Homeschooling Dos and Don'ts

So the decision has been, for this time and this child, that homeschooling is the best option. Now what? Here's some great dos and don'ts that we have learned from other's successes and failures. The great thing about your homeschool is you can take the suggestions you like and toss the rest. You are in control. With that control comes responsibility and remember to keep evaluating the needs of your child and make adjustments as necessary.

Do

Networking with other home schooling parents is a great resource and it's free. You can talk over the fence, send an email, make a phone call or even write a letter. They are experiencing some of the same issues as you and they have great ideas. You have learned things that you can share also..

Learn to laugh and learn. One of my most fond memories happened in a 5th grade classroom. It was a tradition classroom, but something I have learned from. We were doing a giant classroom science experiment. We had been working for weeks to create this wonderful contained explosion of color. The teacher was famous for the success of this project every year. I am still not sure what happened to cause the problem, but our contained explosion was not contained. There we were covered in colorful goo and shocked. The smell of vinegar was very strong. Our teacher, Mr. Stonelake, let out one of the biggest belly laughs I have every heard. We then went to Plan B and wrote down all the things we learned from our colossal mistake. Mistakes make great teaching moments too.

Have a place to retreat to for quiet and study. A designated area for quiet time is essential. Quiet studying even has to take place in home schooling.

Have a method in place for charting your child's progress. This is not necessarily for the child to see, but you want to make sure you are hitting the mark and progress is being made.

Keep in contact with your public school. You may want to use some of their resources. You may want to do some combination home school and public school. Don't burn bridges that you may want to trod across later.

Don't

Don't keep your child away from all other children. Social skills inside a family are not the same social skills used in a group of children their own age. A well schooled child will have both opportunities.

Don't speak badly about public schools with your children. If they are described as different then your child will look at the situation that way with an open mind. It leads to better relationships.

Don't forget that testing is important to enter into some colleges and not a bad idea to use as a marker. Don't forget that family time and school time still need to have some separation. It is kind of like running a business out of your home. Everyone still needs a little down time.

Make well planned education situations for children.