Search Results for: blog do you think homeschooling parents are strange

Mistake #2 Parents Make With Teenagers: Looking for Parenting Answers in Others

So far I have covered mistake #1 that parents of teenagers make, expecting the worse out of this stage of life.  The second mistake I am going to talk about is trying to find parenting answers through others. I know that sounds pretty strange, considering I am technically giving advice.  But at the heart of my message is this…every family is different, so you have to learn what’s best for yours. This doesn’t mean that help from others—whether it comes through books, seminars or blogs—shouldn’t be sought.  It doesn’t mean that you can’t be encouraged or inspired by others. But … Continue reading →

Are Separate Birthday Parties Necessary?

Is your child’s birthday one more day that you dread because you have to figure out how to share it with your ex? When I was first divorced Hailey’s birthday loomed over me like a dark cloud. I didn’t want it to be one more holiday that she would have to split between mom and dad’s house. That first birthday after the divorce was hard. Hailey was sad, her family was glaringly divided. After that year I decided never again. I wanted Hailey’s birthday to be a celebration for and about her. So I called my ex husband and hashed … Continue reading →

Vocab Cafe

The Product Publisher: Maven of Memory Publishing Cost: $12.95 each or the set for $51.80. Check the site the was on sale for $38.85 Ages: Recommended for High School College Prep Genius makes the ‘Master the SATs’ DVD course. They publish a novella series called Vocab Cafe. The books are designed to teach vocabulary words frequently on the SAT exam. Each book is designed with a 3-step approach of increasing vocabulary: definition, repetition, and reinforcement. The words are highlighted in the text, and the definition is found at the bottom of the page. Each book teaches 300 SAT words. The … Continue reading →

Grade Check

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My dear students, I write to you today to tell you that math is your friend. Remember when that math teacher in grade school, and high school, and your parents, and your uncle that you’re not allowed to visit anymore all told you that math really is important for everyday living? Do you remember that? Do you remember working on your multiplication tables or your long division worksheets thinking “no body ever does this stuff in real life!” and “I’m not going to ever use any of this so why bother?” Do you remember all of that? Well, if mathematics … Continue reading →

What Do We Have in Common?

Perhaps it’s just been my experience, but I’ve noticed that homeschool parents and public school parents seem inclined to think of the differences between themselves rather than their similarities. This can lead to feelings of “us” and “them,” and inhibits us from making close friendships with those around us who might have chosen a different educational philosophy. I’d like to take a minute to focus on the things we have in common. 1. We love our children immensely. Regardless of where our children go to school, we love them with all our hearts and we feel responsible for them and … Continue reading →

Are Homeschool Parents Arrogant?

I happened upon a magazine article yesterday that discussed the pros and cons of homeschooling. It listed all the traditional concerns—socialization, keeping up with peers, etc.—and then an additional concern was raised. Are homeschool parents arrogant for thinking they can possibly teach their children everything they need to know? I had to stop and think about that for a minute. To be honest, the question took me aback. I’d never considered it before. Do I, as a homeschool mother, think I’m better than everyone else? Do I think I have some kind of special power that no one else has? … Continue reading →

Teaching kids about teacher danger

I hate writing about this because I don’t want people to think I am anti teacher. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I think that most teachers are wonderful teachers who would give the shirt off their backs for their students. I would know, I was raised by one. However, it is hard to ignore all of the the incidents of teachers preying on and molesting children. Just this week, a Retired W. Pa. teacher was convicted on sex charges. A columbus Ohio teacher was caught sharing child pornograpy. Also a Florida teacht got 10 years for sex with … Continue reading →

Do you think homeschooling parents are strange

My husband and I don’t discuss homeschooling much. We just have an understanding about it. It is something we do, and we live our lives around it. It is good; and that is that. A recent rare discussion however enlightened me on some of the things people think about homeschooling that I hadn’t even realized. Apparently he discusses homeschooling often with co-workers and clients, and they say the darndest things to him. One thing that these corporate type people have said to my husband is that that homeschool parents are strange. Basically, they just find us creepy. The reason we … Continue reading →

Keep Your Homeschoolers Inquisitive

When my kids were small, I looked forward to the day that all of their pressing questions would be answered, such as “Why is the sky blue”, and “Why do we have bugs”. We all know how tiring it is to have a hundred or more of such questions fired at you every day. The questions start around age 2 with “What’s that” and “What’s this”, and end sometime around the age of six, with of the last questions being “Where do babies come from.” I think they stop asking questions after this one because they know we aren’t exactly … Continue reading →

Vocabulary Word of the Day: Integrated

As I work on this series on typical course of study for homeschoolers, an important word of the day comes to mind. That word is “integrated”. Generally, the word integrated refers to racial issues such as in the integration of pubic school. “integrated” also means “formed or united into a whole”. (rhymezone.com) When I refer to the word integrated in the context of homeschooling, what I am referring to is the fact that sometimes it is hard to separate education from normal everyday living. For example, as I detail all of the lessons that a fourth grader is expected to … Continue reading →