 You've made the decision to pull your child from public or private school and homeschool. Great! Now what?
Kids and parents who have been part of public schools are used to certain activities and behaviors: school is from 8 or so in the morning to 2, 2:30, or 3 in the afternoon, give or take. There are very few textbooks if at all, and most of the homework is via worksheets, the Internet, or projects. Learning is always judged on what a child has done with said homework, tests, end-of-grade texts, standardized testing, and report cards. Field trips, while a fun part of a school year, are few and far between and may or may not have anything to do with the curriculum. Reading is a chore. Don't get me started on the fundraising. So you've made the decision, for what ever reason, to go from the above to homeschooling. Perhaps you know some homeschoolers. Perhaps you were once homeschooled yourself. Perhaps you have a pre-conceived idea that you don't have enough children to homeschool as most homeschoolers you know have at least nine kids, a huge 15-passenger van, three goats, and make their own hummus. There are many homeschoolers who, for whatever reason, only teach one child, have a normal sized-vehicle, own no goats. I don't even like hummus. Regardless of how or why you came to homeschool, if you pull your children from public or private school to homeschool, you will need to "deschool." Deschooling is a process in which you and your children unlearn behaviors, attitudes, and notions about what school is like, "should" look like, and what it will look like in your own, personalized, special homeschool. It's like an educational detox. So how do you do this? The first thing to do is to formally register your homeschool with your state, according to your state's requirements, and officially withdraw your children from their schools. You will need the official paperwork from the state with your homeschool's name to withdraw, but it's easy to obtain after your register your homeschool. Always register your homeschool prior to withdrawing your students. After that, deschooling can begin. Have a conversation with your kids about what they want their homeschool to be like. If they have input, than the homeschool will be more likely to succeed. Look at homeschool catalogs, attend homeschool conferences and conventions, and explore curricula together. Do some Internet research on area homeschool groups and meetings, and just explore. Many museums and historical sites, plus science centers, have homeschool days or programs. In the days, weeks, and months of deschooling, don't focus on academic work so much as learning in different ways. That's the beauty of deschooling before you start a formal or eclectic curriculum: learning can happen without worksheets (gasp!). Learning can happen while watching a "How it's Made" television show or documentary, and it can happen with just conversations. You're focusing during the period of deschooling on figuring out what your child's learning style is, so you can teach so that he will learn the best way. Eventually, especially for high school, you will want to keep grades for the transcript. But don't focus so much energy on the numbers of grades; instead, focus on what the child is learning. If she is really into horses, allow her to learn about the science of horses, the art of horses, and horsemanship. She can study about horses in history -- horses' involvement in World War I would be a great research paper for high school. Some homeschooling families choose to continue deschooling as a curriculum. With my daughter, we have an eclectic homeschool: we don't have a boxed curriculum; instead, it's a mix-and-match of various resources. We do a good bit of deschooling as we talk a lot, watch documentaries and educational TV, and go on a lot of field trips. Field trips are incredible learning experiences. We have gone to museums, science centers, historical battlefields, and learned so much about many topics. It makes what you're learning in books real. Recently Laura was learning about colonial North Carolina and how the early colonists used the Great Dismal Swamp to transport goods. We visited my oldest daughter and her husband in Norfolk, Virginia, and passed by the Great Dismal Swamp, even going to the visitor center and learning about it. Going home and studying the swamp's impact on colonial North Carolina and Virginia after that hammered the information in. It's a good idea to gauge if kids are getting anything out of field trips -- download this Field Trip Report and print it out for each child, as an on-the-way home activity to do in the car. Deschooling will get your and your kids in a different rhythm for homeschool. And, listen -- homeschool does not have to happen between 8 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. It can happen any time, as long as it happens. It's not constricted to Monday-Friday, either. You can take time off for vacations, time off if you need a mental health day, or homeschool on the weekend. It's all up to you and your family. Enjoy this time. Peace, Terrie (C) 2020 Terrie Bentley McKee ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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 You've pulled your child out of public school, you've purchased a curriculum for hundreds of dollars, and you've hung a dry erase board on your dining room wall. You've filed all the necessary paperwork and even picked out a name. You're excited to do this school-at-home thing!
The first day went by great, and why shouldn't it? Your child was ecstatic to do school in his pajamas! She was so happy to not have to get up at 6:30 a.m. for the school bus. The second day went okay. By the time the fifth day rolled around, your child was fussing about something, you lost all the dry erase markers, and the cat puked up something indescribable on the new curriculum. You couldn't figure it out. You had carefully planned out eight hours of instructional time. Sure, they ended the school day at five p.m., but they started at 10 a.m.! And would it be too much to ask if they'd sit at the dining table to do their school work? Is it asking too much for pants to be worn? Whoa, there, Mama. The real reason your homeschool isn't working is this: comparison. You're comparing your homeschool to public school, or your homeschool of one week to the homeschool veteran of 23 years down the street. You know the one: you had talked with her on your daily break to get the mail. She had asked how it was going and you started sobbing about dry erase markers, cold coffee sitting in the microwave, the dining table looked like it had been ransacked by the entire dwarvan cast of "The Lord of the Rings: The Hobbit," and the week's worth of groceries was gone in 2-1/2 days. Your homeschool is just that: your homeschool. It's not "school at home." Homeschool is supposed to encompass so much more than building volcanoes, diagramming sentences, or learning one-school philosophy, Socratic-method style. You stopped reading at "diagramming sentences," didn't you? No, you don't have to teach diagramming sentences...unless you want to. What works in my homeschool will not work in a homeschool thirty miles from me, or three blocks from me. What works in my homeschool is tailored for my almost-ten year old daughter. We don't teach from a full-box curriculum. It's patchworked-together based on her level and how much she wants (read: needs) to be challenged. When you pull kids from public school and start homeschooling, you almost need to go through a period of de-schooling. This strategy is for both children and parents: unlearning what it means to "do school." Unlearning what that looks like. For example, instead of doing school sitting at the table, why can't you go to the couch to read about the Spanish-American War? Why can't you write your spelling words laying on the floor in front of the fire? Why must we be physically uncomfortable while learning? Say you read a novel laying in bed. You enjoy it, don't you? You're warm, comfortable, and you're engaged in the book. Don't you want your kids associating warm, comfortable, engaging thoughts with learning? I know I do. Learning is not relegated to straight-back chairs and dry-erase boards (although I do have -- and use -- a dry erase board, and an old-school chalkboard). Using tools like boards and computers and YouTube on a screen is not a bad idea, and certainly doing schoolwork at a table has benefits too. We almost always do math at the table as we go over problems on the chalkboard. I'm just saying -- comparing your day or how you do homeschool to how it's done in public or private schools, or even other homeschools, robs your family of the joy of the homeschool experience. How do you de-school? You have a conversation with each other about everyone's expectations are. What do you want your homeschool to look like? Do you want to homeschool in the morning or afternoon? Or throughout the day? Do you work outside the home, maybe switching shifts with your spouse? So maybe the kids split their academic time up. Do you homeschool and work in the home, as I do? So you trade off homeschool and work time in a delicate balancing act. There's no one right -- or wrong -- way to homeschool. You have to do what works for your family and not what the expectation of "school" means. Listen: homeschool is as much a place of learning as public or private school. It's just a different style and place of learning. And no one has the right to tell you any different. Ultimately, these are your children; you are responsible before God and the State to take care of them, and if you have chosen homeschool as their academic path, well, Grandma and Aunt Millie and Uncle Bob and Brother Don and Sister Lucy have no say at all in the matter. Period. Bam. It's totally up to you to decide what schedule fits best with your homeschool. In our house, homeschooling doesn't end at 2:30 p.m. In the morning, it's get up by nine, breakfast, meds, get at the dining table by 10 for prayer, Bible, spelling, and math. Then we have a 20-minute break. We grab the history and science books and go to the couch, and read a chapter. We talk about it. We may watch a YouTube video (I make a homeschool list of videos to watch the coming week) on the historical subject we're learning about, and we watch and talk about it together. We then read the chapter in science. A video may or may not be watched for science, too. Then, she goes back to the table to answer questions for history and science. Usually it's time to run errands or go to doctors appointments or clean the kitchen. Laura has chores every day to do: feed and water the cats, unload the dishwasher, pick up the living room, etc. She usually helps with meal prep for dinner. We're trying to get out of the habit of collapsing in a heap on the sofa after dinner to watch television, and instead reading, playing board games, or something as a family. Our homeschool rarely goes past 2 p.m. Our homeschool rarely goes over four hours (and that is totally okay). (You want to know a secret? With behavior corrections, meetings, assemblies, lunches, specials, working with kids, managing parental communications, and dealing with administration -- a public school day never has eight complete hours of pure instructional time. Never). The biggest reason your homeschool is not working is you're trying to replicate the public school experience you just pulled your child from. If that had worked, your child most likely would still be at that school. Listen: if your child was bullied, there are no bullies in your school. It's safe. If your child has special needs and the IEP or 504 plans weren't being followed, there are no IEP or 504 plans in your homeschool because homeschool by definition is all about individualized educational plans. Stop comparing and trying to replicate your school and make it into a school where your child will not just succeed, but excel. If he is interested in trains, by all means let him learn all about trains. That encompasses reading, math, engineering, science, history--everything. If your daughter loves all things horses, then let her learn about horses. Again, reading, math, science, history, even physical education if you can find horseback riding lessons. A word about reading: if you want to homeschool your pre-K or kindergarten-level child, please know that children are pushed into reading before they are ready, in public schools. It is very much okay if a five year old doesn't read well, doesn't write well, or shapes allude him. Buy some shape toys, colored toys, books, and simply get in the floor and play with her. Build things. Build a fort under the table and get under it with a flashlight and a stack of books, lay on your backs, and read to him. Playing and reading with and to your child will teach him more than worksheets ever will at that age. Be encouraged, parents! You can do this! Extend grace to yourself, clean off the dining table, and start fresh and new, tomorrow morning. You can do it! Blessings, Terrie (C) 2020 Terrie Bentley McKee ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  My daughter spent two-and-a-half years in public school; she has also spent a total of two years now in homeschool, so I feel like I have a unique perspective on the whole "socialization" debate.
I know that since every child is different, and no two homeschools or public schools are the same, so the experiences that my daughter and I have are unique to Laura and I. So I can only offer what experiences we have had. I homeschooled Laura the first semester of Kindergarten. Life interrupted, and I had to enroll her in an elementary school near our home due to unforeseen circumstances that were out of our control. She went to public school for the remainder of kindergarten, first grade, and then second grade. We withdrew her from public school and started homeschooling her at the very beginning of third grade. She is now in the fourth grade in homeschool. During the two-and-a-half years she was in public school, she alternated between being shy during times when it would have been good for her to talk up, and she was talkative when she it was required for her to be quiet. She's imaginative, playful, spirited, and social by nature. She's a born leader, but was shy around adults to the point that she would not ask for help if she needed it. She learned that adults in authority were not to be questioned, which in her mind meant not asking for help. I do not mean to question authority by any means -- I mean, she learned that if a teacher or adult did something, and she didn't understand, she just let it go instead of asking questions. Asking questions, to Laura, meant a child didn't know what was going on so they spent recess inside being tutored instead of out on the playground. Laura has chronic migraines, ADHD, and dyslexia. She missed about twenty days of school in second grade due to migraines alone, then throw ten days' missed due to back-to-back episodes of Flu Type A and Type B. Her dyslexia required her to go to a special class for reading; during the time she was in the reading class, her teacher would hand out the spelling word lists. Laura never asked for the spelling words and the teacher assumed that she had them. So her spelling tests dove off cliffs into seas of failing grades. When we learned of the spelling test fiasco, we made it known in a meeting that she is to have her spelling lists. Laura was asked by the teacher, why didn't you get up and get the list out of the cubby? She said, "You said we were to stay seated. I thought I couldn't get up and get them." This is the socialization that we experienced in public school: sit down, be quiet, no talking, do your work. No wiggling. Walk in straight lines to the cafeteria and library. Stay on the right side of the hallway. Don't question teachers or principals. Listen: there are things being taught in public schools that should be questioned. History is being re-written and that should be questioned. Biology is being re-written and that should be questioned. When schools do not allow questioning of curriculum or adults who are teaching curriculum that is contrary to nature or historical fact, that is when alarms should go off. When kids are taught from elementary school to not question, they are being set up to blindly accept any and all things being taught by adults in authority--no matter how false they are. Since Laura has been homeschooled from the beginning of third grade, her self-esteem has increased. Last year, during a children's Christmas program at our church, she read (on grade level!) the Christmas story from Luke 2, in front of the entire congregation. She accidentally bumped the hand-held mic and it fell down; the sound tech was nearby and had to fix it while she stood there, in front of everyone. I thought she was going to cry. But She Who Would Have Cried A Year Before swallowed hard, smiled, and started over at Luke 2:1, with boldness and feeling. I was so proud. Laura, now, walks up to the librarian at our local library and asks for help to find a book or access to the computer--without me. If she is given information that she doesn't understand, she will ask for clarification. She takes ownership of her homeschool materials and her education. She walks beside adults, so she can see where she's going and to ask questions, instead of behind them, trusting the route they're going is correct. This past weekend my husband, Laura, and I were at a wheelchair basketball tournament my husband was playing in. Laura found another child, introduced herself, and created games for the two of them to play while their respective parents were playing or watching basketball. As the other child was younger than her, she led the child and protected him from runaway balls or people in wheelchairs. She shared snacks with him. This weekend, Laura initiated and talked with people of all ages, skin colors, and abilities. She is not learning that this group of kids can learn this way and that group of kids is learning something else because they are different. Because of homeschooling, she is learning that we all have various abilities, and that kindness goes a long way. Because of homeschooling, she is learning that if she needs to use the bathroom, she just needs to go. Asking permission to take care of one's bodily functions is the first step toward socialism, and the government is not in charge of my body--or Laura's. She is learning real-world situations and how we deal with them (such as health crises, taking care of elderly loved ones, financial issues, traveling, etc). She is learning that God steers her life's ship. So what about socialization? Laura interacts with kids of all ages wherever she goes: the park, church, her American Heritage Girls troop, the neighborhood. Life is not divided into age groups; children need to know how to get along with people of all ages, nations, creeds, and colors. She also knows who she is, Whose she is, and what she believes--that is what I want for my daughter. Last year, she and I were at a grocery store and were wearing our homeschool t-shirts, as we had been on a field trip that day. A stranger in the check-out line noticed the shirts and struck up a conversation with her. Don't you just love it when total strangers feel they have to proctor exams with homeschooled kids in grocery stores? The stranger asked Laura what grade she was in. She said, "Third." The stranger then asked what she was learning about in homeschool. She said, "The Civil War." The stranger said, "Ohhhh! Can you tell me a reason for the civil war?" I knew what she was fishing for: slavery. Laura said, "Yes, when the American colonies were first colonized, there were three divisions: northern, middle, and southern. The British discovered more iron and coal in the northern colonies so that made them more industrial, and the middle colonies had little farms, but the southern colonies had huge farms. So right off the bat, that made tensions between the three sections as the southern colonies needed more manpower..." The stranger's eyes were huge. She then cleared her throat and asked me, "Well, what do you do for socialization?" Laura didn't hesitate. "Excuse me, ma'am, but...I'm talking with you, aren't I?" The question of socialization is a moot point. There are plenty of opportunities to get kids together and they will interact. It's important the kids see the parents interact, too--as they learn as much from watching us as they do from curriculum. While we need to protect our kids in this era of "stranger danger," we also need to allow supervised opportunities like the one we had in the grocery store. Blessings, Terrie (C) 2020 Terrie McKee ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  Being a mom is hard work. You have all the stuff to do, kids to manage, husband to take care of (admit, you do), and work inside or outside the home. Throw in homeschooling kiddos, and you have yourself a mama in bad need of a hot, uninterrupted bath and downtime.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Homeschooling One Child participates in the Amazon referral program, which provides small commissions to me at no extra cost to you. These commissions help provide for this website, put food on my family's table, and a roof over our heads. For that I am eternally grateful. Shout-out to all the single moms out there, or married single moms -- those of us out there who are married, but because of deployment, disability, or what-have-you, have a ring on the finger that you're working to the bone. Homeschooling moms are with their kids all.day.long. -- by choice, mind you, and they (we) wouldn't give it for anything. I love homeschooling my daughter and seeing the Dawn of Realization peek over the horizon of her mind when she gets an important concept. You can just see the lightbulb turn on. There's nothing like it in the world. Except, maybe, going to the bathroom by yourself. That's right up there, too. And, let's face it: Valentine's is coming up and there are all sorts of Valentine's Day card packets with the obligatory two teacher's cards, but we don't ever see "Thanks for teaching me, mom!" cards...except here. ;) As International Homeschool Day is February 29, 2020, this card is a perfect way to show some appreciation. I've found nine ways to encourage homeschool moms. These may be done by husbands, parents, kids, grandparents, neighbors, church friends--basically, anyone who wants to encourage a homeschooling mother you know. 1. Be mindful of the homeschooling day Learn when a homeschool day is most active, and don't interrupt. If you know that your daughter homeschools your grandchildren in the morning, don't call in the morning. Simply wait until after lunch, or text a quick note to call you back at her convenience. Texting is great because it allows the recipient to respond at his or her leisure. 2. Be mindful of her time Conversely, be mindful of her time. Just because a homeschooling mom is, by definition, at home, doesn't mean she's available. That bears repeating. Just because a homeschooling (or stay-at-home-mom or work-at-home-mom or work-out-of-the-home mom) is at home, doesn't mean she is available. Don't assume she can take Grandma to the doctor or volunteer for that committee or pick up dry cleaning. The beauty of homeschooling is that you have the freedom to teach and interact with your kids as you want. The downside of homeschooling is that you have the freedom to go at a moment's notice, and some people may take advantage of that. Homeschoolers typically schedule and plan out weeks in advance, and it's not just an inconvenience when something is thrown in unexpectedly, it's an abrupt change in plans. Homeschooling teachers typically do not have substitutes to take their class when they are told there is a sudden issue with their parents, as their class is their family. That's not to say emergencies aren't necessary reasons to stop, adapt, and move in a different direction, but choose the emergency. Broken, bleeding, heart attack, stroke: yes. Go. Sudden need for ice cream (been there), rapid desire to go shopping (did that), or an immediate need to buy flour to make chicken and dumplings for the ladies' BINGO game that will be held three days' hence (bought THAT t-shirt): these are not emergencies. 3. Give gift cards Often, a homeschooling mom will spend money on curriculum, dry erase markers, printer ink, paper, printer ink, stickers, notebooks, and printer ink (notice a theme?) but not on herself. Gift cards for coffee on the go, massages, the movies for a date night, or other fun things will help her feel appreciated and loved. 4. Wish list Ask if she has a homeschool wish list on a website like Amazon, ask her to allow you to have access to it--then order things off it during the year. What better way to support the homeschool and take some worry off a mom than to provide a globe, or industrial-strength pencil sharpener, or a cute homeschool mom t-shirt? Whatever is on a homeschool mom's wish list, you know that there are things on it she knows she could use in her home and with her kids, so they will not go to waste. Think about shopping those lists for birthdays or at Christmas. 5. Sick days It's hard to homeschool, parent, take care of the house, and nearly impossible to do all that well when there's sickness in the house. With social media, many times you know when a family is down with the flu, or having a particularly rough season with special needs, or maybe facing surgery. Providing a meal, whether you've cooked it or it's via take-out, is a lovely way to show a homeschool mom you care and have her back. 6. Provide a homeschool conference Conferences that are dedicated for homeschooling families are integral for encouragement, finding out the latest curriculum, getting ideas or assistance, and just being around like-minded individuals. Encouraging a homeschool mom (or dad or family) with paying the registration costs (or, even, travel costs!) of homeschool conferences is a huge way to take an active role in the future of those children. There are a number of homeschool conferences coming up around the country. One, an online conference, is the Homegrown Generation Online Family Expo, which is a one-of-a-kind event. Live and fully interactive, the conference will feature some of today’s most popular speakers addressing the most important issues that homeschool families face. Just $20, it provides lifetime access to participants. Register here. Another conference is Teach Them Diligently, to be held in seven cities around the country this spring. Featuring the top names in homeschooling today plus a first-rate exhibit hall of homeschool vendors, it is not to be missed. Plus, the kids' and youth programs provide incredible opportunities for kids and teens to be around other homeschoolers and have fun learning about Jesus. For 9 years, Teach Them Diligenty Christian homeschool conventions have been a help and encouragement to new homeschool families, seasoned homeschool families, and families who are just thinking about starting homeschooling alike. Register here. 7. Library fines Another way to bless a homeschooling mom is to pay off her library fines. It is inevitable: ask a group of homeschooling moms what's the one thing they wish they could dispose of, and it would be library fines. I use my local library a lot in homeschool, and I would love to have someone offer to take care of our fines. It's a rare month that we don't have some fine from an educational DVD we're still working through, a book that is taking a little longer to read, or a book that was so loved it went missing as it was being read in bed. 8. Encourage play dates Get your families together and have play dates. Offer to have a friend's homeschooling kiddos to come over for a visit, or go visit a homeschooling mom with your kids (and bring coffee!). There really is no substitute for adult conversation, prayer between friends, and play. 9. Discipleship Groups Invite a homeschooling mom to a Bible study as part of a small group or discipleship group. It's hard to keep focused on your own walk with Christ when you're so busy planning the route for others' walks. I'm involved in a small Bible study group with other ladies at my church. We meet every Tuesday night for several weeks in the fall and again in the spring for dinner, study, and fellowship. I'd be lost without that group of ladies. Inviting others into groups helps energize not only the individual but also the group. These are only nine ways to encouragement to a homeschooling mom. Listening, talking, laughing, and sharing in each other's lives mean so much. Blessings, Terrie (C) 2020 Terrie McKee ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  Using resources and tools in homeschooling helps not only the child, but also the parents. There is a wealth of information available from organizations, museums, veteran homeschoolers, and curricula writers. The following websites and conferences are ones I use in homeschooling my daughter, and they have proved themselves invaluable. Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I receive a commission, at no cost to you, for purchases you make on the links. I have indicated which ones are affiliate links. Your support helps provide food on my table, keeps this website up and running, and provides for my daughter's homeschooling. I am eternally grateful. Now, let's jump in and check out these incredible websites and conferences. Spelling As my daughter has dyslexia, we utilize many different ways for her to learn spelling words. One way she loves to study her spelling assignments is through word searches. This word search creator, available on Education.com, uses words you input to create word searches that you can download and print. There are a lot of resources available on Education.com, and it also features online games, progress trackers for children, and worksheets. I use this website all the time. Another resource combines spelling with cursive writing practice. This handwriting wizard (which can also print non-cursive writing worksheets) takes words you input, your handwriting choices (I like cursive D'Nealian style), and various size choices, to create dynamic worksheets you print. I always choose the "Block, Dot, Space" line pattern option to give Laura as much writing practice as I can. Science For kids who love animals, explore.org features live cams of animals all over the world, including dog and cat rescues (watch puppies being born!). It also has underwater reef live cams, ocean shots, and views of busy ports. The Smithsonian Institute's website offers a cornucopia of interesting and educational pages. Their Science and Nature page, for one, features exciting online exhibits and peeks into real-life exhibits at the museums in Washington, DC. You could spend an entire day teaching from this one website and still not see everything (kindof like the IRL museums!). History Recently we visited the Kings Mountain National Military Park, site of the Revolutionary War battle which turned the tide. While there, we discovered that most national parks have a junior ranger program. Laura is currently working through the Kings Mountain book, which we're using to jumpstart her unit on the colonial time period. As we will be going through St. Louis in March, I emailed the Ulysses S. Grant National Park there and they're mailing her a booklet to work through prior to visiting the park. That way, when we visit, she needs to watch a film, turn in her booklet, and she will receive a badge or patch. The Junior Ranger program also has offshoots like Junior Cave Scientist, Junior Angler, Spaceflight Explorer, even a Junior Paleontologist program! I've been looking for a way to teach my daughter about liberty and the proper role of government. Books from The Tuttle Twins (affiliate) are an exciting way to do it! With fun illustrations, engaging story lines, and common sense ideas, The Tuttle Twins books help kids understand why freedom is important. Grammar/Writing Grammarly.com (affiliate) offers downloadable grammar checkers as well as a plagiarism checker. This is important for homeschoolers who are in high school and writing essays and term papers. Access their plagiarism checker here. Curriculum SchoolhouseTeachers.com (affiliate) is a website I use a lot, and their quarterly print magazine is a source of great information by itself. Give your homeschooling family a Fresh Start in 2020. Join SchoolhouseTeachers.com by January 31 to save over 50% on an Ultimate Membership (PreK-12). Lock in at $99/year (code: ONLY99) or $12/month (code: ONLY12) before prices go up in February. Over 400 courses for the family! Like Education.com, Teachers Pay Teachers is a powerhouse for worksheets, unit studies, compilation studies, and everything in between. It is not membership-based. Simply searching for the grade level, subject, and free pricing nets you tons of worksheets or supplemental work to increase understanding for your curriculum. You can pay for materials, and the bigger packages are worth it. In addition, 7Sisters Homeschool (affiliate) offers high school level electives, co-op/group information, high school transcripts, and, best of all--no busy-work ebook curriculum from 20+ year veteran homeschool moms. The ladies that make up the 7Sisters Homeschool are dear to my heart--give them a try today, you will not be disappointed! Conferences Teach Them Diligently (affiliate) is the granddaddy of all homeschool conferences. Featuring nationally-known speakers, a huge exhibit hall, incredible children's and teen's programming, it's a homeschooling feast for the whole family. This year, TTD conferences will be held in Nashville, TN; Rogers, AR; Waco, TX; Mobile, AL; Denver, CO; Columbus, OH; and Atlanta, GA. Jam-packed with workshops, powerful keynote speakers (Tim Tebow in Nashville, anyone?), exhibitors, and community -- you cannot lose! Here's a teaser for you: I'm scheduled to speak and exhibit at the conference in Atlanta (Athens)...I'd love to meet you! The Homegrown Generation Online Family Expo is a one-of-a-kind event. Live and fully interactive, the conference will feature some of today’s most popular speakers addressing the most important issues that homeschool families face. Sign up today for lifetime access to this event. The Expo will be held Monday, February 17th to Friday, February 21, 2020. Live workshops will be held between 12 PM and 7:30 PM EST (9 AM and 4:30 PM PST). Speakers include Kirk Cameron, Sam Sorbo, Israel Wayne, Ginger Hubbard, Leigh Bortins, Rachael Carman, Durenda Wilson, Connie Albers, Aby Rinella, Karen DeBeus, Ana Willis, and Danielle Papageorgiou, with many more to come! All Homegrown Generation Homeschool Conference workshops will be available for live viewing and participation on a private Facebook Group and in the attendees area here. Every attendee will receive a Swag Bag featuring gifts and resources from our sponsors and speakers. Additionally, attendees will have access to a vendor’s hall, resource recommendations, and life-time access to the course materials and conference videos. All that, for the low per-person rate of $20! Friends, I would never recommend anything that I don't use myself. If I like it enough to be an affiliate, that means it worked for me. I had the opportunity this year to be an affiliate for a homeschool company, and when all was said and done -- neither Laura nor I liked the product. So I ended the affiliate relationship. Not so with the above! Check out the above resources--you will not be sorry! Happy Homeschooling! Love y'all, Terrie (C) 2020 Terrie Bentley McKee ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  
The last year my son was in high school, he was bullied mercilessly, which caused significant behavior issues with him. Autism is cruel enough--being bullied because of the autism is unacceptable.
After many tries to remedy the situation through IEP, teacher, and administration meetings, I finally pulled the "homebound" student card and taught Sam at home with academic resources from the school. He still graduated--and walked--with his class, but we were thrust into the world of homeschooling quite by accident. My other son, Jacob, was still a student at the school, a year behind Sam. It was odd, at first, Jacob getting up and rushing out the door to meet the bus in the morning, leaving Sam at home with me. But, like many parents of children with autism and other special needs, I found out quickly what worked and what didn't. The thing about it was this: I was homeschooling one child while the other went to public school. In that particular season, it was what we needed to do to meet the needs of both boys. It would not have been fair to Jacob, who was active in band, to pull him from public school because his brother had significant issues. Public school met Jacob's needs; it did not meet Sam's. Throwing out the IEP The IEP--Individualized Education Plan--was made to provide specialized public education to my son, who has learning disabilities. At home, though, he was getting one-on-one, highly individualized education. I found that a lot of his IEP was based in the behavioral issues and problems he would have with teachers and peers; about 60% of it was dedicated to academics. I found that Sam was really, incredibly, mind-numbingly bored with "menu math" -- addition, subtraction, and a wee bit of multiplication based around restaurant menus, food prices, and grocery store circulars. He wanted something different. He wanted codes to break and exploration, so I introduced him to algebra. No more "Mary orders a pancake for $1.49 and an orange juice for 59 cents. How much change would she get if she paid with a $5?" -- no, he not only relished 2x=6 but he was thrilled by the adventure of what that x meant. The truth is, every child can benefit from individualized education. If you are homeschooling one child and not the others, I would encourage you to do one of two things: be as proactive with your publically-schooled children, in their schools, with homework, with extra-curricular activities, as you are with your homeschooler, or homeschool all your kids. Public school now is not like public school 30, 20, or even 10 years ago. There's less education and more indoctrination. Just be aware, parents. Homeschool and Homework The biggest issues occurred we had when homeschooling one and not the others were when Jacob disembarked the bus at 3:45. Sam can be quite chatty when he's excited and nothing would get him more excited than his brother arriving home. Jacob had homework to do and his tenor sax to practice. Sam was technically finished with school long before Jacob (more on that in a second), so there was the problem of getting Sam to be quiet while Jacob worked on his homework. I learned to keep reading or another subject back, and required Sam to read or do math facts --something! -- while Jacob was busy doing his homework. It brought in a semblance of normalcy to the new routine. The beauty of homeschool is it's not 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. It can be any time, so it can be when other kids are studying, too, to minimize distruptions. Schedule Keeping to a tight schedule was fundamentally the most important thing with homeschooling Sam. Autism doesn't take kindly to a hither-and-yon schedule. I would have the same subjects in order, the same way, every single day. Spelling, math, a break. History, lunch. Science, a long break. Jacob would come home, and Sam would do his reading. I found that Sam got more done, retained more information, and was done before the afternoon bus pulled up, on most days. He was happier and was learning--without being bullied. School Some days, we had to pick Jacob up from school, and on those days, Sam went in with me, saw familiar people, talked with the assistant principal. He still participated in graduation preparations. We balanced his educational needs with Jacob's, and his desire to do neuro-typical things like graduation. We made it work. Parents, you need to do what works for your family, and ultimately, it's your call whether or not to homeschool, to have your kids in public school, or private. The most important thing is to be present, and active, in your child's education. - Terrie (c) 2019 Terrie Bentley McKee All Rights Reserved
This post was proofread by Grammarly
 Being a blogger, even if you're not homeschooling, you're on the peripheral edge of the incredible homeschooling community. You go to blogging conferences, and people just assume you're a teach your own kids at home. But you look at 15-passenger vans, which seems to be a prerequisite to homeschool, and you think, I only have one child, can I do this?
Fifteen passenger vans are to homeschool today what denim jumpers are to homeschool today: not necessary, and just a little extra. Unless you do, in fact, have thirteen children. And God bless you for it! I have four children: the first three are adults now, out of high school, so all I have left is nine-year-old Laura. Laura is homeschooled. There are definite advantages to homeschooling multiple kids: there's a certain degree of friendly competition that, if harnessed correctly, can be used for good. Older ones can read to the younger ones, and socialization (don't you just hate that word!) isn't a question. In homeschooling one child, though, socialization becomes a valid concern. The remedy for that concern is to plan and involve your child in activities that will facilitate group interaction and friendships. This doesn't mean puppet-master friends or get-togethers; kids are capable, much more so than adults, of making friends easily and without politics. A simple, playground invite of "wanna play tag?" works for kids (not so much or adults, though, but wouldn't that just be a hoot?). When I first homeschooled Laura last year in second grade, I did some online research for groups or resources for homeschooling just one child. My research turned up very little. At the time, I had been blogging at my other site for about ten years, and quite frankly, had hit a wall. I took a blogging hiatus and prayed for guidance. Let's pause here: I am a no-apologies Christian, and because I know that Jesus is my strength and my shield, all my websites are rooted in the Christian faith. The resources and encouragement I share on this site may not be overtly Christian, but the overall sentiment of the site acknowledges Jesus and praises Him. Unpause. After I prayed for guidance, it dawned on me that the fact that there weren't much in the way of online resources was a huge opportunity. Viola! And "Homeschooling 1 Child" was born. During this same time, a young friend of mine, who I had taught in Sunday School when she was little, was in the process of finishing her junior year at Liberty University's graphic design program. I enlisted her help for the logo, and BOOM! Morgan Poole delivered, big-time. I am so happy with her work and the process of working with her on the logo. Check out her website (and if you need a talented graphic designer, contact her!)! Homeschooling1Child.com features a number of vehicles: this website, which has a blog plus resources; a YouTube channel, social media, and an email newsletter. Social media's algorithms are getting more difficult every day to share information, so the best way to make sure you don't miss a single drop of encouragement to help you homeschooling your child, is to receive my email newsletter. Full of resources, the latest blog post, helpful hints, sales, and encouraging tidbits, the Homeschooling1Child email newsletter exists to encourage you! Sign up here! My husband Greg and I made the decision to homeschool Laura because we felt very strongly that the public school system was headed down a path that we did not want for our daughter. Plus, Laura has chronic migraines, and the unbelievable amount of stress that she faced as a second grader (!!!) caused her to miss 20 days of school last year due to migraines. She has dyslexia, and we were told that she was reading on a kindergarten level, and had to work really hard to get up to where her peers were (hello! she had an Individualized Education Plan!). So, we started her homeschooling in the third grade. By Christmas, I tested her: she was reading on grade level. When she took an end-of-grade assessment test in May, she was reading on the sixth grade level. She not only caught up, she thrives in homeschool! Let's go! Let's work on homeschooling together! Won't you join us? Smiles, Terrie (C) 2019 Terrie Bentley McKee All Rights Reserved  Beginning a homeschooling journey is an amazing experience. When you make the choice to become a homeschool mom it can be both exciting and frightening. After all, you are taking your children's education into your own hands. You'll be teaching them everything from the ABCs to Chemistry. Along the way it is important to remember this -- you are not on this journey alone. There are many places that you can find the help you need.
The hardest part of anything is the first step - the beginning. That is especially true for beginning a homeschooling journey. There are quite a few steps that you'll need to take to get started. Many of the steps you'll need to take will become part of your homeschooling journey as you'll repeat them before you begin a new homeschool year. They'll become like second nature to you before you know it! 14 Steps to Beginning a Homeschooling Journey Have a family meeting As you start your homeschooling journey I encourage you to set up a family discussion time with your spouse and children. Knowing what homeschooling means to each of them and what they'd like their homeschooling journey to look like will help you as you plan. This will make it easier for you as you make specific plans for your homeschool as well. Write a homeschool mission statement Right now the reasons you're choosing to begin a homeschooling journey seem like they will never fade. They are important. However, when you've been homeschooling for 5,6 or even 10 years and you happen upon tough days, you'll need to be reminded of your why. Take time to write a homeschool mission statement that your entire family can cling to throughout your homeschooling journey. Pick a homeschool name More than likely there will be a time when you need a homeschool name for paperwork. This is a fun activity that you can get your kids to participate in. The sky is the limit! Get creative! My kids enjoyed picking school colors, a mascot and a Bible verse as well. Determine what homeschooling method you'll follow Prior to shopping for homeschool curriculum and planning you'll need to know what homeschooling method works best for you and your children. I love child led homeschooling because it gives my children the opportunity to be part of their education. It is easier to teach them about things that interest them! Make a homeschool budget Homeschooling isn't free. You need to take some time to go over your finances to ensure that you know how much you can spend on homeschool curriculum and resources. Note which subjects you need to shop for Depending on what age/grade level your children are in will determine what subjects you'll be covering each homeschool year. Research curriculum publishers The choices for homeschool curriculum publishers is endless, however you'll need to have at least an idea of what homeschooling method you're going to follow before this step. Cathy Duffy's reviews are a great place to get started. Select curriculum After you've completed your homeschool budget and researched your curriculum it is time to narrow down your choices and select your homeschool curriculum. Purchase curriculum This is one of the most fun parts of beginning a homeschooling journey! You finally get to order the books! All the books! Decide how (and when) you'll track While you're trying to be patient waiting for your homeschool curriculum to arrive, (unless you ordered digital curriculum which you're busy organizing on your computer), you'll need to make a plan for how and when you'll track your student's progress and grades. Determine your grading system (and when you'll grade) You are the teacher, therefore, you get to decide whether you'll follow a grade letter or point system, a pass or fail method or some other type of grading system. Design a homeschool schedule Your homeschool schedule should fit your family. You do not have to follow a Monday-Friday, September-May school schedule. A year round homeschooling schedule might be perfect for you! Pick a start date There is no wrong time to start your homeschooling journey. If you've pulled your kids out of public school mid-year, you do not have to wait until September to get started. When you have your homeschool curriculum in hand -- that is the right time to start! Create homeschool plans The last step before day 1! You'll need to find the right homeschool planner for you. There are digital, online and paper options. Be sure to take your time to look into them all so that you find the right one for you because you'll be using it all year long! Beginning the homeschooling journey -- have fun! This is the best part of beginning a homeschooling journey. The possibilities for fun are limitless! Learning should be experienced, not just textbooks to read. Give your children the opportunity to explore and engage throughout your homeschooling journey! Homeschooling your children will likely be one of the most memorable times of your life because you'll spend time growing and learning together. Furthermore, I've often found that I learn just as much if not more homeschooling my children each day! How can we help you as you're beginning a homeschooling journey? _________________________________ Misty is a Daughter of THE King, Texas girl, Navy brat at heart, loving Fisherman’s wife, blessed homeschooling mother of 2, founder of Year Round Homeschooling and author of Beautiful Ashes. She is passionate about being real through every stage of life and encouraging homeschool moms throughout their homeschool journey. Her heart is full of ideas and passions, but the hours in her day never multiply to get it all done. Misty enjoys reading, music and photography in her spare time. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. (C) 2019 MIsty Leask, All Rights Reserved. |
AuthorTerrie Bentley McKee is an author and speaker who homeschools her daughter. In the past, she also briefly homeschooled her son, who has autism. 
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