Last Post In This Blog

Last month, my son chose to return to public school.  He did this for several reasons, and he seems to have adjusted well to the change and be thriving.  I won't be blogging here anymore, but I do plan to keep the page about online resources current, to help other homeschoolers:

http://hopefulhomeschooling.blogspot.com/2012/04/online-resources.html

I'm still a big believer in homeschooling - or more accurately, school choice.  I have observed that there is no "one size fits all" approach to education.  Since public school systems work according to federal guidelines and are designed to educate large groups of children, sometimes the best way to provide for a child's unique needs is to use a do-it-yourself approach.

Homeschooling helped me see where my son was struggling in learning, and helped me to help him.  It helped us be close during a time when he needed me, and helped him to grow and mature.  I believe that had I not been able to homeschool him, he would not be doing as well as he is in public school now.

There are disadvantages to homeschooling.  It can be costly unless you can enroll your child in an online charter school, and those are far less flexible than independent homeschooling.  Also, it takes a lot of time.  In the past, I have worked two jobs, and I can honestly say that being a stay at home, homeschooling mom is much harder and a lot more work.  However, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, and I highly recommend it if you can do it.

Now that my son is back in public school, what's next?  Well, I'm starting a new job soon, and I plan to continue to support my children in every possible way.  Wish me luck, and best of luck to you in your journey, in ensuring your children have the best possible education!

One last comment:  I believe that ALL children are home schooled, regardless of whether they go to a traditional brick-and-mortar school.  This is because as parents, we are ultimately the ones who are responsible for the outcome over time.  We can't abdicate our responsibility to any institution, and we should not underestimate our influence at home.  Whether it's an hour of homework and flash cards at night while staying involved with the school, full-time home schooling, or (heavens forbid,) complete neglect, the children will be impacted by the choices we make as parents.

How To Be A Superstar Student

We just got this and we love it.  It's exactly what I've been looking for.  I've been working with my student to teach him learning and organizational skills, and this is perfect:

http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=1050

And no, I didn't get paid or receive any freebies for saying this.

The Main Thing I Learned From My First Year of Being a K12 Learning Coach

Here is the main thing I learned from my first year of being a K12 learning coach: 

 

No matter how painful it is, you have to be willing to let your child struggle. He may not like it, and he may look for ways to pull your strings, but you have to stand firm, even if you are dying inside. My first instinct as a mother is to lift my child up, protect him, make the way smooth. But in order to experience success he needs to fail and in order to triumph he needs to experience defeat. We experienced some struggle, failure and defeat this year, but the resulting growth was worth it.