Letters from Leslie
Teaching Methods
Teaching Schedules
How To Make Up Lesson Plans
Scope & Sequence
Developing A Worldview
Online Resources & Independent Studies
Homeschooling Through High School
Click here to go to the bottom to navigate the site.
TEACHING METHODS
Hello everyone! With the fall quickly approaching and summer coming to an end, my kids are ready to get back to a regular schedule of learning. I realize that we have members who are using many different methods of teaching from Charlotte Mason to Unit Studies and everything in between. That is sort of where we are - in between all methods. Okay, laugh but it is about the only way to describe where we have found comfortable learning!
What do I mean by comfortable learning? Well, we have been homeschooling now for 5 years and I can tell you there is a world of difference from the first year to where we are now. We started as most new homeschoolers do, scared. We used the basic textbook system that most resembled what we remembered from our time in school. It was not homeschool but a school at home. That is not what homeschooling is and it takes getting over the jitters to realize that you can sway from some predetermined method of teaching. If the current methods of teaching children in the institutional setting are doing so well, why are we homeschooling then? My advice is this, do not try to duplicate school at home. Rather, try to create a true learning environment where kids can explore and learn on their own. Make sure that you have maps up, the dictionary close by, and other reference materials, and a smiling face!
We moved from that standard beginning to a more flexible learning environment the next year. I let the kids come with me to the homeschooling convention to look at the books themselves. They decided that they didn't like certain textbooks and methods while others caught their eye. I figured if they were more willing to learn from this book, then it would be easier to teach with that book!!! I was right and we had an even better 2nd year! Come the third year we moved into the unit study approach to things and started with a more classical look at literature studies. How can you mix these with textbooks too? Easy!
For an example of how you can mix all these methods I will use our own family. Now, I am sure that even if you use a little of this or that, you will tend to be more comfortable with one method. For us that would be the unit studies, but we use textbooks too because they give you that security feeling. We use the following throughout our typical year:
- Five In A Row
- Unit Studies on our hot topics - made by mom
- ABeka for a standard science and history text
- Streams of Civilizations Vol. 1 & 2 from Christian Liberty Press
- Bob Jones Math and Saxon Math
- Explode the Code & Wordly Wise from EPS
- AlphaPhonics & Hooked on Phonics
- Assignment Discovery from Discovery channel for our unit studies
- NASA's Passport to Knowledge
- Prairie Primer using Little House books
- My Body - health
- The local library
Okay that is about it, but you can see that we use a variety of learning materials! We use the textbooks for building up a main theme. Then we do a unit study on that topic. For instance, let's use the middle ages as an example. The kids will read that section in their history books. We then read classical literature (as much as possible) about that time period. We also study about the artists, listen to music, and study geography, etc. all about that same time period. This gives you a rounded idea of that time. When the kids are really energetic, they might even do a little play for mom & dad to bring us to that time. (I guess that is our drama class!)
Don't be afraid if you do stray from a standardized textbook to do a unit study on your child's favorite subject. Don't be afraid to mix and match curriculum publishers! Everyone is not the same, and children do not learn the same. In order to have a happy homeschool, and to basically survive it all despite yourself, learn to be flexible. Take advantage of everything that comes your way as a learning example. Even a trip to the store can prove a valuable learning experience in math, consumer economics, marketing etc. You will even surprise yourself at the things you can use to teach all day long. Even us veterans (I guess that is what I am now - lol) need to remind ourselves of this from time to time.
I would like to hear how the rest of you doing your homeschool!!! I only branched out like this after hearing the wisdom from other parents that shared. We all learn from each other, & I can use the tips as much as you can! So please send in your questions or ideas!!!
**For those of you who are not familiar with the different methods or curriculum I mentioned, please watch the newsletter. Or you can write me for an immediate answer. I plan on posting descriptions of various methods each month and doing reviews on the various mentioned curriculums. Hope this helps!
In Him,
Leslie
Back to the Top
TEACHING SCHEDULES
Most of you have now started back to a full time schedule. With that in mind, I hope that you are all excited about a new year of learning at home! For other homeschoolers who don't follow the typical school year I wish you continued success!
Now, for my readers who wouldn't dare think of anything but following the typical school year calendar, I would like to share some things. I guess we are going to visit that first year scared issue that I touched on last month about methods. Your first year you try to do that school at home thing. What goes with that is following the school schedule that you grew up with yourself. Then comes the next year where you learn that you can switch a Friday around, work ahead a few days for a visit to grandmas and get the guilts because you feel like you skipped or ditched. Now, don't laugh because if you are a normal parent, you have gone through this thinking in your mind before.
Then comes the freedom of the third year! Oh how blessed it would be to skip right to this point! I would honestly say that it takes until the third year for most parents to buildup their confidence levels, see that their kids ARE in fact learning to start to loosen up a bit. This is the year that you move the schedule around without all the guilt knowing that you are in control and what are the benefits of homeschooling if you can't move a schedule around?
Move schedules is just what some parents do quite a bit! I have found that some work through the summer but take mini two-week vacations throughout the year. Others work 4 weeks on 1 week off all year long. Some, like me, work all year from fall to spring but still do things in the summer. We personally work on reading and math only during the summer to avoid that math amnesia thing. As long as you are finishing the equivalent of 1 year of materials in 1 year, you are doing ok. However, if your kids are ready to move fast, let them go mom! My son worked himself ahead two whole grades one year but has now tapered back a bit. On the other hand, my one daughter needed more time with Algebra and was offered that extra time to complete it well. In school she probably would have gotten a poor grade. At home, where we can move as fast or as slow as we desire, she finished with flying colors!
Take advantage of the flexibility that homeschooling offers to families. Just think how nice thanksgiving will be when you can take off the day before to cook or even that whole week! Or traveling in off weeks to visit relatives? I should probably state here to make sure there is no confusion that yes, I advocate using a lesson plan of some kind…
That's the topic for next month's letter…much love and God Bless. Back to the Top
I have 6 children of whom 4 are officially in full-time school work and one preschooler who does her pages as well. Two ideas come to mind when thinking of lesson plans. Either plan them only 2 weeks at a time suited to the all the children (and in pencil)! I stop at natural stopping points such as where questions are, where we have maps, etc. I always add one more day for review. If we don't use it then they go on to the next lesson and I adjust during the next two weeks of planning. For the younger grades though, it isn't too hard to plan this out. They do one math lesson a day, read one story a day, go ahead in science until the next set of questions, study spelling each day, etc. It has only been a matter of the more complicated stuff for the higher grade levels or unit studies that causes a little more effort on my part with lesson planning...
I have one lesson plan book that I use for my 3 middle children. On one side I have my 3rd grader's lessons listed. (I use a lesson plan book that is much longer then the average because I wanted the days on the left and empty columns across the tops.)
On the right side I have it split between my 6th and 7th graders. They are sharing a few columns because Andrew is working at a 7th grade level with his sister Cassy in history and science. We put notes on the days part like: studied painter Valesquez,
Unit study on NE Indians, Field Trip to Post Office, etc. That way I use it to serve as a record of special event and things we do.
Now, a note of relief for the high schooler! Ali has her own lesson plan book that I got at Office Depot. She writes in what she accomplishes each day into her book. I review what she is doing and make suggestions if I feel she should be doing more work. I grade her tests, and will quiz her from time to time. However, I really am not hovering over her to get her studies done, she is in 11th grade this year. If you are blessed as I am to have an independent learner then say thank you God. I realize that some of you will not be able to be this relaxed with your high school students.
However, I suggest trying to build good study habits early so that they can achieve this independent learning. This will help your kids when it comes time to attend college as well. I highly suggest a book that Christian Liberty produces called 'How to Study'. Read it with your younger kids, say 5th grade and up and definitely make your high schooler read it. It even helped mom here to retain materials I was trying to learn - like HTML code and Java Scripting! J
A second option to the lesson plan book is that you can start using the index card system! I started this method this past year and it really works well for keeping on schedule, for multiple kids, for kids who will do that same course a few years from now, etc. You write out each lesson onto an index card. Number each card and plan out the entire book, unit study, etc. Then as that child completes a lesson, he signs his name & date, then puts the card in the back of the index card holder.
What's great about it is that you have their signature that they completed the work, and the day the work was completed for record keeping? Next, when it is time for the next child to do this, the entire unit is already planned out. We even use it for my older kids who are working at different speeds. They are doing chemistry but just at different speeds. The only difference is that we don't put the cards in the back but back in order. If you forgot what the last lesson was you did (we only do chemistry 2-3 times a week) then you just look for the last card you signed. Accountability!
The nice thing about this method is that you can work as FAST or as SLOW as the child needs without getting that 'I'm off track' feeling. Hope this helps...
Leslie usteach@aol.com
Next month I will cover the whole Scope & Sequence thing. What is it? How to use it? Why should I even look at it?
Back to the Top
What is it?
When I first heard this term I did not know what it was. I had been trying to write out my own scope and goals for the year and did not realize that I was creating the same thing. A friend of mine introduced me to this wonderful resource and showed me new ways to apply it years ago when I first began homeschooling. A Scope & Sequence basically lists each subject covered by grade level K-12. It is then broken down further by listing the actual course of study for each subject. The best way to describe it for someone who has never seen one is to demonstrate an example -- I will use World Books Scope for 3rd grade mathematics. For the record I have been told that the World Book Encyclopedia's Scope & Sequence is comparable to the average public school.
NOTE: Certain skills and content may be taught through all or several of the grade levels, sometimes in more than one subject. Examples include library research, study and references-book skills, thinking skills, vocabulary, spelling, and handwriting, measurement, calculator use, computer skills, graphs, tables, and charts, current events, famous people, careers, etc.
What you have above is an outline for 3rd grade math that basically tells you all the areas, or skill sets that need to be taught and accomplished over the year. Typically they are listed in order they should be learned or built upon. One look at the scope from ABeka books and you will see that there is a difference where they are ahead of the average. There are some differences in the scope & sequence depending on the curriculum publisher and source. If you are considering a complete curriculum such as ABeka, Bob Jones, CLP, Alpha Omega, etc. please ask for their scope & sequence. It will tell you if their material is ahead or behind of where your child is.
What do I mean by this? Let's say that I want to switch over to ABeka book materials this coming year. (For this example I have little Johnny in 3rd grade and Susie in 5th grade.) I look at the 2nd grade sequence for math and notice immediately that Johnny's textbook did not cover the same things that ABeka's did. This tells me that he may not do so well if I put him into a 3rd grade ABeka math book without covering more areas ahead of time. For Susie though, I see that she has covered almost everything that ABeka will cover in 5th grade already. Perhaps she could go on to the 6th grade text with a little help.
I have used the scope & sequence as a placement guide for choosing new curriculum for my children. For those of you who have experienced textbooks that were too hard or easy for your children will know the frustration that comes with it. A child who is working with a text that is ahead of him will become frustrated and burned-out quickly. Realize here that most subjects build upon a foundation that is set in layers. You can not skip over a layer or two without detrimental consequences. You will get poor results from working in textbooks that are not challenging and are covering previously learned material. Yes, the work is easy and little Johnny can finish school in 2 hours flat. Is he really learning anything? Boredom from never being challenged can take over the love of learning. Besides, why waste your time or that time of the child who could be learning new skills?
As I became more comfortable with homeschooling and saw where my children's skill set were at, I began to see how useful a scope & sequence could be for creating my goals for the year for each of my children. We do not use textbooks for every subject and prefer to do unit studies when we can. My self-learners (I only have 2 of those out of 6 children) really enjoy doing unit studies. They also like seeing the year's objectives for their grade level and are excited about what they will 'know' within 8 months of time. (My younger ones are just happy to 'know' what is for dinner today!)
For those of you who are freed from the security of a textbook, you can use the S & S as a tool for creating your own lessons. Work at teaching one objective at a time per subject, moving on as each one is mastered. I know of many whom use a scope & sequence this way versus typical textbooks. They simply pull together different resources and materials to create lessons that teach the objective at hand. Yes, it may be a little more work but it can be a lot more exciting and hopefully more memorable. I will be covering unit studies next month and will share tips on how to build a great unit study step by step.
Whether you just want to make sure that your curriculum is covering all objectives for a subject, want to create your own lesson plans, or are considering new curriculum, then you should have a scope & sequence around. I would suggest getting a few of them from different sources to compare. After all, you are trying to set the best possible condition for learning with your children. Using a scope & sequence you can make sure that your children are ready to move into the next grade level, track their achievements, choose curriculum more wisely, plan unit studies, and assure doubting relatives that your kids are learning right in line with or above the average student in America. This is just another tool that can help you and your family.
For my friends with high school students or those worried about the high school level. You will be happy to know that you can use the scope & sequence layout for helping you in creating high school transcript records. A transcript record is not as hard as it sounds and provides the necessary information needed for college entry, college guidance planning, scholarship applications, employment (at times), and general recording keeping. For high school, you need to list each subject that is covered and whether it is a 1-semester or 2-semester course. (Most subjects are 2 semester or 1 year courses such as English, Math, etc.)
For each year recorded, you first break it down into 2 semesters. Then list each text or resource that is/was used per subject. Under each subject heading, you then list out the main objectives that were covered or studied. If you are using a text from ABeka or other main curriculum supplier, you can simply list the same objectives that they have listed in their scope & sequence for that particular year. This is a nice time saver once you get kids at this grade level. Visit World Book online to see the current grade levels for your own children. If you have Juno, drop me a line and the grade level or just grade/subject you are wanting and I will go get it for you. Use this tool to help keep you focused and give you some sense of organization in your homeschooling. God Bless! Leslie
ABeka Books - call and request a S & S from them at 1-800-874-2352 World Book Encyclopedia's Curriculum guides Back to the Top
Well I am sure that many of you have heard the term worldview, especially in home schooling circles. Some of you may be familiar with the definition of a worldview and others of you may not. I feel it is very important to have a worldview firmly established for us and for our children. Your worldview interprets all reality, all of God's creation, all of life. That interpretation is important, because it determines how you act and how you behave. Your worldview is critical, since it is the standard against which you measure everything in your life. Your standards and ideals do not belong to you unless you have them hammered in your mind. If you think back to when you were younger, in your teenage years, you can review the events in your life where you chose one position over another. You chose to take a stand one way or another based upon principles and experiences you had growing up in your life. Most of these standards instilled by your parents and your church experiences, if any. The topic of worldview usually comes up when you have older children, however, I suggest reading this article and considering your worldview no matter how old your children are.
A worldview should provide a coherent and consistent foundation for life. From that worldview we should be able to develop beliefs, positions, and attitudes about all areas of life. If our thinking is not built on God's Word, it is built on another foundation--man's word. Worldview coming from this foundation would be a secular one. If we are not actively building our children's worldview, the secular world will.
For Christian homeschoolers, we not only want to teach our children about God and His Word, but to bring a Christian worldview into every subject area (geology, biology, music, art, language, etc.) based on the foundation of God's revelation in the Holy Scriptures. If our curricula are founded on man's thinking, then will see our children coming to conclusions that are often contrary to God's Word.
In particular, we need to carefully examine the materials our children are using. We are indoctrinated by our secularized world daily through the media and the people we mix with to a point that we do not recognize it at times. As a result, even as homeschoolers who understand the need to train our children in a Christian worldview, we inadvertently bring up children who are secularized to one degree or another in their thinking. Examine your curricula carefully for 'me-centered' opinions (e.g. evolutionary humanism, as opposed to Bible-centered thinking). If our children are secularized in their thinking, the Christian structure will not stand, and for all our effort, they will not be able to stand on their Christian principles once grown.
Our children's worldview is inevitably affected by what we believe concerning our origins and our destiny.
Our children watch closely as to how we deal with situations and people. In part, this is how our children build their own worldview. While there are numerous contending worldviews, only one delivers a coherent, consistent, and true foundation. The Bible provides the guidelines by which Christians should form their worldview. It tells of the sanctity of life, which informs our positions on abortion and euthanasia. It reveals God's heart about sexual relationships, thus dictating positions on fornication, adultery, and homosexuality. From the Bible, we learn that God is a God of order who created the universe; thus we search for God's order in science rather than relying upon "evolution, or the big bang" to explain the workings of nature. " That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." 1 Cor 2:5
Since Scripture is the foundation for Biblical Christian worldview, those who reject the Bible use other sources to validate their belief systems. If we want to convince others of the correctness of a position, we will be much more effective if we also understand alternative worldviews. We need to understand which things are influencing these other views as well as their sources. In fact, part of developing a Biblical Christian worldview should be examination of other possibilities. However, keep in mind that we must build on Truth before we can identify Untruth.
So what does this have to do with home education? Idea's results in actions; generally speaking, and good ideas produce good actions. The mess facing our society developed naturally from belief in, and action based upon, bad ideas about God, man, man's relationship to God, the family, government, and all other areas. If are children have their worldview in place, they will be able to withstand temptations of the secular world. "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it" Proverbs 22:6
What ideas do our children believe about God and man? Have they begun to develop a Biblical Christian worldview that will guide them through life? We assume that by using Christian textbooks and including a Bible study course, we will have taken care of any philosophical problems. Unfortunately, it's not enough.
What will our teens face when they complete high school? Few might end up front lines of the moral battlefield. Some will be able to continue their education at good Christian colleges, insulated from some of the worldly challengers for a time. Others will continue their education at colleges and universities where they will encounter both obvious and subtle challengers to their faith every day. Still others will move into the workplace, exposed daily to people who follow all types of non-Christian belief systems.
We must ask ourselves if we are equipping our children to, first of all, be able to stand firm in explaining their beliefs in Jesus Christ as Savior, and, secondly be able to bring the precepts of Christianity back into positions of influence in all areas of life. Unless they understand how those areas of life are dominated by other belief systems, they certainly will not have any idea of what changes are needed. Nor will they know where they stand and how to defend their principles.
We should want our young adults to be used by God. Thus, a major part of our effort should be spent in equipping them with the Biblical Christian worldview, teaching them how that worldview speaks to all areas of our life. While many of our teens know a lot about God, some of them accept their faith and superficial level. Worldview studies that include apologetics ideally should challenge them to examine the reality of their faith and question the evidence in their own lives. "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you:" 1 Pet 3:15
From that point, how we choose to approach worldview education will vary from person to person, depending upon our interest in and knowledge of different subject areas. History stands out as the common unifying subject for most in-depth study of worldviews. The flow of events and their results provide obvious evidence with which we can begin our study.
Worldview education overlaps many basic high school subjects, sometimes making it difficult to translate course content into a transcript. I treat worldview studies as a freestanding one or two year course and assign credit as for any other course, calling it something general like ("humanities" or "philosophy"). I also give credit for current events, which falls under social studies for younger children.
Building worldview studies around the history texts, using only a few supplements from the family and local library, might be the extent of your course. Studying the past is helpful in developing a Christian worldview, but if we look only to the past and ignore the present, we overlook one of the purposes for even pursuing such study. Current events demonstrate worldviews and certainly make the subject come alive for teens. Most of us see the results of anti-God worldviews in the school system, the work place, and society in general. As we study worldviews, we began to identify more cause-and-affect relationships.
One resource I suggest is Jones University Press World History For Christian Schools to be most useful. It covers art, philosophy, world religions, literature, science, law, and politics very well. Discussion questions are the outstanding feature. Question such as, "What influence did Christians have the 19th century Europe?" and "What impact did European society have on Christians?" extend thinking beyond the facts into the realm of belief systems. Another good resource is that Timetables Of History, which many homeschoolers are familiar with. Look through the timeline for people, places, or events that would be helpful in developing worldview themes. Also look for relationships between ideas and events easily missed in history books. For instance, events on the "religious front" often had dramatic impact upon politics; the French Revolution for example.
Don't forget other valuable resources such as the local newspaper, which can be used for current event studies. Christian magazines, newsletters, or newspapers such as World Magazine and Focus on the Family are good for those who cannot or don't desire to subscribe to the local newspaper. Conservative magazines such as Conservative Chronicle, although not exclusively Christian, often addressed worldview issues. Also check out Cathy Duffy's chapter on worldview in her Curriculum Manual for Jr./Sr. High.
I suggest collecting articles and organize them by categories such as creation science vs. evolution, the government, ethics, secular humanism, etc. Have your older children assist by scanning through the newspaper and magazines with you. This also serves as a double purpose, because it teaches students how to read with discernment as they search for their own articles. This sort of activity can begin even before they by initiate formal worldview studies.
Also, online there are many good resources for studying current events and Christian Worldview. To start your journey, please visit my Information Page at: A course on worldview is certainly involves extra effort, but consider the consequences if we ignore it. Our children become easy prey for those who CAN defend their worldviews whether those worldviews are Christian or not. Our children need the knowledge to identify falsehoods and inconsistencies. Please pray about developing your family's worldview for you and your children. God Bless, Leslie
World Magazine - my favorite for adults & kids Back to the Top
Back to the Top
Back to the Top
In Him,
Leslie
HOW TO MAKE UP LESSON PLANS
SCOPE & SEQUENCE
3rd Grade Mathematics Objectives
*Reading and writing numbers to 5 places
*Beginning Roman numerals
*Rounding numbers
*Positive and negative numbers in daily life
*Simple fractions and equivalents
*Properties of one
*Numeration systems
*Addition and subtraction facts to 25
*Multiplication and division facts to 100
*Perimeter, area, volume
*Geometric constructions
*Similar and congruent figures
*Properties of solid figures
*Customary and metric measurement
*Time to 1 and 5 minute measures
*Estimation of outcomes
*Problem solving analysis
*Word Problems
*Charts and graphs
Christian Liberty, Bob Jones, and Rod & Staff also have them available.
http://www.worldbook.com/wb/Students?curriculum
DEVELOPING A WORLDVIEW
Worldview and Home Education
Are they properly equipped?
http://members.aol.com/homeedu6/info.html
Resources
God's World Publications
PO Box 2330
Asheville, NC 28802
800-951- 5437
Age-graded children's newspapers that make it possible to start worldview studies much earlier than high school. Also check out World which is for adults and high school students, a Christian alternative to Time or Newsweek.
Timetables Of History
by Bernard Grun
201-767-5937
Conservative Chronicle
PO Box 37077
Boone, Iowa 50037
800-888-3039
How Should We Then Live?
800-323-3890
Summit Ministries
PO Box 207
Manitou Springs, CO 80829
Question Worldview Library
P.O Box 546
Wichita, KS 67201
316-832-3319
Videos and books you can rent.
Citizen Newsletter
Focus on the Family
800-232-6459
Online Resources & Independent Studies
Last month I asked for assistance from you, my readers, to help
homeschooling parents who want to use online resources. From the many
email questions I get about homeschooling, this one about online
homeschooling seems to be near the top.
First, this is a new arena for the homeschool market so just sit tight and
watch what comes about over the next two years. Mainstream curriculum
publishers are starting programs just for use online with or without their
standard curriculum. Granted this is not the personal approach that I
want for my children but I did come up with some advantages.
If mom were to get sick or have a family emergency, this might be an
option for just a year. For older high school aged students, who work well
independently, this would also be an alternative. I see parents who are
intimidated by teaching high school using the online curriculums at least
for some of the subjects.
For a more independent approach there is the Robinson Curriculum with it’s
all-inclusive 22 CD-ROMs that take you from K-12 grades. (See Robinson
under Teaching Methods on my website for a detailed review.) There is also
the ‘Switched On School House’ CD-ROMs that a lot of parents are talking
about from Alpha Omega. Of course there is the standard Alpha Omega Curriculum which is pretty independent learning as well as the classic
‘Paces’.
As with anything on the Internet I would highly advise using it as a tool
to assist with your homeschooling and not as a substitute. Remember that
children are children and if left to themselves for any length of time
that they can fall off track. Just like we adults need accountability to
God and those in charge over us, so do children.
Now, as your children mature and can be depended upon to work alone well
there are many new colleges and high school curriculums on the Internet.
This takes us into the next area of homeschooling through college, or at
least for the first one or two years. This avenue is becoming more popular
with mainstream students as well as homeschoolers. If you are interested
in this area then you are only a search away from finding many resources.
I am asking that any of you that research this a bit to please pass on
links or information that you may come across so I can continue to build a
basis for this resource for homeschoolers.
Thanks to all the people who sent in their ideas, links and help!
One mom sent this in:
Yes regarding online schools for moms who need help. HomeSat with BJU is
an option. Call BJU for details. Great program.
Sincerely, S. Infinger
Links for further checking:
http://www.eduplace.com
http://www.clearvue.com/resources/index.asp
This is loaded with resources for online schooling.
http://www.free-ed.net
Trinity College
http://www.trinitysem.edu/
Homeschooling Through High School
Here lately, with my oldest daughter turning 18 this past week I am
reminded that my children (at least some of them) are growing up and
maturing into young adults. This is bringing our family into a whole new
arena of parenting! Along with this new and exciting time of being parents
of an older child come new challenges as well.
Of course there is the issue of home schooling through high school which
for many moms is not an option in their minds. With Ali being my oldest
child, oldest daughter, and first to be homeschooled in our family she has
been made into I guess the measuring stick with which to judge how well we
are doing with homeschooling. All our relatives are, of course, waiting to
see her scores and how she does in college. To them, being accepted to and
attending college is the proof in the pudding, so to speak, that
homeschooling did not damage our child from succeeding in today’s
‘society’.
To those of you who do not think that you can homeschool during the high
school years let me give you some encouragement. These past 4 years of Ali being homeschooled has been wonderful for many reasons. Perhaps the most
important reason is that I have been here for her to talk to and discuss things as she was going through her adolescent years. What other mom,
except a homeschooled mom, gets to enjoy, support, and spend time with their blossoming teenager?
When I asked Ali if she enjoyed being home these past 4 years versus a
public school she said that she would not have traded it for the world. I
was there when she needed me and was going through all those pains of
growing up and maturing through hormones. Those important times alone was worth all the extra lesson plans I had to prepare for.
Did I ever feel like I couldn’t do this? Oh yes! Many times I was
discouraged and thought that maybe she would be better in a regular school
but then I would pray about it. During prayer times and struggles with
homeschooling I learned a lot about what I could accomplish, just how much
she was in fact learning, and how my husband and I were making the right
decision.
Are you worried about advanced math, physics and chemistry? Maybe you
hated science in school and do not think you have a clue as to how to
teach it. Let me tell you that when you start teaching these you will find
a whole new interest and love that you never thought you could have for
science! Maybe it won’t be enough ‘love’ to start your own science lab but
it will be enough to EXPLORE the different areas of high school science
with a new found passion.
For those who really can’t grasp a warm fuzzy feeling toward science there
are alternatives for you. Here in Fort Wayne we have a few colleges that
accept high school students. Many, and I do mean many, homeschool parents enroll their teens into biology, chemistry, physics or advanced math. This
way you are getting double credit for the class for both high school and college.
If you think you can or want to handle high school level sciences then
great! We have used some really good science texts along with many hands
on and unit study materials. Don’t forget about all the many resources on
the Internet for these areas. For those of you who love the Saxon math
books, there is a new company that had come up with Saxon instruction
videotapes. (I will be talking about this more next month.)
Now that we have made it with the first child to graduation I feel a sense
of accomplishment that I wasn’t too sure I could complete years ago. Ali
is doing well at college, did well on her SAT’s, is well mannered and has
a good foundation in Christ. So for you parents who are afraid of tackling
the high school years at home I give you our testimony as encouragement.
Yes, to support we are going through a graduation ceremony put together by homeschool parents through the local homeschool group. The ‘young adults’
will be wearing a cap and gown and will be presented with their diplomas by their parents. It will be a nice presentation with many of the
graduates pastor’s speaking or giving prayers. No, we are not doing a
‘prom’ but a jr/sr dance where the kids will dance with local area senior
citizens. Surprisingly enough the teens are looking forward to sharing
time with the seniors of the community.
I look towards the future of having a graduated homeschooler and college
student with new found hope and assurance that we made the right decision
7 years ago to homeschool. Now I know with God’s help we will make it
through with the rest of our children that the Lord has blessed us with. I
pray that all of you will too find the hope and assurance educate your
children too. In Him, Leslie
