Three major things I wish I had done differently in our homeschool journey

As we finish up our homeschool experience, and evaluate what we have accomplished and where we have weaknesses, there are 3 major things I would change.

1.  I would have unschooled through grade 5.  I have determined that the only thing a student really needs to know to prepare for middle school are:

  • Math: add, subtract, multiply, divide
  • Language Arts:  How to read and be able to comprehend what is read
  • Exploration: so much about all other subjects can be learned through exploration, field trips, and group activities. 
Some might not call it unschooling if you are teaching math and reading, but that would be where I would draw the line.  I guess you could call it uber-relaxed homeschooling. 

2.  I wish I had found ALEKS.com earlier.  I have found this to be the most intuitive and affordable system of teaching math to date.  It allows kids to learn math at their own pace whether it be slower or accelerated.  This program is still imperfect, but after all the ones we tried it still is the best.  The only thing that could make it better is to add a video instruction option to the problems. 

3.  Dual enrollment in the final two years.  My kids did take classes outside the home throughout their homeschool experience, but I think I regret not putting them in an actual college classes, so I could help them walk through their first collegiate experience.  I wonder if I can get my daughter to do a summer class before she leaves home in the fall. 





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1 comment:

Karen said...

Nice input!

12 grade year of homeschooling, Finishing Strong

We are almost done with my college prep series. There will still be a video on completing the transcript.    Stay tuned... meanwhile, ...