Homeschooling Is A Beautiful Thing

As a parent educator, you have the freedom to weave your family's values, your educational goals, and your children's passions into the living journey of homeschooling. You get to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. You do not need to become entangled or even burdened with what the school down the street is up to, because you have the ability to design a program that is perfectly suited for not only each of your children, but your entire family as well.

To be a successful homeschooler you need a foundation, a plan, and sheer determination.

Foundation

This is the most essential piece to the homeschooling puzzle.

You need to lay a solid foundation for your children and your family.

    What does your ideal homeschool environment look like?
    What do imagine your daily routine to look like? How will the house run in the midst of your homeschool day?
    Will your children help around the house?
    What part will both you and your spouse play in their education?
    Will you incorporate your faith into the school day?

If you are a new homeschooler, you should take a few days to consider what your foundation should look like. If you are a brand new homeschooler, understand you may laugh at your ideas a few months from now, but that should not stop you from laying an idea of your foundation.

Plan

It is true, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

The good news is, in homeschooling the plan is fluid and changeable. You do not need to stick with plans that are failing, but you do need a plan.

    What grade levels are your children?
    What subjects are required in your state?
    What topics would you like to teach your children?
    Will you design your own teaching materials or acquire them from a big curriculum company?
    How long will your school day/year be?
    Where will you find coaching, mentoring, and encouragement?

Sheer Determination

Homeschooling is wonderful, but it is also wonderfully hard. It is a huge undertaking to not only educate your child, but keep your home from falling apart simultaneously. There will absolutely be days when you question everything. There will be more than one day, week, or year that you fear that you are ruining your child's education. This is normal.

Before you go any deeper into this thing called homeschooling, you should:

Determine that you will stay the course.

Determine to never quit out of frustration. When those days come that cause you to believe you should quit, declare it a free play day, go to the library, visit a veteran homeschooler, or go to the zoo.

Just determine to never quit out of frustration.

Understand that homeschooling is hard, but that just because it is hard does not mean that you are unqualified. Honestly there is no one more qualified to teach your children than you are. You know their strengths, weaknesses, and passions better than anyone else.

Homeschooling can be extremely fun, rewarding and exhausting. It is worth every bit of effort to be able to see your child blossom into a curious learner.

If what you are currently doing is not working, go back and look at your foundation and plan.
As a veteran homeschooler, I can assure you that it is very common for homeschoolers to go on tangents. It is also common to throw out topics or whole curriculums that are not a good fit for your family.

Change is good.

Homeschooling is good. It is not for everyone, but it is good!

Sharing tried and true homeschooling resources, templates, tips, advice, and encouragement is our passion. Visit http://abetterwaytohomeschool.com/ today!

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My Kids Do Not Drive Me Crazy

As a homeschooler, when you see me in public you will likely see one to five of my children at my side. It doesn't matter if it is 10:00am on a Wednesday at the grocery store, or 11:30am at a busy doctors office. The kids are always with me.

What baffles me is the reaction of the adults we come in contact with during our day.

Many are dumbfounded that I am wearing ironed clothes and have my hair styled. Most think I should be going crazy.

News Flash

My kids Do Not Drive Me Crazy.

(most of the time)

I always have 1-5 children (ages 8-20) at my side no matter where I go. They are my buddies. I am blessed beyond words!

I find my children to be amazing individuals. Unique, creative, and interesting.

I want to spend time with my boys. They are quirky, fun and entertaining.

I love being the one who gets to hear about all those crazy 'imaginings of childhood'. Why should I be in the dark about what brings them joy?

I appreciate that my boys work side by side with me to manage our home. They understand that we are a team.

Family is the focal point of my children's life.

My kids spend their time around people of different age groups and can readily relate to almost anyone. They are a joy to be around.

I spend so much time with my kids that they are not clingy and needy.

I do not feel like I am missing out on their childhood. I am there to witness the quality moments encapsulated in the quantity of time.

If my kids are hurting, they come to me. They know I can be trusted.

If my kids are afraid, they come to me. They know that I will reassure them.

My children do not question my desire to be a part of their lives.

I am "all in".

Why Do Children Drive Their Parents Crazy?

They are not used to having their children around them; they are usually at school or daycare.

The heart of their kids life is lived out away from them.

During the school day, kids laugh, cry, and are amazed.

At the end of the day parents ask their kids, "What did you do today?"

The kids say, "Nothing." They do not know how to relate to each other.

With working parents, public school, and extra-curricular activities. Families shuffle from one destination to the next, often marinated in tension because the kids cannot find their shoes, backpack, or sports equipment. Families are fuelled with anxiety.

Children capitalize on their parents time. They need attention. When parents and their kids live their lives away from each other all day, they try to squeeze in their quality time. You rarely get quality time without quantity time. While special moments can be created, spontaneous moments are missed.

They do not know their kids the same way that they would if they spent all their time together. This is a quantity thing. Best friends seek each other out. They invest their best in each other. Next to our spouses, our children should get the most of us.

School is the focal point of the child's life.

Kids spend most of their time surrounded by kids their own age, so they do not readily relate to people of other age groups.

They believe "me time" is essential for daily living. (I believe "we time" is essential. So do my kids)

Bottom Line?

I think our society has been seriously misled. Our children should not be shuttled off to a classroom where they are surrounded by their peer group and force fed information that does not inspire them to learn more.

I know that homeschooling is not for everyone. Honestly, homeschooling is hard. Very hard.

Parents should do everything they can to refocus their kids so that family is the center, not school. This may mean turning off the tv, quitting sports, and renting a rv. I think that kids need to know their parents are "all in". It may take some convincing, but our kids need this!

I think parents need a mindset reset.

    It is good to be around your children.
    It is OK to have many, many, many moments that are unstructured. That's where quality time lives!!
    It is good to snuggle and read together.
    It is good to cook with, clean, and create with your children right by your side.
    It is good to drag bring your kids to the store, to the doctor's office, and to the zoo.
    It is good for your kids to see you laugh.
    Kids are entertaining.
    Kids are a blessing.
    Family time is more important than me time. Almost. Always.

You may be thinking, but you do not know my kids. They want nothing to do with me. You do not need to pull them out of public school necessarily, but your time is ticking. This is one of those mountains worth dying on. Your family is everything. Reclaim your family. It will take time and energy you do not think you have, but it is worth it.

If you know that you cannot homeschool your kids, you can still reclaim your family...

Turn off the TV at least one day a week.

I am not against television, I am just more into my children. The TV stops kids from building, creating, and talking. Its true your home is cleaner and quieter with the set on, but at what cost?

Start eating at the table. Re-establish family dinners. Have the kids help plan and prepare at least one meal a week (or month).

Clear the calendar and establish a Family Game Night.

Wake your kids up early and go watch the sunrise (once a month). Make sure you bring or pick up a yummy breakfast.

Let the kids stay up late and put a telescope in the yard. Sit outside and look a the stars with your kids.

Read aloud to your kids. No matter how old they are. Find a gripping story and stop at a hanging point. Let them enjoy a bowl of popcorn while you read. Need a few suggestions?

Learn to ask questions that cannot be answered with a yes or a no.

Learn to wait for kids to answer. We can be so busy that we do not have patience for our kids minds to form answers.

Teach your kids to do something hard: change a tire, use a weed-eater, unplug a drain, reprogram a computer, build a fence, ANYTHING. Make this a regular habit.

Expect your kids to help around the house. Kids need chores, but they are not slaves. Work alongside them. Put them in charge of background music (Maybe only once a week if you cannot quite stomach their choices).

Set boundaries. Kids need to know you will keep them safe. This means different things for each family. You are the parent. You set the standards.

TURN off YOUR smart phone, laptops, iPads or any screen that pulls your eyes away from your kids. Make it a policy that during your short time together, you will be "ALL IN".

Turn off the house phone during the evening. Family time is sacred!

Read a Proverb every day to your kids. There are 31 Proverbs so you look a the calendar and read that Proverb. If you really want to reclaim your family, you need more of God. Period. Start where you are. Ask God to help you and start reading your Bible. Proverbs is a good place to begin because it is filled with incredible wisdom for your family. No it is not outdated.

Cut out any activities that do not strengthen your family. This can be REALLY hard. Be honest with yourself. There are no One Size Fits All families. What I need to cut in my family will absolutely be different for yours. Just be real.

Family time is precious.

Cut back expenses. This may seem obvious, but it is not. If you cut back your expenses you can carve out more and more time for your family. With some creative financing, maybe you can even afford to stay home!

Start Slowly.

    Set your kids down and let them know you are reclaiming your family.
    Implement one new habit at a time. If you have older kids, let them pick one thing to change first.
    Be consistent.
    Set a reminder in your calendar and re-evaluate your efforts at least once a month.

Which mom would you rather be?

The one who loves being around her children,

or the one who is driven crazy by them?

Make any changes necessary to make the right choice.

It may not be easy, but it is still worth it!

Sharing tried and true homeschooling resources, templates, tips, advice, and encouragement is our passion. Visit http://abetterwaytohomeschool.com/ today!

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Good Reasons Why You Should Choose Home Schooling for Your Kids

By Mandy McCormick

Home schooling has received a lot of criticism over the years. The sad fact is that most of the criticism is not coming from experts or experienced educators but from ordinary people who did not study the matter. Because of these criticisms, many parents have been discouraged from getting this form of education for their children.

If you are a parent then you should not count out the possibility of providing this schooling for your children just because of what you hear from others. For all you know they are just parroting the words that they in turn have heard without really knowing what they are talking about. You should look into what home schooling can do for your children on your own.

To help you to become an informed parent, I have listed here some of the advantages of this. You might see a similar list and it would contain a lot more, but for simplicity's sake I have decided to cut it down to four advantages which basically cover everything. Here are some of those advantages:

Personal Convictions- Whether we admit it or not, our own convictions and beliefs would play an important role in the way that we raise our children. This would go into how they are educated as well. We want our beliefs to become part of the way that they are taught.

This is why people with strong religious or philosophical convictions opt for home schooling for their kids. That way, they can impart the strong convictions that they have to their kids and they can mold their education so that it can be centered on their beliefs. Critics of this would see this as a negative but others see it as something that's very positive.

The Right Kind of Socialization- Critics of home schooling would say that a child undergoing this form of education is being denied the advantages of being able to socialize with children of their own age. Because of that, they are unable to properly develop their skills when it comes to social interaction.

While it might be true that being able to play and talk with children of their own age is beneficial to them, it is not really that much of a necessity. It is also beneficial to expose them to people of other age groups. They could get role models from those older than themselves and they could play role models in turn to those younger than them. You can do this when you opt for this.

Academic Performance- Perhaps the biggest advantage of this schooling is that children who undergo it usually perform better than children who undergo traditional education. That has been proven by statistics that are available for study.

More Time with Family- When children undergo with this they spend more time with their family. That is something that's missing with the usual form of education, which strengthens the socialization of children with their peers at the price of their relationship with their family.

These are just some of the advantages that you can get from home schooling.

Need home school resources to help you home school your children? Lighthouse Home School Resources offers the latest curriculum that you will need. We have a complete line of the most popular resources available anywhere.

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Homeschooling Due to School Violence Discussed

By Lance Winslow

Not long ago, there was yet another Columbine-like mass school shooting in Connecticut. Consider if you will the violence in our schools, the behavior of the kids, and the lack of ability of the school system to give our children the proper education for our technologically advanced society. After this most recent shooting many people said we needed more gun control of assault rifles.

Well, if we are going to charge the tools used by an individual to carry out a crime, then we must take away everyone's car, so they don't use it in a bank robbery. We must close all the school so no one has a place to congregate. And while we're at it we should close all the malls and movie theaters as well. Are you beginning to see my point and how shallow that argument is for gun control?

Still, if we can't trust our schools to protect our children, maybe we shouldn't send them to school anyway. First, I'd like to say that our schools are doing a lousy job of educating our kids, and many of the kids and young adults coming out of our colleges do not have the skills, temperament, mindset, education, ability, talent, or anywhere close to the experience needed to make it in our technologically advanced society.

You know this is a problem, and it's not something I need to tell you. Rather what I'd like to suggest today is that perhaps you do your own homeschooling, and rid your kids of these terrible violent challenges in our schools. Not to mention the proverbial "bullying" or prisonlike atmosphere when your child gets a rotten teacher who doesn't care, and is only there due to their tenure.

Indeed, I suppose there are many moms who do homeschooling in that small town of Connecticut where the elementary school Sandy Hook shooting took place. Their kids are alive, well, and safe. They won't have the emotional scars to deal with that those other kids will who did watch their classmates, teachers, and the school staff shot up, and killed. May I ask why we send our kids off to school in the first place?

If the schools are not doing a good job teaching our children, and if there is a chance that they could be hurt or killed in the violent act, then why on Earth would we send them to such a place? There also challenges with child molestation teachers from time to time, and other crazy things which happen. Who needs that for our children? If you love your children, you might consider not sending them to school at all. Why would you wish them to be brainwashed by an authoritative system that can't even protect them?

Rather than taking away everyone's guns because some deranged individual shot up some kids in school, why not take away all the schools, save the money, and tell the teachers unions "we don't need you anymore?" I'd say this latest shooting is yet another good reason to homeschool your kids. Please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on the Future of Education. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net

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Finding the Right College Career Advisor

By Andrew Stratton

Choosing the right college career advisor is an important decision. Even if you choose to work with an established company, you still want to find a person that has specific insight into where you want to head and what you need to do to get there. If possible, take some time to meet with the professional in advance and bring along a few questions that will help you decide if this is the person that you want helping you plan out your future.

Experience in the Industry

There are some people that do a great job as a college career advisor. They have plenty of information on how to get into the workforce, how to create a good resume, and even how to set up a perfect interview. However, if you are looking to begin work in a specific industry, there may be things that set this job apart from some of the others. You need someone that has worked in the industry in the past or currently holds down a job in a similar field.

This college career advisor will be able to tell you exactly how the workforce is currently doing, what other applicants are doing to set themselves apart from the others, and what steps you can take to get a head start. A teacher may not understand what it takes to work in the field of engineering, for example. Your goal should be to find someone that has something specific to offer you.

A Successful Reputation

You want to learn from the best and your college career advisor should be someone that has found success in his or her current industry. This is the type of person that will be able to provide you with advice. You want to follow in the footsteps of the best. At the initial consultation, don't be afraid to ask the professional about his or herself. You need to know where the job has taken this person and consider whether or not this is the same path that you want to follow. The more information that you have about this person's professional life, the better.

Someone to Relate to

Even if a person has a lot of experience in the industry and is at the top of his or her field, if you cannot relate or communicate with this person, there is a good chance that this is not the college career advisor for you. You are going to be spending considerable time with this person learning about how to put together a resume and cover letter or discussing which types of internships and programs will best suit you and your future plans. If you cannot work with this person and keep things moving in a positive way, it may be time to look elsewhere.

A college career advisor from http://earlycareerlaunch.com can assist you in a number of ways.

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