education

Read books by John Taylor Gatto, and be encouraged in your decision and ability to homeschool. A cornerstones of the modern homeschool movement, his eye-opening books were instrumental in motivating a generation of homeschoolers who began educating c...

Gifted education is a subject very near and dear to my heart! It is the reason why I began homeschooling in the first place. After we started, I was surprised at how many other homeschooling benefits there are! If your child is bored in school and you have been wanting to homeschool high school but you're afraid, I have some suggestions.

Gifted and Stuck in School!

If your child is gifted and stuck in school, I offer many resources dedicated to homeschooling gifted children that may help:

• Article: 13 Tips for Teaching Your Gifted Teen



• Kindle Book: Gifted Education Strategies for Every Child



• Online class: Gifted Education Strategies for Every Child (Online Training)



• Audio CD: Gifted Education at Home


My Gold Care Club members also receive everything they need to homeschool through high school, including video training, tools, templates, and some great resources specific to homeschooling gifted children. Check out my Gold Care Club for more information.

Please don't avoid homeschooling out of fear. Fear is a lousy reason - fear is something that can prevent you from hearing God. My job is to remove the fear, so that you can hear what you are called to do. There is nothing to fear! Studies show that homeschoolers do just fine and in fact outperform their public school peers!

For more encouragement, here are some short video clips. These may help remove the fear, and remind you that you aren't the only one who knows what it's like to have gifted teens in a public school.

"How do you know you can homeschool high school?"

The HomeScholar on "Flunked" - Award Winning Documentary

Enjoy the start of your homeschool journey with your gifted child! Are you homeschooling a gifted child or about to get started? Please share!



Please note: This post was originally published in October 2009 and has been revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

In this video, I talk about the difference between grades you give on tests and grades you put on your homeschool transcript.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel. You will be notified when I create new videos on homeschool high school topics!

Strategies on teaching subjects that you as the parents haven't mastered.

 

Strategies for teaching your child with learning difficulties.

There are certain words I hate.  They don't seem to be important for homeschooling.  Although I know it can be useful for some people, many of these words have their roots in public schools.

rubric
literary analysis
umbrella organization
accountability
benchmark
credential
inclusive
norm or normative
socialization
alternative education
accreditation
parent-partnership
certified
approved

In fact, to me some words just scream "Certified teacher!  Lookout!"  Some things are useful - even important - with public school children or in a brick and mortar school.  That doesn't mean they are words that are important for homeschoolers, or in your homeschool.

What words do YOU hate?

When you are looking at using CLEP, AP, or Community College, you may wonder which one is best.  "Best" is not always easy to decipher.

I'll tell you the big truth about all of this:  it depends on the college your child will ultimately attend.  If you ask 10 different colleges, you might get 10 different answers.  Some very prestigious colleges feel the same way about AP exams and community college classes.  It's almost impossible to tell.

Jennifer wrote to me expressing great concern that CLEP exams would hurt high achieving students.  She worried that CLEP tests were too easy compared to AP.  Someone told her that a college looked negatively upon CLEP tests.

Each college is unique. In my business I talk to a lot of colleges.  I try to represent the views of many colleges as even-handedly as possible.  It's important to realize that the range of college preference and attitude varies dramatically - as much as parents homechool preferences from unschool to classical.  I'm trying to serve the entire homeschool community who may go to any of these colleges.  It's difficult to give absolute answers to questions that vary so much from student to student and college to college.  As with everything we homeschoolers do, it's the parents responsibility to determine from the colleges what they want to see.

No harm will come to your child for taking the CLEP.  It may or may not be beneficial, but it can't hurt.  You have the option of submitting scores or not submitting scores to colleges.  You can choose to include CLEP on the transcript or not include it.  Taking a CLEP test doesn't mean your child didn't learn something - it's not going to hurt anyone. There are many opinions on CLEP (good and bad) and many opinions of AP (good and bad).  Some colleges don't accept community college credits either.

All you can really do is to educate your child as best you can, and then get to know the colleges where he might apply.  Try to give each college what they want. So for example, if you wanted your child to attend that particular school, you would simply not submit CLEP scores to that college, and you would leave it off the transcript.  But if his number 2 school DID accept CLEP, you would send them the CLEP scores to show what your son could do.

That said, if you are thinking about the Ivy schools, your best bet is AP for testing.  Check to see if they value community college classes - some really encourage that, and others just hate community college classes.

With my gifted child, we decided NOT to send him away for college at a very young age.  The local colleges were very accepting of CLEP.  I waited until the summer before we applied, and had him take all the CLEPS he could pass at that time.  We didn't have CLEP accumulated over the years.  Gifted kids are.... complicated, with lots of moving parts.  It's not just what they are capable of in college, but how mature will they be, and when will they be ready for college, and should they leave home before they are 18, etc.  Very complicated stuff.  So for now, take it one day at a time.

Just remember the key concept:  educate your child to the best of your ability for right now.  When the time comes to apply to colleges, you'll be ready.

 

What's your story when it comes to college applications?

I'll let you in on a secret.  Success in homeschooling is not dependent on how your children turn out.  That's because you can't measure your own success or failure based on the behavior of others.

 

It may sound shocking, but it is true.  Parents can’t control their adult children.  They can only control their own choices and behaviors.  Therefore, our success in homeschooling must be based on what we do, as parents, and not on the results we see in our children. We are like a contractor who builds the foundation of a house.  Our concrete must be strong, but our work cannot ensure the house will be built properly.

Success is when you “leave it all on the field” as they say in sports.  True success means you did your best, tried your hardest, and worked to prepare your children for the future.  Parents cannot be perfect, but they can give their best effort. Success means giving your children the best possible education and character you can provide.  After their education is complete, their choices are up to them.

Your measurement of success cannot depend on your children’s behavior, because you can’t control their behavior.  It can only depend on you.



 

Homeschooling is NOT the same as doing schoolwork at home.  There is LOTS of freedom!  My Gold Care Club will give you all the help you need to succeed!

 

 

 

What advice would you give to a mom who is considering homeschooling?

 

Don't doubt it for a second - you CAN homeschool! You don't have to be afraid - you won't ruin your child's future or jeopardize their college chances! You can provide a superior education for your kids that will open doors for them. Your love for your child will ensure success beyond your wildest dreams!

 

At the same time, don’t try to do it alone. Seek companionship and encouragement from others, and walk together.  I had a homeschool friend with boys slightly older than mine. We stuck together like glue, and offered each other support when it seemed like the whole universe was aligned against us.  I’m telling you, it made all the difference in the world!

Looking back, my friend and I provided each other with four critical ingredients for homeschool success: a willing ear to listen, a gentle voice to correct, a wise word to encourage and a warm heart to accept.  With these critical elements in place, I believe even the most challenging homeschooling experience can succeed through high school graduation.  I've seen it - in my life and the lives of others.  Homeschooling high school is a challenging.  It is demanding and requires an extraordinary commitment from both the parents and the child to be successful.  Every parent experiences discouragement at some point.

 

I believe that homeschooling discouragement is primarily caused by fear...fear of the unknown, fear of failing, fear of hurting our children's future, and fear of looking foolish.  They may sneak up on you at a family event, or ambush you at a homeschool convention.  You may even be sitting at church and get that overwhelming sense of dread.  For me, the fear always seemed to come at night…in bed…staring at the ceiling….

 

Don’t succumb to the temptation to throw in the towel, just when the rewards promise to be so great!  Homeschooling through high school is worth the effort!  It’s one of the best times you’ll have with your children, before they launch and start their own lives at college or beyond.   Stay the course, and finish strong.  I’m glad I did, and I believe you will be too.  Now that my sons are graduated from homeschool high school, my mission is to help encourage other homeschooling parents, and I have a lot of great resources on my website (www.TheHomeScholar.com).  I encourage you to visit and get any help you need!



 

Your best strategy for keeping all those balls in the air is preparation.  The HomeScholar Gold Care Club will give you the comprehensive help you need to homeschool high school.

Summer... time to relax and renew!  Summer provides an opportunity to do tasks that were set aside during the school year. Perhaps your focus is on snuggling young children, relaxing in a hammock, or inventing activities to keep young ones busy. Whatever your summer brings, I'd love to help!  Read my article "5 Goals for Summer Success" as you catch up with your homeschool tasks.  I have tons of activities for younger children on my Pinterest page "Fun for the Littles"  so your children can be kept occupied all summer long - or you can plan for activities during the school year.  I also have a College Packing List, so if your student is leaving for college you'll know just what to bring.  This is a "Best Of" packing list - I collected ideas from others, added things I knew helped me, consulted with a friend sending her child to college this fall, and asked my college-age assistant to add her unique spin as well!



 

See those cute buttons at the bottom of these blog posts?  Those are there to help you share helpful posts with others who might need encouragement.  Go ahead and give it a try.  I promise that nothing will blow up!

At the high school level, sometimes it can see like math takes FOREVER!  It can simply take a LONG time to complete math when you are working at a high school level.  Kids get slower after they have worked for an hour or more, so it makes sense to break it up into two pieces.  Some kids need more practice and some need less.  Each child only NEEDS to do the number of problems necessary in order to learn. Perhaps you can try to do odds or evens in math for a while, and see how the chapter tests go.  If a student doing well, that may be all the practice that is needed.



The Comprehensive Record Solution provides the training and templates and real life examples of successful high school records.

One thing that I love about the homeschool community is that most of us love to encourage others with our stories. In this post Joyce, a homeschool mom, shares the story of her two sons so that it will encourage each of you. You CAN homeschool high school!

I'm thrilled to share that I will be participating in The Homeschool Lounge's "Summer Daze" event August 1 through August 5, 2011! Not only will there be great activities, but there will also be wonderful giveaways provided by a long list of wonderful homeschool businesses!

Have you discovered our Parent Training A la Carte courses yet? If not, this weekend is a great time to do so! We are introducing TWO new courses: Delight-Directed Learning and Getting the Most Out of Your Homeschool This Summer! To celebrate, both of our new classes are on sale for just $10!

Hi everyone,

Matt here.  I wanted to send a quick message out to some of the homeschool fathers I met over the weekend at the Washington Homeschool Convention.  I love seeing men taking a leadership role in educating their children and this weekend I got to meet a lot of you.

• The dad who wanted to make sure his daughter got thoroughly trained in sound economic principles so she could understand what was happening in the world and be able to instruct her children wisely.


• The dad who had no money to buy curriculum but was there with his wife asking as many questions as possible to learn strategies to homeschool on a very tight budget


• The dad with one kid in a carrier, two in a stroller and one holding his hand following quietly behind while his wife shopped.

I also wanted to give a shout out to the fathers who weren't at the convention, but rather, stayed at home to take care of the children while their wives shopped for homeschool curriculum and supplies.  You are heroes in my eyes.  I loved talking to Linda, whose husband was home with the kids and called for advice about tacos.  Man, that was me just a few years ago.

Finally, I wanted to encourage the "almost dads" who were their and the amazing spirit of fatherhood they displayed.

• The childless couple next to us who entertained a steady stream of mesmerized children with his suit of armor and tales of knighthood and chivalry.


• The father-to-be who's unwavering love for his wife has carried them both through two miscarriages.  Bless you for your joy and faithfulness and heart for helping children.


• The aunt to a single mom who was there supporting her niece's curriculum choices and who had volunteered to shoulder the burden of homeschooling her child while she went out to earn a living.

Fatherhood is a beautiful thing and, like the facets of a diamond, all of you reflected a part of the whole.  Thank you for making my "day before Fathers Day" one to remember.