10 Questions. . .by Becky Boerner

Repost:  As we have been covered in snow in the Midwest. .  reflection might be good right now.  

A friend of mine is giving a talk at a homeschool group.  I came up with some questions for her.  I thought they might be fun to share.  Maybe you can get together with a friend and talk about the questions, email them to an online friend, or answer one in the comments.  I am hoping they help you remember why what you are doing is good.

  

1. What is going well in your home-school right now?

2. What is one thing you would like to change mid-year?

3. What has your student learned since the beginning of this year? It is easy to forgot about progress when you are bogged down in the day to day.

4. Have you saved a work sample? Thought about end of the year assessments? (had to throw that in)

5. What do you love about homeschooling? Why are you glad you homeschool?

6. What about homeschooling RIGHT now is never going to happen again? Your kids will never be this age again. You might never get to hold a baby and homeschool again. You might not get to teach anyone else to read. . etc. Hold onto that moment and treasure it. . journal it. .photograph it.

7.  What is the best read-aloud you have read to your kids this year?

8. What field trip and/or activity was awesome?  Everyone did something wonderful.

9. What do you do that gives you life? If nothing. . maybe make it a goal to find something and do it.

10. What is the best book you have read personally?

Repost: Charlotte Mason by Tammy Glasser

Ten years ago I had my friend Tammy Glaser write an article about Charlotte Mason's educational ideas for my blog.  Tammy has committed her life to teaching her kids and others using the Charlotte Mason method.  She is truly inspiring.  I thought we would enjoy a re-post of this article.  

Tammy Glaser is a friend of mine who writes at Aut-2B-Home.  I consider her a great source of all things Charlotte Mason and have shared how her blog changed my life.  I asked her if there was a Charlotte Mason Topic that she would share with us at Ohio Homeschooling.   Enjoy!

Think Clear, Feel Deep, and Bear Fruit Well. 

Trying to understand the ideas of Charlotte Mason, a Victorian Era educator, can be tricky 150 years later. How does her first principle—“Children are born persons”—apply today? Well, children are not products to be standardized, tested, or graded. They are certainly not percentiles. Children are capable of learning far more than we imagine. We find ourselves resorting to praise, stickers, and rewards as we force-feed knowledge to them. We end up narrowing our focus to the boundaries of the three testable R’s to boost standardized test scores. We are tempted to cut out what they need most—the best of history, literature, art, music, nature study, etc. Children long to know, and do not need artificial rewards and prizes if we allow them to “think clear, feel deep, and bear fruit well” as Matthew Arnold put it so eloquently.

 

Think Clear

Children hunger for knowledge when offered in a manner that stimulates the appetite. Unfortunately, oral lectures, textbooks, and worksheets prepared by experts and teachers dull the taste buds. These artificial devices rob children of the opportunity to think. The mind is a living thing that feeds on ideas. It will starve without them. A steady diet of ideas found in well-written books and interesting things will awaken the mind to awe and wonder.

Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham wrote, “Memory is the residue of thought.”  We remember things our minds have pondered. The mind will remember when allowed to observe, think, and share what is known. Children observe by reading, listening to a read aloud, or attending with their senses. They think by processing what they observe, making connections, and asking their own questions. They can share what they know by retelling, reenacting, drawing, building, writing, playing, devising experiments, creating, etc.

How does this look on a practical level? Take science for an example. Some friends and I were on a nature walk with our children. We heard a dull noise in a spot. We had never heard sounds like that. We wondered what it could be, so we followed the noise and discovered frogs! Thousands of frogs. What kind of frogs? We took a picture so that we could find out. Why were they making so much noise in the middle of the day? We had to look that up, too. When we realized there might be eggs, we went back and collected some to watch the life cycle of the frog firsthand. We learned about how to care for them, what to feed them, what to expect, etc. We took photographs, wrote notes in our notebook, and made nature notebook entries, etc. Three months later, we have been finding teeny-tiny frogs on our walk and we wonder if they are kin. The life cycle of a frog is not something we memorized because we lived it.

Feel Deep

Children also long to forge with their community and their world. They want to feel connected to someone and something. Finding connections between wide and varied things instills a sense of awe and wonder. Reading living books (classics and the best of modern offerings) sparks more excitement because the boundaries of subjects are blurred. Reading about the life of a person by imagining what their childhood was like, seeing how ideas inspired them, and feeling surprised at life’s twists and turns is far more exciting than a fact-laden paragraph in a textbook. Stories have a privileged status in being stored in long-term memory. http://www.aft.org/newspubs/periodicals/ae/summer2004/willingham.cfm

Children feel more connected to their learning with they are allowed to personalize their understanding. They want to discuss ideas rather than listen to a long oral lecture and take notes from a white board. They find drawing and writing in personal notebooks far more satisfying than filling out a multiple-choice sheet. Journals carried from year to year record their growth as persons and are far more likely to become treasured keepsakes than meaningless workbooks.

Every week, we spend over an hour walking a mile-long trail because we stop and study things that capture our attention. I take pictures. At home, we pick one picture of a thing from nature and try to identify its common name and Latin name if we do not already know it. Sometimes, we end up submitting a photo to websites like Butterflies and Moths of North America , Bug Guide , and Project Noah  for help. These free resources are one way to get the whole family involved with citizen science. We draw pictures with watercolor pencils in our nature notebooks, note the common name, Latin name, date and location and write about anything interesting. We also keep a calendar of firsts to record the first Carolina jessamine, wisteria bloom, banana spider, etc. of the season. Our calendar helps us anticipate when to begin looking the following year.

Bear Fruit Well

We often joke about short attention spans—“Squirrel!”—and bemoan how many people are taking medication to address it. How we structure our lessons and organize our day can build the habit of attention. Many and varied short lessons keep the attention fresh as does varying those that require sustained mental effort with those that are light and active. Going outside and exploring the natural world every day also lengthens attention span. Children pay more attention when they can retell and share what they think and imagine. Play, creating, and finding delight builds attention as well.

     For many years, my habit of nature walks was sporadic at best. Another homeschooling friend and I made a pact last fall to walk a nearby wildlife refuge every Friday and enjoy a picnic afterwards, weather permitting. Except for travel and illness, we have kept our promise. We have armed ourselves with bug spray and bottled water on the hottest days and raincoats and boots on the wettest days. We have bundled up on the coldest days and, to be honest, those were the shortest walks ever. On the day of tropical storm Andrea the weather did not look bad enough to skip our walk. We hit the trail even though the nature center was closed and saw foam bubbling out of a tree! I cannot begin to tell you about all the wonders and delightful memories we have forged in the past nine months.

      Next month, my friend and I are opening a school based on a Charlotte Mason philosophy of education. Last fall, we had no inkling of starting a community school for full-time students and co-oping homeschoolers. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine that the photographs we were taking would don the walls of its website. Those weekly walks, which were hard at first, have become foundational to our lives. We look forward to seeing awe and wonder in the eyes of our students.

Sow an act, reap a habit;

Sow a habit, reap a character;

Sow a character, reap a life.

But first,

    We must sow the idea

    That makes the act worthwhile.

 Tammy is on the far right. Photo courtesy of the Clarendon Citizen from the Article "Harvest Community School to offer education alternative"  

By Tammy Glaser.  Tammy Glaser started a  school called Harvest Community School in South Carolina.  She blogs at Aut-2B Home. The opinions shared are  entirely her own.   

Homeschool Myths by Becky Boerner Updated

The year is underway, and hopefully you are getting in the groove of home education.  After having the privilege of talking to many home educators in person and virtually through the years, I have found that I am not alone in believing some homeschool myths. Though none of us believe them every day, it is easy to let them slip in.

Myth:  I think his her homeschool day always flows way better than mine.

Fact:  Sometimes his/her day is better than yours, but sometimes yours day is better than theirs.  That sounds so simple, but when you are alone at your house and watching chaos ensue it is easy to believe that myth.  

Myth:  When others homeschool, their children sit around the table and smile up at them, complete their work without complaint, and do what they are supposed to do. 

Fact: Most families' kids are probably like yours and occasionally argue, act stubborn, and maybe even cry about doing their work.  (Of course, I have only heard about other children doing this.☺) Homeschooling is hard and that is okay! 

Myth:  Other people do so many amazing things with their kids all day long, while I am just trying to get through the day! 

Fact:  You do amazing things with your kids.  I have looked at thousands of portfolios and talked to many homeschoolers over the years.  I have never looked at a family that did not do at least one thing amazingly well.  I never cease to be amazed at the creativity and ideas that flow from people.  If you are home educating each day, you are doing something amazing!

Myth:  Home Educated Children are always very grateful that you are home educating them, and regularly tell you.    

 
Fact:  You care about your children and are pouring out your life for them.  They occasionally will say something nice, but they are kids.  How many of us were that grateful to our parents until we left home?  Hopefully we can help cultivate grateful hearts, but know that kids are kids.

Myth:  There is a enough time in your day or week to do everything you want to do plus join a co-op, take a field trip, play a sport, or do a service project.   

Fact: I never ceased to be amazed at the many curriculums, opportunities, and activities that there are to choose from.  You can not do everything.  I challenge families to choose wisely what is most important and make sure there is time for your student to be, read, and learn new things independently.  

Myth:  Students working online at Kahn Academy, an online math program, or "Researching" are doing what they are suppose to do and not just telling you they are.  

Fact:  They are not always doing what they are suppose to do. Really. I have learned checking in, having students show you their work, and getting a report is the best way to monitor this.  

The reason I share the last one is almost every veteran homeschooler I talk to has had this happen at least one time with their student. 

PS  This last one is for those of use with older students.   

Happy Home Educating!  Do any of these resonate with you?  

Becky 

I would love to help you with a consult or coaching.  Let's have a virtual meeting.  

  

Repost: Go play in the leaves!-- Happy First Day of Fall!

Happy First Day of Fall!  I posted this back in 2011.   I am reposting with pictures through the years of fall with my kids.   I did take my own advice!  Hoping you are making some memories this fall!  

---------------------------------

This is one of my favorite times of the year to be homeschooling.  There is something incredibly fun about going outside on a weekday with your kids, and knowing that kids who happen to be in school can not do that. You get to do what so few are able to do. 

I still remember the first year we homeschooled.  I felt so free.  I was great to have the time with my kids doing something simple.  I treasure those pictures and the memories.

It is easy at this time of year to worry about not getting enough done, are you covering everything you should be covering, and wondering if you are doing all you could be doing.  I recommend you leave those worries inside, and remember that one of the reasons you homeschool is to be with your kids.  Do not let this season slip away.  It will be gone before you know it. 

So my recommendation is to pick up your camera and take everyone outside to play in the leaves.  You won't regret it.

Becky

Happy Back to School OR Surviving the First Few Weeks of Home Education by Becky Boerner

 

Happy Back to School!  (But is it really?) 

The advertisements are showing back to school supplies, everyone is excited about pumpkin lattes and school clothes.  But is everyone truly that excited about the start of school? 

I find the first few weeks of back to school very challenging.  Sometimes it seems like no one remembers their math facts, getting work completed in a timely manner is challenging, and I am pretty sure my students have forgotten many important things from last year.  (Remind me why we are doing this again?)

I wanted to share a  few thoughts from someone starting their 21^st year of home education.  Please know I am preaching to myself.  

•    The first 2-6 weeks can be very challenging.  It seems like your students have forgotten everything from last year, still cannot find their clearly marked supplies, and do not remember  how to be efficient.  Grace.  I would encourage you to work consistently on creating good routines, review the routines, and keep making changes to establish a good routine.  Routines are the key to success. They are worth working on the first few weeks as they will make the rest of your year better. Your future self will thank you!  
•  Don’t be afraid to make some changes to your schedule.  That perfect schedule you made in the summer probably will have a few holes or not be executed quite the way you imagined it to.  Don’t give up!  Get feedback from your students and move forward.  What a great life lesson for our students to watch us demonstrate how to adapt and make changes to schedules that are not serving us well.    
• Celebrate the Wins!  Make sure you celebrate completing the first test, finishing work, starting on time, putting supplies away, and simply making it through any day.  Home education is hard work and deserves celebration. 
  
•  Save some work samples.  You will forget all the progress you made at the end of the year if you do not save work to compare.  Start building a portfolio of work samples now. 
• Look for opportunities to smile at your children, laugh with them, and praise them. It is easy to get caught up in all that has to be done. You are also a building lifetime relationships. 

Give yourself plenty of grace, space, and time to work through the first few weeks of home education. It always gets better. 

The work you do in September will benefit you exponentially in the coming month! 

Happy Back to School!  I would love to know your best tips.  

Becky

PS I am always here to help if you need some help working on your schedule, planning for high school, and walking through how to help a challenging student.  See here for my services.  

To make a 40 minute consulting appointment.

For Email consulting 

You could have done less . . .

 

As we reflect on the  2024- 2025 school year and get ready for the 2025-2026 year, it is good to rejoice in what we have accomplished.  This is post from earlier on the blog, but I thought it might be nice to read again.  

If there is one thing I hear over and over again from families is "I really could have done more this year."  Sometimes they say this to me before they send in their portfolio, after I complement them on all they have accomplished, or just when they see me out at the Greenhills library.

I have started responding, "Well you know, you could have done less."  Usually that gets me a sort of head tilting confused look. I then say, "Really, you could have done less.  You could have read less books to your kids,  you could have completed fewer math pages, you could have participated in not as many field trips, or had fewer learning conversations."  I tell families, you did have a lot of great learning experiences with your students this year, and you worked hard.

I often joke that I have to have very high self-esteem to look at so many portfolios each year.  I am always fascinated at all families accomplish, and the progress their students make.  I see families who take amazing educational trips to places I have never heard of, utilize community resources in unique ways, read great literature, integrate learning into their lives in so many novel ways, find apps and web sites that are incredible, and find resources I had no idea existed.

What I have learned through the years is that everyone is good at something, but probably not good at everything. You are good at something with your students.  There is something that you can do that someone around you admires you for and wonders how you do it. Are there things you could improve on. . well of course. . we all could. We are all people on a homeschooling journey who are constantly trying to improve, and that is fabulous.  No one wants to be stagnant.  It is good to set realistic goals to improve your home education, but still rejoice in what you have accomplished.

I think it is important to remember what you are good at and what you bring to your homeschooling world.  Celebrate your student's accomplishments, celebrate your accomplishments and maybe even ask your students what you do well.  I am willing to bet their answers will surprise you.

And  please remember as doubt creeps in. . You truly could have done less.   So celebrate what you did do!

~Becky

Home Educating with Little Ones. . . . 10 year Anniversary!

I wrote this post back in 2015.  I can not believe how slow and how fast life has gone.  My youngest is now 13 and the 6 year-old mentioned in this post is in high school and thriving!   My newest encouragement is . . time does pass, and your kids do get older.  You can do this!  

I have homeschooled for the last 10 years and always have had a little one running around while I was trying to work with older kids.   When we started home educating I would read anything I could about how you home educate with little ones.  I actively sought magazines (remember this was awhile ago); and later looked at articles and blog posts on the subject.  I am not sure if I am all that good at it, but I have learned a few things that have been helpful along the way. Today I thought I would share what has been helpful organizationally, time-wise, and how I manage my days.  My thought is that maybe one of these ideas will help you.

Some things we have done:

I try to have a separate schedule for the little one in my master schedule.   I try to plan where they need to be in the house and what they should be doing while others are working.

I have invested in at least one computer curriculum for most of the school age kids.  If the school age child is working on the computer I can read, play a game, or just love on a little one.  

I try to have intentional video/streaming time for the little ones.  For me that means setting up a math lesson with an older child and telling them we will have 30 minutes to do a lesson and stay focused before the little one needs us again.  I also make a personal commitment to not be online or on the phone during this time.  I am amazed at what I can do in 30 minutes.

I try to train the little children to have some playpen time which later leads to playing by themselves in the family room.  I put the little one in the playpen/family room first thing in the morning.  That will usually give me 30-60 minutes until they start moving the playpen around the family room.  It also keeps them away from 3-5 year old's who tend to get in their face.

When setting up a schedule I will assign other children to entertain, read,  or play with a little one.  Up until 8th grade or so most students have time in their schedule for 20-30 minutes of play time with a little one.  I love how it teaches the older one to be patient, play directly with someone less competent then they are, gives them a meaningful break from work.  It usually helps both ways.

I set up a "school time" at the table with the little one with coloring books, small toys, or paper and crayons. They want to be like the big kids and do school.   I had to laugh when one of my children told me it was time for "math Jesus."  Apparently his bible coloring book qualified for this subject.

When my parents or others have asked what they can do to help, I invite them over to sit with a little one for a time and read books, play a game, or just hold and love on them.  It is good to ask for help.

I try to take breaks to just hold my little one, rock them, or read to them.  When I first started I was so worried about doing "the right thing" for the older kids doing school work I tended to not love on the little ones enough during the day.  If I can hold and rock someone for 5-15 minutes they are often fine after that and go back to playing.

What I have learned:

I have learned that no matter how great your schedule, how focused you are, or how great your plans  may be, sometimes how well things go depends on the temperament of the child.  Some kids are better at entertaining themselves, others need more training, and for some it is really hard and drastic measures must be taken.  My 6th child had to have each person in the family assigned to her for a 30 minute time slot to be with her.  We just to refer to that as "doing your time."

When I go into my day with a plan we are all better off.  If I can think of my little one as part of the learning schedule it helps all of us.  If I set aside a video, plan a story, know their snack, or set aside time for them we all have a better day.

It is never too late to start again.  I also try to give myself grace.  Home Educating is a hard job and adding a little one or two to the mix is not easy.  But I try to see it as a challenge that can be overcome, and not to take the bad days too personally.  Tomorrow is a fresh day with no mistakes as Anne Shirley says.

Lastly, the little one will grow up, and things will get better.  My 6th child is now learning to read.  I honestly was not sure if she would make it through her 2s, 3s, 4s, or 5s.  (currently I am not sure if I will make it through her 6s.)  But each time she has and she continues to get better.  I figure she will use her negotiations skills one day to become a CEO.  I try to nurture her skills, hold her more, and remember that before I know it she will be in high school. (Please note that this is on a good day.  The other days I whine to my husband.)

I hope these help.  Please add any ideas you have in the comments.  I am still reading those online articles on how to home educate with little ones.  I would love to hear your tips!

Thanks for going back in time with me!  Hoping you are hanging in there.  Remember I am also happy to meet with you to brainstorm some ways to help you with your homeschool days!  

Would You Like Some Help on Your Homeschool Journey? by Becky Boerner, Home Education Consultant

 Navigating with a Trusted Homeschool Guide.

 I was talking to my very good friend a few weeks ago.  She shared with me when she was interested in homeschooling her pre-school son, she attended a homeschool group at church.  The homeschool group asked her why she was there with such a young child.  They told her to go home and just play with him.  She was so discouraged.  I imagine the group thought they were helpful, but my friend did not feel equipped or encouraged by their remarks.  She was asking for direction and guidance into the unknown world of home education. She wanted a road map to follow so she could forge her own path.  She instead became discouraged.  

Deciding to home educate your children is a fantastic choice.  It is a wonderful journey filled with adventure, challenges, and choosing a path that will benefit your family.  

But sometimes it is nice to have an experienced guide on your journey to help you navigate new territory.  

This is my twentieth-year homeschooling, and my background is in education.  I love helping families get started homeschooling.  There are things you can do to make the start a little bit easier.  I would love to talk to you about getting started, where to look for curriculum, what to avoid, and generally encouraging you on one of the best decisions you will make for your family. 

If you would like to meet with a trusted guide, please consider contacting me to schedule a coaching/consult session.  I LOVE to talk about homeschooling, schedules, curriculum, getting started, and how to make your day flow better.  I hope to talk to you soon. 

It is my passion to help others on the journey!

Click here to schedule.  

Becky  

~Homeschool Mom to 7
~Mom to high school graduates and college graduates
~Mom to employed homeschool graduates.

~Mom to students who have won over $100,000 in scholarships
~Certified Teacher
~M.Ed. in Reading Education

and pretty fun to talk to!  

Repost. . Changing Questions. . .

I still remember when I decided to home educate.  It was a well thought through decision.  My husband and I talked about it extensively.  We extensively looked at  curriculum, we thoughtfully made sure our children had outside activities, and we made sure they had responsibilities at home.  We spent hours making things work.  But, the questions came.

Are you sure you can handle this?

I mean you were a teacher, but all the kids will be in different places?  

What about socialization?  Aren't you worried?

Don't you think your kids will hate it?  

What about high school?  How are you going to complete labs?  

They will never get into college or get a scholarship.  

So we answered these questions over and over again.

Are you sure you can handle this?  I am pretty sure.  I have been handling having  them since they arrived.  I think this is a great choice for them.  We have really thought through this.

I mean you were a teacher, but all the kids will be in different places?    Well, yes they will all be in different places.  Just like when I taught, and all the kids were in different places academically.  They will learn to be independent learners.  We feel like they will be OK. 

What about socialization?  Aren't you worried?  Yes, we are worried about socialization that is why we are home educating.  :-)  We believe that life is lived with people of all ages and that is why we are home educating to give our kids that opportunity.  We believe parents are great role models.

Don't you think your kids will hate it?  Right now they are pretty excited, and we will take it a year at a time.

What about high school?  How are you going to complete labs?    Well, we are going to take it a year at a time, but there are online classes, co-op classes, and distance courses.  About labs, well there are co-ops and online labs.  You can also buy lab materials for home use.  (you would be surprised what you can buy online)  We have dissected a cow's eyeball, a cow's heart, a pig, a frog, and we have our own microscope.  We have beakers, a fire blanket, and all sorts of chemistry items.  Our kids have completed most of their labs successfully in our kitchen.  We are good.

Well I guess. . it just sounds so risky. Plus you know. . . 

They will never get into college or get scholarships.    Well. . .that one I can finally answer. (Brag Alert)   Well our son got into University of Cincinnati, Ohio State, Duke, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech,  and MIT with scholarships and aid.  Plus scholarships from the Elks, Coca-Cola, Samsung American Legion, P & G, National Merit, and other organizations.  He was also one of 116 a Presidential Scholars for the United States, one of 3 for Ohio.  I feel like he did alright.

So I thought the questions had pretty much stopped. But, then I talked to my neighbor.

 I saw my neighbor and we were talking about graduation I told him our son was going to MIT and we had  homeschooled him.    The only question I got was. . . Can I send my kid down to your house to homeschool with you?   

As we graduate our students from high school I feel like I have some different things to talk about on the blog.  Let me know if there is something you would like to hear about.  

Since then our oldest with Autism has a job and our 3rd oldest received a full honors scholarship to Cincinnati State and continues with great grades and is the top of her class.  So we are  still doing well.    

Repost: You could have done more. . . .

As we reflect on the 2019-2020 school year and get ready for the 2020-2021 year, it is good to rejoice in what we have accomplished.  This is post from earlier this year, but I thought it might be nice to read again.  

If there is one thing I hear over and over again from families is "I really could have done more this year."  Sometimes they say this to me before they send in their portfolio, after I complement them on all they have accomplished, or just when they see me out at the Greenhills library.

I have started responding, "Well you know, you could have done less."  Usually that gets me a sort of head tilting confused look. I then say, "Really, you could have done less.  You could have read less books to your kids,  you could have completed fewer math pages, you could have participated in not as many field trips, or had fewer learning conversations."  I tell families, you did have a lot of great learning experiences with your students this year, and you worked hard.

I often joke that I have to have very high self-esteem to look at so many portfolios each year.  I am always fascinated at all families accomplish, and the progress their students make.  I see families who take amazing educational trips to places I have never heard of, utilize community resources in unique ways, read great literature, integrate learning into their lives in so many novel ways, find apps and web sites that are incredible, and find resources I had no idea existed.

What I have learned through the years is that everyone is good at something, but probably not good at everything. You are good at something with your students.  There is something that you can do that someone around you admires you for and wonders how you do it. Are there things you could improve on. . well of course. . we all could. We are all people on a homeschooling journey who are constantly trying to improve, and that is fabulous.  No one wants to be stagnant.  It is good to set realistic goals to improve your home education, but still rejoice in what you have accomplished.

I think it is important to remember what you are good at and what you bring to your homeschooling world.  Celebrate your student's accomplishments, celebrate your accomplishments and maybe even ask your students what you do well.  I am willing to bet their answers will surprise you.

And  please remember as doubt creeps in. . You truly could have done less.   So celebrate what you did do!

The Homeschool book I love to reread!

Why do I home school?  I think you can ask the question two ways.  There is the why do I homeschool question when you are wondering,  "What was I thinking when I thought this would be a  good idea, or "Where is the number for the yellow bus to come to my home?“ Another way to think of “ Why do I home school ?” is as a reflective question which shares your philosophy of life, the beauty of what we do every day,  the answer we give that celebrates our children and shares our heart for them.   It is the answer we give when things are going well, or the answer we need to hide in our heart when the above thoughts pop into our head.

One way for me to reflect on why I homeschool is to reread one of my favorite homeschooling books, Homeschooling: A Family’s Journey by Gregory and Martine Millman.  It is a fabulous read.  The Millman family has six children, and three of them are currently in college.  The books shares how they decided to homeschool and their journey after their decision. They talk about the sacrifices they made to homeschool and have one parent stay at home with their children.  It is very thoughtful book that will encourage you and make you smile as you read their stories.  It is the story of family that will touch your heart and remind you why homeschooling is a great choice for so many of us.

My favorite paragraph is the last one in the Acknowledgment section. 

Finally, we must acknowledge, though not by name, several teachers and bureaucrats who, by their determined refusal to understand, cooperate, innovate, or extend themselves in any way, vexed us so intolerably that we knew there had to be a better way.  If they had not held closed the doors, we might never have looked for a window.   Greg and Martine Millman  Homeschooling; A Family’s Journey

That paragraph made me smile and helped me remember another reason why I homeschool.  There are many great quotes in this book that I love to reread.

Lately I have been thinking about this book even more as I have been talking to my kids who have come home from college and are about to start college.  This book shaped our homeschooling and I am thankful I read it.  I hope you read it.  

The Kindle version is still available, and several used versions.  

Re Post: Walking Through Burnout 2

Last time  I talked about what I did when I was burned out.  This week I wanted to share about what I did not do.

• I did not keep looking for new curriculum or new ways to do things.  I did not research or look for anything.  I stopped getting freebies. 

• I did not stick around when home education friends started getting in big discussions about math programs or the latest and greatest.  I found it too stressful.  I stepped away from talking about home education.  

• I did not blame my children for being burned out.  It was me, not them. 

• I did not worry if my children were doing enough, reading enough, or making progress.  I followed the plan and rejoiced at what we were doing.  

Stepping back was really helpful.  It helped me to get a new perspective and remember why I started home educating.  I want to enjoy the limited amount of time I have with my kids.

Hopefully something in these last two posts was helpful for you if you are feeling burned out.  I am here to say that things are better.

photo credit: Fuego 1 via photopin (license)

Re Post: Walking through Burnout!

I originally posted this four years ago.  I had 7 children under 16 and I thought I would drown soon.  I still have a lot going on, but no longer feel burned out. (maybe worn out, but that is a different story. :-)   I am re-posting in case it is helpful again.   

About this time last year, I looked at my husband and told him I could not keep home educating.  I just did not have it in me.  Between our oldest son with multiple issues, all the kids, and my very busy little ones I could not go on.  He thought I was joking.  I convinced him that I meant it.  I started looking at the Baptist school down the street, and I am not even Baptist.  Something had to change.

I watched this video by Susan Wise Bauer. She starts talking about burnout at about the 9:30 minute mark.  It helped me to define my feelings, and realize I needed a plan to get through it to the other side.  I like home educating, but I needed a break.  These are some of the actions steps I took.

• For me I started by taking the whole summer off.  I had never done that.  We had schooled all year with breaks in-between.  I had not taken a large chunk of time off.  It helped tremendously. 
•  I realized I was not going to finish the whole curriculum, took a deep breath and cut my losses.  I did finish math, but that was all.  I dumped some things in my recycling bin and did not look back.  (Well, until the papers blew out of the recycle bin in a storm and landed on the deck posts and stuck there.  I did get over that.)
• I choose a complete curriculum with lesson plans for the next year, and just followed that.  I would try to be more eclectic in the past and pull in all sorts of resources, but I did not have that in me.  I just followed the plan.
• I was distressed with the state of my life and house and started doing a project a day.  My friend Kerry and I would write each other daily and share our projects.  It kept me going and as my house became neater my attitude changed.  My kids helped me with the projects.  We really had fun.  I felt like I was getting my life back. 
• I shared with some other friends how I felt, and I was shocked that they felt the same.  One friend said she was so burned out she was crispy.  I loved that.  Just sharing with others made me feel better. It is so easy to think that everyone else is doing great and you are the only one.
• I enjoyed just playing with my kids.  I played hours of badminton, sat in the back yard with them, took a few field trips, and just did not worry about school.   I remembered what it was like to just be with them. 

Next week. . . I will tell you what I did not do.

Reflecting on Home Educating a Gifted Student.

 

I was able to visit my son at MIT a few weeks ago. I was thrilled to see him, and he is so happy. He is doing better than I expected and I am so glad that I was able to home educate him.  I remember wondering how on earth I was going to home educate someone who was honestly brighter than I am and I desperately needed a compass.   These are some take-aways for me from home educating a gifted student.

1. Letting your student move through their schoolwork as fast as they are ready to is a good thing.

I remember hearing that back when my student was young. I let him go through math at his own pace. I am so glad we did that when he was younger, and continued to let him move at this own pace. College moves fast and no one at MIT is holding him back now. If anything, it has helped him.

 2.Teaching organizational skills, deadlines, and life skills are so important for your student. 

I was very worried about my student transitioning to college. I was afraid he would not meet deadlines and not use his time wisely. I kept asking him the first month how he was doing. Finally, he said to me, “You have underestimated your ability to teach time management.” He was surprised how other students waited till the last minute to complete assignments and did not have a schedule.  I was glad we had worked on that together.

3. Looking for math contests and other  opportunities to compete academically are  good for gifted students.

Bright students need challenges and competitions are good ways to do that.   For my students it was like a sport competition and good for them.  Things like Speech & Debate, Music Competitions, The National Latin Exam, and AMC (American Mathematics Competition) are great activities.

4. Online support groups are helpful for the teacher to grow.  

 I learned many ideas and learned what others were doing from online groups. Hoagies website, Davidson, and local groups were so helpful. I learned what to do next from other parents who had gone before me. They were so valuable on the journey.

5. Teaching your student to be an independent learner is a gift to them. 

There are times in college and life when you need to be able to learn independently. Don’t feel bad when your student has to self-study. They are learning a skill that will help them in the future.

The time with my student was so valuable, and I am so thankful for it. I remember being terrified I was not going to be able to teach my gifted learner. I am glad that the school made me frustrated enough to have to do it on my own. Because in the end, I was the one who had the best gift of all: watching my student learn and being part of that success.

Parents Weekend at MIT

US Presidential Scholar

Our son was a United States Presidential Scholar for 2018.  He was one of 161 high school students from across the United States.  We attended the ceremony in Washington DC.  It was an incredible experience.   

Nathan nominated me as his favorite teacher.  So I am now a US Presidential Scholar Distinguished Teacher.    Though I am not sure if my other children are that impressed.  I am adding it to my credentials.  

There was an article about us in a Chinese newspaper.    I do not speak Chinese, but my sister in-law who is Chinese said it was a very nice article.  

Here is Nathan with Mick Zais from the department of education receiving his medal.   

The certificate we received from the Ohio Board of Education. 

It said . . . Nathan's achievement exemplifies the best aspects of  Ohio's Education system and made our state proud.   For some reason that made me smile.

Happy Friday!  You never know where homeschooling will take you!