The Dangers of Short Term Homeschooling Part II

In my previous article, I suggested that the trend of homeschooling children short term (for just a year, or the remainder of a year) is dangerous to the child. My goal in saying that it is unwise to homeschool short term is not to dissuade you from taking a needed year to explore homeschooling. A trial year of homeschooling is an entirely different thing. Most trail homeschoolers have a desire to or at least consider homeschooling long-term. What I want people who are considering homeschooling for a season to understand is that if you do want to homeschool your child, … Continue reading →

The Dangers of Short Term Homeschooling (Part I)

I keep seeing the following types of questions on homeschooling boards all over the internet. (while you are here, visit our homeschool boards): How do I homeschool my child for 1 year? I do not like my child’s teacher, should I homeschool him this year? We are homeschooling this year to take a break from school, what am I required to do? Yikes! As a homeschooler, I am afraid to say that homeschooling for 1 year is a bad thing for everyone involved. It takes more than 1 year to be successful at homeshooling: Studies show that the longer a … Continue reading →

Deschooling: The Fallacy of Comparing Children

One of the boldest arguments that I’ve ever heard against homeschooling is to compare children. When my son did not know how to write his letters or the sounds of the letters by age 4, people around us were up in arms about our homeschooling practices. One particular acquaintance pointed out that her son was in an all day preschool program and he could write all of his letters and numbers and knew most of their sounds. Perhaps it was time to admit that I’m not so good at this homeschooling thing after all. Meanwhile, my poor illiterate son was … Continue reading →

How Not to Grade Your Child

If you read my last blog about traditional grades, we learned that traditional grading systems in short, don’t meet the needs of homeschoolers and in fact may even be detrimental to the overall learning goals. We are talking more about an attitude change defining what we think of, when we think of a “good education.”, rather than never assessing your child. However, not grading your child can present some problems when it comes to record keeping. Regardless of your state laws, it is my opinion that everyone should keep at least a record of what their child has read, what … Continue reading →

The Deschooling Series: The Fallacy of Good Grades

If you’re just joining us, we’re talking about the things that hinder us from breaking away from our notions of what school should look like. Learning can and should happen in a variety of ways and through a variety of different media. However, we seem to have it so engraved in our minds that school should look traditional. On the contrary, many parents find, particularly those transitioning from a traditional school setting, that they must almost entirely abandon their notions and spend a year deschooling. I have now read in several sources that deschooling is definitely the way to start … Continue reading →

The Deschooling Series: The Fallacy of Traditional School

Welcome to the first of our series where we will be talking about and exploring ways of thinking that inhibit deschooling. Deschooling is the process by which our kids (& us) “unlearn” school behavior. Why is it important in home schooling? It is likely that if you’ve pulled your kids out of public school, it’s because something was wrong. Your child’s needs were not being met. Throwing out misconceptions of how kids should learn and beginning to understand learning is the first step in deschooling. While my own kids have been home schooled from the beginning, I understand from talking … Continue reading →