Search Results for: blog the deschooling series the fallacy of good grades

Deschooling: The Fallacy of Comparing Children

One of the boldest arguments that I’ve ever heard against homeschooling is to compare children. When my son did not know how to write his letters or the sounds of the letters by age 4, people around us were up in arms about our homeschooling practices. One particular acquaintance pointed out that her son was in an all day preschool program and he could write all of his letters and numbers and knew most of their sounds. Perhaps it was time to admit that I’m not so good at this homeschooling thing after all. Meanwhile, my poor illiterate son was … Continue reading →

The Deschooling Series: The Fallacy of Good Grades

If you’re just joining us, we’re talking about the things that hinder us from breaking away from our notions of what school should look like. Learning can and should happen in a variety of ways and through a variety of different media. However, we seem to have it so engraved in our minds that school should look traditional. On the contrary, many parents find, particularly those transitioning from a traditional school setting, that they must almost entirely abandon their notions and spend a year deschooling. I have now read in several sources that deschooling is definitely the way to start … Continue reading →

Are You Ready to Quit?

I went to go visit one of my homeschooling forums this morning to discover not one, but four posts from moms who are ready to toss this whole homeschooling thing in the garbage. Their children don’t love it, they don’t love it. . .and well, it’s hard. There’s no ‘mommy time’, there’s tears and fights over school work, and these moms feel like they’re just not reaching their kids. This blog (and maybe a few more) are dedicated to those moms who are ready to throw in the towel on the whole homeschooling thing. Why Did You Start Homeschooling? I … Continue reading →

Creating Kids Who Want to Know

On one of my other posts in homeschooling this week, someone asked me how they can get their kids to do their own work. “The kids want me to tell them the answers to everything.” The problem here is that the kids do not feel the need to find out or know the answer to the question. So how exactly do you create kids that just have to find out the answer? Learning What They Want to Learn I’ve said numerous times before in other blogs that school is not the most efficient way to organize student learning. For those … Continue reading →

The Learning Environment at School

On another forum for home schooling moms, someone posed the question: Wouldn’t the learning environment be better preserved at school? I thought this would be a perfect conversation for those of you who are considering home schooling, or have newly decided and have these kinds of things going through your mind. After all, aren’t schools designed with learning in mind. The Real Question I think the real question is, what it the ‘right’ learning environment for a child’s optimum development? Is it a place with colorful interactive bulletin boards and file folder games, as well as centers? If so, then … Continue reading →

Top Ten Reasons to Homeschool

#10. No mad morning dash, trying to have everyone ready to head out the door while it’s still dark, no 7 a.m. lunch prep, and no racing through the house at 7:23, frantically searching for a shoe while shrieking, “The bus will be here in two minutes!” #9. Girls like to do math in their pajamas. There’s something regal about it. Especially if you add dangly earrings. Feather boas are nice, too. #8. Mix and match curriculum. No grade levels. No letter grades. Just mastery. On their timetable, not someone else’s. #7. Family togetherness. Family togetherness. Family togetherness. #6. No … Continue reading →

The Dangers of Short Term Homeschooling Part II

In my previous article, I suggested that the trend of homeschooling children short term (for just a year, or the remainder of a year) is dangerous to the child. My goal in saying that it is unwise to homeschool short term is not to dissuade you from taking a needed year to explore homeschooling. A trial year of homeschooling is an entirely different thing. Most trail homeschoolers have a desire to or at least consider homeschooling long-term. What I want people who are considering homeschooling for a season to understand is that if you do want to homeschool your child, … Continue reading →

The Dangers of Short Term Homeschooling (Part I)

I keep seeing the following types of questions on homeschooling boards all over the internet. (while you are here, visit our homeschool boards): How do I homeschool my child for 1 year? I do not like my child’s teacher, should I homeschool him this year? We are homeschooling this year to take a break from school, what am I required to do? Yikes! As a homeschooler, I am afraid to say that homeschooling for 1 year is a bad thing for everyone involved. It takes more than 1 year to be successful at homeshooling: Studies show that the longer a … Continue reading →

The Week In Review: Oct. 21, 2006

Are you looking for a compiled list of links and ideas as well as measurable objectives and standards that help you to know if you’re teaching the right things at the right time? I am starting a series, “What Your _________ Should Know”. This week we focused on preschoolers academic skills, every day skills like time of day and positions, as well as motor and social skills. Keep looking for more blogs going all the way through 12th grade! I am also continuing to work my way through the homeschooling laws and statues of every state! This week we focused … Continue reading →

How Not to Grade Your Child

If you read my last blog about traditional grades, we learned that traditional grading systems in short, don’t meet the needs of homeschoolers and in fact may even be detrimental to the overall learning goals. We are talking more about an attitude change defining what we think of, when we think of a “good education.”, rather than never assessing your child. However, not grading your child can present some problems when it comes to record keeping. Regardless of your state laws, it is my opinion that everyone should keep at least a record of what their child has read, what … Continue reading →