Keep your eye on the horizon and experiment…. and use a variety of teaching methods! Like most of you who traveled any distance to see the eclipse two months ago, the drive home took a very long time. You may have tried various alternative routes to beat or avoid the traffic. Maybe your choices saved…
If you were asked, “What will you teach this morning,” you might answer something like, “Math, spelling, vocabulary, penmanship, and reading. That answer is a start, but math, spelling, vocabulary, penmanship are simply content areas. What specifically are you going to teach this morning? In other words, what part of the above content are you…
The fifth and final tip of the week that is foundational to your success as a home school parent is that of setting deadlines. Setting deadlines for work, projects, tests, quizzes, etc. gives you and your children something to aim for. If you don’t set deadlines, your daily experience is likely to feel like a…
Last week I presented the third of five tips that I consider to be foundational to helping insure your success as a home school parent. This week I present the fourth. Whether we want to admit it or not, we all respond to incentives or rewards in one form or another. Even for those of us…
Earlier this week I presented the second of five tips which I consider to be foundational to helping ensure your success as a home school parent. That tip was, Have a Plan. The third tip is, access social support. Back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, the government school system had yet to wake…
As you begin the school year, here’s another tip which I consider foundational to helping insure your success this year as a home school parent. Have a plan! There’s truth in the saying, “fail to plan, plan to fail.” Plans should be written down so that you know what the target is and if you…
Below is some helpful advice from one of my favorite authors, Chad Bird. I think it’s timely as we begin a new year of home schooling. He writes, One of the best gifts we can give our children is to stop trying to be perfect parents. Don’t set out to be a hero to your…
This happens to all of us. You find what seems like a great curriculum. But halfway through the textbook, you come across something with which you disagree. Maybe you think it’s wrong, or maybe you just don’t like the point of view represented. Whatever the reason, don’t throw that textbook out just yet. I’ll give…
My wife and I are native Californians. As young adults and new Christians, we grew up in Orange County, a densely-populated part of the state filled with mega churches and a continuous stream of end-time teachings and rapture frenzy. We wanted to re-locate. We wanted to find a simpler and slower pace of life. We…
Will my student be required to take a test that is Common Core aligned? The short answer, at least here in the Northwest, is… that depends. Students enrolled in any of the online public school programs such as K-12, Clackamas Web Academy, or Connections Academy will definitely face tests that are Common-Core specific. For privately…