Not Another Homeschool Blog: questions

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Are we spending enough time on math???

I polled a group of homeschoolers this past weekend, asking "How much time do you spend on math"... the consensus was "How much time do you spend on math?".. i.e. the I didn't really get an answer, but was asked in turn how much time my kids spent on the subject.

I thought my answer would be, up to 90 minutes a day or more for high school students... but no. It seems I may be the only one of that opinion. You see, my kids were not math whizzes and it took that long to get through a math lesson and then practice, especially in the high school years. This started in middle school, where we were doing AT LEAST and hour a day, and it just took more and more time as they death with Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, and so forth.

And even after all that work, they just did OK on the SAT/ACT exams in the subject. It was their verbal scores that won them their acceptances and scholarships.

So I'd like to ask a bigger audience.. how much time you spend on math, in what grades, and why. And what are/have been the results. I really want to know.

Questions about my accelerated homeschooler

I've been asked a lot of question about my accelerated homeschooler lately. The conversation tends to go like this.

Them: So, now that your son is starting college, you only have one child to homeschooling. What is she now? A Sophomore?

Me: No, she's a Senior.

Them: A Senior?

Me: A Senior.

Them: So, did you rush her through so you could be done? (knowing smile)

Me: No. Both kids worked at their own pace and both were on pace to graduate at about 16. My son decided at 11th grade level that he didn't want to graduate so soon, so he took longer. My daughter made it

How did your family react when you announced you were homeschooling?

When I let my family know were were homeschooling, they weren't exactly all nice about it.

Some of the reactions/ comments:

"One day they are going to outlaw that homeschool mess!"

"I'm not surprised, I always thought you were crazy" (and that was from the supportive person)

Or the relative that came to me at the end of each year and said, "so are you putting the kids back in school next year". I finally had an emotional outburst and she stopped.

And there there are the relatives that just talked about us behind our back.... now they all want education advice. Interesting.

Does this video sound familiar? Actually, I would prefer my family were this nice.

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Is it time to put your homeschoolers back in school?

This is a dilemma many homeschoolers face. Some times homeschoolers enroll into public school upon their own request. For others, it was planned that they go to public high school from the beginning. There there are those instances when other circumstances dictate enrolling a child into public school. This article addresses this issue.

Homeschooling Questions and Answers: Enrolling Them in School

Not all homeschoolers do so for the entire k-12 process. This means that at one point or another, they will come to the decision to put their child back in school. This can be a difficult and heart-wrenching decision.

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Homeschooling for only one year.

I run into alot of people who have decided to homeschool for just one year. I tend to discourage this because it signifies a lack of commitment. Still, there are times that it can still be a great idea.

Following is an article I recently wrote on this subject.

Homeschooling Questions and Answers: Homeschooling for One Year

Some people find they need a break from the regular grind and decide to homeschool for one year for any number of reasons. Hopefully they will find this advice to be helpful.

Published 9/3/2010

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Homeschool: Why Would You Do That?

Not all of the homeschooling questions I receive are from people looking to homeschool. Sometimes they come from people who are against it, or want to stir the pot. Here is one such question.

Question: Why would you want to homeschool your children?

Answer: Why wouldn't I want to homeschool my children? Seriously! If there is something crazy or

Homeschool questions and answers

Here a collection of homeschool question and answer articles I recently wrote. FYI... I am always open to answer homeschooling answers!

Homeschool Questions and Answers: What If I Make a Homeschool Curriculum Mistake?

What do you do if you realize you don't like the homeschool curriculum you purchased.

Published 8/29/2010

Homeschool Questions and Answers: How Do You Teach Your Student a Subject You Don't Know?

They say homeschooled parents are ill-equipped to teach... at least in some subjects. In some instances that may be true. However, a parent with good commons sense can make up for missing credentials any day.

Published 8/29/2010

Homeschool Questions and Answers: Are Homeschoolers Hurting the Public School System?

As parents you must decide if you are advocating for your child or the public school system. It is your job to do what is best for the child.

Published 8/29/2010

Enjoy

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Most asked Homeschool Questions: How to Start homeschooling and Socialization

Heather from OMSH wrote a post at The Pioneer Woman entitled The TWO BIGGIES: Patience and Socialization. In the blog post, she discussed the to questions she is asked the most as a homeschoolers. She asked other homeschoolers to share their own most asked questions. Mine are:

1. How do you start homeschooling
2. What about socialization (It's asked so much I had to repeat it.)

Here are my responses.

How do you start homeschooling?

Step1: Read. Get your hands on everything you can find about homeschooling. Read blogs. Read books on homeschooling, unschooling, relaxed homeschooling, classical homeschooling, Charlotte Mason homeschooling and anything else you can find. Also read about learning styles, and education as a whole. Spend a good 3-6 months

The downside of using internet for homeschool

It happened again this morning. The internet connection suddenly went down. This means homeschool lessons were put on hold as the bulk of the children's academics are internet powered. When this happens, I have to re-arrange and have them do their piano practice, and non-internet stuff until the web is up and running again. Fortunately, it did not take long today. However, there have been full weeks when we have had connectivity issues.

I always seem to find a way around it, but the downside to using the internet for homeschool is the fact that it may suddenly go down at any moment.

Pair that with the fact that I also make my living online, and I bet you can imagine my frustration!

Do you use the internet for homeschool?
How do you deal with outages?

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Teaching science and social studies in elementary homeschool

I had a conversation with a new homeschooler today asking about teaching science and social studies to homeschoolers. She is planning to use Time4learning, and wants to supplement those two subjects. I followed up our conversation with an email to give her links to specific materials I had mentioned. Here is the bulk of the email:

Here are the main books I used for History and science in elementary school grades... and I am still using them!

The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia

We used Artios Academies classes (one day a week classes) for History through the Arts. Another option is to use the reference books and create a time-line teaching them a different time period each year. This is very popular with Classical homeschooling methods.

A newer series for teaching history to young ones is The Story of the World series which allows you to teach history in the order it happened. It reads like a story which children will find fascinating.

For science, I lingered on scientific happenings for the time period the kids were studying as well as using the time4learning science. We also did some experiments. My favorite science supplement books for young ones are:

Developing Critical Thinking Through Science Grade 1-3
Developing Critical Thinking through science grade 4-6

These are great for once a week use.

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questions from a homeschooler to you

Video question re: Kids resisting being taught

I plan to write more about this subject and will add a link at that time.

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A hair-raising school suspension

My son hasn't cut his hair since before he started homeschooling over 5 years ago. It is quite long and depending on how it is styled, is all the way down his back. Most strangers mistake him for a girl, and he just corrects them. For a black child, his hair is just too long, and definitely an oddity, but he likes it that way.

So when I read this story about an Ohio school that suspended a Kindergartener over his Mohawk, I had to wonder how much grief my kid would get if he were in school.

I mean the school had given them 2 warnings that the hairstyle was unacceptable, but the mom continued to shave the sides of the kids head and spike the hair on top. Was she out of line... after all, this is a little boy? But she said he likes it that way.

I know my 13 year old bristles when we say 'haircut' but he does go out of his way to pull his braids neatly into a band when he goes to his classes or to church. He is also a big fan of newsboy hats which make him look quite stylish. He goes out of his way to not draw attention to his hair.

So I guess my question is, while I know the school went too far in this fight over a hairstyle, did the mom go to far as well?

I am undecided.

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Answering question about getting into college

This video answers the question What does it take for a homeschooler to get into college.

For more reading on this subject see these articles I have previously written:

Can Homeschoolers get College Scholarships? http://www.associatedcontent.com/arti...

Homeschoolers can start college before they are done with homeschooling http://www.associatedcontent.com/arti...

How to Colleges Respond to Homeschoolers (video)
http://www.associatedcontent.com/vide...

Homeschoolers and the SAT
http://www.associatedcontent.com/arti... (less)

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