Do you have a high schooler graduating this spring? Congratulations! This is a euphoric time accompanied by a lot of choices and decisions – college, work, trade school, etc. For some graduates, the path seems clear, at least for now. If I go to this college, major in this subject, then I’ll land this job….
I’ve seen it, heard it, and been guilty of it. In fact, I just did it today. Recently a well- meaning, but misinformed friend said to me, “That father needs to get his child under control.” That may have been true. To my friend, it appeared that the father was irresponsible. He went on to…
In my last post I suggested that content presented first is more easily grasped and retained than equally difficult content presented later in the same sequence. But, there is an exception. When content is more meaningful, or interesting to the learner, it will be more easily learned and remembered regardless of when it is presented…
Did you survive the predicted “end of the world” on Saturday? Yeah, me too. I think I’ve survived a dozen or so announced events. Even so, I had my Saturday to do list completed by 2:00 p.m. so Jenny, my wife, was happy. Jenny and I grew up in Southern California. We’re used to this sort…
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…
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…
. . .exclusively. Just because the word Christian appears in the title of a textbook, you have no guarantee that the content is educationally sound or developmentally appropriate. It’s not a guarantee that the textbook follows a proven teaching method, or that the lessons are sequenced correctly. I’ve evaluated text books from “Christian” publishers in…
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…
Math texts are largely made up of computation and problem solving tasks that increase in difficulty as the student proceeds through the book. Change in the difficulty level of problems is usually gradual. Continuity between one lesson to the next, from one chapter to the next, from one book to the next, can be seen…