One mom jokingly told me that her son's spirit animal was a sloth. We had a good giggle over that one, because I remember what it's like to try to motivate homeschool teens . And frankly, misery loves company! Misery also craves solutions. That's whe...

Scheduling....one thing many of us struggle with as homeschoolers! We find ourselves so busy many times, that we forget that scheduling can help! (A crazy busy life can be avoided! Find out how in How to Avoid a Crazy Busy Life in 7 Easy Steps ) When...

Ahhhh, summer! It's the best season ever! June rolls around and our priorities turn to camping, vacation, snuggling young children, relaxing in a hammock, and reading great books. Have some watermelon, throw something on the grill, and enjoy the wate...

Does thinking about college admission for your homeschool student fill you with dread? Or does the task of making your child's comprehensive homeschool records keep you up at night? Do you ever wonder how your humble homeschool can compete ...

Many parents sail through homeschooling in the early years, but when faced with the prospect of homeschooling high school, they get ready to bail, for all the wrong reasons! If you're concerned about homeschooling high school, Keys to High School Suc...

How Do You Know Your Child is Gifted?

In general, gifted children learn more, learn faster, and learn at an earlier age. They remember more, understand abstract concepts, and understand them earlier, have passionate interests, and can do multiple things at once and do them well.

Expert definitions vary widely. One expert says that gifted children have an I.Q. of 130 or more (I’ve tried to locate I.Q. tests and it’s not easy, so this probably isn’t helpful). Another expert says that those who score in the top 2.5% on standardized tests are gifted. Others say that gifted children are those who are two grade levels above their age group, and capable of high performance. The problem with these methods is that some gifted kids don’t test well, or are not compliant.

Of course, having a gifted child doesn’t mean they’re smarter than everyone else. There will always be others who are smarter. There are kids out there who are smarter, if not across the board, then at least in something. For instance, you might have a child who is gifted at the piano, but there will be others who play the cello or dance better. There’s always somebody who is smarter.

In the end, definitions don't necessarily change anything. They won't change your child, and they may not change what matters. Your job is to decide whether the label of gifted will be important for your child and their goals, and go from there.

Correct Math Sequence

In what order do you need to teach math? It may surprise you that the order of math covered doesn’t matter as much as ensuring math is taught for four full years in high school. Their high school transcript needs to include four or more credits of math. Four years of math is important because it’s required for high school graduation in every state. It’s also important because almost all colleges require a full four years of math.

Even if your child already has four or five years of math by the time they start high school, you still want to teach four years of math while they’re in high school (at high school age). However, that doesn’t mean your child has to do four years of upper level math, including calculus. It just means they should continue to work at their own level and keep moving forward every year.

Yes, it’s wonderful to complete calculus in high school, but not everyone is going to get there. Just because they don’t get to calculus doesn’t mean they can’t get into college! Cover math every single year regardless of the level they achieve.

The sequence may vary. There are two ways math is usually introduced:

Algebra 1 –Geometry –Algebra 2 –Trigonometry or Pre-Calculus –Calculus
OR
Algebra 1 –Algebra 2 –Geometry –Trigonometry or Pre-Calculus –Calculus.

Try to have geometry completed before eleventh grade if you can. Children take the PSAT, SAT, or the ACT in eleventh grade and those tests include geometry. If geometry is finished before eleventh grade, your child will score better on these tests. For that reason, I prefer the first sequence option because they’re more likely to complete geometry before eleventh grade.

Geometry is completely different from algebra, much like biology is different from chemistry. Kids that hate algebra may love geometry. Introducing geometry in the middle gives kids a break. Geometry class also has some review of Algebra 1 concepts in it. As you balance numbers, you use some of the skills that you learned in Algebra 1. By completing Algebra 1 followed by geometry, your child gets a whole year of Algebra 1 practice before going on to Algebra 2. It can help students who are not secure in their Algebra 1 skills get those skills into their brain before they have to start Algebra 2.

Would you like to learn more about homeschool math?

This article is Chapter 1 of my Coffee Break Book, High School Math the Easy Way. Regular price is $2.99 on Kindle or $6.95 in paperback. Grab your copy here today!



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Take the PSAT for Fun and Profit

Like the SAT, the PSAT is a college admission test overseen by the College Board. It meets most state homeschool testing requirements and covers reading, writing, and math, but doesn't include an essay. The PSAT is a fairly inexpensive test compared to most annual assessments. In addition to being practice for the SAT, the PSAT can help you find a college, indicate career options your student might not have considered, and can lead to scholarships.

You can read the whole article, Take the PSAT for Fun and Profit right now. It's taken from chapter two of my book, High School Testing.

Would you like to learn more about all the high school tests your child should take for college admission and scholarships?

Check out my Coffee Break Book, High School Testing: Knowledge that Saves Money. Regular price is $2.99 on Kindle. You can pick up your FREE copy this week for Kindle/Kindle app! It's only free from September 1-5, 2016 so grab your copy here today!



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Be Prepared: A College Prep Education is Important

High school can be like driving on auto-pilot. You arrive at the destination, but can't remember the journey! When you homeschool high school, sometimes life goes by quickly and your child is a senior before you know what happened!

College preparation is critical for students who plan on going to college. College bound students need course work that will prepare them. Students need to take college admission tests, and parents need to learn about grades and credits. College preparation for college bound students is expected.

What can college preparation provide for students who will not go to college? Why bother getting your kids ready for college when you feel certain they won’t go? Consider for a moment how many times your children have changed their minds. When you least expect it, on almost any topic, teenagers will change their minds. Stop laughing! You know it’s true! And teenagers may even change their minds about going to college.

Rigorous academics can benefit children even if they are not heading to college. When high school may be their only formal education, you want it to be the best! Focusing on requirements for the college bound will ensure challenging academics, rather than just the minimum. Excellence boils down to keeping your children challenged, not achieving a certain prescribed level. Calculus does not make the difference between a college bound and a non-college-bound teen. Instead, learning how to learn is what prepares a child for college and for life.

Life would be much easier if children would just make up their minds once and stick to it! Unlike changing dinner plans from enchiladas to spaghetti, changing from “vocational training” to “college preparation” is a little more challenging. By planning a college prep high school, you don’t have to worry so much about changing plans. You and your student will be ready for anything. You can prepare your child for college as part of your homeschool, taking to heart the Boy Scout motto, “Always be prepared.”

Providing a college prep education is not terribly complicated. You can continue to homeschool the same way you always have, learning with reckless abandon. You don’t have to change your curriculum, or give tests in every subject, or chain your student to a desk. Homeschoolers of every stripe have been successful with college admission. Don’t change what has always worked for you, just set your eyes on college so you have the ultimate flexibility when your student graduates.

If you are stressed out that your high school teen hasn’t found a career interest yet, relax. Some kids decide on a career when they are very young, and others don’t decide until much later. Statistically speaking, a working adults changes their career three to seven times in their lifetime! In the same way, it’s not unusual for a college student to change their major at least once in their college career. And even if your student chooses a career now, it’s unlikely that they will continue with that career throughout their entire life. Live without regrets. Be prepared for anything, because with teenagers, “anything” can happen!

A Note about Teenagers

When your teens are growing up, remember they are also growing into adulthood. They are trying hard to become an adult, and make adult decisions. Decision making skills don't appear overnight. Teens need practice. They want to become independent, and we want to encourage them to grow up.

This is that time in life when you have to think about the five year plan. When giving advice or direction, consider whether it will really matter in five years. You can always give advice, but don’t get too emotionally invested in children taking your advice unless it will matter in five years. Most of your suggestions really won’t matter in five years at all!

Would you like to learn more about your child's options after high school?

This article is a brief excerpt of my Coffee Break Book, Options After High School: Steps to Success for College or Career. Regular price is $2.99 on Kindle. Grab your copy here today!



Once you've read it, I would be so grateful if you left a quick review to let me know what you think. Thanks so much!

Strategies for Creating Homeschool Balance

What does doing too much look like? Doing too much is when you feel completely overwhelmed; it’s when you, your husband, and your children are tired all the time, you're terribly behind and can’t possibly catch up, or the curriculum is incredibly intense.

On the other hand, some parents do too little. Doing too little is when you don’t seem to get to reading, writing, or math, or all the children want to do is play video games and nothing educational ever happens in your homeschool. You might be doing too little if you end up doing less than four hours of educational activity (not only book work) a day.

Morning Meeting

The first strategy for creating balance is to have a morning meeting, which means that you meet with each of your children one-on-one each morning. Go over what you expect of them or discuss what they did yesterday. Touch base briefly on each of their subjects.

It’s not really an instruction time, because you don’t have to teach your children everything when you homeschool. Your goal is for them to be able to learn independently. This is not a teaching time, rather it’s a touch-base time to make sure they’re on task, not overwhelmed, and doing what they’re supposed to do. It’s also a time for you to be accountable, so you know what subjects need to be covered and follow up on them with your children.

Weak Areas

Another key to finding balance in your homeschool is to put your weak areas first. Figure out your child's academically weak areas and work on these courses first in the day. If your child’s weak area is math, you need to prioritize it. Or maybe you recognize that your weak area has nothing to do with your children - your own weak area is organization, and that’s where you need to prioritize your time.

Put your weak area first in terms of your time, so the subject you’re not good at becomes the first thing you do during the day. It’s your number one priority, and you don’t do anything else for fun until you’ve taken care of this weak area.

Also put your weak area first in terms of your money. Your weak area should be the first thing you spend money on when you go to a convention and buy curriculum. It’s also the one area where you should allow yourself to re-purchase curriculum if you need to, if the first curriculum doesn't work.

Let’s suppose that your weak area, or your child's weak area, is math. Put math first — it has to be done before anything else. It’s the number one thing you won’t let go of. Even if somebody gives you free tickets to the opera, you won’t go unless you get math done first. It’s also the first thing you do with your money. Be willing to re-purchase curriculum in your weak area in order to maintain balance.

Would you like to get more help for creating balance in your homeschool?

This article is the first chapter of my Coffee Break Book, Creating Homeschool Balance: Find Harmony Between Type A and Type Zzz ... Regular price is only $2.99 for Kindle, and $6.95 for paperback. Grab your copy here today!



Once you’ve read it, I would be so grateful if you left a quick review to let me know what you think. Thanks so much!

The 5 Stages of Homeschooling High School

Many homeschool parents today are intimidated by the thought of homeschooling through high school, overwhelmed by the thought of college applications, and unsure how to plan for this final stage of their child’s education. Generally, parents tend to react in one of two ways to this challenge. Some are stressed out and need minimal information, because if they are given too much information, they become immobilized and can’t do anything. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum are parents who need more information to overcome these challenges. These are the parents who want all of the information at one time, as soon as humanly possible. When they don’t get it, they get incredibly stressed and frustrated.

Both kinds of parents need information in order to succeed at homeschooling high school, but one kind needs a ton, and the other kind needs to know when to plug their ears and hum, "La la la, I can’t hear you!” No matter which kind of homeschool parent you are, knowing the five stages of homeschooling high school will put you on the path to success and help you keep from being overwhelmed.

The first stage of homeschooling high school is middle school, grades 7 and 8 or sometimes grades 6, 7 and 8 (usually about age twelve to thirteen). This is a time when you’re training students in good study habits, grounding them in the basics, and helping them to explore the topics starting to interest them.

The second stage of homeschooling high school is freshman year, which is grade 9 (beginning at about age fourteen or fifteen). This is when keeping records and transcripts becomes important, because you’ll be submitting them to colleges when your student applies in senior year.

The next stage of homeschooling high school is sophomore year, which is grade 10 (about ages fifteen or sixteen). This is a time when you need to work on specific things to prepare for college, such as covering the courses that most colleges require for admission.

The fourth stage is junior year, eleventh grade (beginning at age sixteen or seventeen). This is the time to work on finding colleges your student is interested in, and making campus visits.

The final stage of homeschooling high school is senior year, grade 12 (about ages seventeen to eighteen). Senior year is when your student applies to the colleges of their choice and gets ready to graduate.

The important point is to focus on what stage you are in and what’s coming up, and avoid the temptation to get overwhelmed by the big picture! Step by step, you can successfully homeschool high school!

Would you like to learn more about your goals at each stage of homeschooling high school?

This article is an excerpt from my Coffee Break Book, Your Goals this Year: A Year by Year Guide to Homeschooling High School. Regular price is $2.99 for Kindle.



Once you’ve read it, I would be so grateful if you left a quick review to let me know what you think. Thanks so much!

5 Reasons to Teach High School Science

Parents sometimes look to me to reassure them it’s OK not to teach science in high school. The bad news for them is, it really is important! The good news is, I will show you how to make it as painless and enjoyable as possible!

When pressed, I give five strong reasons to face the situation and teach science.

Reason 1: Science is required for high school graduation

Almost all school districts require science as part of their core curriculum. It’s a core element of graduation in many states. When you look up your state requirements, make sure they are your state homeschool requirements because they may be different from state public school requirements.

Reason 2: Science is also required for college admission

Colleges usually demand more than what is required for high school graduation. In general, as part of a college prep education, colleges look for at least three years of science with at least one lab. If you plan to teach four years of science, that’s great, you can exceed expectations. Your child can earn better scholarships by taking science every year. Four years of high school science can be important, even for kids who have absolutely no inclination of a science-related career. It’s a good idea to include a full four years of science. It can pay off in the long run. Besides, teenagers change their minds and may someday decide on a science-intensive career. You want them to be ready!

Reason 3: High school science helps students build critical thinking skills

Learning critical thinking through science prepares children for the ACT test and understanding science helps them better analyze data and form accurate conclusions. As adults, they will be able to think critically about news reports or studies in the paper. The thinking skills learned in high school are skills used daily. Science helps form these critical thinking skills. For children who love science, it is equally important to study English, art, and the liberal arts. It helps them develop critical thinking skills in a different way. They need a college prep education in order to pull all the pieces together. People who make great scientific discoveries also have information beyond science they can bring to the forefront. They can take their acquired knowledge about the human body and other information about engineering and come up with amazing new prosthetic devices.

Reason 4: Science demonstrates that students have the ability to work hard

Colleges and employers both want people with a strong work ethic. Strong, academic subjects on your child’s transcript show they have the ability to work hard. Four years of science shows that your child worked hard for four years. Your child can be successful getting into college and career because they have demonstrated their hard work.

Reason 5: Science is required for STEM careers and colleges are willing to pay for it

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. The good news is, if your child has an aptitude in these subjects and you’re preparing your child for a STEM career, they are eligible for some fabulous scholarships. Keep an eye on the big picture; you’re investing money in science and math curriculum for good scholarships in the future. If possible, graduate your child with a calculus and a physics class if they are looking forward to a STEM career. This isn't always possible and it’s not mandatory (you can search for a college that doesn’t require these subjects instead). There are some great jobs available for those with STEM degrees.

Teaching vs. Facilitating

You do have to cover science in your homeschool, but that doesn’t mean you have to “teach” science. Instead, you can facilitate science. Once your children are high school age, your job will change and you’ll become the facilitator or project-manager. You’re the one who makes sure they learn and not the one who has to teach the entire curriculum.

What does teaching science look like at home? When I was homeschooling high school, my children would read the textbook with the teacher’s manual in their hands. They would work through each lesson on their own; if they were stuck, they would look at the solution manual and compare the answers to their own work. They would teach themselves through the questions and answers given in the curriculum.

When it was time for a test, I would take away the solution manual and give them the test. Because I was not perfectly prepared to teach, being a good facilitator and not a good teacher, I didn’t know what the answers had to look like, especially in physics. When marking tests, I made sure the answers looked exactly like those in the solution manual. It didn’t matter if my children claimed their answer meant the same thing –each answer had to be exactly the same as the answer key, unless they could prove they were correct.

My best friend’s children had learning challenges. All through high school until her children were 18 years old, she read the science textbook aloud to her then 18-year-old sons to help them learn. Then they chatted together about the answers in the solution manual.

Your goal is to encourage your children to start becoming independent learners. I wanted my children to do all of the reading themselves since they were capable. My children completed all of the experiments with an adult standing-by. It was a little different with biology because I love it so much and I tried to teach them how fun and exciting it was. Unfortunately, of all the sciences, they liked biology the least.

The bottom line is that science is a core subject students need to cover in high school. If your child wants to go into a scientific or medical profession, then biology, chemistry, and physics are critical. Many universities offer scholarships when children are well prepared in science, technology, engineering, and math. In addition to preparing them for graduation, college admission, and career requirements, teaching science can lessen overall college expenses through scholarships!

Would you like to learn more about teaching homeschool high school science?

This article is Chapter 1 of my Coffee Break Book, Simple Science for Homeschooling High School: Because Teaching Science isn't Rocket Science. Regular price is $2.99 for Kindle and 6.95 for paperback. Grab your copy here today!



Once you've read it, I would be so grateful if you left a quick review to let me know what you think. Thanks so much!

 

Purpose for Students

Middle school is the pause between elementary school and high school. Children learn at different rates –not just homeschoolers, ALL kids! The pause, middle school, gives slow or reluctant learners time to catch up before high school. At the same time, it gives quick and academically capable children a chance to continue learning at their level. Do you find yourself becoming stressed out over middle school? Read my article, Taming Middle School Anxiety. It's sure to help you and your student calm any anxiety this stage of life brings.

Wondering How to Homeschool High School? Homeschooling Independently is Best!

If you are eager to find out what homeschooling is all about, I encourage you to step outside the school-at-home box! Keep life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness at the center of your homeschool!

Declare Your Homeschool Independence!

Old-fashioned homeschooling, without the public school's best-intentioned help, is still your best bet for growing passionate learners! Homeschool independently and take your life back! Instead of a "one-size-fits-all" assembly-line education, choose the freedom to teach your children at their pace and consistent with your values. Pursue happiness while homeschooling, instead of pursuing the busyness so common in our society.

When parents first start homeschooling, it can be overwhelming as you begin the research phase. Your head will spin with all the options for curriculum, co-ops, parent programs, and other "helps." I remember feeling overwhelmed and wishing someone could help. I needed someone to calmly explain what was NECESSARY, what was OPTIONAL, and what was NOT HELPFUL.

How to Homeschool Indepndently: Do-it-Yourself Secrets to Rekindle the Love of Learning is only $3, and real parents like you have given it GREAT reviews. Amaran says she WISHES she had the book when she started, and M/M Cofield says it would be a great vacation read for you, because it's so short and sweet!



 

If you know someone who is thinking about homeschooling, do them a BIG favor!

FIRST - Share this book, How to Homeschool Independently.

You can help me be the calm voice that gently explains how to get started. This Kindle book will start them on their way to homeschooling independently with confidence! Learn why "old-fashioned" homeschooling is still best for new and beginning homeschoolers wanting life-long learners! Be a good friend and point them to this inexpensive, quick read to get them started.

SECOND - Encourage them to read my monthly newsletter!

Like you, they will get free support throughout the year in my monthly newsletter. It includes free online workshops for parents, calendar reminders for their job as the high school guidance counselor, and timely articles to keep on task. Plus it's a great money-saver, too, with free giveaways, and free books for Kindle or Kindle app.

Thanks for sharing this! Now is the time when parents are thinking about homeschooling for the very first time, and you can be the voice of sanity. Especially in lieu of current events, reach out to your friends, and suggest homeschooling as the perfect, and perfectly fun, alternative to public education.



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How Homeschoolers Can Gain Admission to Elite Universities

Is your student interested in attending an Ivy League school? Do you think they have what it takes? Here’s what’s required:  a gifted student with a strong work ethic, a lot of parental effort (especially with record-keeping), rigorous academics, high test scores, demonstrated leadership, activities that are measurable, a passion in something outside academics, a fabulous essay, great letters of recommendation (military academies require a recommendation by members of congress), wonderful interview skills, volunteer work, everything else and then more! And even when you have all these things, you also need luck, because most other applicants have these things too ...

The true Ivies are Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, Penn, and Cornell. Here’s a sample of their admission rates:

• Harvard –5.9%


• Penn –12.3%


• Cornell –16.2%

These are admission rates for 2011. 90% of people who apply to Ivy League schools are rejected! This means your student can have everything done perfectly, and still only have a 10% chance of getting in. It’s true that not every applicant is perfect, but a high percentage of them are excellent, so these schools have very low acceptance rates.

Princeton University

According to Princeton’s website, the more you can document and describe your student, the better. Feel free to go beyond the questions on the application forms, and include whatever you think is important. You can skip questions that don’t apply because you are homeschooling. Some people get very overwhelmed filling out the forms. Princeton says that you don’t necessarily have to make your child fit the application - you can just explain what is going on. They do get fairly specific on some things they like to see. Before preparing your application, make sure that you review their other publication, “How to Apply to Princeton.”

Sometimes homeschoolers only look for information about homeschoolers, and forget that they have to apply like a regular student. Read the application information for all students, and make sure you’re familiar with the requirements and suggestions. Then get the tips for homeschool students, so you will feel comfortable putting your homeschool on paper.

Princeton specifically says they’re looking for letters of recommendation or references, from three different adults who are not family members, who can comment on intellectual curiosity, academic preparation, academic promise, or extra-curricular involvement. If your child wants to go to Princeton, consider how you can encourage their activities to come up with those letters of recommendation. Princeton also says that it is often the parent who completes the Secondary School Report. Public schools and private schools that have kids going to Princeton may already know how to fill this form out, but homeschoolers generally don’t. As the homeschool parent, your job is to fill out the School Report as if you are the school administrator. Don’t back off from doing this; don’t feel like somebody else has to be in charge, because that’s your job.

Princeton wants to see that a student has taken challenging courses, with a rigorous course of study. They want a traditional transcript with course grades, and an outline of the high school curriculum with a reading list. Comprehensive homeschool records and a very normal-looking transcript is very important as well. All applicants are required to take the SAT or the ACT with writing, as well as two SAT subject tests. Many homeschoolers tend to take more than this, because they want to demonstrate their academic breadth, even though they don’t have traditional grades from a traditional school. Princeton suggests that your child take more SAT subject tests and more AP tests.

There is some talk among the parents of Ivy applicants that most Ivy League applicants will have five to eight AP exams. I don’t know if that’s true, since I haven’t seen any statistics. However, taking additional tests is something that’s very important, because Ivy league schools deal with so many bright, gifted, driven children that it’s hard for them to make a decision without the numbers, and these tests will provide the information.

Would you like to learn about other Ivy League schools and more?

This article is a brief excerpt from my Coffee Break Book, Upper Echelon Education: How Homeschoolers Can Gain Admission to Elite Universities. Regular price is $2.99 for Kindle. Grab your copy here today!

Once you've read it, I would be so grateful if you left quick review to let me know what you think. Thanks so much!