Here are some tips I have found are very helpful to running a smooth, happy homeschool. I'm not an expert at them, but when I do them, homeschool life is so much better.
Limit Distractions! Give your kids your full undivided attention. Set school time aside for this purpose. Silence your phone and put it in a different room. The second you get distracted, your kids will get distracted, wander off, and you'll have to fight them to come back (or give up altogether).
Don't Multi-Task! If you're trying to work on something else, you'll get angry and frustrated. Or maybe you just won't be as helpful as you should be. Or maybe you'll pawn them off to the tv. I've done all of these things. And the best way to stay away from this problem is by limiting the distractions in the first place.
Take Care of Yourself! Set time aside every day for yourself. Take a nap, workout, socialize... Do whatever it is that makes you happy and will help you keep your sanity. Maybe it's during nap time, or in the morning, or while your kids are watching tv. If mom isn't happy, no one is happy.
Connect! To others. You need to and your kids need to. Set up park days or beach days with other homeschool families so that you have people to swap ideas and commiserate with.
Let it Slide and Forgive Yourself! One bad day isn't gonna ruin everything. Sleep all day if you need to and let them watch tv. Then recommit to tomorrow.
Enjoy Them! They're only young and sweet and innocent for a short time. Right now they want to be right next to you constantly. Soon they won't want to be with you at all. Right now you are their hero. Soon they'll think you're their jailer.
Simplify! If school is taking too long, if your kids are fighting you over it, if it's ruining your relationship, if you're overwhelmed or losing your sanity... Cut out the stuff that doesn't really matter and focus on what really does! Reading, Writing, Math, and Religion. That's all that really matters. Once you regain your sanity and the health of your relationship, you can add the other things back in. Or they can learn them later.
Prioritize! Can you do it all? Really? Or can you hire a housecleaner, yard guy, or mother's helper? If you don't like to cook how about buying prepared frozen meals? Can your husband take on some of your previous responsibilities? Figure out what you want (and need) to spend your time on, and give up some of the other less-important duties. Don't be afraid to say No to people if you really can't fit that assignment into your life.
Seek Inspiration! Heavenly Father wants you to succeed and is waiting to help you figure out how. Raising, mothering, and schooling children is a holy calling. Have faith in yourself and in your ability to successfully educate the divine spirits that He has entrusted to your care.
Showing posts with label how to homeschool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label how to homeschool. Show all posts
Thursday, July 23, 2020
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
How to Begin Homeschooling
This post is for my fellow North San Diegan friends who are thinking about homeschooling and don't know where to start. Some of it is applicable only to our area. Most of it is applicable to everyone.
FIRST: pick a charter school (or decide to do it privately). We have used:
Coastal Academy - six years and had a great experience with them. They have a campus in Oceanside, Vista, and Escondido (it's called Classical Academy in Vista and Escondido). Many of the people who work there homeschooled their own kids. They have so many different enrollment options: you can send your kids to school twice a week, once a week, or zero times a week The twice a week option "requires" you to use the school's curriculum, so I don't recommend that option because using your own curriculum and schedule is one of the best parts about homeschooling. If you use your own curriculum the school provides you with $500 per child for non-religious curriculum. If you don't send your kids to school at all, they provide you with money for extra-curricular activities. You have access to all their clubs, tutors, online resources, etc.
However, one draw back about Coastal Academy is- if your kids aren't fully vaccinated, they can not participate in the classes. You could still enroll them and homeschool them all five days and you'll get that money for curriculum and extra curricular activities, but there are so many other charter schools that offer the same thing that it might be better to find a different one to use that is closer to you or gives you more money.
San Diego Neighborhood Homeschools - two years and loved it. Thought about using Inspire Charter because they give more money, but SDNH offers two things that I feel are more important than the money: help navigating community college for high school, and a network of families doing the same thing as us that live near us.
Inspire Charter School - one year and loved it. We switched from SDNH because our education specialist did. They provide a lot more money and the same flexibility and freedom.
Homeschooling Privately - Because of the order the California Governor just signed, this year Charter Schools will only receive the amount of money that they were receiving as of February 2019 (and actually less than that because of the budget cuts). That means that in order to take in any new students for the 2020 school year, charter schools must give less money to all their previous students. Some of them might do this, others might not. Either way, all the charters I know of have a very long waitlist and it's not looking good for new families to become enrolled at them. So, homeschooling privately might be the only option available to you at this time. I have never homeschooled privately, but I know many people that have. You have to submit a private school affidavit through the state. You don't get any government funding. You have to keep meticulous records of attendance and reading/pe logs and have samples on hand in case you get audited, but you also have all the freedom in the world as far as schedules and curriculum. Becoming a private homeschool appeals to me because I love the idea of not answering to anyone, not having to meet with teachers, not turning in samples... But for now, I'm satisfied with Inspire Charter and won't be pursuing this option. However, if the government takes any more control of charter schools, I would definitely consider the private route.
SECOND: pick your own curriculum. That means: don't use the school's curriculum! Once you use their curriculum you have someone to answer to, task requirements and deadlines. You can't tailor lessons to your kids and you might leave out the stuff you or your kids love in order to complete the schools' assignments. If you want to have a horrible time homeschooling, the way to do it is to use someone else's curriculum and schedule. However, this doesn't mean you have to make up your own stuff. For our first four years we bought an all-inclusive curriculum from Oak Meadow Waldorf School (which I loved and still highly recommend). Every lesson was written out for us and it was very easy to follow along. But because we weren't using Coastal Academy's curriculum, we had so much more flexibility with our pace, schedule, and lessons. So my advice is, no matter what charter school you may enroll in, find and use a curriculum that you love instead of your charter school's curriculum. Unfortunately the only all-inclusive curriculum I have experience with is Oak Meadow, so I can't give any other recommendations for an all-inclusive type. But do a little research, pick one, and then go from there. You'll be able to tweak and change all along the way. Ask around for other recommendations. Your contact at the charter school will have heard of different options from their other students (plus they are probably a seasoned homeschooler themselves). And if you're still overwhelmed, use your school's, but keep in mind you can change it at any time if you don't like it.
THIRD: decide what you want your homeschool experience to "look like". When I first began homeschooling I made a list of everything I wanted my kids to learn or experience and then I looked for a "school" experience that fit my idea. Later, I took Sarah Mackenzie's "Focus & Align" Master Class at http://amongstlovelythings.com/. She offers a worksheet that helps you visualize your ideal homeschool day, find out what your passions are, find out what your kids' passions are, and figure out what you want the kids to remember about their homeschool experience. You don't need the worksheet to do this, but you will need a bit of introspective questioning. So, what do you want your homeschool to look like? Decide, and then make it happen.
FOURTH: keep it simple. I have talked to many experienced homeschool moms of older kids and they all say: the most important things to teach your kids are reading and math. (And I would a religious aspect to this). So if you're lost, start with reading and math. If that's all you end up getting done, it's ok. If your kids turn out to be good readers, they will read about all the other subjects. And once you get the hang of it, you can add or change things as needed. If you're worried about gaps in their education, you can supplement with classes at a charter school, co-op, or when they're older the community college. But for the love of homeschooling, start simple.
FIFTH: do what YOU love. If you're not enjoying the homeschool experience, your kids won't either. If you are passionate about what you're teaching, you will be a better teacher and your kids will get more out of it. And if you've already focused on reading and math, you will have plenty of extra time and the flexibility to cover the topics you want. If you don't know what you're passionate about, fill out the "Focus & Align" worksheet and it will help you discover them. My passions are classic literature, history, music and field trips, so we spend a lot of our time on these and less on subjects like science and grammar. I've also set aside a day each week to go on field trips.
That's it! Enjoy your kids! Have faith in your ability to teach them and in the inspiration you will receive as you embark on this worthy goal. If you need ideas for curriculum or for getting organized or how to actually "run" the homeschool, check out my other blog posts.
...A note on "socialization". If you're worried about this, don't be. It's a fake worry. Especially with all the homeschooling resources and opportunities available nowadays. Your kids will have plenty of social opportunities: charter school, church groups, sports activities, neighborhood friends, the grocery store, your family...
FIRST: pick a charter school (or decide to do it privately). We have used:
Coastal Academy - six years and had a great experience with them. They have a campus in Oceanside, Vista, and Escondido (it's called Classical Academy in Vista and Escondido). Many of the people who work there homeschooled their own kids. They have so many different enrollment options: you can send your kids to school twice a week, once a week, or zero times a week The twice a week option "requires" you to use the school's curriculum, so I don't recommend that option because using your own curriculum and schedule is one of the best parts about homeschooling. If you use your own curriculum the school provides you with $500 per child for non-religious curriculum. If you don't send your kids to school at all, they provide you with money for extra-curricular activities. You have access to all their clubs, tutors, online resources, etc.
However, one draw back about Coastal Academy is- if your kids aren't fully vaccinated, they can not participate in the classes. You could still enroll them and homeschool them all five days and you'll get that money for curriculum and extra curricular activities, but there are so many other charter schools that offer the same thing that it might be better to find a different one to use that is closer to you or gives you more money.
San Diego Neighborhood Homeschools - two years and loved it. Thought about using Inspire Charter because they give more money, but SDNH offers two things that I feel are more important than the money: help navigating community college for high school, and a network of families doing the same thing as us that live near us.
Inspire Charter School - one year and loved it. We switched from SDNH because our education specialist did. They provide a lot more money and the same flexibility and freedom.
Homeschooling Privately - Because of the order the California Governor just signed, this year Charter Schools will only receive the amount of money that they were receiving as of February 2019 (and actually less than that because of the budget cuts). That means that in order to take in any new students for the 2020 school year, charter schools must give less money to all their previous students. Some of them might do this, others might not. Either way, all the charters I know of have a very long waitlist and it's not looking good for new families to become enrolled at them. So, homeschooling privately might be the only option available to you at this time. I have never homeschooled privately, but I know many people that have. You have to submit a private school affidavit through the state. You don't get any government funding. You have to keep meticulous records of attendance and reading/pe logs and have samples on hand in case you get audited, but you also have all the freedom in the world as far as schedules and curriculum. Becoming a private homeschool appeals to me because I love the idea of not answering to anyone, not having to meet with teachers, not turning in samples... But for now, I'm satisfied with Inspire Charter and won't be pursuing this option. However, if the government takes any more control of charter schools, I would definitely consider the private route.
SECOND: pick your own curriculum. That means: don't use the school's curriculum! Once you use their curriculum you have someone to answer to, task requirements and deadlines. You can't tailor lessons to your kids and you might leave out the stuff you or your kids love in order to complete the schools' assignments. If you want to have a horrible time homeschooling, the way to do it is to use someone else's curriculum and schedule. However, this doesn't mean you have to make up your own stuff. For our first four years we bought an all-inclusive curriculum from Oak Meadow Waldorf School (which I loved and still highly recommend). Every lesson was written out for us and it was very easy to follow along. But because we weren't using Coastal Academy's curriculum, we had so much more flexibility with our pace, schedule, and lessons. So my advice is, no matter what charter school you may enroll in, find and use a curriculum that you love instead of your charter school's curriculum. Unfortunately the only all-inclusive curriculum I have experience with is Oak Meadow, so I can't give any other recommendations for an all-inclusive type. But do a little research, pick one, and then go from there. You'll be able to tweak and change all along the way. Ask around for other recommendations. Your contact at the charter school will have heard of different options from their other students (plus they are probably a seasoned homeschooler themselves). And if you're still overwhelmed, use your school's, but keep in mind you can change it at any time if you don't like it.
THIRD: decide what you want your homeschool experience to "look like". When I first began homeschooling I made a list of everything I wanted my kids to learn or experience and then I looked for a "school" experience that fit my idea. Later, I took Sarah Mackenzie's "Focus & Align" Master Class at http://amongstlovelythings.com/. She offers a worksheet that helps you visualize your ideal homeschool day, find out what your passions are, find out what your kids' passions are, and figure out what you want the kids to remember about their homeschool experience. You don't need the worksheet to do this, but you will need a bit of introspective questioning. So, what do you want your homeschool to look like? Decide, and then make it happen.
FOURTH: keep it simple. I have talked to many experienced homeschool moms of older kids and they all say: the most important things to teach your kids are reading and math. (And I would a religious aspect to this). So if you're lost, start with reading and math. If that's all you end up getting done, it's ok. If your kids turn out to be good readers, they will read about all the other subjects. And once you get the hang of it, you can add or change things as needed. If you're worried about gaps in their education, you can supplement with classes at a charter school, co-op, or when they're older the community college. But for the love of homeschooling, start simple.
FIFTH: do what YOU love. If you're not enjoying the homeschool experience, your kids won't either. If you are passionate about what you're teaching, you will be a better teacher and your kids will get more out of it. And if you've already focused on reading and math, you will have plenty of extra time and the flexibility to cover the topics you want. If you don't know what you're passionate about, fill out the "Focus & Align" worksheet and it will help you discover them. My passions are classic literature, history, music and field trips, so we spend a lot of our time on these and less on subjects like science and grammar. I've also set aside a day each week to go on field trips.
SIXTH: do what your kids love. Or make sure they have enough free time to pursue their own interests. Again, the "Focus & Align" worksheet helped me discover this aspect of homeschooling. And once I realized what my kids loved, I added more of that into our daily assignments (my daughter now does art in her spelling and math assignments and my sons spend more time on math). If you and your kids are doing what you love, homeschooling will be a joy, not a chore.
That's it! Enjoy your kids! Have faith in your ability to teach them and in the inspiration you will receive as you embark on this worthy goal. If you need ideas for curriculum or for getting organized or how to actually "run" the homeschool, check out my other blog posts.
...A note on "socialization". If you're worried about this, don't be. It's a fake worry. Especially with all the homeschooling resources and opportunities available nowadays. Your kids will have plenty of social opportunities: charter school, church groups, sports activities, neighborhood friends, the grocery store, your family...
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