Khan Academy Math: Not Shaming + INCLUSION = PROMOTION?

If you are a homeschooling parent, chances are you are quite familiar with Khan Academy website. If you're not familiar with it, make sure you check it out; it is an invaluable resource!

Khan Academy is a website started in 2008 by Salman Khan, a former hedge fund analyst, who began tutoring his cousin online. After awhile, other of Khan's relative's children began using his tutoring videos with their own children. Before long, his videos took off! And I mean through the roof! Through a combination of relatable lectures and SmoothDraw, Khan brought clarity to complex math ideas.

Before long, maybe a year!, Salman Khan quit his full time job to focus on creating and building Khan Academy School, a website with thousands of videos of discrete concepts and ideas for teachers, classes, and students. All of his work is completely free to users of the website. 

We used Khan Academy during our homeschooling years for higher math concepts that I was completely unable to understand, much less convey with any clarity to the kids. My kids became self-learners, in part, because of Khan Academy. I send my sincerest and heart-felt appreciation to Salman Khan.

 

KHAN DO!

Anyway, the reason for bringing up The Khan Academy is this. My friend Janeen brought a Christian website to my attention, specifically an article criticizing Khan Academy for promoting the LGBT agenda. The purpose of the article was to discourage Christian parents from using the Khan Academy because of its Leftist agenda, based on those who fund KA. The so-called evidence of this claim is coming through in the material presented as exercise problems. Take this example given in the OP:

The lesson is on "Irregular Plural Nouns: from 'f' to 'ves.'" The unsuspecting student is told to "Choose the correct plural noun to use in this sentence":

'Brittany and Sofia went to lunch with their _____ every Saturday.'"

Khan Academy's "correct" answer reveals the gay agenda behind the English "problem":

The only choices are "wifes" or "wives."

GASP, the gay agenda (as Janeen texted to me)!
Because INCLUDING is PROMOTING.  😠

And my educated and intellectual opinion is this: 
Those bitching about this can fuck right off.

On the other hand, I strenuously endorse Khan Academy as a source of inclusive, well-executed personal learning opportunities that are absolutely FREE and much of the material is available on YouTube. Subject matter on KA ranges from beginner to extremely advanced math to science to computing to arts and humanities to history or econ to test taking to career exploration to support resources for parents and teachers.

Khan Academy is truly an AMAZING resource that, sometimes, I think we don't deserve!  LOL
Salman Khan, many thanks to your dedication to the spread of accessible resources for all! Khan has also given us some wonderful TEDtalks and other resources on YouTube, please check it out!

No, REALLY, What Do You Think?

.........................................
Other Posts You Might Also Enjoy:
Strategies for Your Homeschool
Natural Learning
Teaching Things I Don't Know

A Shot in the Arm: A Reader Comments

homeschool atheist parent atheist parent

As a very open homeschooling parent and atheist I am so lucky to get some of the nicest comments and to meet some of the coolest, neatest people on the planet. I have met several readers who are now friends in real life. Having this blog has really enriched my life.

Today I got a comment on an older post on this blog, a post called More Reasons to Homeschool...in the News that really has me beaming. I want to thank Claudia for taking the time to tell her story. I'm thrilled to hear how the homeschooling lifestyle had a significant hand in the improvement of the lives of her children! I hope Claudia doesn't mind that I share her comment here; I didn't know how to contact her:

Hi Karen, I just found your blog, it is interesting and informative. I homeschooled my son from grade 6 through high school. He was having difficulty with anxiety and panic problems, seeing a pediatric psychologist and trying to learn new coping strategies. The thought of himself going to middle school was causing him so much angst, that I made the decision to homeschool...it was one of the best things I did. He achieved, really achieved academically. When in 10th and 11th grade, he was able to take college courses at our local community college. His English professor told everyone in the class that he never gave an 'A' grade because is would mean you were proficient and would be able write for a living. He was distrustful of my son's homeschooling. Guess who got the first and only 'A' given by the professor? A tenth grade homeschooler! He tested out of required mathematics and got an 'A' in chemistry. He now, at the age of 19, owns a company that was awarded a civic contract for building revitalization housing. He is also a full-time college student who is on the President's List at the community college. I could go on and on about him.
mm
My daughter was homeschooled from grades 2-until the very end of 4th grade when I needed to send her back to school because my health deteriorated and I was unable to give homeschooling the attention is required, she needed to take standardized PSSA testing with the rest of the students. The school principal did not want her to take the PSSA tests, sure that she would drag down the schools score. In the end, the principal delayed the her admittance as much as she could. In the end, my daughter had to take the science portion of the tests. She knocked their socks off. They were stunned by this homeschool girl, who had never taken those kinds of tests, out scoring their over-tested pupils. During the 5th grade, she continued her stellar performance and was recommend to test for the Johns-Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. This past year, 6th grade, she was on the 'Distinctive Honors' honor roll in middle school and elected as student of the month this past March.
..
She still longs to be homeschooled and my youngest girl, who is going into 3rd grade also wants to be homeschooled. My health is improving some and we are giving it a trial run this summer.
..
There were times during the homeschool year that the kids didn't feel able to focus. We would by able to work around that by deferring the class to the next day or going on a field trip to someplace interesting, like a cave, the zoo, a historical site such as Gettysburg or a children's museum. Within a day or two, they would be ready to hit the books again. Flexibility enable me to meet the need of the child, rather than the needs of the school.
..
Thank you for your valuable site.
..
Claudia

Claudia, thank you for making me feel that my blog has value. But more importantly, thank you for letting me share your story, a story that offers such hope and sincere help to prospective and current homeschooling parents. I hope to hear from you again when your health improves and you and your daughter are able to embark on her voyage of self-learning.

Choosing to homeschool your children is the riskiest of ventures, a risk that is often misunderstood, laughed at, unsupported. Yet again and again we see tremendously successful experiences in the lives of the children that we are raising. 

Today I applaud all children and parents who have taken the risk and who are doing everything in their power to make the homeschool lifestyle a healthy one, a lifestyle that encourages learning, personal growth, and individualism. 

Social media has both helped and harmed the homeschool movement but I choose to continue to be a homeschool supporter... especially since I can honestly see the advantages of living the lifestyle.

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 Other Posts You May Enjoy
More Reasons to Homeschool...In the News
Homeschooling and Socialization, Socialization and Homeschooling
Dually-Enrolled: Homeschooling High School

Tape on the Wall

You know that edge of the door jam where you mark your child's height year after year? Or do you keep those marks on a poster? I'm talking about that height momento that we start out keeping because we are measuring where they are going but we end up keeping with a feeling that they are getting there too fast... 
that thing.

When we moved down here to Australia I made some marks on some handy duct tape and put that tape up on the back of my bedroom door as soon as we settled into our Australia rental home.  I put it right in a spot where I see it every single day.

When we arrived here in August of last year my son's height marks were about four inches below the line that indicates my own height.  Elizabeth's were already about three inches above mine!  She has continued to reach for the sky, but her growth has finally slowed down a bit.
About a month ago I marked John's first mark above my own height line.  He has grown about five inches in twelve months.  His vertical growth is accelerating. His voice is changing hourly.  His emotional maturity continues to astound me.

This morning as we were driving a long way out to a friend's house he was talking about the idea of a utopian society.  A utopian society is really a dystopian society because if you never know hardship you won't recognize the good times as good, only as 'average'...it is those times that are challenging that lets us know when the good times come, He said.  

Seriously?  Where does he come up with this stuff?  
Nice, I responded, you just aced sophomore literature.

On our drive he sat in the grey seat next to me, his brand of stream-of-consciousness type talk roaming everywhere from plans for a computer game he is planning on designing to how he, as a father, will have decisions to make, along with his wife, as to how they will pass along the fun of Santa Claus or not to their future children to a satirical song about Voltaire he is writing in his head to what he would do if he was God for ten minutes to how much he wants to see the Louvre to plans for an upcoming video blogging session to what he wants to do when we get back to America to what kind of a thinker he is. 

In retrospect I must admit that I was driving a fairly treacherous mountain road and could, unfortunately, only half listen.  But lucky for me this kids loves telling me his plans, so there will be another talk tomorrow...

But how quickly they grow. How many more talks will we have? How that tape on the back of my door catches my eye each morning, reminding me to share their struggles, look deeper into their eyes, hold hands, laugh out loud, listen to their unspoken concerns, offer them the freedom that they enjoy, celebrate that freedom, be their port.

He will be thirteen years old in just two days... 

Time flies, you know? It moves breathtakingly fast and I, in my resentment of its speed, just hold on for the ride. 

As I type this, Elizabeth is on her phone and making plans with a friend.  She holds her phone at eye level, her eyes sparkle, laughter tumbles from her lips, her pen scrambles across the calendar.  She catches my eye and holds it for just a second...

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If you enjoyed this  post you might also read:  This I Believe

Or you might try:  Mother, the Word

Or click here:  Seasons of Homeschooling

Part 5 of 5: Prospective Homeschool Parents: SOCIALIZATION

 

Welcome to this last 

in a five part series of blogs 

specifically for
the prospective homeschool parent.

Are you online this evening surfing and surfing and surfing for information on homeschooling and fretting about it? Is there a possibility that you are considering homeschooling your children and would love to read some advice from seasoned homeschooling parents? 

If so, STOP the presses. Put down the surf board and RELAX.  You have found what you are looking for.

This is going to simplify things for you a bit. I have a large group of friends who homeschool. Between us we have over 100 years of experience homeschooling! In order to gather information for you, I asked each of them all to fill out a survey of sorts, looking for wisdom to share with prospective homeschooling parents. In this series I have shared much of the wisdom of these moms.

This post is about SOCIALIZATION.

For some reason this myth of homeschooling still pervades the internet and the fears of families considering homeschooling in spite of the many research studies and supportive propaganda.  Although I have done many posts on this subject, I will let the homeschool moms share their wisdom with you:

Darlene suggests that socialization in public schools is what should really be questioned:

Socialization is the process of learning to be a functioning member of society.
It is specifically not taught in schools.
It is easy to model when a child is exposed to the larger world.

Cathy, long time homeschooler, is uniquely qualified to calm your socialization fears:
Socialization was great, as the kids found themselves with many different ages and sorts of people, all the time, and learned to be strong and yet to get along. Socializing was also fantastic, ranging from Girl Scouts and dance classes with neighborhood kids to hanging out a ton with somewhat far-flung homeschoolers in our wonderful support group!

Rebecca has this lovely story to tell about socialization with her daughter:
My children are very good socially, talk to people of any age very confidently, and they are not ageist at all. My 8 year old invited an elderly neighbor he talks to over the wall, who I hadn't really met, to his birthday party - and he and his wife came, and are really nice! They get on with other children, teenagers and adults with no problems at all. They talk to people in shops, on the beach, wherever we go. The last thing that concerns me is "socialization".

Korin, confident homeschooling mom, states:
The socialization thing is not a real issue, that is a made up problem to frighten people who want to go outside the norm. One of the postives I do see from HSing is that my kids are NOT exposed to the type of dysfunctional socialization that goes on in any brick and mortar school.

And Angie says:
Socialization?  It's a myth. If you want your kids to become 'socialized,' then you don't keep them secluded at every opportunity. I've known traditional schooled kids that never took a trip to the grocery store or the post office with their parents. Believe me, they were Un-socialized! Interact with your children and find meet ups in the area. You'd be surprised how many like-minded people you'll find just by reaching out even slightly.

I have about a dozen other replies to this question, but most of them sound like this:
Socialization?  Sure, I let them out of their shackles every now and then.



ADDENDUM after Sophelia's comment below:

My 15-year old daughter, a homeschooler for 10 years has this to say about socialization:
It is possible to have good socialization, but it's hard. You have to figure out what you like and follow through with it. To meet people, I have had to be very deliberate, and do the hard things. 
It's not easy because I'm kind of shy. But kids are interested in hearing about homeschooling and that starts up some good conversations.

It's difficult here in Australia because there are few people my age. The friends that I do have here are always busy with school, work, and boyfriends.

Back home I don't have that problem because most of my friends homeschool and it's easier to get together with them and go places.  We are a close group back home. In a good week, I hang out with friends several times a week  Our parents encourage our time together.

What I find the hardest is getting the courage to talk to people. My parents often help me get started with friendships, but it can be difficult meeting new people who are open to friendships because they already have lots of friends and aren't open to adding new friends.

I have figured out that what you can't say to new people is "I don't have many friends here in Australia" and the people I say this to treat me oddly when I say that. But I've been here for several months and maybe I have scared them away by saying that.
I can honestly say that here, in Australia, I don't see friends often enough. I appreciate it when Mom works hard to schedule get-togethers with me, I'm a bit shy in setting days up by myself... 

 
Having close friendships is vital to most human beings, and doubly so for kids. Schooling children come with a ready-made pool of children to choose from, it's true. But that doesn't mean that all will be ducky; for example I had a very lonely childhood in my school.  But that advantage of a pool of children doesn't come ready-made for homeschooling families. I have put a great deal of effort into our entire homeschool experience, including friendships. I guess the caring parent will do everything they can to create friendships for their children.

I have to say that time with friends is a thing that we work hard on, create deliberately, and give lots of focus to. Our circumstances are quite different from most families, but it can be said that each family is unique unto themselves. Friendships will be easy for some to create and difficult for others. No one can tell you today what things will look like for you tomorrow. John has been trying to build a friendship with S, a school kid down here who lives just a house or two away. Although S is often home, he is not open to a friendship with my son. In fact, just this afternoon John told me that he is going to stop trying. I am mentioning this because being a homeschooler or not does not have as much to do with friendships as personality does in many cases. In this case, S is being pressured by people around him to NOT be friends with John...

Once a family begins homeschooling and finding the homeschooling community in their area, they are often pleasantly surprised with the many resources out there for homeschool families. Homeschool groups and co ops, frequent play dates, hobby groups, scouts, sports, neighbor kids, etc. can be good places to start. Your imagination is your only limitation!


As for a specific response to Sophelia, it is always possible to find people who are not educating their children in the healthiest way, who are not raising their children in the best possible way, who are living so outside-of-the-box that their children do not experience child-centered childhoods. That goes for homeschoolers and schoolers of all kinds. I am sincerely sorry when I meet people who were not given the best resources possible. It's not fair. Do we blame Sophelia's parents for Sophelia feeling so ill-prepared for life? We could, surely. But, rather, let's learn from her.

Let's recognize that raising children is a full-time job whether they are in school or not. Good things happen and bad things happen to children regardless of their learning options. Sophelia sincerely wishes for children to be raised in loving and protecting homes that offer dynamic opportunities for moving through the world. And don't we all.

Thank you, Sophelia, for asking me to make this post be more meaningful. You are absolutely right that I didn't put much thought into the post at all. And for something so important?! My sincere apologies. I'm glad you called me on it

Homeschoolers DO get tired of the socialization questions. But that doesn't mean they don't take it seriously. We do!  Even more specifically, Sophelia's comment about having been poorly-socialized, "I felt this way, and many of my homeschooled peers also went through periods of great depression when they began attending university and couldn’t cope socially" is very important for us to hear and to hear again. A couple of readers of this blog, themselves homeschool alum, often write on their about their on-going difficulties in life that seem to be a result of not having had enough time with similarly-aged friends growing up.

We, as parents, are trying our best. We do what we do in order to make good lives for our children. So, feedback from others in our shoes is absolutely essential for our improvement. Is it awful for me to use your cautionary tales as a lesson for myself? I hope not because I am doing that.  

I have spent many hours discussing friendships with my daughter and son. (Many of the above homeschooling moms do not have children who are teens as mine are.) It is my hope, my desire, that all parents work hard at having good, close relationships with their children so that they can frequently assess the needs of their children and teens...and so they can respond to those needs.

And, as for socialization, with sincere effort, it really can be wonderful being a homeschooler!

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If you enjoyed this post you might also like:
Twelve Homeschool Myths Busted By Homeschoolers
Prospective Homeschool Parents:  Part 1 of 5 

Homeschool and Socialization 

SAQ - Seldom Asked Questions About Homeschooling

I will be hostessing the upcoming Carnival of Homeschooling on April 2nd.
PLEASE, to my readers and blogger friends, submit some great reading material for this homeschool carnival!
You can send it to me directly at:  karen.loethen Ampersand gmail.com

Thirteen Things I Wish I Would Have Known About Homeschooling When I Got Started

Earlier today I was talking with a new homeschooler and she asked me this question:  

What do you wish you would have known when you started homeschooling?
GOOD QUESTION!!!, I thought.

So I got to thinking about things that have become second nature to me, things that have changed in me, and things that have become a part of me from living this wonderful lifestyle.

First, You will become a life-long learner.  (If you're not already one.)  Because you will spend so much time on the computer you will become extremely proficient at researching and seeking knowledge.  You will find that you are perfectly capable of finding out anything you want to know!

Secondly, you will learn to do things for yourself! If you can't find a drama class for your child, you will eventually put one together yourself and offer it to other children!  If your child wants to experience a garden you will research one together and get one going!  Somehow you will get your kid into Space Camp.  If there is no group in the area, you will go out of your way to create one!

Third, somewhere, sometime, someone will show you new curriculum that you have never seen before and you will, AGAIN, review your homeschooling materials.  In fact, you will probably never stop looking at new materials. Is there something better somewhere?  Can we find a better fit for our family?  Hmmm, should I write my own???

Fourth, that leads us up to books.  You will own so many books you won't know what to do with them.  Your Christmas list or wish list will always include the notation more bookshelves.  And, still, you will find more books you want...no, that you NEED.

Fifth,  you will worry.  Am I doing my best as a homeschooling mom?  Is there more material out there I can find for my child(ren)?  What are we missing?  How can I get my child's needs met.  So, sure, you will worry.  But you will also get on with it and get it done!  And you will learn the importance of letting go of the idea of "perfection" and, instead, get on with the business of loving the children you have.  Leading us to:

Sixth, you will amaze yourself with what you are able to accomplish!  You will have golden days when you tumble into bed knowing that today you accomplished Great Homeschool Mom status!  And you have become a Can Do, strong woman and mother!

Seventh, your children will blow your mind!  You will watch them move from learning how to properly grip the pencil to writing amazing stories.  You will watch them progress from looking at the moon to being able to find stars in their telescope.  You will see their growth from reading their address to reading source historical documents!  You will see them becoming themselves...

Eighth, you will have days when you want to throw up your arms and throw in the towel.  Too much conflict with unsupportive people, children who aren't always fun to be around, learning difficulties, hard-to-find resources, self doubt, watching the bus drive past your house leaving your surly child giving you the eye, just plain exhaustion, or a million other reasons.  Some days just suck.  But you will stick with it and tomorrow will be better.

Nine, you will purchase ten different sets of curriculum and, still, you will prefer the books you found at the library for free and trips out to the science center and Netflix documentaries.  It is common for families to spend terrific amounts of money in the earlier years and to spend almost nothing in the later years.  Eventually nearly everyone learns that living is learning and spending more cash isn't necessarily necessary.  And when that wonderful day comes, that day when you throw out someone else's idea about what your children should be learning, you will love it!

Ten, spending time with other homeschooling families can take away your insecurities.  You might be fretting over your daughter's inability to hold her pencil the correct way, but other moms may have great advice OR their own kids don't use pencils yet at all.  You will learn that the comparison, while calming and comforting also reinforces that popular Doctor Seuss wisdom "If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree..."  And you will find that being a part of a group is wonderful because you begin as a novice and you progress into the Knowledgeable Homeschool Mom status!

Eleven, you will earn more about wisdom, intelligence, and learning than you even knew existed.  Learning styles, what it means to be truly educated, truly wise...  There is so much to learn and you will do it because it will help you know how to work with each of your children.  

Twelve, homeschooling will become second nature.  It will take about a year of homeschooling before the anxiety and fear stop living in your skin and knocking at your door every day.  About a year before you realize that the effort, the wandering, and the love are paying off:  you are homeschooling!

And, Thirteen, and most important, you will change so much!  You will be grateful for that day when you and your family chose this path and lifestyle:  homeschool.

Truly, How have YOU changed?  Are you surprised by it?

What would your list look like?

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If you enjoyed this post you may also like to read:
The Case Against Homeschooling
A Case Against Homeschooling, Really
In Retrospect

A Day in the Life
How Do I Homeschool?

Reasons Why You Should Not Homeschool

Prospective Homeschool Parents: Part 4 of 5: Negatives of Homeschooling

This is part four in my five-part continuing series of blog posts 

for parents who are considering the homeschool lifestyle.

Have you been online this evening readingreadingreading and looking for information on homeschooling?  Are you considering homeschooling your children and would love to read some advice from seasoned homeschooling parents?  

I've got some great news for your search:  You have found what you are looking for!

Allow me to simplify your research exploration!  I have a large group of friends who homeschool with over 100 combined years of experience between us.  To gather information for you, I asked them all to fill out a survey of sorts, looking for wisdom to share with prospective homeschooling parents.  Sit back and relax that brain and keyboarding wrist of yours and read here for awhile, because what you are looking for is right here!

It's time to find out what the seasoned homeschooling parents 

give as answers to this question:

What are the negative aspects of homeschooling?

Angie Says:

 There still isn't enough time in the day for everything we want to learn and play!

 I make sure to note special milestones, but I'm unsure if it's enough. 

There's a reason teachers look forward to summer break. 

You need some downtime to look back at what you've accomplished.

Cynthia:

 I get no time that's just mine although that's getting better as they grow up.

 Rayven:

 I'm never alone. Some days that can be too much.

 Rebecca:

The negatives of homeschooling for us are the lack of extra-mural activities 

like sports, drama etc. There is nowhere in our area for them to do things 

like this apart from at school and our schools don't let homeschoolers join in.

 Cathy:

 The negatives have really been the negatives of parenting, not of homeschooling. 

When to push, when to coddle, when to help, when to leave alone...

there are some tricky aspects to parenting, but thank goodness 

having mutual trust and respect goes a long way

 toward avoiding some mistakes and fixing mistakes you do make!

 Darlene:

 No negatives, except for the nosy jealous invested types 

who like to think my kid is locked in a basement; 

think I am making a judgement about their parenting; 

or think I'm making a judgement about their teaching in schools.

Shannon:

 The negatives are pretty minimal but my son and I do butt heads sometimes,

 particularly with handwriting. It can also be a little draining

 to be with the kids 24/7 for every week of the year. 

The other negative is that my pleasure reading has gone downhill! 

We are using a very literature-based program right now so at the end of the day 

I don't really WANT to read my own books. 

I hope to change that soon and honestly it happens a lot in the winter anyway

 since spring/summer means I can sit on the front porch in the sun and read. 

It isn't so easy in the winter.

And, as for me:

My daughter is, as I've written before, pretty uncooperative. 
And that's no fun.

That's the absolute worst for me.

Our house has lots of HS materials. I've learned alot about organization!

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If you enjoyed this post you might try: 

New to Homeschooling?
Prospective Homeschooling Parents:  Part 1 of 5 

Prospective Homeschool Parents: Part 2 of 5: Your Homeschooling Fears

The Case Against Homeschooling

Prospective Homeschool Parents: Part 3 of 5: What are the Benefits of Homeschooling for your Family?

So many families are jumping on the homeschool bandwagon these days as millions of children are a part of a homeschooling family.  While there are no statistics on the actual number of homeschoolers in the US, it is estimated that almost 3% of all children in the nation are now homeschooling.  And those numbers are growing every year.

While doing research for this post, I came upon the exact same "articles" and resources that were available over ten years ago when we first started homeschooling.  Are there no reliable statistics?
Honestly, I'm OK with that.  I have no desire to see lists and records being kept...

Unfortunately that makes it very difficult to get information on the lifestyle.  Most people find themselves having to rely on blogs and other independent sources for information.  So, in the name of doing my part, I have "interviewed" some of my friends who have been homeschooling for many years.  Between us we have well over 100 years of homeschooling experience.

In this blog post we will explore the question:  

What are the benefits of homeschooling for your family?

I'm going to give you a little clue.  

The main benefits spoken of are Family Time, Freedom, and Flexibility. 

 But each mom who responded to this question was quite enthusiastic 

in their answers!

Shannon said:  1. The benefits have been numerous but the biggest is the flexibility of the schedule. We are able to do work when/if we want to and if I want to sleep in until 9am (and if the kids let me!) then I can. If we need a day off to play in the snow, no big deal. The other huge plus is that we are DONE with school stuff within 2-3 hours tops (not counting any educational shows/movies we watch).

Rayven:  Freedom

Amnesty:  Flexibility

Carrie:  We have actual time together. (Locally, bus pick up is around 7:30am and drop off around 4:15pm if a child has no after school activities. Add homework, practices/lessons/games, and there’s barely time for a rushed dinner most days. We did that for several years before homeschooling. It was awful.)

Cynthia:  Benefits are the freedom. We can do what we want, mostly. And it's wonderful to let teens sleep as they need to.

Angie:  It fits our lifestyle! We love to travel and the kids enjoy a lot of extracurricular activities. I don't want to bog down their afterschool hours with activities when they don't need to be in school that long in the first place. If people realized how much actual learning was taking place in school, I think more people would be choosing 'education-your-way.'

Rebecca: The benefits are endless. I know when the children have actually understood something, and they won't get left behind. They can work at their own pace. We can do interesting things in more depth and at a more advanced level than they would at school. We can have days off when we are just not in the mood. We can go on vacation out of season. We can go on day-trips at the drop of a hat. My children don't have to sit behind desks all day. I don't have to worry about them being bullied (apart from bullying each other!). They have a lot more time to actually be children, play outside, go to the beach.....instead of spending hours doing homework. I could go on and on.....  And NO School on Birthdays!

Shannon:  The benefits have been numerous but the biggest is the flexibility of the schedule. We are able to do work when/if we want to and if I want to sleep in until 9am (and if the kids let me!) then I can. If we need a day off to play in the snow, no big deal. The other huge plus is that we are DONE with school stuff within 2-3 hours tops (not counting any educational shows/movies we watch).

Darlene:  Better academics, freedom, liking and enjoying each other, plenty of sleep, and ten million more...

Marie:  Allow them, and you time to shake off the idea of what school should be, and develop your own path and system, that allows you the freedom to adjust as needed,

Cathy:  All sorts of benefits. Big two are: (1) incredible close family, even between my kids with big age differences (8 to 10 years), and (2) time to really read (rather than doing reading worksheets), time to play, time to explore passions, time to sleep, time to be with relatives (such a blessing in my dad's last few months of life), time, time, time.

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Please feel welcome to ask any questions that you wish.  

I am more than happy to provide support and resources!

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Upcoming questions in this series:

What are the negatives of homeschooling?

What about Socialization???

 

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If you enjoyed this post you might also try:
At Least Ten Good Reasons to Homeschool
Part 2 of this Series:  Homeschooling Fears 

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Prospective Homeschool Parents: Part 2 of 5: Your Homeschooling Fears

This is part two in my five part continuing series of blog posts for parents who are considering the homeschool lifestyle.

Why do I use the word lifestyle?  Because any educational choice we choose for/with our children becomes a ruling force in the life of the entire family.  If you have been in a public or private school, you know how much of your free time (and your pocketbook) it demands of you.  The same can be said for homeshooling.  Your time and money will focus on homeschool now.

But there are other reasons why I use the term lifestyle.  When you get into homeschooling, you will see that learning really never ends at the end of a school day and you will see that your family will all participate in the experiences of your children.  It's a lovely and creative process!

For this series of blogs for parents looking at the homeschool option for their family, I asked many of my homeschooling friends to answer some of the major questions that new homeschooling parents want to know.  Combined, we parents have over 100 years of homeschooling experience.  I hope our wisdom is helpful to YOU.  The question for today:

What was your #1 fear regarding homeschooling and how did you address it?

Cathy, a well-traveled homeschool mom who is very active on on-line homeschool support groups living in California answered:

I had been reading about school reform since age 13, went to my first homeschool conference years before I had any children, and planned to homeschool before I had kids, too. So I didn't really have any fears. However, as a trained and credentialed teacher and an education writer who has been paid to write textbooks and curricula and learning materials, I can tell you that there isn't some magical thing that school personnel know or curricula developers do in order to get kids to learn the right thing at the right time. All you have to do is invite your kids into your world, share your enthusiasms with them, be on the lookout for their passions, and be willing to help them develop those passions.

Rebecca, a neat homeschooling mom of two living in South Africa replied:

My number one fear has always been that they won't have friends - and they don't have many, that's true - but I think they are fine with the few they do have, for now. We live in a very small village so there aren't really other children around, and even the towns near here are really small, so there aren't many activities for kids on offer. I did take them to Cub Scouts and they made friends with 2 brothers, which is great, so 2 more friends for them. How many friends do they actually need, though? I think they have enough.

Darlene, a very wise and funny homeschooling mom said:

I wasn't afraid at all, but what I hear most is that A. "I'm going to miss something important!" and B. "We are going to hate each other!"  My reply to these concerns:  A. If it's important, it will come up and can be addressed at that point.  B. See Number 1, and learn to breath.

Shannon, a small business owner and mother of two living in Vermont noted:

My biggest fear was that I would some how forget to teach them something VITAL. Like that green is green or "a" is "a". I got over it by just jumping in and knowing that if it made me a little nervous that was a good thing as it would keep me on my toes.

 Angie, homeschooling mom remarked:

#1 fear: Socialization. Yes, I let the stereotype scare me. I did everything in my power that first year to ensure my children did not become the weird stereotypical 'closeted' child you remember from your own childhood. 

Korin M., another cool homeschooling mom says:

I had no fears in HSing.

Another fantastic homeschooling mom, Carrie answers:

Having to play “guidance counselor” in addition to teacher and mom. I research. A lot. I’m now extremely comfortable with curriculum planning, record keeping, and high school requirements/college admissions.

And, as for me, I would answer:

My biggest fear was missing things.  What if I forget to teach the capitol city of Minnesota, what if I forget to mention prime numbers, or what if I forget to teach my kids how to sing a song "in the round."  It took me some time to realize the difference between wisdom and knowledge.
AND, when information comes up that is interesting and worth knowing, we learn it.

Upcoming questions in this series:

What are the benefits of homeschooling for your family?

What are the negatives of homeschooling?

What are your fears?
What about Socialization???

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