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When He Wants to Go Back to Public School

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As homeschool parents it seems that we can face one set of tough decisions after the other.

At the top of things that can divide a homeschool family is when a child wants to return to public school.

When a child is unhappy at home, why do we take a poll of our parenting skills?

How to Measure Homeschool Success?

It’s normal because we care.

There is nothing wrong with checking our emotions because we can’t let pride hold us back from doing what is best for our child.

When He Wants to Go Back to Public School @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
Does a 10 year old really know what he wants to do?

Is a 16 year old capable of making a decision that will make him happy?

How can we determine what is best for our child?

Instead of being judgmental when someone is faced with the decision of whether or not to return a child to public school, I want to share a few points to ponder when facing this gut wrenching decision.

  • Determine the root cause.

I have seen many scenarios through the years of homeschoolers who returned their kids to public school.

Getting to the root cause of the unhappiness in our child is a must.

One homeschool family I mentored had kids that were unhappy because their family made many moves and changes during the year.

The children were craving routine and stability in their lives.

Their son struggled horribly in public school before bringing him home.

That wasn’t going to change if they decided to put him back in school.

The family made a faithful attempt from then on to keep things the same and add routine to what was too much of a relaxed schedule for their son.

  • Do You Accept that Your Best is Good Enough?

Another example of discontentment in our children can be the fact that mom might have to work.

Even if mom does not work full time, a part time job still takes time.

I have helped homeschool moms working part time as a bus driver for public school, running a day care in her home, working as a night nurse and selling products by going to other people’s homes.

Do your best to give your children what they need as far as field trips and making new friends while you also provide a living for them.  Then, accept the fact that you are giving your very best to your children.

We would never ask our children to give anymore then what they could, then we shouldn’t set a negative example by doing that to our self.

Let go of feelings of guilt.

Though a child may not want you to go to work at night or babysit other kids in your home, as they grow older they will appreciate your dedication, deep love and conviction to provide for them.

Can you give your child some of your exclusive time? Little ones take naps if you have a day care in your home and the mom that drove the public school bus had a good amount of time off during her lunch time, which she spent exclusively with her kids.

Both of these families realized that their kids needed some exclusive time during the day.

  • List It.

Like us, kid sometimes want to believe in the grass is greener attitude.

I have found that by sitting down and listing exactly what they think they are missing out on because of homeschooling, then the true effects of any potential decision can be weighed.

What do they like about traditional public school? What do they like about homeschooling?

Looking at it this way also helps a child learn how to weigh out decisions not just now but in the future when decisions are more significant.

Seeing pros and cons written down concretely versus what floats around in our mind can be an eye opener.

It also solidifies any decision you have to make.

Instead of failing at homeschool when a child is unhappy, I have often found too that a family just hasn’t quite found what works for their particular circumstance.

It may be a need for change in their routine. They may need a more relaxed one or they may need to buckle up and buckle down on their routine.

Too, circumstances are ever changing and only each family can ask questions like:

  1. Is the extra income worth it?
  2. Can I carve out time, even one hour, to be with the child that is unhappy?
  3. Can I implement the suggestions that my child made?

A lot of children are just too young to make a decision for their happiness.

As parents we are not looking for just momentary happiness but the decision that is best for them lifelong.

What will they say when they get older and look back at their education?

Finding the root cause of a child’s unhappiness, being content with the very best we can give our kids if our time is split and helping our children to get real about what they think they are actually missing out in traditional school gives you a solid starting point for making the best decision for your family.

Though in my heart, I believe that homeschooling is the best decision for any family, I know that there are just some things that can’t be controlled.

I encourage you to make the best of your homeschooling circumstances.

Sometimes when we think we want relief by sending them to public school, we find that what drew us to homeschooling in the first place still exists.

What advice do you give somebody that is thinking about sending their kids back to public school?

Hugs and love ya,
2015 Tina Signature c

Check out these resources for when homeschooling gets tough:

Look at these articles too:

Homeschooling – A Trial Run?
Cultivating the Desire to Homeschool
Finding Joy in Homeschool When You’re Not Really Feeling It

How Grandparents Can Inspire Your Homeschool Journey

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

Not living close to either set of grandparents right now has touched a sentimental chord in me.

Reflecting on how grandparents can inspire your homeschool journey, I am grateful that I have had my parent’s influence on my sons.

Adding grandparents into our homeschool journey has been such a precious tool that I didn’t even realize in the beginning of my homeschool journey what I had.

How Grandparents Can Inspire Your Homeschool Journey @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
{My parents took the day to have over all the grandsons to tell them about their “roots”. You can see an old family portrait of us on the table.}

Too, with the view this world takes sometimes that grandparents are out of touch, I have always known that my parents have been the very foundation of my family.

In times past, older ones use to be honored and rightly so because of their experience, age and wisdom.

What I am saying is that if you live anywhere near your parents, include them in your homeschool.

Even if they doubt your ability to homeschool, including them in your journey forges the bond between your child and grandparent.

Too, grandparents get a glimpse of what one-to-one tutoring looks like.

Look at this list of how to include grandparents in your homeschooling.

  • When in good health, my parents were part of the audience at the end of the year wrap up. They don’t mind a bit listening to all the things your children have learned.
  • My parents went to most of the music recitals and boosted my sons’ confidence and fed their love of music.
  • My mother was a source of huge encouragement to me when I had one of those days where the little yellow school bus was looking real good.
  • My father has spent time with the boys when I needed a break from them.
  • Does your mom have a craft or skill she enjoys that she can pass on to your girls or boys?
  • My mother steered me toward good books for read alouds and even purchased books I might not have purchased.
  • My dad was the best “gopher” for that one itty bitty thing I needed for a science experiment and couldn’t get because I had one or two kids sick at home. Dad to the rescue to gather the rest of my supplies.
  • Did I mention my dad’s garage housed enough implements to keep my boys busy for days trying to figure them all out? Does that count as hands-on science?
  • Though my mother was not in good health, she came on field trips with us and attended our homeschool co-ops when possible. At our field trips, I even noticed other grandparents there helping with the little ones so that mom could spend with the older kids on the field trip.
  • At our 50’s co-op, my mom taught a few of the kids how to jitterbug. Priceless!
  • Thank goodness my mother loves gardening because gardening doesn’t particularly get my adrenaline pumping. She was able to share some of her expertise with my boys.

Include grandparents when homeschooling{My parents even attended informal ceremonies when the boys received an award for finishing a co-op about learning Spanish.}

Though my parents have always been supportive of homeschooling, the boys’ paternal grandmother wasn’t so confident.

It’s important to remember that grandparents went to public school and public school looked different back then. When grandparents went to school, it seems there was still a focus on a well-rounded out education.

Nowadays, with more and more public schools deleting enrichment programs, it is important to utilize one of the best and most precious homeschooling tools – grandparents.

Have you included grandparents in your journey?

What are some ways you include them?

Hugs and love ya,
2015 Tina Signature c

Linking up @ these awesome places:
|Mama Reads Monday|

The Dos and Don’ts of Homeschool Objectives

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

Knowing the dos and don’ts of homeschool objectives boosts your teaching ability. Also, look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter for more tips.

Homeschooling objectives for me have never really been about meeting the legalities of homeschooling but it has been about plotting a course.

Today, in the dos and don’ts of homeschooling objectives, I am using my homeschool objectives for fourth grade writing to show you what I did one year.

The Dos and Don'ts of Homeschool Objectives @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Before I do that though, I want you to understand that unlike the pressure the educational world puts on public school teachers, we do not have to use complicated language or try to mimic some fancy formula.

You need breathing room to plan for your own unique family and not some institution.

Too, arming you with details are important in helping you to move forward.

Key to understanding objectives is knowing how they relate to goals.

Goals and objectives are two different things though similar in purpose. They both chart a course.

Goals are general plans.  However, objectives are clear steps to reaching a goal and are more specific when you need them.

Look at my copy of my objectives for Mr. Senior 2013 when he was in fourth grade.

4th Grade Writing Objectives in Homeschool @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

First, I didn’t have my 7 step homeschool planner that I do now with useful forms so I kept a black hardbound book and wrote my specific objectives in it.

Too, I wrote a few personal notes on it about my oldest son’s writing and because I am not looking to embarrass my son when showing you my work, I whited out a few spots.

Look at my dos of homeschool objectives:

  • Do list your overall goal.  My goal was to have him write 3 paragraphs by the end of the year.
  • Do be specific to list the time allowed.  I would allow 40 minutes for writing each day.
  • Do list the specific outline or steps to accomplish the objective. I noted what I knew then as the 4 stage process of writing.
  • Do list things to remind you of what not to do. I wanted to strengthen his writing skills and hone in on changing his sentence variety that year by encouraging him to not always use “I” to start a sentence.  Varying topic sentences was another point to focus on for the year.
  • Do list what will be new that year.  I was going to try out a planner or graphic organizer that year.
  • Do list your resources or curriculum help. I was using several resources at the time, but there were some writing examples in Rod and Staff that were more significant to me to follow that year. This was part of my action plan to getting my objective accomplished.
  • Do list other helps you will create or find to accomplish the objective. I created a checklist for him to check his writing.
  • Do individualize the objectives for your kids and for the year.

MORE FOURTH GRADE HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES

Look at my don’ts of homeschool objectives:

  • Don’t try to follow public school by using educationalese.
  • Don’t worry about it being right or wrong from a public school point of view, grade or age. It is right because it is the road map for your child.
  • Don’t try to be too specific if you don’t need to be.  I only used my 4th grade writing objectives because I was very specific and wanted to show you a detailed list.

Goals and objectives can quickly become intertwined in homeschooling and that is okay.

Sometimes, you just don’t need such a specific plan.

Just remember the main difference between general goals and homeschool objectives is that objectives have 2 parts to them to make them more specific.

The first part is explaining what will be accomplished for that term, which could be a semester or year and the second part is explaining how it will be done.

If you were writing objectives, for example, about history and wanted to keep them general, look at this one.

  • To introduce and become familiar with the world of Ancient Civilization. This will be done through hands-on activities, role playing, timelines, making time period recipes, lapbooking and living books.

Again, noting what I was going to do and how I will accomplish it was all that I needed that one year.

Even simple objectives are meaningful and significant.

The dos and don’ts of homeschooling objectives are making them fit your use for whatever school term you need.

Do you find drafting homeschool objectives an easy part of homeschool planning?

Also, look at how homeschool objectives can easily be made for unit studies too.

Year Round Homeschool – Chaos Or Calm

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

Year round homeschool can be chaos or calm depending on how you implement it into your schedule. Also, look on my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter.

When I first started homeschooling, I didn’t even think about following any other homeschool schedule like homeschooling year round.

Now, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Though I would love to follow my own schedule, the reality is my husband’s work schedule dictated our school schedule for many years.

Year Round Homeschool – Chaos Or Calm

Like my family, a lot of homeschoolers are self-employed and so that means we make our own schedules, but it also means that it usually doesn’t jive with a public school schedule.

For the most part, can you dictate your own schedule?

First, look at some of these homeschool books

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.

When deciding if homeschooling year round is for you, look at these 3 questions to help you figure out if it will work for your family or not.

3 Questions to Ask If You Should Year Round Homeschool Or Not

Assuming you can, the next thing to ask is:

Is it by completely taking off months or just having a few weeks spread throughout the year?

1. How Much Control Do You Have Over Your Schedule

You can’t really decide this if this is your first year of homeschooling because you and your kids are getting off the public school treadmill.

If you have been in public school for years, there may be a pull for your children to play with kids from public school and that means you think you may want the summer off.

2. How Do Your Children Learn Best

But the longer you homeschool the more that desire to form an attachment with friends from public school wanes because you have made so many friends otherwise in field trips, co-ops and classes with other like-minded parents and children.

A lot of homeschoolers school lightly during summer because it allows them to catch up on things they have been wanting to do but didn’t get time to do during the regular school year.

3. Does The Weather Affect You Getting Outdoors

If you live in a place like Texas, where the summer is a scorcher, then choosing to school during hotter months and having off during cooler weather is a huge benefit to enjoying being outdoors more.

These 3 easy questions helped me to see that my homeschool schedule did not have to follow the public school schedule.

I did better as a teacher when I could take mini-breaks throughout the year.

My children stayed in a relaxed routine too when we kept the same schedule year round.

More Homeschooling Year Around Tips

This doesn’t mean you have to keep the same pace each month and you really wouldn’t want to.

Staying productive year round has been a good fit for us.

Do you like schooling year round?

What homeschool schedule do you follow?

Homeschooling Year Round @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

3 Wrong Ways to Begin a Homeschool Unit Study

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

It is easy to get caught up in the hype of designing your own homeschool unit study before you have had a chance to explore potential mistakes that can be made when doing one.

Look at these 3 wrong ways to begin a homeschool unit study.

In creating a unit study, I had to decide which topics and subjects my children needed to cover.

Skinny It Up

My very first mistake was thinking I had to cover all the subjects in a balanced way. I did not.

Learning is about exploring subjects that your children are interested in or that you want them exposed to.

My beginning system wasn’t fancy, but it worked.

I simply took time to sketch out what subjects I needed to cover for that unit study.

3 Wrong Ways to Begin a Homeschool Unit Study @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
Too, in my example above, I made the material have personal application to our family.

Meaningful Learning

That is the second common mistake to jumping into a unit study, which is not making the material personal to your family.

If you decide to use a prepared unit study, tweak it to fit your family’s needs.

Though children are interested in happenings on the other side of the world, learning comes alive when it is full of personal meaning.

For example, the first time I did the American Civil War, we lived in Texas and my boys needed more of an emphasis on learning about our home state.

I made the unit study to fit our needs because we took a trail off of the unit study to learn about Texas.

Curriculum Paradise or Pain?

Trying to cover two curriculum equally is the third mistake.

Why do we try to do that? It won’t work.

Well it might but then it might lead to homeschool burnout if you become too unbalanced.

There is nothing wrong with having more than one curriculum but the difference is that one curriculum is your main spine or focus.

The other curriculum simply supports or enhances your primary spine.

I have found that comprehensive unit studies are unlike short term enrichment projects.

In other words commit to a unit study all the way.

This means I don’t stress out my kids by going over other lessons in whatever laid our curriculum we are using at the time.

I simply move forward without feeling like we are behind.

Don’t stress you or your children either one by doing unit studies on top of what you are already using.

If you see something that is important to you to cover in your laid out curriculum, then fold that information into your upcoming unit study.

Grammar and spelling can always be applied to writing, atlases always fit geography and science and history can be hands-on activities.

Covering too many subjects, not making learning come alive by making it apply to your children and trying to do two curriculum simultaneously are sure ways to kill a unit study before you get started.

How about you? Have you made any of these mistakes?

Hugs and love ya,
2015 Tina Signature co

Check out my 1o Days of Diving Into Unit Studies by Creating a Unit Study Together