Be an Exceptional Homeschool Teacher

7 Homeschool Lies I Want to Tell My Younger Self

October 11, 2016 | 9 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Seven homeschoool lies I want to tell my younger self remind me of how homeschooling is not always easy.

Homeschool Lies

Having the courage to chase away secret homeschool fears is not easy to do when you’re a new homeschooler.

You’re worried about doing everything right; I was no different when I was new to homeschooling.

Fear was one of the biggest obstacles to overcoming homeschooling. If I could turn back time, I would share these 7 homeschool lies to my younger self.

When the Biggest Obstacle to Overcoming Homeschooling is YOU

ONE/ “Tina, don’t fall for it a bit. Your three year old won’t be behind by the time you get to high school.”

Focusing less on what if my children are going to get behind instead of delighting where they were at would have helped me to teach and savor the here and now moment.

TWO/ “Tina, girl, you know you love Star Wars, so remember what Yoda said. There is no try. Do or do not.”

Even coming from a family where my mom homeschooled my youngest sister, I wished my thinking was less of I’m going to try it for a year and more of what an important life changing decision my family had made.

If I had viewed beginning to homeschool like my commitment to having a child, being a new mom, having a new marriage or making big move to a place where you can’t go back, I would have stressed less.

Realizing more time should have been spent on making homeschool a lifestyle change would have been a better use of my time.

THREE/ “Tina, why didn’t you let the boys watch TV more even when school was finished?”

Instead of focusing on extreme rules for our house like not having a tv and no video games, I should have worked more on finding a balance instead of creating extreme schedules for my little kids.

Realizing that some homeschoolers don’t have a tv in their home by choice is good for their family but not ours.

My family likes tv, video games, and techie play things. A balance would have been so much better for us.

FOUR/ “Why didn’t you go out during school hours, Tina? What were you afraid of?

I wished I would have changed my school schedule earlier than I did instead of thinking that during the day I couldn’t go out because it was school hours.

Little did I know that even though I lived in Bodunk, U.S.A., homeschoolers are oozing by the thousands.

Most people have heard of it before. I was the new one, not homeschooling.

FIVE/ “Girl, you’re stressing way too much by prepping Mr. Senior 2013 for visits by grandma. Why do you feel the need to prove to others that you are exactly what your sons need when it comes to teaching them?”

I wished I would have worried less about proving my homeschool success to my in-laws, outlaws, and any other family relationship that I may not have wanted to claim kinship to and focused more on the how-tos of teaching.

SIX/ “Leave the house Tina. It’s okay. Learning is not just taking place within the four walls of your school room. You can actually skip lessons plans. Throw them away if you need to.”

Understanding that field trips, homeschool conventions and open houses are not always in my back yard or even my side of the county, I would have attended more conventions, open houses and gatherings for homeschoolers.

SEVEN/ “Don’t worry about all that homeschool curriculum you’re buying. You’ll be an expert before you know it and if you need it while you’re learning how to teach, then use it. Don’t worry when other people tell you that you won’t use all that curriculum.”

I wished I would have found this quote about the piles of curriculum I had bought and may not get to in a lifetime by Sally Clarkson out of her book Educating the WholeHearted Child, “It is nearly a rite of passage for new homeschooling families to buy curricula that ends up gathering dust on the shelf. Usually, it turns out to require more preparation and involvement than they are willing to invest, or it doesn’t fit their lifestyle. It becomes an investment in experience.What we all learn, though, is that any curriculum is only a tool — it doesn’t really “teach” anything. The attitude and commitment of the teacher is far more important than the tool. So if it doesn’t work, don’t worry. Put your unused used curriculum on the table with everyone else’s and buy real books next time. You’re experienced now.“

Beginning to homeschool doesn’t mean you have to give up the educational tools you learned in public school.

Through the years Tina, I’ve learned that changing my expectations opens the way for a whole new way to learn and that is powerful! THAT is how you grow.

Homeschool fearlessly Tina and rock on!

(Psst, from my struggle I wrote a book for YOU)

Also, Tina look over these posts and gently remind yourself today:

Hugs and love ya,

Public School is NOT Free! (but neither is homeschool)

October 4, 2016 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Every summer when the boys were little, we packed up and headed to sunny Florida to tour those free tours of new condos to buy. All we had to do was go through a tour and listen to the sales pitch. They were sort of like those time sharing condos, but you really owned the condos instead of paying a fee to share it. The condos were super nice with granite counter tops, huge swimming pools, great on-site cafes and the best part is they were just a few miles from Disney World.

After touring several free tours for the summer, we walked away with a 20 year loan for purchasing a new condo.

The truth of it is that nothing is free. It costs somehow. When I hear homeschoolers say that public school is free I think that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Get the Homeschool Facts!

Sure, it doesn’t cost dollars when you don’t have to buy curriculum, but then again you are giving up the right to have input into your child’s education.

Homeschooling is not free either. It can be free of the cost of curriculum as you can read in my article, Is Homeschooling Expensive, but it costs.

While I adamantly believe that homeschooling is the best choice for every family, it’s important to get the facts first before you homeschool.

Look at these 3 ways that homeschool costs.

ONE/ Homeschool costs your time.

Don’t underestimate the time that it will take to homeschool your children well. You’ll want to use online classes and enrichment activities available to you, but homeschooling is tutoring and tutoring is one-on-one. It’s personal.

There is no getting around it, there is no substitute for personal attention. Whatever changes and amenities like online classes are offered, your children still need your guidance and oversight.

Your time has a price.

Even if you use all free curriculum, it takes time to print material and it costs to print. Through the 17+ or so years I have been homeschooling I have spent hundreds and hundreds of hours preparing my own lesson plans and unit studies.

I have soaked up every minute of doing it and I have no regrets. However, I have paid the price.

TWO/ Homeschool costs your energy.

Homeschool moms are true entrepreneurs and do-it-yourself folks in every sense of the word, which requires a tremendous amount of energy and fortitude day in, day out, and year after year.

Just ask any homeschool mom and a common topic is about being exhausted.

Some homeschool mom may even be polite and say they are tired, but who’re you kidding? We’re exhausted many days.

Homeschooling requires not only physical stamina to keep the kids moving forward on their lesson plans, but it calls for constant bridled thought when switching between many subjects for the day.

It’s stressful when you have to stay in a constant mode of teaching.

It’s like not having off a day from work. How many jobs do you know that require 7 days a week of 12 or more hours of constant supervising?

Of course, unlike many careers today, homeschooling has a huge reward or pay off but there are some days and years when that is hard to remember.

THREE/ Homeschool experience costs too.

Not only does homeschool costs time, but success for a first-time job like homeschooling doesn’t just happen. Success comes with experience and there is a price for it.

Whether you read numerous homeschool blogs, consult homeschool books or talk with a homeschool veteran, experience costs.

Fast forward 20 years, we love our condo in Florida and have had many family vacations there, but who was I kidding when I thought a tour was free?

Is Your Educational Choice the Cheapest but yet Costliest?

Even if you are overwhelmed at this point with the choice you made to homeschool, taking time to reaffirm your decision to homeschool will give you a fresh start.

Look at my tips here too:

Hugs and love ya,

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.

Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

Homeschool Co-op: The 5 BIG Questions You Need to Ask (before you join)

September 24, 2016 | 3 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

When you find a match for a homeschool co-op that seems like a perfect match, the years fly back quickly and you never want the time spent with other homeschoolers to stop. Believe me, looking back now, our homeschool co-ops are some of our most cherished moments.

However, if you make a decision to join a homeschool co-op with pausing to ask these five questions, you can go from cherished to anguished.

And because there is no on set of rules in how any co-op is suppose to function, confusion can exist.

When Homeschool Co-ops Go from Delight to Drudgery

I encourage homeschoolers to ask these top 5 questions before they commit to a co-op or set one up because they are vital to keeping a homeschool co-op that is, a delight and not drudgery, to attend.

1. What is the purpose of the co-op?

Just because a group of families homeschool, that doesn’t mean they are like-minded when it comes to the reason why you meet together.

And unless you are absolutely clear as to your purpose for a co-op, you may actually bring more stress than satisfaction on your family.

2. What are the types of classes and who teaches? Are they for enrichment, socialization focused, field trip oriented or academic?

I very much honed my vision for our field trip and because my vision was clear,the activities I did to lead it were in line with the purpose. When leaders have knee-jerk reactions and change the direction of an established co-op, it can be disastrous.

You too should be able to articulate with detail as to what you want from it. I knew we were a field trip and socialization co-op and that took front and center.

In other words, for example, we didn’t attract people wanting us to teach their kids Latin. I felt like academic should be taught at home by the parents and our co-op’s focused stayed that way.

Oh sure, we did academics in our co-ops, but the emphasis was on learning with a group.

3. What is the age range and are siblings allowed?

There are many more co-ops doing things for young children like going to the zoo than they are opportunities for middle and high school.

However, they are groups that exist for middle and high school though you may have to drive a bit farther.

Stay flexible and especially if a co-op meets once a week or every other week, the added enrichment to your family can be a great resource.

4. What is the cost?

This is an even bigger question now then it was when I started because “co-ops” have popped up where they are looking to make money off of homeschoolers.

I am all for entrepreneurship, but co-ops have been about support systems instead of a money making system.

Recently, when I was a speaker at the homeschool workshop in Atlanta, GA, I had 4 families walk out on me before I started my workshop about co-ops. They were there to only learn about how to make money.

I was glad and sad at the same time to see them go.

Glad because I will not bend when it comes to explaining how co-ops can add much enrichment to your homeschool journey, but I was sad too because many homeschoolers feel that co-ops are mini private schools and outsiders have ascended as if vultures to rack up on our money.

So when asking about the cost, ask specifically questions like where does my money go and who gets paid.

5. Is the group inclusive?

Just because a group is inclusive doesn’t mean you want to attend.

You need to understand what a group means by inclusive. You may want to be part of a group that limits its members to a certain faith, view or not.

You decide, but it’s good to know before you jump in and find the group doesn’t meet your expectations.

Look at these other tips to help you. Homeschool Co-ops Turned Private Schools, Homeschool Co-ops, Support Groups and Regional Groups. How Does It All Fit and Rules for Homeschool Co-ops. Essential or Excessive.

What questions do you ask before you join a homeschool co-op?

Hugs and love ya,

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.

Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

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If Your Homeschooled Kids Aren’t Bored, You May Not Be a Homeschooler

September 2, 2016 | 4 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

It seems like a vicious cycle. You take your kids out of public school because they are bored and bring them home to school to realize they are still bored.

Exercising Creativity Muscles Prevents Boredom

Is boredom beneficial? Step back first and rethink the harried pace this educational world demands of our kids.

It’s one thing to be bored in public school because a child may not have a say in which courses he takes or may not be challenged and quite another to not seize moments of boredom while homeschooling.

Knowing that boredom can be caused by several factors and that some are positive and others are negative helped me to see that boredom can have a positive place in our homeschool journey.

If Your Homeschooled Kids are not bored you may not be a homeschooler @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Matter of fact, if your homeschooled kids are not bored, you may not be using homeschooling to the fullest. Out of boredom, worthwhile projects can be discovered.

Don’t get sucked up into the way the world constantly redefines success with school subjects, which consume every waking minute of a child’s life or that more academic work equals smarter.

Thinking back to my childhood, I didn’t grow up with ear buds hanging out of my ears or a cell phone hanging out of my pocket. I didn’t have 100 channels to select from on TV or even have YouTube, but my siblings and I never lacked for activities while learning.

Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not looking to go back to the good old days on some things because I love having information at my fingertips. And entertainment nowadays can fill a boredom niche, but it’s only temporary.

Growing up back then though, kids were less bored because they were more active, motivated and inspired. They had to look for creative outlets.

And wanting my kids to be active participators in their education instead of passive spectators is one reason I began homeschooling.

How to Not Let Your Homeschooled Kids be a Drag

Boredom is part of the homeschool journey because it gives a child a chance to unplug and quiet moments helps a child to widen their field of interests. It can mean you’re doing something right when every moment of learning is not planned.

For example, Mr. Senior 2013 enjoyed music always as a little boy. However, until he had quite boring moments at home, he didn’t realize that he had a love of classical music that he feeds to this day.

Too, Mr. Awesome 2015 knew he loved working with his hands and thought woodworking would be his calling. However, until he got bored and took lessons in a private woodworking class, he realized that he didn’t enjoy it as much.

Exploring and navigating through limitless opportunities for learning not widens a child’s interests, but adds spice to learning.

Many times being bored may not be the problem. The problem may be that a child takes a narrow view in interests, hobbies and activities and limits himself while learning.

He can’t think about what interests him when he seeks constant entertainment or satisfaction on his devices or with ear plugs plugged in. He needs to widen his interests and he needs time to investigate them.

Life is very different now and it’s easy to think that boredom is not bliss. I discussed this with my mother, who worked on a farm while she was growing up and who homeschooled my youngest sister. She told me kids weren’t idle back in her time either.

Again, a key point I learned from my mom was that kids didn’t get bored because they were making worthwhile contributions to the family and farm.

The way they spent their time was self-fulfilling because they were giving to others. That was another tell-tale sign of satisfaction, which is how they spent their time. Children and teens gain satisfaction by volunteering their time to help others.

Our kids are no different today.They still need a sense of accomplishment that only comes from doing.

Just reading, watching or listening to what other people are doing can make kids feel like an observer in their education.

A child’s mind needs to be fed with new experiences of their own created out of quiet, uninterrupted moments of boredom.

If your kids have had some boring moments and not because of negative feelings, what did they learn from those moments?

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.

Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

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10 Days Why A Homeschool Mom Is Not Better Than a Public School Mom (but could be). Day 2

August 18, 2016 | 4 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I’m continuing on in my 10 Days Why A Homeschool Mom Is Not Better Than a Public School Mom (but could be). Day 1 and sharing about a comment that most homeschool moms feel uncomfortable replying to, which is “you must be so confident.”

Most homeschool moms I know are rockin’ it as they homeschool, but are modest which is why it can feel uncomfortable talking about how confident they are.

Why Homeschoolers Should Be Confident?

Confidence, I feel, for us as homeschool educators is akin to courage.

It reminds me of the quote by Nelson Mandela, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

The difference between a homeschool mom and a mom who may choose public school because of fear is that despite fear, a homeschool educator trusts, believes and feels assured of her abilities to move forward to homeschool.

Why A Homeschool Mom Is Not Better Than a Public School Mom

Let me break this down.

A homeschool mom is not trusting blindly or based on emotion or passion alone, which are both important, but they are not the complete basis for confidence.

A homeschool just doesn’t believe homeschool will be successful, but she can look at the many facts and successful families that have gone ahead of her.

It’s facts like this from NHERI, which discuss how our homeschool graduates are performing.

The SAT 2014 test scores of college-bound homeschool students were higher than the national average of all college-bound seniors that same year. Some 13,549 homeschool seniors had the following mean scores: 567 in critical reading, 521 in mathematics, and 535 in writing (College Board, 2014a). The mean SAT scores for all college-bound seniors in 2014 were 497 in critical reading, 513 in mathematics, and 487 in writing (College Board, 2014b). The homeschool students’ SAT scores were 0.61 standard deviation higher in reading, 0.26 standard deviation higher in mathematics, and 0.42 standard deviation higher in writing than those of all college-bound seniors taking the SAT, and these are notably large differences.

And look at my article, Homeschooling for the Love of Learning – Does It Really Work.

Then, a homeschool educator knows that she did not use a state approved curriculum to teach her child how to potty train or how to teach her native tongue to her child. She knows her home is the center of education and the first place of education.

Her previous successes as a parent spill over and overflow when she starts on the next natural step of parenting, which is educating her child.

Knowing that there will be bumps along the way and plenty of things she does not know, a home school is moved to become the professional her child needs. She doesn’t need to know about ALL the methods of teaching a child or ALL the curriculum, but only what her children need to know.

Confidence is like a weak muscle. The more you use it, the stronger and more defined it becomes.

In the beginning, it’s hard to have confidence because your children may be real young or because you are new.

However, year after year, confidence soars and becomes mighty as you see your children master reading (with happy tears in your eyes) and you see your three-year-old now a successful high school teen or young adult.

That is the difference between a homeschool mom who presses on despite her fears. She doesn’t succumb to public school because of fear.

What have you accomplished with confidence?

Also, look at my articles From Struggling Homeschooler to Empowered Educator, When does homeschooling become “normal”, and Cultivating the Desire to Homeschool.

Hugs and love ya,

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.

Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

Be an Exceptional Homeschool Teacher

7 Homeschool Lies I Want to Tell My Younger Self

Homeschool Lies

When the Biggest Obstacle to Overcoming Homeschooling is YOU

ONE/ “Tina, don’t fall for it a bit. Your three year old won’t be behind by the time you get to high school.”

TWO/ “Tina, girl, you know you love Star Wars, so remember what Yoda said. There is no try. Do or do not.”

THREE/ “Tina, why didn’t you let the boys watch TV more even when school was finished?”

FOUR/ “Why didn’t you go out during school hours, Tina? What were you afraid of?

FIVE/ “Girl, you’re stressing way too much by prepping Mr. Senior 2013 for visits by grandma. Why do you feel the need to prove to others that you are exactly what your sons need when it comes to teaching them?”

SIX/ “Leave the house Tina. It’s okay. Learning is not just taking place within the four walls of your school room. You can actually skip lessons plans. Throw them away if you need to.”

SEVEN/ “Don’t worry about all that homeschool curriculum you’re buying. You’ll be an expert before you know it and if you need it while you’re learning how to teach, then use it. Don’t worry when other people tell you that you won’t use all that curriculum.”

Public School is NOT Free! (but neither is homeschool)

Get the Homeschool Facts!

Is Your Educational Choice the Cheapest but yet Costliest?

Homeschool Co-op: The 5 BIG Questions You Need to Ask (before you join)