What is your best advice for a new homeschooler?

[ShangriLewis]

I'm going to make this a sticky. It's one of those things that keeps coming up.

So, what is your best advice for a new homeschooler?


Mine would be to take it easy. Sit back and enjoy your children. Learn about who they are before you start trying to "teach" them. If they are in school already then let them take a break to find their place in the family. If you find a support group try to watch some other families in action. Take advice from the families who are comfortable and their children enjoy being at home.

[Fourormore]

Don't sweat it. Kids *will* learn.
Becca

[TulipMama]

Educational approaches, learning theories, curriculum options. . . All these can easily sweep a homeschooling mama away. These are just the trimmings--the core of homeschooling is nurturing our children and building our relationships within the family and with the Lord.

[Mother of Sons]

Chill out, don't try to prove anything. Kids will learn and they don't all have to be geniuses. If it doesn't work, don't keep doing it. Be willing to try new things or take long breaks. Learning doesn't only happen Mon.-Fri. during specified homeschool hours. Don't try to be a school at home.

[CelticJourney]

Break free of the the 'school at home' model and free yourself to homeschool.

[heartofjoy]

I have seen so many people decide to homeschool, and then just pick up Abeka's curriculum because that's what the private schools use/everyone else is using. My advice would be to read books about educational theories and learning styles before you pick a curriculum. Yes, the most important job is to love and know your child and help him learn about God. But at some point you have to teach the 3 R's, and I see too many people struggling and hating homeschooling because they are a slave to some pre-packaged, school-at-home, one-size-fits-all curriculum.

So here's my advice stepped out:

1. Relax and go with the flow.

2. Read up on educational theories and pick one that you like and you think will work for your family. (For example: traditional textbook, classical, literature-based, unit study, unschooling, eclectic, etc.) Keep in mind your child's learning style: visual, auditory, kinesthetic.

3. Look at as many different curriculums as you can that fall in the educational category you picked.

4. Once your curriculum arrives at your door, go back to step 1.

[MamatoLLL]

:popcorn This is really helpful as a "getting ready to homeschool mama". Keep it comin'! :)

[Piper2]

Join a local homeschool group, but don't feel like you have to go to EVERY activity offered just so your kids will be "socialized". ;) They are there as opportunities, and it's your job as teacher to choose which ones fit your family, your child and your current studies. For instance, our homeschool group usually does a field trip to Sun Studios every year, but we have no interest in going there. But, since Kevin's calling himself an artist these days, we probably will take advantage of a trip to Paint-a Piece, if one is scheduled. :)

[booboo]

Be flexible with your kids and the curriculum you chose for them. If the writing curriculum you chose doesn't work out, don't be afraid to try something else.

Let the older siblings help the younger, as long as the younger ones are receptive. Everybody wins in that situation.

Allow for some unschooling: go to the library and let them pick out a subject they would like to learn, besides where you're at with your curriculum(s). This has been fun with my 6 yo who wants to learn about all 50 states!

Don't try to imitate the public school classroom. Let it be an environment that they can learn in. If your child feels more comfortable sitting on the floor, let him/her as long as it's in a good location. (not totally in the way)

Don't beat yourself up over your mistakes. You're only human too and God does allow second chances! :heart

Take whatever homeschool advice that you think works for you. It's like being pregnant, everybody has their own labor stories!!

BTW, I've only been homeschooling for a month. Not bad, huh? ;)

[mommyTay]

Do NOT let anyone~ acquaintance, family, friend~ "guilt" you into thinking you "ruined" your kids. No matter what they try to tell you, not all public school kids know the stuff they think our kids are missing!

both my older kids have learning disabilities and I have been hurt many times by people telling me "they would have done so much better in public school" "teachers in public schools are trained to deal with the disabilities"

If that is the case, why am I STARTING OVER with my 9yo who has been in public school for 2 years and seems to know less now than when I first sent him????? :mad His learning disability was over-looked and undiagnosed! So much for no child left behind. :banghead Sorry, I am slipping into vent. :hissyfit

My ray of hope and reassurance is my dd. Sis didn't really understand how to read till she was 12, now at 13, she reads the kids bedtime stories. :tu
Anyway, trust yourself and your kids. They WILL learn, just at their own pace and it will be ok!

[Katydid]

"teachers in public schools are trained to deal with the disabilities"


This is so not true! I have a degree in art education and we maybe spent 1/2 of 1 semester going over stuff like IEP's and dealing with disabilities. I never have gone into teaching, but I can't imagine that any more "training" would have been offered (except "on the job" training, meaning trial and error!) :shrug

[ShangriLewis]

My ray of hope and reassurance is my dd. Sis didn't really understand how to read till she was 12, now at 13, she reads the kids bedtime stories. :tu
Anyway, trust yourself and your kids. They WILL learn, just at their own pace and it will be ok!



Tay that is wonderful that you were are able to do this. I bet she just loves to read now.
Great Advice!!!

[Celeste]

Read, The Well Trained Mind.

[whisper]

Heather, and other moms....
How long do you think is too long to "relax and get to know your kids"? I started my first season in January and between de-scooling and learning GBD I feel like I'm still at square one. :blush They are still not ready to learn and I am still not ready to "teach" without making education a bootcamp. We are all still needing to learn to listen to one-another and respect one-another, among other relational issues. Keep in mind that we read together, go on nature walks, do some copy work and online math practice at aaa math. I am reading about Charlotte Mason's philosophy and methods and am interested in adding that for my oldest who is 9 years old. Any thoughts?

[heartofjoy]

whisper,

I'm a "better late than early" type, so I think you are doing fine. If your oldest is 9, I would certainly start adding a little more to her day. Make sure your read alouds are not twaddle. Have a mix of science, history, and fiction. I love Charlotte Mason! How old are your others? My oldest is 6, but I do not intend to start requiring work from her until she is closer to 8 or 9. Now she does do work, but I don't require it yet. Does that make sense? We are very relaxed. I have never had to "de-school" but I think it would benefit you to take the time you need. If you get scared and jump into boot-camp mode, you won't accomplish your goals for taking your kids out of school in the first place.

We are working on lots of behavioral issues as well. And making the switch to GBD is not easy. Give yourself a little more time. I'll bet by January, you will be in a better place. :hug2

[PurpleButterfly]

Don't worry about curriculum, workbooks, or anything "school-ish" right now.

Allow plenty of time - at least two months - for deschooling to occur. Even if your child has never been to school, you probably have.

Relax, enjoy the time together, play and explore your community! Rather than re-create school at home, turn the world into your classroom!

Invest in some wonderful art supplies.

Seek out local play and support groups and look for the gentle, relaxed mamas and children when you get there.

Check out all the amazing resources in your neighborhood: libraries, museums, co-ops, support groups, playgrounds, parks, nature centers, wildlife rehabs, forests, beaches, it's endlessly delightful through a child's eyes!

Don't feel like you have to "do" school or lessons or anything that others are inevitably going to ask you about. Just smile and tell them you're both enjoying the adventure and learning lots along the way. You don't owe anyone proof of anything.

Remember that you will never, ever have this special time with your child again. Children grow up quickly and then before you realize what's happened, they're off in the world on their own.

Savor every moment. :heart

[slingmamaof4]

My advice would be to keep it fun. My 4-yo dd has taught herself phonics and is starting to read on her own...surprised me with that!!!! And I just started doing fun games with her like go fish. I take construction paper and cut it into 12 or 16 "cards" and she picks words she wants to learn and I write them on the cards. She loves to play the card game and it is a fun way for her to keep her busy mind engaged without much structure. Also the other day at the park she was digging a hole and asked me to dig with her. We pretended we were archaeologists and we found a pyramid, an ancient Egyptian gold coin, a diamond, and a sphinx. We had lots of fun. It was a great moment together. It was really nice later to hear her telling my dh "Mommy and I were archaeologists at the park and we found......and we found a sphinx. Do you know what a sphinx is daddy? It is a statue of a lion, but it has the man's face. Maybe it was the face of the pharaoh...." It was just a game we played, but she learned a little about ancient Egypt.

There are lots of ways of teaching in a fun and still probelm-posing, critical thinking way without too much structure and it is great to be able to design your child's education specifically for them.

[Mama Bird]

Where to start?

1. Commit your school, your children, your teaching, your curriculum...everything...to God. Allow Him to make the choices.

2. Know that the first curriculum you choose will most likely not be the one you stick with. Don't be afraid to buy used curriculum...or older curriculum. You can often get a good deal on older editions...just make sure you plan ahead enough to update things that need to be updated.

3. Don't allow yourself to feel pressured to create a genius. Let's face it...all homeschooled children cannot be Spelling or Geography Bee champions.

4. Find your own style. You may be an unschooler, or relaxed schooler, or you may have school at home.

5. Slow down...and enjoy your children. If a child suddenly gets an intense interest in something, go with it!

6. School does not happen between 9 and 3. It's ok to go to the grocery store. It's fine to take a day off to prepare for a garage sale. (Just not all the time.)

7. Think outside the box! Pringles containers can become pencil boxes. Sidewalks can become chalkboards.

8. You must allow yourself some planning time. We do unit studies, and in the middle of each unit, I plan for the next one. This includes making lists of what I need to borrow, buy, copy, make, etc.

9. Use the library. Ours has programs for homeschoolers! I reserve books for the next unit about a week and a half before we start that unit, so they have time to be shuffled between libraries. This also gives me a chance to look them over and reject books that don't line up with our worldview.

10. Never, never forget to thank God for the awesome privilege and responsibility of teaching our little ones. Remember that the most important thing we can teach them is about God, and His amazing love for us. Without that, all the reading, writing and 'rithmatic matter not at all.

[Kcross]

:tu I agree with Celeste....Read "The Well Trained Mind" it will shape your views of homeschooling forever!! GREAT Book!!

[olivegod2]

"teachers in public schools are trained to deal with the disabilities"


This is so not true! I have a degree in art education and we maybe spent 1/2 of 1 semester going over stuff like IEP's and dealing with disabilities. I never have gone into teaching, but I can't imagine that any more "training" would have been offered (except "on the job" training, meaning trial and error!) :shrug


I was a high school French teacher for 5 years in the Chicago Public school system. I only had one class on Special Education issues and from what I understand is that that is normal for non-special needs teachers. Now specifically special ed teachers have a lot more training and classes to deal with the varying degrees of the special needs students. The reason I am considering homeschooling is the one-on-one factor which is a lot more effective than 28-35:1 ratio.

[mykidsmom]

Ditto Kym. :)

[Littledisciples]

Been Homeschooling my DD for Two months now and I learned one thing real quick don't find homework based on their age just their abilities couse my DD is ok doing a grade ahead.

[apmommyto4]

Keep an open mind--there's no "perfect" curriculum! Once you find what works, though--stick with it as long as you feel is appropriate to avoid gaps.

[illinoismommy]

:popcorn More, more... ;)

[PrairieFlowerC]

n/t

[ServantofGod]

"God does not call the equipped; He equips the called." :amen

[ArmsOfLove]

Amen :amen

I also wanted to add what I tell every new homeschooler I talk to . . . get ahold of the book "Things we wish we'd known". When I got it it was 50 homeschoolers and I think it's up to 150 or 200 but they are veterans sharing their experience and what they wish they'd known when they started :tu

[StarrMama]

Pray, pray, pray~ :amen As for our house. We use a curriculum that I adore and my daughter does too :highfive I guess the best practical advice is to be organized, have a game plan for the year, but be flexible on a day to day basis. We get out every Wednesday for Exploration day, in which there is no book work, just science experiments, exploring nature, crafts, reading ect... :mrgreen It's nice to break up our week that way and it's worked into our curriculum. May God guide you, and He will! :grin

[wombmate3]

Where can I get that book Crystal?

[Quietspirit]

Don't bring public school styles/methods home! Be a student of your child and learn how they learn. :) Read the book "Learning without labels" if you have a child who is a "different learner". Or even if you have a typical learner!

:)

[MrsLisaE]

I would have to say, as its been said, relax and enjoy the ride...Also, journal it...It goes by so quickly and its good to have written accounts of those precious days and even have a good laugh at those not so precious days..

[BecauseIJustDid]

"teachers in public schools are trained to deal with the disabilities"


This is so not true! I have a degree in art education and we maybe spent 1/2 of 1 semester going over stuff like IEP's and dealing with disabilities. I never have gone into teaching, but I can't imagine that any more "training" would have been offered (except "on the job" training, meaning trial and error!) :shrug


The only way to be properly trained in that field, would be to take courses specifically designed for that subject. Those courses take just as much time to accomplish as getting your teaching degree... my mother couldn't do both and she's upset now. All the training in the world to deal with special children's needs and not a teaching degree in sight...

[MaiMama]

"teachers in public schools are trained to deal with the disabilities"


This is so not true! I have a degree in art education and we maybe spent 1/2 of 1 semester going over stuff like IEP's and dealing with disabilities. I never have gone into teaching, but I can't imagine that any more "training" would have been offered (except "on the job" training, meaning trial and error!) :shrug


Right. General Ed teachers get very little training in Special Ed issues, and even many Special Ed teachers have little training as well. It is very difficult to find people Special Ed teachers, as there is a high burn-out and turn-over rate, so there's no guarantee even putting a kid with Special needs in a class with a SPED teacher would put him with someone who knows very much at all about the disability.

I just finished a year as a Special Ed Pre-K teacher, but I did it through an Alternative Certification program, which meant I had only on-the-job training. And by that, I mean it was whatever happened in the classroom with the kids. I had maybe six hours total training in Special Needs. Some were from my AC program, and mainly covering the legal stuff, then we had an hour and a half of workshops with other teachers in our actual area of Early Childhood. The trainings we did have at school through the year were all General Ed. We did have specialists come out, so that was nice, but it was kind of too late. :no2

[Teribear]

Give yourself three years before you start to panic that your child is not getting a concept. Seriously. Go to the teacher stores and look at the books there, they're divided in 3 year groupings. That tells me that the public school model is to teach the same chunks of stuff for three years at a time. Introducing, re-introducing and reviewing it over and over again during that three year cycle. K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12. Three to four year chunks. We tend to spaz out when our kids aren't getting it immediately. Guess what, they're not expected to...not even in 'real school" (gak I hate that term!)

[Marsha]

Oooooh, journal it. I do wish I had done that. I always think there is no way I'll forget things and of course I do. Plus, its easy to not appreciate the strides they make, too.

[oscaroscarmommy]

Before trying to find out what your kid 'needs' to know, take time to educate yourself (objectively) about education then UNSCHOOL, UNSCHOOL, UNSCHOOL!!!

[Soliloquy]

Try to remove your pre-conceived notions of what learning looks like, what children "should" be learning at various ages, and try to dismiss the expectations of others. Most of the great minds throughout history learned at home, slowly, with a patient parent or tutor who allowed ideas to develop in their own time.

[joyousTXmama]

Hi, ds is only 10 months and I'm new here, but felt an early conviction to homeschool. I figure life is only going to get busier as we build our family, so I want to read up on homechooling methods now. Any suggestions for what books helped you learn about homechooling how-to? I saw a great post somewhere listing each method of homechooling along with several books that discuss that method, but now I can't find it. Thanks so much :)

[mom2chaney_girls]

Oooooh, journal it. I do wish I had done that. I always think there is no way I'll forget things and of course I do. Plus, its easy to not appreciate the strides they make, too.

Great advice... Adding "journal" to my supply list.

[boysx3]

Don't feel pressured to keep up with the next person each kid is diffrent and ready to learn at different stages and ages.

[momto4intx]

Never underestimate what is learned in the day to day living as a family. Enjoy your children and to try not to allow your insecurities to seep into the joy that homeschooling can be (this is such a huge thing for me)

[emerald]

I would recommend reading books by John Taylor Gatto. "Dumbing Us Down" gave me more confidence in homeschooling.

[mamaeffie]

have fun! having been homeschooled from the start, i recall feeling guilty or like a burden when my mom was stressed about school. obviously she never intended that, but it's amazing what our little ones pick up on!

also, children are going to learn, it's just a part of their nature.

fostering an atmosphere of learning is important, if YOU model curiosity and a desire for knowledge, your littles will do the same.

[lalani]

(only read OP)
kids learn when they are having fun. when they are afraid, stressed, or unhappy their ability to learn is severely limited. so have fun and laugh, and they will learn!

[mystweaver]

Keep as many books as you can afford/reasonably store. One thing I loved about homeschooling was having so many fascinating books at my fingertips, and I could pick another one whenever I got bored.

I think that did as much for my homeschooling as any formal homeschooling we did.

Also, never underestimate the value of butcher paper as a teaching tool. Timelines, human bodies, art--anything. :shrug3

[SamsMama]

Anyone else have advice to offer?

[tempus vernum]

One of the biggest mistakes I make regularly :doh is to look around instead of up. . . what I mean is that I end up comparing myself to others rather than keeping my eyes on Jesus!

This is particularly important for me IRT homeschooling :heart

[juliew]

Follow your child's interests. They will want to learn when it's something that interests them.[COLOR="Silver"]

---------- Post added at 11:02 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:00 AM ----------

One of the biggest mistakes I make regularly :doh is to look around instead of up. . . what I mean is that I end up comparing myself to others rather than keeping my eyes on Jesus!

That's a great point. Your homeschooling style (just like your family) will be unique. Don't compare yourself to others.

[prov31craftymom]

:bump since its been a couple of years, and I know there are a lot of veteran homeschoolers here. :)

[Katigre]

Be prepared to invest TIME and energy in homeschooling. Be creative with how you do things - we've done thousands of pages of read aloud books in the car, for example.

Sent from my Android phone using Swype

[mamahammer]

Leave the comparisons behind. No one will homeschool like you do, and that's okay. Other people will school longer, shorter, more formally, completely unstructured. Only you know what works for your family, and that's all as it should be.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

[momzilla76]

1) If you are starting with youngers make sure they have a good handle on the 3 R's before adding in the other stuff. You can do simple interesting readings for history or science.
2) Make the library your friend.
3) The only way to do homeschool wrong is to completely ignore your children and parents invested in the idea of homeschool are NOT going to be ignoring their children, so relax!
:D

[Barefoot]

Subbing for more good ideas. :)