Weekly Homeschool Tips

In 1998, I began homeschooling my oldest child.  She was not yet three years old. "School" at that time consisted of nothing more than coloring, counting and exploring nature. We did not have textbooks or workbooks. Our lessons were not organized, and we were not on a schedule.  Our time together amounted to me teaching my child the next thing she needed to know.  Over the years, that grew into some formal teaching (and some not so formal teaching), and lots of bumps and hurdles along the way.  This year, my youngest will begin her last year of high school. Her graduation will mark my 20th year as a home school mom and teacher. 

Honestly, when I started I thought I had it all figured out, and I moved forward with confidence. Like the proverbial sophomore, I soon learned, I knew almost nothing. Through study, and a lot of effort, I found my way, but not before I made a lot of mistakes and tried a lot of different approaches. My poor oldest child (so sorry, sweetie) suffered the most from my experiments in homeschooling, and my youngest and others I have taken under my wing along the way benefited from the lessons I learned.  Happily my students turned out just fine.  

So what's an almost retired home school mom supposed to do? (The public schools certainly don't want me!) Lend a helping hand to those who are following in my footsteps. Each Monday I will provide a home school tip for home school parents.  Some will be focused on new home school parents, and others will be for the homeschool veterans, but I trust all will be helpful.

~Joy