Homeschooling Help

Another Homeschooler not just “cleaning toilets”

A few years ago, Brad graduated from Bridgeway Academy having completed a college prep program. Although unsure of his future, he planned to attend a nearby university as an undeclared major. He had truly enjoyed his course in Economics and thought he might enjoy going into the business field. However, after growing up in New Brunswick and enjoying the wonders of the Bay of Fundy, he also considered a career in Marine Biology.

Why am I bringing up Brad?

Brad is just another example of homeschool success.

Brad did pursue a business degree specializing in Economics. Now this recently married former homeschooler looks forward to starting a family with his lovely wife, who will stay at home to raise and educate their children. And in the meantime he is enjoying his career as an economist in his home province of New Brunswick.

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As a homeschool mom, you will learn so much more than you did when you yourself were in school.  History that may have bored you will come alive; math skills that eluded you will come together (especially if you start with a young student and are teaching the basics first); grammar will finally make sense; and science will intrigue you.

But your learning will go so much deeper than the academics. 

You will gain so much more insight into your own kids–their passions, their struggles, their amazing abilities, their personalities. 

You will more than likely begin to see yourself more clearly as well.  Are you a highly motivated person? Are you organized?  Are you able to be silly and upbeat? Do you have a quiet spirit? Does chaos inspire or discourage you? Where are you most creative?

Technorati Tags: begin homeschooling, homeschool learning, new to homeschool

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I remember my favorite teacher.

Miss McCullough was my fifth grade teacher and she was amazing! She loved to pour herself into us. She was funny; she was loving; she was willing to steer away from the curriculum and delve into some rabbit trail we started down with our many questions; she would have us pile onto the classroom couch after lunch every day and listen as she read exciting books . . . She was everything I wanted to be as a first-time homeschool mom. In fact, you could say she was my inspiration.

When you begin your own homeschool journey, start with a goal in mind. But rather than set a goal that is simply based on what you want to accomplish, define the kind of teacher you want to be. And keep that goal in mind as you meet the challenges of the day-to-day.

Technorati Tags: begin homeschool, homeschool teacher, New to Homeschooling

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“Commit to the Homeschool Lifestyle” may sound a little scary. But I am not suggesting that you rearrange your entire life; instead, I am referring to the fact that homeschooling does not simply occur between the hours of 9:00 and noon or 3:00 (depending on your child).

Homeschooling cannot be put into a schedule box.

When you commit to the homeschool lifestyle, you are committing to homeschooling 24/7. You see, when you begin to think like a homeschooler, you find yourself taking advantage of every teachable moment; you find yourself encouraging your child to ask questions; and you find yourself taking the time to research the answers when you are unable to answer them immediately.

This means that dinnertime is learning time; bedtime is learning time; even vacations are often used to teach.

Technorati Tags: homechool lifestyle, homeschool commitment, New to Homeschooling, starting homeschool

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One of the greatest freedoms in homeschooling is the freedom to explore your child’s interests.

• If your curriculum provides an introduction to medieval history and your child is enthralled, take the time to pursue it further.
• If you know your child has a passion for the study of electricity, give him the tools to dig deeper.
• If you have a budding writer who can’t wait to publish her own book, provide the time to develop her writing skills.
• If your child loves photography, let him pick up a camera, enroll him in a class, or just provide ample time for him to get out and start shooting.

We learn best when we are interested in knowing more. Consider yourself-when you decided to consider homeschooling, you suddenly developed a deep interest in learning more about it. You have likely spent considerable time surfing the web, reading as many resources as you can find, questioning those you know are involved in homeschooling, and seeking answers for your many questions.

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One of the best moves we made as a homeschool family was to establish a homeschool support group. At the onset, we were simply a group of families who planned field trips, met for “physical education” classes, shared ideas and supported one another through the rewards and the struggles. As the years passed, we began to work together to provide specialty courses for our kids:

• Science labs
• A study of Shakespeare (my passion; therefore my course)
• Writing and Research
• Public Speaking
• Art
• Book Clubs
• Sports teams

The list could go on and on. We worked together using our various specialties to provide ample opportunities for our kids.

But it benefited more than just the kids.

By scheduling regular times to meet-sometimes formal, sometimes not-we parents were able to network with one another. We shared ideas, discussed our frustrations, held each other accountable and became close friends.

Technorati Tags: begin homeschooling, homeschool help, homeschool support groups, start homeschooling

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Does your child love to get dirty and explore the world around him?
Is she a child who loves to sit down and listen as you read a story?
Is he an analytical thinker, who tends to question what is happening around him?
Is she one who can connect events and experiences to lessons in life?
Does he seem to thrive when able to create with his hands?
Does she naturally “get it” the first time she hears it?

These kinds of questions can help to define the best kind of learning approach for your child. A hands-on learner will not be content to sit and fill out worksheets or listen to you explain concepts. A student who has strong auditory skills will thrive with a curriculum that uses interesting stories to teach about history, science or literature.

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Commit to Consistency

1. Be sure to commit to a full year-one year at a time. For many first time homeschoolers, the thought of years of running a homeschool can be daunting-in some cases, so much so that they have trouble making the decision. And although we believe that you will continue for years to come, your level of commitment should be one year at a time–one full year.
2. Be sure to commit to a schedule. Many homeschool Moms love to be spontaneous and to enjoy the freedom they have in homeschooling. However, this can sometimes go too far. If you are tired of hearing, “Can we do . . .today?” or “What are we doing today?,” you need structure. Kids like to know-to be informed. In fact, I guarantee that your kids will thrive on organization and a specific schedule. Better yet, you will hear far fewer questions on what to expect each day.

Technorati Tags: Features, first step in homeschool, homeschool help, New to Homeschooling, starting homeschooling

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Homeschoolers from all across the country are watching and waiting to see how the homeschool battle in California unfolds.  In the meantime, many California homeschoolers are on the front lines, working together to ensure that they retain their freedom to educate their own children.

Tammy Takahashi, a California homeschooler reviewed the recent rehearing of the case by the California Supreme Court on her blog, Just Enough and Nothing More. 

If you are following the case, click here to read her first hand account of the session.   And keep praying–this is and will be landmark case no matter which direction the court decides to take. 

Technorati Tags: California Homeschool battle; Homeschooling in Californ

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The following excerpt was taken from The American Vision page, where an atheist responded to one of their articles with the following words:

It’s good that Christians homeschool. We need citizens to clean our toilets and mow our lawns. Perhaps some homeschooled Christians will be able to fill these types of jobs. The rest will be unemployable retards like their parents.

It is incredible how uninformed people can immediately jump to stereotypes and ridiculous claims.  Who is the uneducated one here?
 
Bridgeway Homeschool Academy has graduated several top notch homeschoolers this year alone.  One, an Olympic hopeful will go on to University of Georgia on a full scholarship; another will study political science on a $27,000 per year scholarship; another received a full 6 year scholarship for Physical Therapy. 

Let’s see, who else? 

Technorati Tags: Atheist view Homeschool, Homeschool community, homeschool graduates, Homeschoolers Excel

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