homeschoolprogress

Go Ahead and Make a Mistake: Homeschool Without Fear

January 3, 2016 | 17 Comments
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Go Ahead and Make a Mistake: Homeschool Without Fear

Perfectionism somehow has been linked to excellence altthough they are completely different concepts.

Unintentionally, some homeschoolers feel that homeschooling is about making all the right decisions.

Messing our kids up for life can be a paralyzing and harder to shake for some homeschoolers than others.

Well, guess what? It’s okay. Go ahead and make a mistake. It’s the expectation of perfectionism that is the burden, not making a mistake.

The first of my many big homeschool mistakes was choosing the wrong reading program for Mr. Senior 2013.

Tears and the ugly cry followed. You know the kind of cry that is uncontrollable where you don’t want anybody to know that you can still cry like a baby.

However, after the ugly cry stopped, I could face constructive self-criticism that I wasn’t the excellent teacher I thought I was. It was a huge eye opener.

As I sat down wondering if I had messed my first homeschooled kid up for life, I realized then that my first mistake was like a huge exhale and really a relief. Wait, this wasn’t about me, my ego or my intelligence. It is about finding what is the best for my children.

The buildup to my homeschool mistake was far worse than actually the great big blunder.

How To Go from Stuck to Unstoppable

Instead of making me want to quit though, what I learned was that I knew deep down that mistakes were going to happen.

Who was I kidding? I am not into homeschooling by perfect parents. I am far from that.

To take that mindset one step further, as I examined my homeschool fears, I knew that to survive homeschooling I had to let go of my perfectionist tendencies.

Facing the fact that perfectionism is an ugly tendency is a giant first step in letting go of homeschool fear.

Perfectionist homeschoolers can be so busy or so they tell themselves that when in fact it’s procrastination because they want to find the perfect (?????) insert here: math, reading, history or whatever curriculum.

It didn’t mean that I had to let go of my standard of excellence in teaching reading, but I had to learn something from it.

Releasing the fear and facing a mistake dead on didn’t make my knees crumble, but it did make me stronger.

Mistakes are stepping stones to progress.

Must read book for new homeschoolers. 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers!

Not wanting to homeschool with constant stress because a perfectionist attitude makes me constantly wanting something better and bigger, I know accepting best, even mistakes meant that I was on the road to homeschool progress.

Learning from the mistake and now knowing what to choose or not choose whether it was a reading program or activity outside the house enriched my homeschool journey.

My mistakes moved me from novice to empowered educator. Look at my tips in my article, From Struggling Homeschooler to Empowered Educator.

Too, I have never wanted to be the kind of person who is wounded by criticism, let alone be that type of homeschool teacher.

Constructive criticism is part of making a mistake and being a novice. It is part of growing as a seasoned homeschooler.

When Teaching is Infectious and Contagious

Not only does making a homeschool mistake make you stronger, but it gives you empathy for other homeschoolers who are struggling.

It’s true that I can’t even start to be an awesome teacher unless I learn first from my mistakes and then help others.

Homeschooling is not for cowards or the faint-hearted because it takes courage to learn from the mistake and not make the same mistake again.

Removing the fear of a mistake or perfectionism allows room for excellence to grow in our homeschool journey.

Don’t let fear breed, cripple, poison, and paralyze your homeschool day.

Make a mistake and feel the freedom of guilt and fear unburdened. Progress is just a few tiny steps away.

What homeschool mistakes have you made that set you on the road to an empowered educator?

Hugs and love ya,

P.S. My homeschooled child, Mr. Senior 2013 that I knew I was going to ruin for life not only reads well as a young adult, but has a passion for reading. It is a toss up between how many books he and I ~~hoard~~ collect.

Update: Did I mention he has graduated homeschool (along with 2 more kids) and has moved on into successfully being an adult? Did I also mention HOW GRATEFUL he is to us as his parents that we did not give up homeschooling. No better gift ever have I had.

Also, look at:

Follow Both of My Pinterest Accounts too for more homeschool fortitude.

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When to Skip Ahead Or Stay Longer on a Homeschool Subject

September 16, 2015 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

7 Tried & Tested Tips.

Knowing when to skip ahead or stay longer on a homeschool subject can mean the difference between delight and drudgery when learning.

It is hard not to press the panic button when we hit a wall.

There are some basics to evaluating when to pole vault ahead or simmer on a homeschool subject.

There are a few guidelines that I have benefited from through the years and I’m sharing them today though each scenario may have very different circumstances.

If your child is real young, basically up to 3rd grade, you are not wasting time by going back over such important topics like reading.

If you are new to homeschooling, you soon find out that it takes at least the first year to know what your child knows and doesn’t know.

If purchasing a curriculum turns out to be more of a review than teaching new concepts, then move on just a little faster and skip lessons.

The advantages as the teacher is that you have started from the beginning. You can better evaluate where your child is academically. I had one new bee homeschooler tell me it’s like when you go to a medical specialist for a second opinion.

They don’t really care about your old test results. They start over so they are certain what they are dealing with (wise advice).

It is the same for you. It is not a waste of your time, but enriches your journey when you quickly cover what your child has been taught before. You now know for sure basic concepts have been mastered.

It is very different for an older child.

When to Skip Ahead Or Stay Longer on a Homeschool Subject

When to Skip Ahead on a Homeschool Subject

A child that is reading well and past the basics of learning can easily become frustrated when they repeat content they may have done over and over in previous grades.

If you are not sure if it’s the curriculum, but detect resistance, cut back to half the lessons. Speaking to them and listening with your heart as your child tries to articulate the frustration goes a long way to smoothing over any rough spots. A budget may limit you switching curriculum.

Because switching curriculum may not be the answer, learning in a different way may be the solution.

If it is math you are working on, can you do some of it orally? If the complaint is handwriting, can some of it be typed or better yet use their iPad? Turn a project into a creation.

Give them a reprieve.

If your child knows that a subject they excel in or will enjoy follows one they struggle in, it makes struggling seem less.

Take a look at the order the subjects are being covered to be sure it fits your child’s personality and remember to give attention to the subject they struggle with the most when your child is at peak performance.

Resist the urge to determine curriculum level based on their prior public school grade.

Most of the large curriculum vendors provide free downloadable tests to give you a better rule of thumb.

Don’t be embarrassed if your child is not where you think he should be. Just give them the 1:1 mentoring they deserve, build your confidence and know you are not alone.

Finally, don’t be afraid to skip lesson plans or grade levels.

Jokingly, I had another new bee homeschooler tell me that when she started homeschooling she didn’t realize that most homeschool children are gifted.

Reckless or Worth it Risk?

While she was kidding, it is true in a way. It’s not because we push our children, it’s because we prepare them.

Nowadays children that receive an excellent education are viewed as gifted.

Make adjustments needed each year and don’t worry about skipping ahead or moving on. If you make either choice and it’s not right at the moment, you can start back over in the morning.

You’ll love these other tips:

Hugs and love ya,

When to Skip Ahead or Stay Longer on a Homeschool Subject @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Gauging Homeschool Progress – Masters of their Material?

March 15, 2014 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Gauging homeschool progress is one of those things that can cause uneasiness in our journey and especially as we get closer to the end of the school year. Do we ever stop stressing over measuring our homeschool progress by either a pass or fail standard? I think so. But I also think it does not come without wrangling with our own mind-set. Okay, maybe it comes with clashing with naysayers too, but then again I never did set out to homeschool so that I could prove to others that my kids were making progress.

Measuring progress in our homeschool though is natural, but it can be done in many other ways besides doing a standardized test each year. Tests, like any tool, have value in homeschool. But like any useful tool, it can become dangerous if we don’t handle it correctly.

Too, children are no different than us at times when they need validation as to their progress. Sometimes kids need that assurance that they are making progress. And there is nothing wrong with visual charts, stickers and progress report to praise them for those efforts. Unlike children though, we need to determine what will be our standard for progress or success and ways to measure it.

When we don’t determine the standard for our family, then we may be among the first ones to jump aboard the newest wave of educational thinking as to what proves academic rigor. And sometimes that new, so called revolutionary way or measuring stick is far-fetched.

What is not far-fetched is to expect growth and improvement in our children. The rub normally comes in when we are comparing ourselves to other families or when we compare our own children to each other.

5 Tips to Gauge Homeschool Progress Other Than the Standardized Test

Look at these ways that I have used to gauge homeschool success that is unique to each child.

1.) Plot your course before you can gauge your course. I have made it no secret that I am a paper planning girl by sharing my 7 Step Homeschool Planner both on my blog and on Pinterest.

Visit Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus’s profile on Pinterest.

Even if you are not a paper planner person, you still need some way to plot your course or write it all down. It is hard to gauge progress if you don’t have a starting point to measure from. I would like to think that I was all organized (okay I am just a wee bit) and could remember it all (I am for sure not that), but I can’t. Trying to remember what my sons knew at the beginning of the year whether I was teaching them to read or teaching them a new math concept and what they know now is not always easy to recall. Plot your starting point somewhere each year whether you use my free homeschool planner or not. The key is writing it down so that you remember and can look back later.

- - 2.) Do a project and it doesn’t have to wait till the end of the year. Even if you live in a state or country that requires regular testing, I encourage you to do your own evaluations mid-year too. Evaluations do not have to take the form of a written test either. Even in college highschoolers are expected to not only be familiar with their subject, but to learn how to display that subject in a visual way that is appealing to others.

What projects do we have in homeschooling? Science fairs, notebooking, lapbooking and book reports are just a few of the ways our children can demonstrate that they are masters of their material. I’ll let you in on a little secret why I started off doing lapbooks and that is because I never wanted to be in the position of not having proof to show that I was homeschooling if the friendly homeschool laws changed here in Texas. If I ever had to show a portfolio to show our school progress, I would have plenty to choose from each year. Though fear was not the best motivating force to start them, I did learn quickly enough that I could easily shed the doubt that we weren’t doing enough.

- - 3.) Hands-on projects count too. Keeping memorabilia from field trips and hands-on projects cements learning. Do you ever review with your kids where you have gone on field trips or what you learned at co-ops? You should because you would be surprised at what they have retained. Reviewing mastery of material and educational facts learned does not have to be so painstaking. Most children bubble over in talking about the events of the day and you can naturally fold in and reinforce key points learned.

One year, we had a year end talent show. Not only did it provide a lot of fun to end our year, but it allowed the kids to showcase what they had learned. Can you guess how much time they spent beefing up their skills, without my urging them to do so, before they stood up in front of others? I am telling you, it’s easier than you think when it comes to charting progress and we don’t have to follow the public school to do it.

- - 4.) Maybe your teen doesn’t like lapbooks, but you still want a way for them to demonstrate their creative prowess and progress. Teens can prepare Powerpoint demonstrations of either your homeschool journey or to illustrate mastery of their subject. And as they grow older, they can help you to store and keep homeschool records by creating DVDs of your homeschool journey and their work. I have a huge tower of DVDs in my cabinet proving our homeschool journey.

- - 5.) Blogging is a way for me to chart my sons’ progress, but also a private blog by your child is another creative way of proving what they know. When your child has readers, it only fuels their passion to prove to Grandma what he or she knows.

Keeping and comparing writing samples, reading lists and logs, quizzes, maps to show learned geography skills, charts that demonstrate your child has some knowledge of science and history and free-on line tests are not just for reporting purposes, but should be kept for you.

Then again too there are some things that can’t be so easily charted like maturity, reasoning ability, character training and learning responsibility.

You do know know what your children are learning because you are around them 24/7. But when self-doubt creeps in or when we do forget that even tiny baby steps forward is progress, having informal ways to gauge homeschool progress assures us that our sacrifices day in and day out are worth every second spent homeschooling.

What ways do you prove homeschool progress?

Hugs and love ya,