Written by Kris Bales of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

A note from Jamie: If you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to buy Introverted Mom, (afflink) you might love to hear that Amazon just discounted it by another $1 – currently 42% off!!

It’s the time of year when everything is screaming “Back to School!” The stores are bursting with school supplies. All your favorite blogs are featuring back to school tips. The new school year seems to be on everyone’s lips.

But you don’t feel like starting.

I’m not saying that you’re ready to quit homeschooling or that you’re feeling defeated. You’re just not prepared to give up the lazy, unstructured days of summer.

So what do you do when it’s back-to-school season, and you’re not ready to get back to school?

1. Take a planning weekend.

When my kids were younger, my husband used to do the most amazing thing. He would take them to his parents’ house for a visit the weekend of our local curriculum fair. The fair is always in late-July, so it made the perfect teacher planning weekend.

I would go to the curriculum fair on Friday, browse, and make notes. Then, I’d head to Walmart to stock up on discount school supplies before taking myself out to dinner. On Saturday, I would go back to the curriculum fair early in the morning to make my purchases based on Friday’s browsing and note-taking.

Then I had several hours of planning time before my husband and kids returned home. The alone time coupled with the smell and excitement of new books and school supplies almost always got me excited to start school.

Maybe you can’t get a whole weekend away, but even a morning or afternoon alone at home or in a coffee shop (or the place that sells your favorite sweet tea) with your books and planner can spark your enthusiasm for the new school year.

2. Choose something new that excites you.

Sometimes all it takes is a new read-aloud that I think we’ll enjoy or a fun new elective to get me excited. Sure, you’ve got new curriculum, but when you’ve been doing this homeschooling thing for a while, sometimes even new curriculum is old news.

Sign up for a cooking class that you and your tween or teen can do together. Look for online courses that interest you and your students. (Hint: They don’t have to be the same ones!) Last year, I found some great deals around this time of year on Udemy.

3. Put off hard-core academics.

Don’t jump into all that brand-new curriculum right away. If you’re not feeling enthusiastic about starting school, consider something more relaxed for the first few weeks. Maybe you could try a fun unit study, delve into documentaries, or take some field trips.

Perhaps you should tap into your inner unschooler. Spend August letting your kids’ interests be your guide and following those rabbit trails guilt-free. Add some great family read-alouds and see where the learning takes you.

4. Do a staggered start.

Another technique that has always worked well for us is doing a staggered start to the school year. We start off with one or two core subjects and one fun subject, leaving lots of time to swim or hang out with friends as we squeeze the last bit of fun out of the glorious summer weather.

We add a subject or two each week in August until we’re at a full course load in September.

5. Don’t start.

I thought about leading with this one, but I was afraid it was too bold, and I’d lose some of you.

Just don’t start yet.

My homeschool friends with pools never begin school until after Labor Day because they’re all still enjoying swimming.

We used to school year ’round, but last year the kids and I agreed that we needed more summer. We didn’t start until late-August, and it was wonderful! We would have waited until September, but we wanted to be able to take a week off here and there throughout the year.

If you’re not feeling motivated to start school yet, take advantage of the flexibility that homeschooling offers and adjust your schedule. Sometimes an extra week or two of summer break makes a world of difference.

What do you do when you don’t feel like starting school?

Originally posted on July 26, 2018.

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When my husband and I were young, new parents, we said we wouldn’t make our kids work as teens. They could if they wanted to, but we wouldn’t require it because they had their whole lives to work and pay bills.

Then, we discovered this not-so-little thing called “car insurance for teen drivers.” And gas. Ouch.

So, as they reached driving age, we told each of our kids that they had to be able to pay their own gas and insurance to get their driver’s licenses.

All were fortunate enough to find flexible jobs that didn’t require many hours but paid enough to provide gas and insurance money, along with some spending money.

Their part-time jobs also provided some learning opportunities that proved just as valuable as the income.

Our personal experience with teens and part-time jobs

1. Money Management

The best way to learn money management skills is to put them into practice with your own money. And nothing teaches a teen the value of money better than spending their own hard-earned dollars.

Working taught my kids to plan for expenditures so they could pay their bills and put some of each check into savings. Plus, because our bank only allows so many withdrawals from savings each month, they learned to consider future expenses and how they spent each paycheck carefully.

2. Time Management

School comes first. My kids probably couldn’t tell you how many times they’ve heard that sentence. They knew that if their schoolwork suffered because they were working, the job had to go. I was okay with the kids adjusting their school hours around their work schedules, as long as they did their schoolwork and did it well.

Knowing that school takes priority proved an excellent incentive to hone their time management skills with little input from me. That doesn’t mean that I got to retire my nagging skills entirely, but I did get to give them some well-deserved time off.

3. Experience and Credit

Work experience may seem an obvious benefit of a part-time job, but sometimes we forget just how much experience teens get. They learn:

• customer service and interpersonal skills
• dealing with difficult co-workers
• meeting deadlines and expectations
• taking direction from managers and supervisors
• teamwork
• cleaning up after others (Finally!)
• taking initiative
• communication skills

Plus, you can often count work experience as credit hours on a teen’s high school transcript. The umbrella school we use allows us to count work experience as an elective.

4. Career Exploration

Sometimes a part-time job provides teens a chance to explore future career options. A teen interested in becoming a vet may work at a vet’s office to get a first-hand look at her future career.

My son, a talented musician, worked for a music school teaching guitar lessons and running the audio for their live performances. He currently works on the production team at our church and is considering a career in the audio-visual industry.

Another sometimes unexpected benefit of part-time jobs for teens is that they see what they don’t want to do.

I’ve known more than one kid with no desire to attend college decide to enroll and earn a degree after working. They decided if they were going to have to work that hard for their money, it was going to be pursuing a career they enjoyed.

5. Life Skills

A part-time job teaches a teen a variety of life skills beyond money and time management. First, there are all the dreaded tax forms. They’re a pain, but we all have to learn what they mean and how to complete them. Experience is an excellent teacher.

All three of my kids opened checking and savings accounts when they started working. Nearly every employer uses direct deposit these days. We learned with my oldest that a payroll debit card is more trouble than its worth. So, each of my kids took a trip to the bank. They opened both a checking and savings account and set up direct deposit.

Teens also learn pretty quickly how expensive it is to eat out every time you work. Mine learned how to plan ahead. They packed their own lunches and did their own grocery shopping for favorite take-along meals.

My boy, who is probably my thriftiest kid, requested that I make more meals that were good reheated so he could take leftovers. {grin}

There are so many benefits of part-time jobs for teens. Although we’ve had both good and bad experiences with the workforce, I’m glad my teens had the chance to learn through their part-time jobs.

Do your teens work? What have they learned through their experience?

If you enjoyed this post, check out Jamie’s newly released book, Introverted Mom: Your Guide to More Calm, Less Guilt, and Quiet Joy.

Planning your teen’s homeschool graduation ~
Written by Kris Bales of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

I still remember my high school graduation. Giddy with excitement, I marched on the football field with about 350 classmates. The moment I’d worked toward for the last 12 years was happening! I was finished with school and could get on with the business of having fun adulting and doing whatever I wanted!

Ah, the innocence of youth with no concept of jobs, bills, mortgages.

No matter where you attend school, graduation is a milestone worth celebrating.

Whether your teen prefers a big ceremony with the local homeschool group or an intimate gathering of friends and family, take time to celebrate their accomplishment – and yours!

Planning Your Teen’s Homeschool Graduation

Decide on the Type of Celebration

First, consider your teen’s preferences and take into account what is available in your area.

Because we live in an area with a large, active homeschooling community, we have the option to participate in a formal ceremony hosted by the city-wide support group.

It comes complete with programs, a choir, speakers, and a banquet the night before.

Some of the smaller homeschool groups host their own graduation celebrations. Sometimes they are only for graduating seniors. Other times, they include elementary and middle school graduates and recognition for various student achievements.

Despite the availability of other options, some teens prefer a quiet celebration with family and friends.

Take into account your teen’s personality. For example, an introvert may not want to participate in a big event. But, also remind your teen that his friends and family are proud of him and want to celebrate.

(If all else fails, mention the words “graduation money.”)

Decide Who Will Handle Planning

If you’re taking part in a large support group graduation, there is likely a team of group leaders and parent volunteers heading up the planning. Check your group’s website or Facebook page to find out about fees and deadlines. Many deadlines will be early in the year (January or February) so plan ahead.

Smaller group graduations are usually more relaxed. But you’ll still want to find out who the contact person is and start making plans by March or early April.

You will likely be more directly involved with planning and organizing a small group event. For example, our group hosted a reception after graduation, so participating families brought drinks and finger foods.

Although it’s probably the most low-key option, a celebration with family and friends requires the most work on your part. Don’t forget that, as the teaching parent, you’ll want to enjoy the event with your student, so enlist the help of a trusted friend or relative.

Planning Your Teen’s Graduation

Once you’ve decided on the type of graduation your student will have, it’s time to start planning.

Two of my favorite places to purchase graduation supplies are from Homeschool Legal Defense Association and Homeschool Diplomas. My personal preference is Homeschool Diplomas, but both sites offer quality supplies including announcements, diplomas, caps, gowns, and tassels.

1. Order your diploma and attire.

You should order your graduate’s diploma, cap, gown, and tassel as soon as possible to avoid unnecessary stress. Both sites from which I’ve ordered offer rush shipping, but I like to place orders by at least the end of March.

If your student is graduating with a large homeschool group, they may place a group order so pay attention to due dates.

For small events with more than one student, decide if matching gowns (color or texture) are important to your students. If so, you’ll want to place a group order or ask all parents to order from the same vendor.

2. Secure a location.

If your student is graduating alone or with a small group, you’ll probably need to find a location for the event. Our small group usually holds graduations at a member’s church.

You may also check the availability of community rooms or group event rooms at a local restaurant.

We held my son’s graduation party at my mom and stepdad’s house because they have more room and an open floor plan. (And, they don’t have four dogs and six cats!) A backyard ceremony is another option.

3. Send graduation announcements.

Plan to send your graduation announcements/invitations 2-3 weeks before the event.

You can order personalized announcements, use generic cards from somewhere like Target or Walmart, or {ahem} send texts to friends and relatives.

We’re pretty laid back, so we’ve gone the text route and the generic grad party invitation routes.

4. Decide on refreshments.

No matter where your teen graduates, you’ll probably want to gather friends and family for refreshments afterward. Some possible locations include a local restaurant, the fellowship hall of the church your group is using, or your home.

We did simple finger foods, drinks, and a graduation cake. You might also consider having the event catered or host a pot-luck meal.

Planning a celebration for your homeschooler’s graduation doesn’t need to be stressful. Follow these simple tips and enjoy recognizing your student’s accomplishments – and yours!

If you’ve graduated a homeschooler, how did you celebrate?

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

After 25 years in the same house, we’re near the end (hopefully!) of a major remodeling project for our kitchen and master bath (with smaller projects to follow).

For the last several weeks, the project has had a monopoly on my thoughts. In my remodel-obsessed brain, it occurred to me that homeschooling and home renovations have a lot in common.

Excitement to start

My husband and I started the planning process for this remodel all the way back in September. We were so excited each time we met with our project planner to pick out tile, appliances, fixtures, and paint.

At every one of those meetings, our appointment time was over before we were ready to leave. We just couldn’t wait to choose everything and get started!

Sounds a lot like homeschooling, doesn’t it? Shiny new curriculum. A new co-op to try out. Freshly-sharpened pencils and crayons. The planning stage is so much fun.

You get to dream big and imagine the possibilities of a new school year (or semester).

The first few weeks

The first few weeks of our remodel, which started at the beginning of January, I adopted an adventurous mindset.

Cooking in the living room using the griddle, toaster oven, and microwave? That would be fun. Walking up a flight of stairs and into the garage to get things out of the fridge? What a great way to get some extra steps in!

Okay, you know how I just said “weeks?” Let me be honest: Four days.

Four days was all it took for me to be over cooking in the living room and traipsing out to the cold garage every time I wanted something to drink.

That’s probably about how long I last at the start of each homeschool year, too. Then, the challenges that had me envisioning rising to the occasion and pulling my student along with me begin looking as insurmountable as Mt. Everest.

Changing the design

Our bathroom remodel has been a bit of uncharted territory. We’re expanding into existing attic space. We had some design ideas in mind, but until we got the walls knocked down, we weren’t sure exactly what the layout and final design would be.

One thing I knew for sure I wanted from the beginning was a toilet closet – you know, a little room within the bathroom with just the toilet where someone can attend to their needs without taking up the entire bathroom.

A toilet room was a non-negotiable part of the design for me.

Guess what I’m not getting. No toilet room.

Once we got the remodel started, we realized that the room wasn’t going to work with our available space. After some initial disappointment, I came up with an alternate design – one that my husband and I both like better than the initial plan.

If that doesn’t sound like homeschooling, I don’t know what does.

You go into homeschooling with one picture in mind and somewhere along the way you’re forced to make changes. The result is something completely different than your original vision, but more beautiful than you’d planned because it’s the perfect fit for the reality of your family.

Muddling through the middle

I told our general contractor the day the remodel began that I was so excited to get started even though I knew I wasn’t going to like the “during.” He said he’d be sure to remind me of that.

I knew that the process, which would involve weeks of no kitchen and sharing the downstairs bathroom with the kids wouldn’t be fun. What I didn’t realize was how insanely frustrating it was going to be when the project got off-track, and the initially projected completion dates came and went.

There were days when I was so frustrated that I developed a tension headache. Before the remodel, I can’t even remember the last time that happened.

There were unexpected delays due to inclement weather, illness, and people just not showing up to work when they were scheduled – or an emergency at another project causing people to get pulled off of our project.

Again, you probably don’t even need me to draw parallels for you, do you?

Homeschooling and sick kids, life emergencies, struggles with grasping concepts, kids who just don’t want to work, and tension headaches. Sound familiar?

Nearing the end

Now, we’re getting close to the end. (And, hopefully, by the time you read this, the kitchen will be finished.) After weeks of frustratingly slow progress, we’re able to see the completed product coming together.

The kitchen is just waiting on countertops, a backsplash, and a few finishing touches. The bathroom is starting to look like a bathroom, and we can see the end in sight.

Homeschooling is a lot like that. After teacher-intensive years, slow progress, and wondering if you’re ever going to see the fruits of your labor, suddenly, you’re near the end, and you can see everything coming together.

Your teen finds her passions and starts moving toward a career path. Your man-child finds his self-motivation, and you see an actual lifelong love of learning beginning to bloom.

You see the finished product and know that all the tears and frustration were worth it.

Do you know how homeschooling is not like remodeling? I’ve never had one single day during this house process where I wished I could go back to the beginning, slow down, and enjoy the remodel more.

But homeschooling? I wouldn’t mind doing that again, knowing what I know now. Some of those days were really, really long, but the years were way too short.

Where are you on your homeschooling journey?

Written by Kris Bales of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

A note from Jamie: Welcome to our 9th annual Homeschool Day in the Life series! So happy to have you here, and so grateful for Kris kicking our series off with today’s post:

Are you ready for full transparency? I was dreading this day-in-the-life post. With two homeschool graduates and a high school junior, talking about our homeschool day is pretty boring.

Then I realized that the title is Kris’s homeschool day in the life, not Kris’s kids’ homeschool day in the life. While our homeschool may be somewhat boring right now, my days are not.

Not only are my days exciting to me, but it occurred to me that they might seem like a beautiful daydream to those of you who are still knee-deep in long-division or teaching a kid to read.

I might be throwing someone a lifeline. So here you go:

Morning

This morning was unusual. I was slightly coherent at 7:00 when Megan, my 17-year-old, cracked my bedroom door and whispered for the dogs. Even now, several hours later, I don’t know what possessed her to see if they needed to go outside. I thought I was the only one who knew how to do that.

She had already retreated to her room by the time I stumbled my way down to the kitchen half an hour later. It was a quiet morning for us – us being me, my three dogs, and whichever of our six cats were in the house at the time.

Josh, my 19-year-old, works 3rd shift and he’s usually coming in about that time, but he was off last night. He was still asleep with his German Shepherd pup, Ada. Her absence was the reason for the quiet.

I got everyone fed and got my morning dose of caffeine before heading back to my room for a shower. I’m never fully awake until I’ve had my shower and caffeine. I try not to talk to anyone other than dogs and cats before then. It works out better for everyone.

By 8:30, I was back downstairs playing with ferrets for a few minutes before getting started. Yes, ferrets. Two of them. It’s a total zoo around here, y’all.

Hearing the TV coming from Megan’s room, I poked my head in to talk to her. She said she woke up at 5:00 and couldn’t go back to sleep. It didn’t take long to rectify that.

I didn’t nag her about schoolwork yet. It was way too early. She usually does most of her work between midnight and 3:00 a.m. She’s a night owl like my daughter Brianna (now 23, married, and living 2 hours away) always was.

Settling in my desk chair around 9:00, I read my Bible (or, you know, the Bible app on my phone) before turning on my laptop. While it booted up, I had time to make some notes in my planner. I jotted down today’s to-do list and this week’s appointments.

Once the laptop was ready, I did a quick check of Facebook before opening Scrivener, the writing program I’m using in my goal to get a novel manuscript ready to submit for publication by the end of 2019 or early part of 2020. Squee!

After dreaming about it for years, I plan to make 2019 the year I do it. I told myself I had to write at least 500 words – get something on paper – before I get to other work.

I wound up writing nearly 1000!

A little after 11:00 now, my usual lunchtime, I stopped and made myself a grilled cheese – like, seriously, every. single. day. You’d think I’d be tired of them by now, but I’m not. They’re quick and easy, and I’m only making lunch for one these days.

Afternoon

After lunch, since the house is still quiet, I decided to take a power nap. Yes, I do realize what a luxury this is, and I enjoyed it.

Afterwards, it’s time to get busy. I put the finishing touches on a blog post for my site before starting this one. I’ve got some more blogging and social media work to get finished before dinner.

Around 4:00pm, Megan popped in to tell me goodbye on her way out the door to work. Her schedule is a little less crazy now that the holidays are over. She’ll actually be home around 9:00 tonight. She’ll tackle school sometime after that. This year, along with a few other odds and ends, she’s doing:

• Exploring Creation with Marine Biology (Apologia)
• American Literature (Apologia)
• Health and Nutrition (Her absolute favorite subject ever, also by Apologia)
• Teaching Textbooks
• Trail Guide to World Geography (and the high school bundle from Geography Matters)

Evening

Around 5:00 or 5:30, I’ll stop to make dinner (or give in to Josh’s suggestion of Chick-fil-A).

After that, I may work a little more before kicking back with my husband to watch mindless TV and play games on our phone. It’s an exciting life, y’all, but that’s one of our favorite things to do. We’re working our way back through Elementary on Hulu, one of my favorite shows.

So, moms of littles, hang in there. It does get easier and, believe it or not, you’ll miss those days of teaching reading and long division.

I mean, maybe not in a “Gee, I wish I could do that every single day,” kind of way, but in a “Wow, how did they grow up so fast” kind of way.

My, how the days have changed:

• 2018: Kris’s homeschool day in the life (with a 16-, 18- and 22-year-old)
• 2017: Kris’s homeschool day in the life (with a 15-, 17-, and 21-year-old)
• 2016: Kris’s homeschool day in the life (with a 14-, 16- and 20-year-old)
• 2015: Kris’s homeschool day in the life (with a 13, 15, & 19-year-old)
• 2014: Kris’s homeschool day in the life (with a 12-, 14-, and 18-year old)
• 2013: Kris’s homeschool day in the life (with an 11-, 13-, & 17-year-old)
• 2012: Kris’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 16-, 12-, and 10-year-old)

If you found this post helpful, subscribe via email here to receive Jamie’s FREE ebook, Secrets of a Successful Homeschool Mom!

Written by Kris Bales of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Do you sometimes daydream about cloning yourself? There would be one you to clean the house, one to prepare meals, and one to school each child. Meanwhile, you – the original you – could relax on the couch reading a good book or playing Words with Friends.

While you might as well give up on having an army of clones to help you homeschool, there are some things you can do to give each of your kids one-on-one attention without cloning yourself.

Apps

Download some kid-friendly, educational apps on your phone or tablet. Give one child screentime while you work with the other.

Some great apps to try include:

• Stack the States
• 1010
• Starfall
• Reading Eggs
• DragonBox math games

Audiobooks

Give each of your children some audiobook time each day. It’s an excellent way for them to experience books that may be above their reading level while another child enjoys your undivided attention.

Find out how to get started with audiobooks here and snap up cheap audiobooks from Jamie’s deal directory here!

Silent reading

I used to love having a daily silent reading time as a family. We’d each choose our own books (including me!) and spend 15-20 minutes in a blissfully silent house reading.

The quiet time is fantastic, but you may need to trade it for one-on-one time with your children. If you do, consider creating a little reading nook in or near the room where you do school. That gives your reader space to concentrate while you work with a sibling without the temptations lurking in their bedroom. You know: toys and screens.

Online games

Stagger your kids’ online gaming time. You can use this as skill-building time for things like typing or coding, or let your kids enjoy some downtime playing Minecraft or Fortnite.

Online classes

Try live or self-paced online courses. Khan Academy is a free option, but there are a wide variety of paid classes (both core subjects and electives) such as:

• Bright Ideas Academy
• Power Homeschool
• Outschool
• TakeLessons
• MyFunScience
• Film School for Teens

Computer-based curriculum

Teaching Textbooks saved my sanity.  One kid could do math on the computer while I worked on reading with the other, then, they’d swap. Check out Switched on Schoolhouse for a full line of computer-based homeschool curriculum.

Videos

When my kids were little, I’d pull out some fun, educational DVDs when I needed quiet, focused time with my oldest. We loved Leap Frog’s Letter Factory.

These days, there are tons of free options on YouTube. I like Crash Course for older kids. They also have a version for younger kids called Crash Course Kids. History with LEGO is pretty awesome, too.

And, of course, you can always take advantage of subscriptions such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Independent work

Have one or two subjects that each of your kids can work on independently. Usually, this involves workbooks (or online and computer-based lessons). We started with Explode the Code. Because each book was set up in a familiar pattern, my kids quickly learned to do them on their own, freeing me up to work one-on-one with whoever needed help.

A couple of my friends with five or more kids swear by workbooks for every kid in every subject. This approach allowed them to set up one-on-one time with each child throughout the day.

Puzzles

Puzzles provide fantastic practice on critical-thinking and spatial-reasoning skills. And they’re fun!

We used to like to leave a puzzle set up on a spare table so that each family member could work on it as they had time, but pulling out puzzles at specific times during the school day is a great way to squeeze in one-on-one time.

You may not be able to clone yourself, but implementing a few of these strategies can help you gain a bit of extra quiet and learning time in your days without going crazy.

What are some of your tried-and-true tips for getting one-on-one time with your kids during the school day?

Written by Kris Bales of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

I’ve heard people wonder if homeschooled students can fail.

I don’t mean having something not turn out as planned or not doing well after graduation. I mean fail. You know, be held back a grade.

In a public or private school, everyone has to move at roughly the same pace. While students may have access to after-school tutoring, special education classes, or help from their teacher, ultimately if they don’t learn enough of the material to be successful in the next grade, they are held back so that they have time to learn those concepts before moving on.

But homeschooling parents can give their students time to master the concepts needed at one level before moving on to the next. Grade levels are arbitrary in a homeschool. Our kids really only need to worry about grade level in situations which require separating students into same-age peer groups, such as co-op,  church classes, or recreational sports leagues.

That doesn’t mean, however, that we just let our kids skate along and graduate without acquiring the skills they need to be successful in life, work, and secondary education after their homeschooling years are over.

So what do you do when your student isn’t mastering the concepts needed to advance to the next level?

1. Use assessment as a tool.

Some kids don’t test well, and an exam can be even more intimidating for a child who is struggling. However, assessments can be helpful tools for pinpointing exactly where your student is having trouble. A test may reveal, for example, that your student needs to work on mastering his multiplication facts.

2. Slow down.

Sometimes all you need to do to help a student  with a particular subject or concept is slow down. Early on in my homeschooling venture, someone introduced me to the notion that sometimes facts, ideas, and skills need time to percolate. Even if you don’t see your child actively working to understand a concept, those thoughts may be ruminating in the back of his mind.

I saw this clearly when my oldest was learning long division. It was pretty much the bane of our existence. Since it was near the end of a school year and she was struggling so much, we knocked off math a little early for summer break. When we came back in the fall, she suddenly understood it!

The skill that had been such a struggle the year before made sense after taking some time to step away from it.

3. Consider making curriculum changes.

Your student may need a different approach. You may have a visual learner who would benefit from more written instruction. Your kinesthetic learner may require a more hands-on approach.

We’re using Apologia’s marine biology course this year. I got the superset, which includes both audio and video options. I love that it offers so many different ways students can learn the material.

4. Consider your teaching methods.

I have a friend who is a high school math teacher. She works with struggling learners, and she once told me that she teaches at least two different methods of figuring out each type of problem because not everyone processes information the same way.

My oldest struggled with multiplying larger numbers, such as three-digit number by two-digit numbers. I did some investigating and discovered lattice multiplication. It looked kind of crazy, but it worked wonderfully!

After using the lattice method for a few months, she was able to transition to the traditional method of working those problems. She just needed a different approach to help the concept make sense.

5. Get a tutor.

There is no shame in not being able to teach your child everything. Our job is to facilitate their learning, not personally teach everything.

Consider your options. Private tutors may be cost-prohibitive, and learning centers may not be the right atmosphere for a homeschooled student. Often there are parents in the homeschooling community who offer their expertise to tutor students in one area or another. If you live near a college town, you may be able to find college students who provide tutoring services.

6. Try a co-op.

Your child may not need private tutoring, but could still benefit from a different approach to a problem subject. Check with local co-ops to see if they offer classes that could help.

7. Test for learning disabilities or developmental delays.

Sometimes academic struggles may be a warning sign of a more complex issue such as learning disabilities or developmental delays. Discuss the possibilities with your child’s doctor and your homeschool and/or parenting community.

Consider taking a simple learning disabilities assessment to identify potential causes of the struggles you’re seeing.

8. Self-educate.

Look for ways to learn more about your student’s struggles so that you can choose the best means for facilitating his education. If he seems to learn better in a particular way, research ways to best promote that learning style.

If she has a learning disability or developmental delay, learn all you can about it and the best ways to help her compensate for the difficulties that it causes.

9. Seek professional help.

My son struggled with severe dyslexia. One of the best decisions we made was to seek professional therapy.

With the help of someone trained in the specific methods for teaching dyslexic students, my son made more reading progress in five months than he’d made with me in five years.

Our job, as homeschooling parents, is to facilitate our child’s learning. That means recognizing when it’s time to slow down, when it’s time to reinforce, and when it’s time to outsource.

There is no need for a child to fail in a homeschool environment because there’s no need to move on before he or she is ready.

What tips would you offer a homeschooling parent with a struggling learner?

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

3 things to do if you think you’re a homeschool failure ~
Written by Kris Bales of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

I‘ve heard the same thing from several different moms in the last week. They think they are failing.

Maybe it’s the time of year. Many families have to endure the stress of standardized testing each spring.

Not being where you’d hoped to be as you wrap up a school year feels disheartening, too.

It could be the fact that most of these moms are homeschooling middle schoolers. Those preteen hormones can wreak havoc on a mom’s sanity.

But whatever the cause, feeling like a failure is miserable. So what do you do when you find yourself in that position?

Here are three ideas:

1. Don’t make homeschool the scapegoat.

The very first step in overcoming feelings of homeschool failure is ensuring that you’re not making homeschool the scapegoat. In my experience, we homeschooling parents are often guilty of blaming homeschooling for everything.

Some of the issues you’re experiencing with your kids have nothing to do with where your kids go to school. You’d still be dealing with them if your kids were in public or private school.

In many cases, a different educational setting would exacerbate the issue. You’d be less of aware of what was going on in your child’s life. And you wouldn’t be able to be as directly involved in helping him navigate the situation.

If the things that are making you feel like a failure are parenting issues or are related to the emotional upheaval of adolescence, deal with them as such. Don’t make them about homeschooling when they’re not.

Just as an aside, I found it extremely helpful to explain to my preteens how hormones affected their moods. Understanding the cause of anger or frustration that was disproportional to the situation helped them deal with it better in most cases.

2. Evaluate.

Take an honest look at the things that are making you feel like a failure. We homeschooling parents like to constantly reassure each other not to worry. We’ve got this.

For the most part, that’s good advice, but worry can be helpful if it’s channeled constructively.

Look at the things you’re worried about. Is your child struggling with math? Does he have trouble making friends? Is she having trouble staying focused on her schoolwork?

Maybe you’re at the center of your worries. Do you feel like you’re not following through with schoolwork like you should? Are you having trouble staying organized? Are you missing needed opportunities for your kids to meet up with friends or get involved in activities?

Consider whether there is any truth to these worries. If you can’t be objective, ask your spouse or a trusted friend to help you evaluate your concerns.

After carefully examining the issues that are making you feel like a failure, you have a couple of options. If you determine that your worries are unfounded, put them behind you and move on with confidence.

If you determine that there is some truth behind your worries, it’s time to make some course corrections.

3. Make adjustments.

Course corrections are adjustments that address areas you’ve identified as needing improvement. If your child really is struggling with math, maybe you need to try a different approach, arrange for tutoring, or step back and work on mastery of a foundational skill.

If your child really is having trouble making friends, you may need to be more intentional about social opportunities. You might need to schedule regular park days with families who have kids of similar ages, join an enrichment co-op, or try some extracurricular activities.

If you’re having trouble with follow-through, maybe you need to try homeschool curriculum that’s less teacher-intensive or use a planner to help you stay on track. You might want to consider a co-op for subjects that are problem spots for you.

Thomas Edison reportedly said something to the effect of, “I have not failed. I’ve discovered 10,000 ways not to make a lightbulb.”

You probably don’t want to work on discovering 10,000 ways not to homeschool your child, but identifying problem spots does not make you a homeschool failure. It makes you a parent willing to assess and invest in your child’s education.

So, stop worrying, homeschool mom or dad. You are not a failure! You are a pioneer who is refining the methods for successfully homeschooling your student.

What are some course corrections you’ve made that have had a positive impact on your homeschool?

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

ADD teen struggles and how you can help ~
Written by Kris Bales of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

I used to joke (except it wasn’t entirely a joke) that my job in our early years of homeschooling was to hover near my oldest and say, “Do your work” every few seconds.

Having a child (or two) who struggles with attention and focus can be challenging, particularly as they move into the middle and high school years. The teen years are when most of us hope to start seeing our students transition to independent learners, but that can be difficult for kids who have trouble staying on task.

Many areas can be affected by difficulty focusing. I won’t say that the following are the main areas because that can vary significantly from child to child, but these are areas of struggle that I’ve seen in my kids. They are also areas that I’ve had other parents of ADD or just hard-to-focus kids ask me about.

ADD Teen Struggles and How You Can Help

Managing Time

Time management is often a huge area of struggle for teens (and adults!) who have trouble staying focused on tasks. Try these tips to help.

Limit distractions.

Have teens leave their cell phone in a specific spot away from where they’re working or turn it on do not disturb. If they’re working on a laptop, turn off notifications and try a browser add-on to block social media sites during school hours.

Don’t let teens have TV or videos playing while they work. Don’t limit music, though. Many teens work better with music. I like the Coffitivity site for ambient background noise. You might also try a white noise machine.

Give them a planner.

Make sure teens have their own planners (or a checklist) so that they can see what needs to be done each day and mark off assignments as they go.

Help them break down long-term assignments into manageable chunks and add due dates for each step in their planner.

You might also try a shared Google calendar for extra accountability.

Whichever option you choose, plan a daily or weekly meeting time to be sure that your student is completing tasks before they get so far behind that they’re overwhelmed.

Try visual planning aids.

My oldest used our version of workboxes all the way through high school. We used a plastic crate and hanging file folders to help her track her work.

Each folder held one subject. My teen could arrange the folders in the order she wanted to complete the assignments each day, giving her an easy-to-track visual reminder of what she had finished and what she had left to do.

Getting Thoughts on Paper

Getting their thoughts on paper can be laborious for teens with ADD. These kids are often highly creative, but their creativity often gets lost in the writing process.

Try these ideas.

Use voice-to-text software.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking is a fairly intuitive, easy-to-use voice-to-text software option. Writing time can also be the ideal time to make an exception to the smartphone ban. Most smartphones feature voice-to-text software that users can access inside other apps, such as a notes or word processing app (Google Docs or Word, for example).

Even if they don’t use the voice-to-text feature, my teens text amazingly fast (and without looking at the screen – how do they do that?!). Who says that a paper has to be handwritten or typed on a computer keyboard? If your teens text like mine, let them put that somewhat questionable skill to good use.

Be their scribe.

It’s okay to let your teen dictate his writing assignments to you. Type or write her words or ideas. Then, let her edit and write the final copy.

Taking Tests

Many kids with ADD or focus issues don’t test well. Tests often don’t provide an accurate, fair assessment of a student’s understanding or ability. Try alternatives to traditional pen-and-paper tests.

Try narration.

Let your student orally answer questions or tell you what he’s learned in his own words. Ask him to tell you what he knows about a person or to describe an event.

Put together a presentation.

Let your student put together an end-of-unit or topical presentation demonstrating what she’s learned. She can give the presentation to you and her siblings, grandparents, and/or the non-teaching parent.

Alternately, you can get the students in your homeschool group together for a whole evening of presentations. (This is a great way to work on public-speaking skills, too.)

Make the most of audio-visual tools.

My kids are much more comfortable on camera than I am. They love making videos. If your kids do, too, let them put together a video presentation of what they’ve learned.

Or write a blog post about it. Or use publishing software to create a slideshow, photo software to create a photo journal, or craft and scrapbooking supplies to put together a notebook.

What ways have you found to help your teens focus?

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

Written by Kris Bales of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

I am a creature of habit who thrives on routine so, unless there is something special going on, most of my days start out the same. (And, I use the term “special” loosely. It could mean anything from breakfast with one of my kids {truly special} to a doctor’s appointment {not so special}.)

I’m so predictable that even the dogs and cats know the routine. I get up by 8:00 a.m. First up is feeding the creatures, letting them out, and giving them treats. They never let me forget the treats. Then, and only then, do I get myself ready for the day.  That means teeth, shower, and hair. Those are the things that wake me up and make me feel human.

I put on my homeschool mom uniform (yoga pants and a tank top), and I’m ready to go out – unless it’s one of those special days. Then it’s jeans and a tank top with a long-sleeved t-shirt to dress things up.

It’s a glamorous life, y’all.

Mornings

If I’m lucky, I get to see Josh (18) as he’s coming in from his 3rd shift job or Brianna (22) before she leaves for work. My babies have grown up. {sigh}

Those of you who’ve been reading my day in the life posts over the years will be as shocked to read the following statement as I am to type it: I’m currently planning Josh’s graduation and Brianna’s wedding.

The wedding is in April, and the graduation is in May. I plan on taking out stock in the tissue industry any day now. I’ll be purchasing a pallet or so from Costco. I think that might be enough to get me through those two events.

I work from home, so morning is when I tackle most of the days’ work. Brianna is at work and Josh and Megan are sleeping. (Unless Josh hasn’t wound down from work yet. If not, he’s usually very talkative in the mornings, which I love.)

My biggest distraction in the mornings is our dog, Belle. She was supposed to be Brianna’s dog, but we’ve all acknowledged that she will not be happy in Brianna’s fiance’s small apartment, so now she’s my dog.

The two older dogs are content to sleep all morning, but not Belle. She wants me to throw her ball down the stairs so she can chase it. All. Morning. Long.

Afternoons

Around noon, I stop for lunch and start trying to wake Megan up. She’s in 10th grade this year. She does not like mornings. It’s not uncommon for her to mumble, “I already did everything but math.”

A night owl like I used to be, Megan usually prefers to do the majority of her schoolwork at night when the house is quiet. Then, she sleeps until mid-afternoon, grabbing a bite to eat and finishing whatever schoolwork is left when she gets up.

She’s working, too, at a clothing store in the mall, which she absolutely loves. She only works a few days a week, sometimes the day shift, other times closing. There was even one super late-night inventory shift.

Thankfully, homeschooling allows us to be flexible with her schedule. I don’t care what time of the day or night she gets her work done as long as she completes and understands it.

Megan is currently using Khan Academy for science, history, and math; WriteShop for writing; and the Ultimate Series from Easy Grammar for grammar. We add in a variety of books and she follows her interests for electives.

Whenever

I’m also incredibly thankful that Josh is such a motivated self-starter. He sometimes does his schoolwork after work in the mornings. Other times, he’ll get up in the afternoon to get it done. Just the other day he told me that he was behind in his coding course, so he’s planning a coding cram day to catch up soon.

{Note: Behind was his word, not mine. He’s set a schedule for himself.}

Josh also requested a couple of books on real estate and property management. He’s considering saving to purchase some rental property.

He’s my non-fiction guy who, after years of struggling with dyslexia, always seems to be reading up on the topics that interest him – everything from dealing with dyslexia to financial management to property management. Don’t ever believe that kids with dyslexia don’t like to read. Many of them do; it’s just more challenging for them than it is for other kids.

Josh is taking some courses on Udemy (afflink), with which we’ve been very impressed, and he’s using Teaching Textbooks for math and the Ultimate Series for grammar. He’s also still playing guitar and is pursuing interest-led topics for electives.

Preschool Time

Twice a week, I pick my four-year-old niece up from preschool and keep her for a few hours. My sister gets stuff done without carting a preschooler around and I get the opportunity to relive those fleeting preschool days.

That kid is a mess, I’m telling you. She’s got about a million words and she does her very best to use them all in as short an amount of time as possible. She loves – loves – playing in the rice bucket and listening to me read some of my kids’ favorite books that I saved for the grandkids. {sniff}

With my two remaining homeschoolers being in 10th and 12th grades, I don’t have a very active homeschool mom role anymore. Mostly, I just purchase the books they request, make sure they get up and get their schoolwork done, and record their grades for transcripts.

It’s bittersweet. I remember the mom-intensive elementary years and I wouldn’t necessarily want to go back (maybe for just a day or so – and on a good day), but it’s weird having such a hands-off role now. I miss the projects and everyone sitting at the table together for a few hours every day.

It’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that it will just be Megan and me next year, and the year after that she’ll be graduating. I wonder what a day in the life will be like then.

For now, I’ll just enjoy the days I have left with all three of my kids at home. They are slipping through my fingers quickly.

What stage of homeschooling are you currently in?

Kris’s previous day in the life posts:

• 2017: Kris’s homeschool day in the life (with a 15-, 17-, and 21-year-old)
• 2016: Kris’s homeschool day in the life (with a 14-, 16- and 20-year-old)
• 2015: Kris’s homeschool day in the life (with a 13, 15, & 19-year-old)
• 2014: Kris’s homeschool day in the life (with a 12-, 14-, and 18-year old)
• 2013: Kris’s homeschool day in the life (with an 11-, 13-, & 17-year-old)
• 2012: Kris’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 16-, 12-, and 10-year-old)