I recently came across a discussion where the mother was nervous about introducing the idea of homeschooling to her publicly schooled student. She was afraid he would miss going to school. She was also afraid he would be resistant to homeschooling. Well, the first thing she needs to do is go ahead and talk to the child. It doesn’t make sense to fret over a conversation that hasn’t happened yet. In my experiences when a parent has introduced homeschooling to a child, most have responded very positively and in most cases cannot believe their luck in getting to have their … Continue reading →

Many people tell me that they could never homeschool. They always have a very good and valid reason whey they could not do it. I understand what they are saying because many of the same reasons nearly kept me from homeschooling. I almost didn’t homeschool because I felt alone. I almost didn’t homeschool because I didn’t understand my options. I almost didn’t homeschool because I thought my family would not approve. I almost didn’t homeschool because I didn’t think I had the patience to do it. I almost didn’t homeschool because I was afraid of the responsibility. One of the … Continue reading →

Many people tell me that they could never homeschool. They always have a very good and valid reason whey they could not do it. I understand what they are saying because many of the same reasons nearly kept me from homeschooling. I almost didn’t homeschool because I felt alone. I almost didn’t homeschool because I didn’t understand my options. I also almost didn’t homeschool because I thought my family would not approve. I also didn’t homeschool because I didn’t think I had the patience to do it. I am one of those people who don’t like to be kept waiting. … Continue reading →

When people find out that I homeschool my kids, it is common for people to say to me “I could never homeschool”. One reason or another always follows this statement. Many of these same reasons nearly kept me from homeschooling. This series of articles explains the reasons that I almost did not homeschool my children. This particular article tells the story of the first time I considered homeschooling and then changed my mind. We were living in New Orleans, which at the time was labeled THE worst school district in the nation. No one with two pennies to rub together … Continue reading →

One of my favorite things about homeschooling is the ability to personalize everything for Jonathan. I can personalize his curriculum to his learning style. I can personalize my teaching style and methods. I can personalize his schedule. I can personalize everything. As I said before, Jonathan is a very kinesthetic and tactile learner. He needs to have movement involved in his school activities. He needs a lot of hands on activities. Instead of being packed in a room feeling like a sardine 7 hours a day, he spends his entire day doing science experiments, playing with manipulatives, cooking dishes or … Continue reading →

This is the time of year, right before school starts (because then parents are committed one way or the other) when I always get at least two or three phone calls from ‘prospective homeschoolers.’ People who are interested in homeschooling, think that maybe it might be a great thing. . .but are scared to death of the thought of being solely responsible for their child’s education. In case there are some of you prospective homeschoolers out there, I thought that you might like to read my practical (and some philosophical) answers to your questions. And as many of you already … Continue reading →

Yesterday I wrote about the possibility of homeschooled children wanting to go to public school. I also gave you some questions you might want to ask should they bring up the subject. Likewise, many public schooled children approach their parents asking to be homeschooled. I previously listed some questions you will want to ask your teen who wants to homeschool. Here are more questions you will want to ask. What are your after graduation plans? If your child plans to homeschooling, they need to have an ultimate goal. The goal may be to go to college, start a business, or … Continue reading →