Homeschooling Help

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.

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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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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. 

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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? 

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If you are a homeschooler in California, you have more than likely jumped in to the fight to keep your right to homeschool. If you have not, I urge you to make your voice known during this critical time.

If you are a homeschooler in any other state, please get involved. California’s recent record of ruling against morality (i.e. homosexual marriage and homeschooling) does not bode well and the homeschool fight is not yet over.

Because of the public outcry in response to the court’s absurd decision to make homeschooling illegal unless a parent is a certified teacher, the court decided to take another look at their decision. However, have you seen the list of “professionals” they brought in to review that decision? Not one of them is a friend to homeschooling:

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The question, “But does this homeschool program line up with what they do in the public schools?” is one of my biggest pet peeves. Why? Because what they are doing in the public schools is failing! Kids are dropping out every day; others are pushed through a system that is not providing them with even the fundamentals; and still others struggle through a program that places them in a mold that just does not fit them.

The beauty of homeschooling is that you don’t have to fit into that public school mold. You can choose to find ways to teach your child that work! You can opt out of using slanted textbooks to teach history and science and instead explore the world in an engaging and upbeat way.

Stop comparing your homeschool program to what they are doing in the public school. Instead, prepare your child for his or her future by focusing your efforts on effective teaching that works and that inspires a love for learning!

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Many homeschoolers often ask me for suggestions on how to keep skills sharp over the summer without committing a large amount of time to summer school.  

One of the best programs I have found to keep learning alive during the summer months (short of continuing with focused schooling all summer) is the Summer Bridge program.  

With Summer Bridge books, students complete a short lesson in each subject every day.  The books are designed to review the skills from the prior year for the first part of the summer, then move into a preview of the year to come.  

Built into each book is a motivational chart, suggested age-appropriate summer reading, and web connections to provide more interactive learning.  Students can even take advantage of their sports partnership to earn rewards in exchange for their commitment to learning.

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Nathaniel and Hannah are not typical students. However, their accomplishments are not atypical of homeschool graduates.

Nathaniel will graduate this year with his older sister, two years ahead of schedule. Both will attend a local college on a two-year full honors scholarship.

Why?

Because eight years ago their parents recognized the fact that their local public school could not meet the needs of their kids and committed to homeschooling them.

The result? Two exceptional homeschoolers who not only excelled academically, but have also used their talents and abilities to support community organizations.

Hannah volunteers her time as an assistant at a local drama school and at a local private school where she assists with acting and choreography.

Nathaniel, who is a talented musicians volunteers his time at the same organizations as the accompanist to their musicals.

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There is one homeschool student who has impressed me from the first year I met him. When I conducted his eighth grade homeschool evaluation, he was already more articulate than most of the eleventh grade students in my public school classroom, and his passion for politics was unquestionable.

This same student later took my class on student governmental affairs and blew away his fellow classmates. He continued his study of government by attending several leadership conferences in both Harrisburg and our nation’s capital.

Every year, his writing grew more and more sophisticated, and his other academics were equally impressive.

Not a quiet and reserved intellectual, Justin could command the crowd everywhere he went. Funny and passionate, he was never afraid to share his opinion or enter into a debate.

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