Unplugging your child from the system.. to plug them back in the system later

I am currently working on a paper about deconstructing and rebuilding our views on education. Parents remove their children from governmental school systems for various reasons. Those of us who take our children out to AVOID the indoctrination of our children into this world system have to ask ourselves what do we view as the ideal end goal. Are we removing our children from an atheistic/Anti-Biblical/egocentric, colonial/European-washed/racist, amoral, and capitalistic education system only with the goal of making them better than their peers, and able to compete when they re-enter the system? Some parents can’t disentangle themselves from the education system enough to see that if the ONLY goal of taking your child out of the education system is to put them back in for college and/or “the work force”, then you really haven’t taken them out.

College is a great invention. But, it has been distorted. Undergraduate school is a huge money making business. Young people go to college, and graduate or don’t graduate with huge amounts of debt. When you start out with debt in your early 20’s, you have to quickly find a way to pay it all back. This means you go to work. You become an employee in the work force, you make enough to pay your bills and maybe to live off of. You have to get loans to buy a car and a house... more debt. You have to keep working... You are locked in the system. 30 year mortgages, 5 year car payments... This is all by design. It keeps us in indentured servitude. But, it BEGAN in college. We started in debt. And, it’s interesting that college loans are unforgivable debts.

If we are ready to free ourselves and our families from the education system, then we should also consider why we may care so much if our children decide not to go to college. I’m not suggesting that the goal should be that our children are bums on the street, or people who aren’t “successful”. What I’m suggesting is that we redefine our measure of success. Is success the ability to get into debt and work for others, or is success the ability to be an entrepreneur and avoid getting into debt? Is the goal to be God-fearing and moral individuals, or people who measure themselves against the standards of this world? We must ask ourselves these questions.

If your goal is solely to give your kids a better education so that they can do well in college, I’m not hating on you. If my children decide to go to college, I want them to have the BEST foundation possible to thrive in an intense atmosphere. Plus, I want them to actually finish if they start!!! My goal for my children is that first and foremost, they grow into individuals who are pleasing to the Most High, and that they are able to be entrepreneurs and independent, well rounded thinkers. That when situations present themselves to my children, they will know how to take the ingredients around them, and make the best of it!! The goal for me is not to re-insert them into a system that is against us, but rather to operate in spite of it!! There is a subtle difference. But the difference is real.

T.E.A. 2018

Stranger Danger - Principals, Teachers, and School Bus Drivers

A common theme that I focus on when talking to parents about brick and mortar schooling (and daycare) is that when we drop our children off at school, or put them on the bus, we are entrusting their care, discipline, and education to strangers. Who are these people? How were they raised? What are their values? Who do they live with? Who are they sleeping with? What are their personal beliefs, biases, prejudices, etc? Do they smoke and drink?

Think about it. You put your child on a school bus with someone who, for all you know, could have a record. Some bus drivers in Pittsburgh listen to all kinds of music on their buses. Some are bus drivers as a second job, and barely get enough sleep the night before. Some are people you wouldn’t “normally” trust your children with - you wouldn’t allow them to babysit your children, however you will send off your kindergartener on their bus. You’ve never ridden around with them before to know how they drive, however your child rides on their bus without a seat belt on!

I read an article last night (read the story here) about a middle school social studies teacher who had a white supremist blog and podcast under a pseudo name. She said that she infused her beliefs into her teachings, and that she was even called on it by parents... She actually admitted to denying the claims and getting away with it! She also expressed her desire for MORE white supremacists getting into the schools!

Can we trust a person who hates people of color and thinks they are inferior to white people to teach our children? Can we trust a woman who hates men to teach our sons? Can we trust someone who doesn’t share our core values and religious beliefs to teach our children on a daily basis? Is a man an appropriate gym teacher for our adolescent daughters?

We must ask ourselves WHY we are so accepting of complete strangers being mentors to our children, when as parents we are perfectly capable of being there for our children! We are their best advocates! We are their best teachers! And yet, we feel like a certificate from college and a background check is all that is required to have an enormous amount of influence on our next generation!

We are accepting of these social norms because it is the status quo. In fact, homeschoolers get red flagged because we don’t have that extra layer of societal/governmental embedding in our families. 

As I read the news stories, I see the absolute absurdity in the assumption that degrees and background checks are the only prerequisites needed to being a trusted person with our children. We must do better. We must be more selective. It must be a priority to vet those who teach our children, and even those who drive our children around. It’s for their own safety and well being.

T.E.A. 2018

Authority, Permission, and Consent

While I was at the dentist office today, a mom complained about how her son was actually seen by a dentist at school, and came home to tell her that he actually even had a cavity filled. She was horrified!!! How and WHERE could a procedure like this be done at school, and without her permission?  WHO is this doctor - what is his or her credentials? Why did they feel it acceptable to actually go beyond the realm of checking his teeth to FIXING his teeth - when he has a dentist he sees twice a year?! She was upset that no one thought to call her and inform her that such a procedure was being performed on her child. She was angered that she somehow granted authority to the school and dentist to perform this procedure by signing a consent form that she didn’t understand.

We place an enormous amount of trust in the school system. We trust that they know what is best, and that they will teach our children what they need to know. We also trust that they can keep our children safe.

Think about it... we wait for the news to tell us if the school district cancelled school because of cold weather, or snow, or ice. We can look out our windows and make our own determinations on whether we SHOULD or SHOULD NOT send our kids out, or put them on school buses in such weather. When our children are sick, we have to send “excuses” with our children to justify keeping them home, and then the school determines if the absence is excused. We have to have a “good reason” for our children to miss school, or we can end up in truancy court. Do you see how we have given the schools so much authority that we as the parents have to ask for their PERMISSION to do what we think is right with our OWN KIDS!!!???!!!

Who has authority over our children? Why does it seem like we allow the school system to dictate to us how to raise our children, even in our own homes?! They have an enormous amount of authority in our world, if we give it to them!

Homeschooling is a way to change this dynamic. My husband and I have total authority over our children. When we take our children places, like the library or to sports activities, etc... others may have our permission or consent to have limited authority over them, but while we are present.

We have to learn how to break our dependency on strangers dictating what happens in our children’s lives.  And when we TAKE authority over our kids back, and teach them ourselves - it’s not about ASKING for permission to do so!

T.E.A. 2018

Leaving the School Mindset

Most of us have been trained to conform to the school mindset. From the time we were little kids, we were taught to line up in single file lines, respond to bells, raise our hands, etc. We had strict timeframes to learn information within (grading periods, semesters, etc.), we had anxiety when we had to perform well on papers and exams, we cheered when we got all A’s on our report cards. School - it is a construct that gave us security or anxiety - it made us feel good about ourselves, or bad about ourselves. It was a fact of life.

Now that we are forging a different path for our children, it is important for us to leave behind the school mindset. Why do we need to make our children conform? Why do we need to cause our children stress with exams and quizzes... what is the value of grades?

Learning has no boundaries... It's Limitless!

We do not need to create or maintain learning boundaries. We are free to create the learning atmosphere that is appropriate for the needs of our children.

Learning is part of the raising of our children... It’s not to be compartmentalized. It should be integrated into our everyday lives.

T.E.A. 2018

How many hours do you homeschool?

When we started homeschooling our 2nd and 1st graders, we pretty much spent two hours a day doing school work. This really worked well for us, we were able to get through our basic subjects in this time. My children’s attention spans would start to wear thin once we hit the two hour mark. After a break, we would do supplemental activities, read books together, go to gym class, do art projects, or just play.

As my children are getting older, their attention spans are getting longer. We now can spend three hours straight working on school. Some days, we take a break after three hours and return for an extra two. Some days, we go to the library or do an art project. I also assign independent computer work from education.com, khanacademy.org, code kingdoms, or Scratch for them to work on once we are done with “official” schooling. They also have time to read their books - normally at least a chapter a day, or watch an educational show like Popular Mechanics on Amazon Prime.

Making Slime as an After School Activity

I spend time with my two year old working on puzzles and songs. She loves painting, and will paint on any day. I normally spend about 15-20 minutes with her one on one. Again, after about 20 minutes of puzzles or me trying to teach her letters and numbers, she’s ready to do whatever she wants.

This is how many hours we homeschool. I set time as a goal only because of attention spans. I find it to be a waste of time and energy if my children aren’t present mentally for school. When their minds are fresh, they can learn and retain things so much easily than when they are tired and unfocused.

Feel free to write in the comments how many hours do you homeschool, and why!

T.E.A. 2018

Homeschooling to Keep our Children Safe!

One of the most compelling reasons to homeschool is to keep our children safe.

My children and I went to a brick and mortar school to drop off paperwork last year. My children were scared. Why were there metal detectors? I told my children that they help to keep students safe. They are used to make sure kids and visitors don’t bring in weapons. Weapons???

My children were happy to get out from that environment as fast as they could!

It’s very disheartening to hear the constant reports on violence and bullying in schools. Kids are so fragile emotionally, and it’s very sad seeing reports of bullied children even committing suicide. The New York Times reports that on average, there are about five school shootings per month! This statistic is small when compared to the number of schools in the U.S., but it is totally random where these tragedies strike! In addition, sexual harassment/immorality is constantly in the news. There have been two recent reports of teachers essentially grooming and kidnapping their students. Student on student sexual harassment and peer pressure is also a concern.

As the number of families impacted by violence in schools increase, we risk being desensitized by this epidemic. I realized that metal detectors in schools are abnormal because my children thought they were out of place. Sure, to get on a plane you'd expect a search, but to enter a school? Should it be a common scene for a school district police car to be parked in front, and for police dogs to be on stand by?

How do we protect our children? Is a “lock down” environment where doors are locked to prevent predators from coming in, and metal detectors and random back pack checks are done by police officers at the door, a place that fosters our children’s learning? Or does the safety and comfort of their home, gently learning with people who love and support them seem like a better option?

Children flourish when they feel safe. It is our duty to protect our children. I think that more and more people are ready to take this duty out of the hands of school superintendents and paid security guards... If you feel like things have gotten out of control, if you are concerned with the state of security in school, it may be time to withdraw your child and begin the homeschool journey.

T.E.A. 2018

Why I Homeschool Year Round

Summer Learning - Wetlands Ecosystem

We took a traditional "summer break" the first year we homeschooled. Honestly.... it was a break for ME as well! I was tired out. I wanted to have a summer off too. And, it was lovely,... until....

Summer Learning

We started back in August. Ugh!!! What do you mean you don’t remember how to borrow and carry? What do you mean you don’t know what an adverb is? What do you mean you don’t remember the names of continents? Etc...

I didn't like repeating myself! I wanted my children to remember what we had worked so hard to learn! I wanted them to actually KNOW this stuff. Teachers actually get paid to repeat themselves (the same material) year after year. I, on the other hand, wasn't getting paid. LOL! We had to figure out how to keep their minds sharp! My children also didn't like "relearning" the same material..

Spring Learning - Maple Tree Tapping

So, as you can see, I learned a lesson. My children needed to keep their minds sharp. Three whole months of utter fun (a quarter of the year, by the way) was way too much time for them to be away from the books. Even if we had done some review work here and there over the summer, they would not have forgotten so much information.

Fall Learning - The Pumpkin Patch and Apple Picking

We should never stop learning. Small breaks here and there work for our family. We take breaks when we have things going on, sicknesses, feast day celebrations, etc. We normally have long weekends. In the summer months, we only do one to two days of school per week. The goal is to keep their minds stimulated. We also find fun camps for them to do - nature camps, science camps, sports camps, and music camps. These workshops and camps help them explore their interests and the world around them, and utilize the extra time we have for constructive activities rather than pure fun and entertainment.

Winter Learning - Decorating our Classroom

Every season of the year presents a unique opportunity for children to learn. It doesn't have to be relegated to a classroom, and to fall, winter, and spring. It can be adaptive to the change in weather and vegetation, adaptive to the lifestyle that we live! This is why we homeschool year round. We find the beauty in learning each season and embrace it to the fullest!

Never Stop Learning!

T.E.A. 2018

Welcome to our Classroom

After a year of homeschooling in our dining room, my husband suggested that we needed to have a dedicated space. I wasn’t excited about the suggestion. I really loved the idea of school being an integral part of our home life. Our dining room was the perfect place to ingest and digest physical, spiritual, and mental food! It is in the center of our home, and was the perfect place for us to do school. It seemed like casting it off to a separate room would make it more institutional rather than fluid in our lifestyle. However, the lugging books upstairs every weekend, the clutter in my dining room... and the baby growing up and needing space to play all made having a classroom more convenient.

We converted our attic bedroom into a classroom. And, one and a half years later, I now need a bigger classroom! LOL! The more space you have, the more stuff you collect...

Our classroom reminds me of the old fashioned one room school house. The concept of the one room school house makes me happy inside. It has two desks for my older children, a toddler table for the babies, and a preschool corner. The front of the classroom has the cursive script letters banner going across (along with Hebrew letters) and the back of the classroom has print letters.

Preschool Early Learning Corner

We also have a 6 foot long table and two benches for crafts, projects, one on one learning, legos, etc.

Teacher's Corner (Ary pushes her preschool table close to me)

A highlight of our classroom is our pencil station. I get so irritated when my students say they don’t have a pencil, or they lost their pencil mid school day, or they broke their pencil... WHATEVER the pencil excuse is, I have a hopefully neverending stash of sharpened pencils fo my children. The pencil sharpener is also at the pencil station, along with extra erasers. This takes so much stress off of me. I keep other office supplies at our pencil station - there is post it notes, note cards, glue, tape, rulers, and a stapler. When any of these things are needed, they are quickly at our disposal. The only problem is that my 2 year old thinks these things are out so that she can get to them!

Educational Video Time

Even though we have a classroom, we still school in other areas of our house. I find that it is very useful to have a set apart space to keep down on school clutter in other areas of my house. It is also a good transition to my children’s morning routine... they eat breakfast and then “go to school”. It works for us so far! The only drawback is that I now have another room in my house to clean!

Pencil Sharpener Station

If you have an extra room in your home, or space that can be converted into a classroom, and if you think it will work out for your family - give it a try!

Classroom Checklist:
1. Long Table for Crafts and Activities
2. Desks
3. Toddler Table
4. Whiteboard or Chalk Board
5. Bookcases
6. Bins for each child’s books
7. TV for documentaries and educational videos
8. Toddler Corner: Floor Mat, Easily accessible Toddler Books and Puzzles, Felt Boand
9. Pencil Sharpener Corner: Pencil Sharpener, Plenty of pencils and erasers, Glue, Scissors, commonly used supplies
10. Printer (Especially if your classroom is far from your home office.
11. Student Artwork
12. A Calendar to mark upcoming events
13. Organizing Cabinets for supplies
14. A cork bulletin board
15. Oil Diffuser

-T.E.A. 2018

Losing Track of Grade Levels... The beginning of Educational Freedom

When we withdrew our children from school, we knew exactly what "grades" they were in. Because I was extremely new to the homeschool scene and wanted to do it "right", I bought a boxed curriculum for each child. My daughter's first grade box and my son's second grade box came in the mail, and I was set to go!

I soon made changes to the boxed curriculum... The reading curriculum wasn't working for my daughter, my son zoomed at record speed through his math book... We started branching out for history using our local library. My children were developing their interests, and wanted to spend more time focusing on things they wanted to learn about. We began to become more eclectic in our geography lessons - my children wanted to learn about different places and cultures. Our journey to LEARNING had begun! And freedom came with it!!

Now, if you ask my son what grade he is in, he will say something like, "I'm supposed to be in fourth grade." I first heard him say this to an adult a few weeks ago. The adult was perplexed... and, of course, the question soon followed: "What do you mean by saying you're supposed to be in fourth grade." He explained that some subjects he works on at the fourth grade level, but that he also does some things at different grade levels. He's losing track of identifying with one grade in particular, and instead he's focusing on what he is actually learning.

For example, we went to a college level electronics class at our local library last week. It was interesting that my "third and fourth graders" easily fit in with an adult class. I worked on the breadboard with my daughter, but she was answering questions in the class, and called the teacher over when she lost confidence in my skills. My son, on the other hand, worked on his own breadboard, and was very confident about his own ability to work by himself! They learned how to wire a flashlight using Ohm's Law in "elementary school"!

Categorization works extremely well when you need to organize a group of individuals and assess them. It is excellent for schools and universities. However, it can hinder independent learners. It is important to remember that the inventors, mathematicians, scientists, philosophers, writers, artists, musicians, etc over time who have made important contributions have thought outside all boxes and categorization!

It wasn't a goal to lose track of grade levels in our homeschool journey. However, now that we have, I am very excited. It's another tether that we have broken. And my children can now focus on learning on their own levels rather than being constrained to learning from a box (literally, a box). The box has an undeniable security to it... However, when we break free from the box, and don't measure ourselves based on the box, it is then that I believe we have begun the journey of educational freedom and deliverance. And, I'm excited to see what will come from it!

T.E.A. 2018  

Help! Should I care about what my children WOULD learn in Public School?

I am asked all the time for advice on what children “should learn and when”. I am also asked if children should learn the same things that they would learn in school and if they should follow common core standards in education. Hopefully this article will help those asking these questions.

What Children “Should” Learn and When?

The response will vary per family and even per student.

If you are a traditional homeschooler, with grade levels, then your child will learn standard things at standard times. For example, a third grader will follow a “third grade” curriculum for math that would include multiplication and division facts. If you are an unschooled, your child will learn things that line up with their interests. For example, your “third grade” child might learn a lot about astronomy if that’s their interest, and focus very little on third grade level math and grammar.

It’s important to recognize that as a homeschool family, you have freedom to navigate what your children learn in ways that are not traditional. For example, my children learn eclectic history that is often at a college level. We gather loads of library books and watch plenty of documentaries and videos. Their geography is likewise eclectic and involves them drawing the world and different regions on the map, as opposed to only learning latitude and longitude. I also make sure that for math they learn the subject matter before moving on from the subject material. So, my fourth grader is still working on multiplication facts from “second grade”, however he is also doing some fourth grade math material at the same time. His grammar is on the “fourth grade” level, however his spelling is at the “Sixth grade” level. See how the education levels have become blurred, and are more focused on his ability and strengths, and at the same time his weaknesses.

If you are interested in knowing what your children “should” learn at different grade levels, here are some suggestions:

1. Go to the library and check out books such as Home Learning Year By Year by Rebecca Rupp. This book in particular is an excellent resource. I used it when I first started homeschooling. It is definitely an advanced l earner curriculum. 
2. Do a simple google search on the subject. You can break it down to find out what spelling words your third grader should know, for example.
3. Buy curriculum and work books that have grade levels on them. This is the easiest way to make sure your child is working on material that is appropriate for their grade level! It is simple to find these type of resources on christianbook.com. I can’t say enough for this website! They have reasonable prices, reviews, and sizeable samples to help you make decisions!
4. Website curriculums such as k12reader.com, education.com, khanacademy.org, etc actually have free curriculum that you can use BY GRADE LEVEL. These are excellent ways to ensure that your child is working on material at their grade level.
5. Standardized tests can help you compare your children to other children in their grade levels that attend public/private schools. It is important to remember that if you are following a nonstandard education for your children, that you are comparing them with standard educated children on these exams!

Why Is It Important for Some Homeschoolers to Know What Kids Are Learning In School?

It may be important to actually care about what school kids are learning if you plan to put them back in school, or are unsure if you may put them back in school. Obviously, it would be stressful for a child to be put into school not on par with the other children. For example, no one would care if your child can wire a house, or have extensive programming knowledge, or are expert pianists if they can’t write a sixth grade level essay for their sixth grade English class!

T.E.A. 2018

Lesson and Activity: Pointillism

Pointillism

Pointillism is a style of painting that was used primarily between 1880-1900. It involves painting with a bunch of tiny little points of paint. A few things motivated pointillism. First, most paintings of this time were of landscapes and people enjoying life outside. This style was called “Impressionism” and developed as a result of cameras. Before this time, painters would focus on a person seated or standing inside of a room, the background would not be important. With Impressionist artwork, the background was just as important as the people captured in the painting. In fact, in many cases, the background was more important than the people in the painting. In addition, because paints were more portable, artists would work outdoors in the air, and would think about lighting and how to create more realistic artwork. This was an exciting new time, as the concepts of photography merged with paint.

Pointillism arose from this genre of artwork. It is actually scientific. The color wheel (aka ROYGBIV) was developed around this time. The concept was to create an OPTICAL ILLUSION – essentially tricking your eyes to see different colors by putting small dots of unmixed paint near each other. For example, instead of mixing purple paint, a pointillist artist would put dots red and blue close together. Very close up, you would be able to see the dots of red and blue, however standing back, you would only see purple.

This concept of dots making an image is the same as the pixel that is used in our TV’s and computer screens. The more pixels there are per inch, or the more closely packed the pixels are, the clearer the image will be. Digital cameras also use pixels to pick up light. The more pixels there are, the clearer the pictures the camera can take.

Let’s look at a very famous pointillism painting by French painter Georges Seurat, called Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Le Grande Jatte. It took him 2 years to paint this huge painting with little dots of paint. The painting is 10 feet wide by 6 feet tall. If you look closely at the picture, you will be able to find the monkey.

-T.E.A. 2018, TorahHomeschoolFamily.blogspot.com


Activity: Now you can try pointillism art!

Materials:

-Paint – Dollar Tree Poster Paint works
-QTips (Again, you can find these easily at Dollar Tree)
-Card stock
-Construction Paper
-Scissors
-Glue

1. Find coloring pages that interest your children and print on Cardstock paper. I have four examples here. **Make sure the coloring figures aren’t too large, because it will take longer to color the figure in with dots.
2. Put small amounts of each color paint in a paint well or on a paper plate.
3. Give the children qtips and tell them to paint the figures with dots.
•  Older children can use the Optical Illusion concept and try putting primary color dots near each other to make blended colors. For example, ROYGBIV – Put red and yellow dots near each other to make Orange.
• Younger children can mix their colors on their plates using ROYBIV, or be given already mixed colors.
•  Even younger children (2+) can just use the qtips to smear the paint all over their figures, and forget about making points. It’s FUN!
4.  Allow the figures to dry.
5.  Cut out the figures and use the construction paper to make a background scene. Then glue the figure to the scene.

Pictures we used:

Minecraft Creeper: http://www.supercoloring.com/coloring-pages/creeper?version=print

Umbrella: http://coloringhub.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Umbrella-coloring-pages-11.jpg

Butterfly: http://www.raisingourkids.com/coloring-pages/animal/butterfly/005-butterfly-to-print-color.html

Car: http://sweetclipart.com/multisite/sweetclipart/files/toy_car_cute_coloring_page.png

Ice Cream Cone: http://www.getcoloringpages.com/coloring/21605

Help! My Child Doesn’t Want to be Withdrawn from School!

Change can be scary. The decision to take your children out of school is a scary one and is not taken lightly. You don’t know what to expect! You are concerned about the process. You are concerned about how it will affect your children’s lives both educationally and socially. You are concerned about the results! And, often children feel a sense of anxiety too... especially if they are old enough to  actually be aware of the coming changes.

Some children will be against being withdrawn from brick and mortar school and being homeschooled. For them, school education is all they know. The may not want to leave their friends and teachers (similar to a move to another school district), they may have fears like not being able to go to college, or they may be afraid of becoming “weird kids” - those who differ from their peers. Especially for teens, there is something to be said about the freedom that comes with school.  They may be so used to their lifestyles that the thought of being home for more hours of the day, around their parents and siblings, may sound just plan scary!

Then, there is the child who has been withdrawn, but asks to go back to school. Again, the social interactions and freedoms may be missed, but the child may also miss the structure and organization of brick and mortar schooling. They may miss a certain class, or a teacher’s style,.. they may miss gym class or art class.

It is important to recognize that NONE of these things they miss or are afraid of missing is wrong in and of themselves. They are just not in alignment with the decision to homeschool.

Everyone’s circumstances are different. And, homeschool isn’t for every parent and every child. Some children do better in a more institutional setting. Some parents find that they aren’t able to teach their child, or they aren’t able to take the burden of their children’s education because of work or other obligations. I believe that the opinions of our children are important, and that we as parents should always listen to our children and work to understand where they are coming from. This is for the sake of the mental and emotional well being of our children...

However, at the same time, parents must realize that they are raising their children, and are not their children’s friends. Children are not yet experts in life, and they need steering to bring them up in this world filled with thorns and darkness. Similar to the decision to move to another school district, the children may feel a concern about the change, however that will not be THE determining factor on whether or not the family will move. In the same way, a child’s opposition to being withdrawn from school should not be THE determining factor in whether or not to withdraw them and homeschool.

If you decide to homeschool and your child is not on board with the decision or lifestyle change, examine WHY you want to homeschool. If you have an ethical or moral reason that can’t be changed, then I suggest you  gently explain to him or her WHY you are making this change in their life. Explain why this is something that you are compelled to do, and that if they follow your lead in this, then they will be blessed.

Some parent-child relationships are more cooperative - it’s a democracy. This may be the case for the high school senior who is about to enter into the real world. I think wisdom needs to be used for these type of relationships. If you as the parent truly believe the child needs to be withdrawn from school, then you need to make the decision that aligns with that conviction. It may be beneficial for them to meet homeschooled children, go to an event with homeschool children, or making the transition to homeschool a fun and creative one.

Homeschooling is like every decision we make for our children. We do things that we think will help them become the people we are raising them to be. Change in life is inevitable. For some children, the change to homeschooling will be the first major change in their lives. It may be a valuable lesson that they remember for the rest of their lives.

T.E.A. 2018

But I don’t have a teaching degree...

When my family first decided to take our children out of school, our first thought wasn’t the common “what about socialization?,” our first thought was more so along the lines of knowing HOW will we teach our kids.

When I was in college, I had many frustrating classes taught by professors and post docs who were BRILLIANT in their fields of research, but were absolutely LOUSY at conveying basic information to other people. I remember asking on of my physics professor to explain something to me, and he stuttered his way through an explanation until he was red in the face. Then he asked if I understood, and I said yes just for the sake of giving him a break. He wasn’t trying to not be helpful to me, but he couldn’t formulate the information that he could understand perfectly in a way to educate me.

I am sure that there is a benefit to learning the theory behind education. There is a benefit to learning how different learners think. There is a benefit to spending time and energy not only knowing your field of study, but also how to convey that information to another individual effectively.

So, when people come to me and say they would homeschool, however they don’t have a teaching degree, I am very understanding of this concern.  If your children can’t learn from you, then this is a very serious problem. It may prevent you from being able to homeschool your children on your own. But there are ways around it.

I spoke with two other mothers today about teaching our children to read. One thing we found in common was that our children reached a maturity to read on their own around the age 8. Another thing we found in common was that it took some trial and error, different curriculum to get them to the point that they could read.

Here are some suggestions for parents who are thinking about homeschooling, and have this concern:

1. You must be resourceful. Some parents are able to afford private tutors to teach subjects that they don’t understand. Or they get other family members to do it. However, in the age of technology, there are online classes for nearly every subject for free or paid, and also cyber schools. In addition, there are paid subscription programs and local opportunities at science centers and even universities that help teach homeschooled students a variety of topics.

2. Learn how your children think. Spend time to analyze how they learn, and evaluate them to figure out if they are learning and retaining the material that you are teaching them. If they aren’t learning, change your approach or learning materials.

3. Find curriculum that meets your needs. Don’t dive into a curriculum and keep it just because you bought it. If it doesn’t work, change it. Learn how to go with the flow.

A lot of my teaching friends find that being a teacher gets in the way of their ability to flow with educating their children. School can be vastly different from homeschooling. Sometimes a fresh slate, so to speak, is good when educating your children at home.

Our family views education as simply raising our children. We don’t need a degree to know what’s best for our children. The daily educating of our children includes training them in righteousness/Torah, teaching them how to be people of a good character, and teaching them how to read, write, and excel in every area of life.

-T.E.A. 2018

Help! How do I Balance Life and Homeschool?

Honestly, I don’t know how to balance life in general. LOL! So, maybe I’m not the best person to write on this subject. At this moment, I have a mountain of clean laundry to fold, and dinner to warm up... and I’m writing this blog instead of tending to those tasks, but... ahem...


Balance!


This is something that we all need to find in life. How do we manage all the roles that we have... mothers, wives, sisters, friends, employees, students, etc. When I was a working mom, I had to balance raising children with a 10 hour chunk of my weekdays missing. I eventually found a balance - start work at 7, get off at 3:15... pick kids up from daycare or off the school bus, cook dinner, homework time, clean up, bath time, etc. Being a stay at home mom with two older kids and two young babies has led me to find another system that works for my day. It’s a trial and error process, and it evolves over time, but eventually, if we keep striving for it, we find balance.

New homeschool parents typically run their “school days” or times in a fashion like the institutional education they were brought up in. 5-8 hours of school, start early in the morning, etc. It takes a lot of effort to do things this way if you have younger children to take care of. I encourage parents to customize their education styles, hours, and days to what works best for their households.

For example, we do work on Sundays so that my husband can watch our babies while I work with the older children on tasks that I need to focus on. There have been times also when we work in the evenings when my husband is home from work because I need him to watch the younger children. We also are very flexible in the number of hours we do each day. Some days, we work 2-3 hours, while other days we work 5 hours, and some days we just focus on one subject for however long it takes. If my child seems to not be able to concentrate very well one day, I may even let him or her go and do some constructive activity that still stimulates their imagination without having to make them focus on fine levels of detailed learning.

We also start at hours that work for us. Some parents have school days that start at 7am. We, however, typically begin between 9am and 10am...

Balancing life can include bringing your children shopping. Have them help make grocery lists, and budget. It can include them learning how to wash and fold clothes, or how to clean. Doing chores can be a part of their education. Include them in each step of the day. Or find quiet activities they can do while you are busy with day to day duties.

Don’t put yourself in a box. Don’t make goals and schedules and start times that you cannot keep! Evaluate on a consistent basis what you are doing and the success that you are having. If it doesn’t work, don’t hesitate to make tweaks.

Most importantly: Pray for wisdom from YHWH on how to order your life. He is the creator of time. He can show you how to maximize it.


T.E.A. 2018

The #1 Question - Socialization

The absolute #1 question I am asked by well meaning family and friends, as well as strangers that we meet on our adventures when they find out that we homeschool is: “What do you do about socialization?”

I almost feel like this question is ingrained in people’s minds. It’s not their faults to have this question, it is perhaps the #1 misperception about homeschooling.

When people say “Socialization,” I interpret them to mean how will my child make friends and hang out with their friends. The other definition would be how will they learn to interact with others... And, surely school isn’t essential for children to learn good manners, morals, how to behave themselves appropriately in different situations — surely, this is part of raising our children, and isn’t something entrusted to the school system.

While every family has it’s own homeschool style and daily structure, most parents I meet and interact with do have a concern about their children having friends. There are many ways for homeschoolers to make friends - they can join the same after school activities, clubs, gymnastics, karate lessons, art lessons, clay lessons, music/dance lessons, etc as children who go to school. They can make friends with the same children who are in school! In addition, there are many activities set up specifically for homeschoolers during the day. In Pittsburgh, multiple libraries have weekly homeschool programs, science centers here hold science lessons twice a week, colleges hold classes for homeschooled children, art studies and pottery studios hold special sessions during the day for homeschoolers, there are co op groups that meet up, nature groups, etc. Many families organize using the internet and social media, so sometimes finding other homeschoolers is a matter of an internet search. It’s very simple and easy to find people in today’s world.

One thing that I noticed about my children is that because they spend so much time with me, I can see HOW they interact with other children, and commend them for good behaviors I see, or correct bad behaviors that I see. They are able to interact with adults very easily, because they are part of my day to day activities. My nine year old son is able to return an item in a store with a receipt... He is able to take care of minor business affairs and budget money because he sees that as part of his daily life.

I remind people who ask the S question that children who go to school spend a great majority of their day in classrooms with children their age learning. They do have time to work together with other children on projects or play at lunch/recess/gym times, however a vast amount of time is spent learning from their teachers. Whereas homeschooled children such as my own, spend more time with their siblings at home. When we go to homeschool groups, there are children across many age levels. My children jump in to help younger kids, and are taught by older kids. They learn how to interact with children who are not in their peer group. 

Part of “socialization” that I hope my children will miss entirely is peer pressure, being categorized by teachers or students, competing with other children to be better than them at something, and any sort of bullying. I want my children to develop a good self-esteem and positive image of themselves, without the need to necessarily fit in, conform, or compete to be better than anyone else. I want my children to be themselves without being stigmatized or bullied. I think that when they are truly who they are, then they can interact without the facade that they think will make themselves more accepted by other children.

I believe that this type of mentality towards social interactions is necessary for them as they grow up in order to stay in the Faith. Because we are light in darkness, we need to teach our children how to let their lights shine in the darkness, and not be overcome by it. What greater way is there but to be there with our children as they learn how to interact with others? It’s hard to imagine putting our impressionable kids into environments that add pressure on them to conform. It makes more sense to help our children learn their place, and provide opportunities and time for them to have and play with their friends. Socialization in this thought process is simply part of parenting and raising our children.

T.E.A. 2018

Help! I’m afraid I’ll mess up my children’s future

Taking the educating of our children into our own hands is a huge undertaking! In today’s society, it is the norm to entrust the educating of our children to institutions that we pay. They are run by people who went to college for degrees in teaching, and taught by teachers who went to college for their fields. Public education is further run by federal government initiatives and backing. We simply need to sign our children up for school, and rest at ease that they will get the education they need to make them into a success.

The thought process that our children will be disadvantaged because they are not going to these institutions is designed to make us feel dependent on the school system. Successful people come out of traditional school education, and successful people come out of homeschooling educations. The success of the person isn’t dependent necessarily on the method of their education, but the substance of their ability, purpose, motivation, character, and support (along with probably 50 other factors).

Book learning is just one component of what will make our children a success. The reason that homeschooling CAN (not always!) be beneficial for the future of our children is that they can spend more time during their day pursuing their own interests. They can also progress through their education at their own pace... those who learn quicker can breeze through subjects, those who learn slower can spend more time on the topics that they need help with.

If you are concerned about your children’s future, then take steps to ensure that they develop in every area of their lives - spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally. Take time to enhance their special interests, like art, music, writing, engineering, programming, cooking, sewing, etc. Work hard to find special opportunities locally with organizations that may help to inspire your children to work to their fullest potential. 

Remember that you are the greatest advocate for your children. Trust the influence that you have with you children. Guide them gently and with love. And pray that the Most High will give you the wisdom to teach your children and lead them on the path that will bring about the fullness of their potential.

T.E.A. 2018

Randomizing Supplemental Topics in Your Homeschool

Sometimes it’s important to go off script when educating your children at home.  All styles of homeschool can use a bit of randomization. This involves introducing your children to supplemental topics that are off the traditional roadmap of their book education. It can also involve introducing your children to topics that you are not even familiar with or have heard of.

For example, this past week, we learned about Benjamin Franklin from the Brain Pop featured video of the day. The kids were interested in all of his accomplishments. We talked about about how he was a scientist, inventor, writer/publisher, and politician. Later in the week, we learned about a strange instrument that he invented called the Glass Harmonica on “Would You Believe It?”, a show on Amazon Prime.  Watching how the glassmaker constructed the glass Harmonica reminded us of another randomization last week, when we went to see a glass blowing demonstration.

Our children should of course be taught the standard Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, however it’s important to also introduce their young minds to things that are not along the standard roadmap. It helps to spark possible interests.

For example, the random topic of the Jazz age may spark interest in jazz dancing like the Lindy Hop or the Susie Q, or instruments like the horns and the bass. A random topic on the structure of the earth can lead to talking about current events like recent earth quakes that have occurred in the world. A random topic on hurricanes can lead to a discussion of current event hurricanes or the catastophic Hurricane Katrina.

There are multiple ways to randomize your homeschool. We watch a Brain Pop video before we begin most school days. Brain Pop actually has a featured video, so if you don’t want to find a video everyday, they will automatically have one. We also watch Flocabulary videos, and my children learned about several people, and science/grammar concepts through music.

Another great way to randomize is to go to the library. Our local libraries put books out on all types of topics. They also have new books on display when you walk in.

There are shows on Amazon Prime and Netflix like “Popular Mechanics” that also help us to present ideas to our children that we wouldn’t otherwise think of.

When our children learn something that they want to investigate further, we make haste within the week to find books on the topic/person/time period/ event, etc. We also look things up online. For example, when we learned about JFK, my son wanted to hear JFK’s inauguration speech and hear him say “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”... We also added learning about the Black opera singer Mirian Anderson, and all the struggles she faced being accepted in her career, and watched her sing at his inauguration as well. When we learned about protest songs, my children wanted to actually hear Billie Holiday sing “Strange Fruit” and hear Bob Dylan’s 60s protest songs. When we studied the Jazz age, my children actually used YouTube that week to learn the Susie Q dance.

Hizki learning the Susie Q

All of these things help to enhance the depth of the world view of my children. These are things that they won’t necessarily find in book education. But it’s learning nonetheless.

-T.E.A. 2018