirm that each student has mastered the concepts.  You can confirm this day to day and do not need to give them busy work at night.

In addition, this writer mentions that “thеrе аrе very ƖіttƖе brеаkѕ аѕ уουr child needs уου fοr аѕѕіѕtаnсе аt virtually аƖƖ times.” Once again, if this describes you, please change your methods.  You want your kids to become independent learners.  Challenge them to think for themselves. Don’t just answer their questions; instead, ask them how they would solve it, what they think the answer should be, or how they would better explain a concept.  This gently moves them from dependence on you to independence and understanding.

One of the final pieces of advice offered by this writer is that “yου hаνе tο mаkе time fοr уουr child tο ɡеt out аnd mingle аƖѕο.” With this point, I totally agree.  However, I again would not call this a drawback of homeschooling.  This is an opportunity for both you and your children.  Not only do they have the opportunity to enjoy other kids of all ages, but you are able to spend time with other parents who are facing many of the same challenges and enjoying the same rewards as you.  Where else but in homeschooling can you schedule regular get togethers with other parents who are just as enthusiastic about your meeting as you are?

I guess what I am saying is that yes there are drawbacks to homeschooling, but those drawbacks are also the benefits of homeschooling.  So rather than focus on the potential drawbacks, focus on the amazing benefits of homeschooling and enjoy yourself!

I hear that question so many times.  Many times it comes from a parent considering homeschooling who has had to field that question over and over again; other times it comes from those who just don’t understand homeschooling at all. Read More

But ask any homeschooler and they will tell you the same thing: it is a misnomer to think that your child will not get the socialization he or she needs just because you are homeschooling.

In fact the opposite is true.  In homeschooling, your child will receive a stronger and much better socialization experience than their peers in school.  Why?  Because in homeschooling, “socialization” does not mean spending your day with a room full of kids the same age.  Instead, it means “socializing” with people of all ages and stages in life.  This is real life.  Where in life other than school do you ever spend all of your time with peers of the exact same age?   And how is that training a student for success?

When you homeschool your child you will likely get involved in a homeschool support group, a community club or activity, local classes. . . these will become part of your day.  And when they do, your child will begin to socialize with individuals of all ages.

That socialization will mean that your child will learn from those who are older, will be a leader to those who are younger and will have the opportunity to socialize in a much more realistic environment.

If you seek ministry and community service opportunities, your child will begin to work with adults as well as students of all ages.  If you get him or her involved with a local drama group, church, music school, etc., you will see many opportunities for “homeschool socialization.”  And you will begin to see your child mature as he or she takes on leadership roles and develops his or her talents and abilities.

Why “the homeschool way” for socialization is better

Did you know that college admissions officers say that homeschoolers are much more prepared to interact with adults and professors at an intelligent level than those coming from public and private schools?

Why? Because homeschoolers are interacting with individuals of all ages all the time!  Therefore it is nothing new when they move on to the responsibilities of college or university.  In addition, many have been leaders and mentors to those who are younger for so long that their leadership skills are already well developed.

And this kind of real socialization is making them more successful.  In fact, many business owners are actively seeking homeschoolers to help them succeed..

Chick-Fil-A is a prime example.  Did you know that this restaurant chain makes a concerted effort to hire high school and college aged homeschoolers?   Andy Lorenzen, who is in charge of recruiting front line workers for the chain of restaurants  says that his success depends on the quality of his hires.  That is why prefers to tap into homeschoolers.   “They’re smart, ambitious and very driven,” Lorenzen says of his homeschooled employees. “They have a high level of loyalty to the business, are diligent and have a good work ethic.”

Homeschoolers are also finding their niche in college and the workplace, in internships and entry-level professional jobs.  They also often become entrepreneurs.

Statistics verify that homeschoolers are far more prepared academically—in fact they score 25% higher on standardized tests than those who attend school.  But their success is in more than just academics—their unique socialization opportunities are making them successful beyond academics.

Bottom line–homeschool socialization is a non-issue–don’t let it become one for you

We have fought this battle with one of our kids who just hates to take the time to read the instructions first.  Instead, she will set out to do the work that she thinks they want.  In fact, there are many occasions where she doesn’t even review the sample problems.  Before she knows it she has completed an entire assignment incorrectly or she hits a problem that she cannot do and we discover that once again she forgot to read the instructions . . .

We have used a variety of methods to curb this problem (which I will share in a moment) but this recent event (I hope) will provide a lasting impact that no amount of training or systems could provide.

Hannah wears eyeglasses and has been asking for contacts for quite some time.  So we recently caved and told her she could get the free trial pair and see how they work for her.  Unfortunately, when we picked them up the individual in charge of training the kids in how to use contacts had left early due to illness.  Not a problem for us (we thought) because my husband has been wearing contacts for years.  He would train her.

And he did.  He showed her how to put them in; what to watch out for; and what to do if she struggles.  Together they got the contacts into her eyes and off she went.

But on day two, he was at work when she was ready to put them into her eyes again.  And I don’t wear contacts.  I could explain to her what I had heard but I couldn’t really teach her what to do.

After about 20 minutes of struggle, I finally pulled out the bag that came from the eye doctor and found an instruction sheet.  This one had clear step by step instructions with a picture for every step.  In no time, she had the contacts safely in her eyes and was ready to go.

Her response . . .”The Power of Directions!”

Of course I took that moment to draw an analogy to how powerful directions are in homeschooling as well!  So far, so good.  All I need to say when she hits the books is “Where is the power?” and she knows just what I mean.

Will it last?  Who knows?  But at least it has made the last few weeks a success.

Other methods we have tried in the past:

1. Underline the instructions
   This worked at first but soon she was simply underlining without really paying attention
2. Highlight the key words in the instructions
   Works much better–also helps to teach how to find the main point
3. Summarize what you must do before you begin (either verbally or in writing)
   This works great but requires me to be on hand if she is doing it verbally
4. Write in 5 words or less what you are supposed to do
   (The writing teacher in me trying to teach two concepts at once–reading the directions and writing concisely)

Anyway, for now we are simply using the “Where is the Power?” question and hoping that with consistency we won’t have to go back to these methods.  Bottom line is, it all comes back to taking responsibility for what you are doing.

Homeschoolers, please be aware that our freedoms are at risk.  I know there are those who disagree with me; in fact, many get very frustrated with me when I speak this way.  But here is another case where a homeschooling mother lost her RIGHT to homeschool because a judge decided that the child’s “religious beliefs are a bit too sincerely held and must be sifted, tested by, and mixed among other worldviews . . .”

Let me ask you–have you ever heard this statement spoken about an individual who holds to atheism? To the muslim faith? To evolution?

Are our public school students ever taught Christianity?

Of course not!  That would violate the separation of church and state (which I remind you is not part of our Constitution).  (I won’t even go into all of the other religions they study while excluding Christianity).

Please click here to read this article on another court overstepping their authority and be aware that Christianity and Christian homeschooling is under attack.  I will be sure to update you on whether they set up action steps that we can take to stand with this family.

Then click here to help in the ongoing fight for our North Carolina family who hope to overturn the judge’s decision in time to homeschool again this year.  If you haven’t read this case, please visit this post to learn more.

You will note that in both cases there was a divorce and the parents disagreed about the way the children were to be educated.

This is a clear prejudice against homeschooling. In both cases they recognize the quality of academics but rule that a child must be in public school in order to gain exposure to other views.  This is unacceptable!  Will we sit back and say, “Well I will never have to face this because I will not go through a divorce,” or will we stand against it now before this same prejudice is levied against others?

Remember every court ruling can be used in future cases.  Therefore, the reasons they cite are the reasons that will go on record and these reasons can easily be applied to two parent families.

But I also develop a lot of techniques and ideas right here at home. And guess what?  Because I am working with the same kids year after year, I am much more effective.  I don’t have to learn the dynamics of my classroom each year; I don’t have to figure out who the leaders are and where the trouble makers sit; I don’t have to seek out the advanced kids or the strugglers and find ways to meet their needs.  I already know who they are and I already know what works.

So I can focus on meeting those needs and I can adjust to the fact that they are improving; they are getting stronger; and they are developing more and more skills each year.

So, did I need this certification to be an effective teacher?  Absolutely not!

And you know what?  Homeschoolers are always standing out among their peers so I can say with confidence that the parents out there who are teaching their children don’t need it either.

If you are faced with the certification question, pass on this article, which addresses the facts about certification and success and tell the questioner to read up on what the research says.