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Dear New Homeschooler – Are You Making this BIG Mistake? (I Was)

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When I first started homeschooling, it took me a long time to learn a tiny two letter word – NO.

To this day, I still ask myself if I know how to say No.

Do You Struggle to Find Time to Homeschool?

Dear New Homeschooler - Are You Making this BIG Mistake @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

What do I try to say no to each year?

  • No to over extending myself in activities outside the home.
  • No to unrealistic expectations of myself, my husband and my children as I start off the new year.
  • No to leading more co-ops, groups or field trips than I can do.
  • No to being “the mom” that always needs to be included in hosting every baby shower and wedding shower. (This is a hard one for me because I love to plan.)
  • No to filling our schedule up with so many extracurricular activities.

Homeschooling moms by nature tend to be overachievers. What is our strength can be a potential negative if we don’t keep it in check.

Trying to right all the wrongs of public school, I did plan every minute of our day when I started homeschool.

I didn’t know how to say no to friends popping in at my house unplanned or who interrupted my homeschooling day. Quality time with my kids suffered and I had learned a valuable lesson quickly.

Finding balance was not easy because then I went to extreme lengths by isolating myself from my non-homeschooling friends.

It took another year or so before I learned to graciously just say the tiny two letter  NO and find my center.

The ability to not limit what you physically, emotionally and mentally can do in the homeschooling lifestyle could be a potential pitfall in your journey.

As new homeschoolers, who want to prove how successful they are, we aim too high or over reach by setting unrealistic expectations of what can be done in any given year.

The time will come when you will have smooth sailing and can give back to others. However, that time is not when you are new or struggling.

If we want to avoid pitfalls or traps of homeschooling busyness, we need to remember something very basic – say No.

What have you said no to this year?

Be sure to read my FREE 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers

Grab some more courage to say NO!

Instant Credit, Instant Baby Food – Why Not Instant Homeschool?

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

We have instant mash potatoes, microwaved food and yes even instant baby food, then why shouldn’t we have an instant education?

Today, reality is that our lives are very different than our parents and grandparents.

Life is more hectic, faster and along with that folks have become more impatient, even about their education. How about you? Are you impatient with the progress you are making?

A lot of us try to move quickly in our first, second, third and even into our fourth year.

We believe we can instantly give our children a good education.

To try to right all the wrongs of public school, but yet follow the same methods used by the public school is a contradiction.

Instant Credit, Instant Baby Food - Why NOT Instant Homeschool @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

In public school there is no room for individualism. If a child veers off the curricula, he is behind. If he wants to supplement, it has to be approved.

We try to look for shortcuts like online schooling, boxed curriculum and co-ops that function more like private day school than families who actually meet together to benefit from the strengths of others.

Before I go any further, I want to let you know I don’t have anything against the things I just mentioned as I sometimes encourage ones to use them off/on during their journey. We need short cuts and helps.

The Art of Slowing Down

The truth of it is, that homeschooling is nothing more than plain old work and determination. There are no shortcuts to success.

It takes time for children to grasp concepts like math and reading comprehension.

It takes time to teach penmanship. We can have both beautiful penmanship and computer typing skills.

It takes time to build science projects together or reenact history. It takes time to build the character of the child through every day involvement with the family, Bible study and by serving others.

How about us as teachers? Are we taking time to learn how to teach?

We need to focus on ourselves too. It takes time for us as teachers to get off that public school treadmill.

It is easier sometimes to abdicate a majority of the teaching to somebody else, but is that what brought us to homeschooling in the first place? Will we have the same results as somebody that has spent years and years personally and tenderly cultivating the hearts of their children?

Does your child want to learn from you? Are you prepared when you sit down to teach him or does your lack of organization frustrate your child? Are you the kind of person that exudes warmth and tenderness when conveying knowledge to your child?

The interaction you have with your child on a day to day basis draws your child closer to you. Problems can be revealed gradually and solved slowly.

This takes time. Folks today just don’t have time. Although we want to utilize every convenience made available to us through the internet, interactive classes and skills of other parents like at a co-op, we want to never forget that our children need us.

Just like we would be careful about the type of instant and convenient food that we serve our family, education is similar. Quick fixes may serve in a pinch or for a change, but for long term success, we don’t want instant anything to be the norm.

Our children’s education is no different. There is no substitute for the time we as parents can give our children. Our time and hearts with our children is one of the most valuable things we can give our children. Don’t cheat them.

Keep on keeping on!

Hugs and love ya,

Tina Signature 2015c

Check out these other helps:
Why the Hectic Pace in Homeschool?
Controlling the Time Spent on Homeschool Subjects or Running a Homeschool Boot Camp
Biggest Challenges to Homeschooling

Linking up @ these awesome places:

Sharing Time|Tell It to Me Tuesdays|Good Tips Tuesday|

Homeschool Planning Form – Free 2015 to 2016 Year Around School Planning Form

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

2015 to 2016 Year Around School Planning Breeze @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

The glam package is almost ready and I wanted to create a new choice for the year around school planning form to kind of match my new planner.

Today, I have the new form and I am calling it breezes.

Curriculum Pages for Planner

I have the other two color choices for the year round school planning, which can be found on Step 5a of the 7 Step Homeschool Planner.

One reason that I don’t use plain calendars for planning my school is because I prefer to use the 2 Page Appointment Keeper.

The 2 Page Appointment Keeper is a 2 page spread and has bigger boxes for noting dates and appointments.

The form I have today is for you to track and plan your homeschooling weeks and days.

Though you don’t have to use it this way, I made it year round because a lot of us do homeschool year round.

At the end of the form, it has a comprehensive key so that you can calculate your actual days and weeks of homeschooling.

I love doing this each year because it helps me to see how much more I am doing than I actually think I am doing.

I hope you enjoy the newest color choice. You can download it below.

Download breezes here.

Hugs and love ya,

Tina Signature 2015c

If you have used my 7 Step Homeschool Planner before, then for your quick reference I have listed each page or step below!

7 Easy Steps – “Tons of Options & Pretty Color”

Step 1. Choose a Pretty Front/Back Cover

Step. 2. Choose Calendars/Appointment Keepers

Step 3. Choose Goals/Objectives

Step 4. Choose Lesson Planning Pages Right For You!

Step 5a. Choose Unique forms JUST for You!

Step 5b. Choose MORE Unique Forms JUST for You!

Step 5c. Choose MORE MORE Unique Forms Just for You!

Step 6. Personalize It

Step 7. Bind it! Love it!

Linking up @ these awesome places:

Thoughtful Spot|Motivation Monday|The Art of Home Making Mondays|Making Your Home Sing Monday|Good Morning Mondays|Inspiration Monday|Mommy Monday|Mom’s Library|Laugh & Learn|Good Tips Tuesday|Tuesday Talk|Thoughtful Thursday|A Little Bird Told Me|Pintastic Pinteresting|Think Tank Thursday|Making a Home – Homemaking Linky|Hearts for Home|Family Fun Friday|Hip Homeschool Hop|Home Matters|Favorite Things Friday|Kitchen Fun and Crafty Friday|Frugal Friday|Sharing Time|Titus 2 Tuesdays|So Much At Home|Think Tank Thursday|TGIF|From House to Home|

It’s a New Homeschool Year and My Child Wants to Go Back to Public School

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Have you heard from some homeschoolers say it’s a new homeschool year and my child wants to go back to public school? Also, you’ll love more tips on my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter.

If there is a subject that sparks much controversy among homeschoolers, it has to be the struggle of whether or not you should send your homeschooled child to public school.

I hear from new homeschoolers and struggling homeschoolers who tell me that their child misses his friends.

They have no friends now that they are homeschooling or their child just wants to “check out” public school.

It's a New Homeschool Year and My Child Wants to Go Back to Public School @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

You are not alone.

Even seasoned homeschoolers wrestle with the same decision some years.

What You’ve Got to Know About Homeschool Struggles

One school of thought touts I am the parent, you’re the child, so you are not given the choice to make that kind of decision.

It is our given right and responsibility as the parents and we will decide.

The second school of thought touts talking to the child to get his opinion, not making the decision a matter of a power struggle and letting a child test out public school.

From my experience in helping homeschoolers, it seems the answer is always a balance of those two schools of thought.

However, I do not agree with the fact that one has to experience something to appreciate the negative or positive affects.

We don’t have to experience pain to know it hurts.

It is true that any child regardless of what age does not have the experience to make such an important decision about their education.

Check out Some of My Favorite Reads Below When Homeschooling Gets Tough

5 BEST How to Homeschool Books

I've rounded up some of the best books to help you get started homeschooling.

Homeschooling for New Homeschoolers: When You Don't Know Where to Begin

Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers is a real eye-opener on homeschooling. It will alleviate a lot of the anxieties about getting started homeschooling. Reading each chapter’s highlights will give you encouragement, knowledge, guidance, and peace of mind to homeschool with confidence. The best part is that you’ll be educating the person who loves your kids the most in this world--YOU! Armed with the knowledge to make better choices in curriculum will empower you to continue the path of home education. Unlike many books based on one family’s experience, Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers is also based on Tina’s many years of mentoring hundreds and hundreds of new homeschoolers at live workshops. When you don’t know where to begin Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers equips you to successfully homeschool your children.

The Unhurried Homeschooler

Homeschooling is a wonderful, worthwhile pursuit, but many homeschool parents struggle with feelings of burnout and frustration. If you have ever felt this way, you’re not alone! Most of us need to be reminded of the “why” of homeschooling from time to time—but "The Unhurried homeschooler" takes parents a step further and lifts the unnecessary burdens that many parents place on themselves.

Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace

Those who have made the decision to homeschool their children have done so out of great love for their children and a desire to provide them an excellent education in the context of a warm, enriching home.

The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life

Parents who are deeply invested in their children's education can be hard on themselves and their kids. When exhausted parents are living the day-to-day grind, it can seem impossible to muster enough energy to make learning fun or interesting. How do parents nurture a love of learning amid childhood chaos, parental self-doubt, the flu, and state academic standards?

Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom

Education has become synonymous with schooling, but it doesn’t have to be. As schooling becomes increasingly standardized and test driven, occupying more of childhood than ever before, parents and educators are questioning the role of schooling in society. Many are now exploring and creating alternatives.

The responsibility for raising our children with not only academic standards, but Godly values falls squarely on the parent’s shoulders.

The child or teen is not the third partner to the parenting and I have never seen anything positive come from elevating a child to that status unknowingly.

More New Homeschool Year And My Child Wants to Go Back to Public School Posts

On the flip side, children deserve dignity and respect for the things that concern them. They need to be validated.

This means they need to be heard. If we don’t listen to them, yes anything, could become a power struggle.

Children need to know that we will listen to them even when we hit homeschooling struggles.

7 Questions Worth Asking When It’s A New Homeschool Year And My Child Wants to Go Back to Public School

What can parents and a child do to make their homeschooling situation improve?

Here are a few tips and questions to ponder.

1. What brought you to homeschooling in the first place?

The reasons probably still exist. Will they go away if you send them back to public school?

2. Did you explain your decision to homeschool your child in the beginning?

It doesn’t mean you are including your child in on the decision that is yours alone to make, but it shows them that you care about their feelings and future when you do explain your decision.

Children can understand our reasons even though they may not agree with the decision at the time.

What they will agree on later, if they don’t now, is the love you showed in pouring out your feelings to them. There is nothing wrong with showing our children that we are vulnerable.

3. As parents, can we trust in our ability to teach our children knowing that nobody loves them more than we do?

We are perfectly equipped to homeschool for a lifetime.

Too, there is no stronger force than love. I say this now having graduated two of my sons.

Love moves a parent to make ANYTHING happen that needs to so that your child gets what they need. You don’t have to know everything, you just have to be willing to try anything.

4. Are the teachers and peers at school the kind that we want to influence our children?

5. Are families ties strengthened at public school or is there a deterioration of parental respect and authority?

6. Have I discussed with my child what public school is really like?

Some children have misconceptions thinking perhaps their days will be spent in bliss.

7. If what you are using now is not working regarding curricula and your child told you so, will you S-T- R-E-T-C- H yourself beyond your comfort zone?

Each person has to carefully weigh their circumstances.

Any advice has to be sifted through as we possible can’t know the personal circumstances of others.

Examine your circumstances, reconfirm your love for homeschooling and for all the reasons that brought you to homeschooling.

Remember homeschooling is so much more than curricula, academic endeavor and grades.

Those are important, but the heart of your child is of far more worth.
Use your life’s experiences and remember like any journey, we can all lose our way.
Stop, reevaluate, reconfirm, and reboot.

I enjoyed this quote by Henry Ford that puts things in perspective for me each year.

Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.

Blurring the Line Between Living and Learning When Homeschooling

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I remember the year I gave up boxed curriculum because it was not only terrifying, but I felt overwhelmed.

Giving up a boxed curriculum was a relief though because it helped me to understand the difference between teaching a child and teaching a curriculum.

On the flip side, it brought on greater responsibility as a mentor, which is the part that is overwhelming because I didn’t have a teaching background.

From Homeschool Fear to Focus

Fear of our children being left behind can paralyze the best homeschool mom, and I think it’s a justified fear. Nobody wants to feel they have invested 15 years or more of homeschooling only to feel like a failure.

However, I also believe that fear can be turned to focus. Focus gives you a direction and clarity in your school.

Up until the time I let go of the boxed curriculum, the line between living and learning was not blurred.

School was my focus and not learning. I was curriculum driven instead of family-focused.Blurring the Line Between Living and Learning When Homeschooling @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool PlusFocusing on testing, schedules and the approval of my in-laws did not allow me to discover how unique my children are.

Since we all want to succeed, blurring the line between living and learning has to be viewed as a positive.

Belief comes from your heart and from the desire to do the best with the precious children God has given you. I struggle too with not falling victim to this world’s institutionalized way of thinking.

3 Ways to Blur the Line Between Living and Learning

1.Schooling only from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. has to be abandoned and it is a heart wrenching struggle.

Somehow we think that if we keep the exact school hours of public school that we will meet our  goals. The longer you homeschool, you come to appreciate it’s important to have consistency, but it is quality that really matters.

For example, a twenty minute interactive grammar lesson each day is of more value than endless hours of worksheets with no purpose.

From struggles throughout the years though can come conviction.

2. Looking back, it wasn’t the boxed curriculum I needed to let go of, but it was my own view that boxed me in.

Curriculum laid out can save lots of teacher time prep. Don’t take an all or nothing view to curriculum like I did. I thought I either had to lesson plan or use a boxed curriculum.

I soon learned that if I used only part of a boxed curriculum and put together some of my own lesson plans that it was still a good value for my money.

Do a unit study, but follow a textbook if you are more comfortable. Try a hands on math project like a lapbook.

Read your history textbook but allow your boys to draw cartoons illustrating the history. For your girls who dream about fashion, let them draw costumes for that time period.

For science start a bug zoo jar collection with your little ones.

Surprise your teens who need a social outlet by going to a movie theater first thing in the morning and feel homeschool freedom.

Pack a lunch and drag all your art supplies to the park. Lay out there on a blanket and enjoy your nature journal as you praise the Creator along with your children.

It doesn’t have to be about wild abandonment of tests, schedules or textbooks if you want them.


3. Blurring the line means we are keenly aware of allowing our everyday life and experiences to train our children.

Day to day meaningful conversations become a normal part of teaching your children.

The longer I homeschool the harder it becomes to describe in my lesson planner what was parenting and was what homeschooling. Some days there is just no difference between the two.

It is about getting to actually know your son or daughter that you thought you knew so well before.

Allowing your children to hear your expressions each day of your deep love for Godly things and His creation becomes more parenting than homeschooling.

Each year as I homeschool I am humbled about things I have learned. Sharing what I have learned hopefully helps you to blur the line between living and learning.

Blurring the line between living and learning – how do you do it?

You’ll love reading a few other tips:

Hugs and love ya,

 

Also, check out:
Top 5 Mistakes of New Homeschoolers
From Struggling Homeschooler to Empowered Educator
How to Fake Homeschooling