

Some kids like the worksheets and workbooks because it feels like real school. There are so many different styles of homeschooling, so many different curricula to choose from. I’m flexible when I can be and try to pick my battles. Sometimes they’re hanging upside down on the trapeze while they answer questions about a reading assignment. Sometimes they like to sit at the table to work. Sometimes my kids want to choose what’s next.
#BRAVE WRITER SECULAR CRACK#
Sometimes we don’t start til the crack of noon. Sometimes we’re halfway through school at 8am.

They’ll be practicing writing for the rest of their lives. Is it to assess their knowledge or to practice writing? Is it to draw out big, fun ideas from their wondrous brains? You can even have them copy the answer you wrote down.

Ask what the purpose of the assignment is. At home, we can lessen the writing burden by scribing for them or allowing them to narrate their answers. At school, teachers often scribe for the class while teaching a lesson. Writing is so hard for elementary kids – forming the right letters, putting them in the right sequence, considering punctuation. Writing will be the source of many breakdowns. Another big difference between the classroom and home is writing. As I’m sure you’ve learned already, they need lots of motion breaks, especially without the social pressure of the classroom to sit. Some kids need a “detox” period when they truly start homeschooling, and not just distance learning. The transition from a classroom to home can be so jarring. My sister-in-law, who was a classroom teacher and then homeschooled her four kids, told me that so much of what teachers learn in college is classroom management, which you don’t really need at home with just your kids. As a non-teacher, I was sure I would fail at this endeavor, but when it’s just us, one-on-one, it’s manageable. It is so obvious when they really grasp the material and when they need more time/practice. I was eventually able to coax it out of her that she sometimes felt like crying in school, but didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of her class, so she just held it in. With me at home, they can let out all their frustrated feelings when they’re overwhelmed. I was also surprised at how easy it is to gauge their understanding and progress. When we first started, Mary would occasionally burst into tears and I mistakenly thought she was trying to manipulate me. Some hints of unadvertised benefits of homeschooling The girls don’t always have good attitudes, there are occasional tears, but I take it as a good sign. We started homeschooling Mary last year in second grade and this current year was my first year with both girls. I was utterly bewildered when we started this homeschooling thing, and I still feel overwhelmed at times, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how fun it is. I have two daughters, Mary (9) and Amy (6). I hope this enlightens you as much as it did Yinh and I. I’ve edited it modestly, adding some headings and changing her girls’ names. Remember I was basically a stranger reaching out. In researching, we were introduced to a friend of a friend, who whether she likes it or not, must now be our friend too because she’s amazing and we won’t take no for an answer.īecause of her amazing response when I asked her for guidance on homeschooling. As in unenrolling from public school and taking ownership of educating our boys. We felt like distance learning was the worst of all worlds and not suitable for young children (our kids were in preschool and 1st grade). With the upcoming school year set to be remote Yinh and I panicked.
