The Small Branch

  The high school years are the years that most homeschooling parents dread.   Many just give up and put their teens into school, even if it is just an online school, because they feel very intimidated.   There really is no reason for this.   Ages 14-16 are what I would call the rhetoric stage of learning.  These are the years when students take the material they have previously learned and begin to form their own worldview, thoughts, and opinions.  These are the years in which parents must be careful to prepare their students for adulthood, possibly including college.  The difficulty we have in our culture is that we don’t really know what that means.  I’m not sure I do, but I’ll give you a few thoughts anyway. First, students need to own their own faith.  They cannot ride your coattails into heaven.  Help them to articulate what they believe and why they believe it.  You can help this by making sure they are studying the W...

  In the interest of full disclosure, if you look at 1st-12th grade, we homeschooled 1st-half of 7th, 1st-4th and 11th-12th, 1st-2nd and 9th-12th, and 7th-12th (this one is still in school with me with a couple of years left).   You may notice that these years don’t include a huge amount of middle school experience.   I will say that I also taught a middle school math class when I was teaching at a private school.   Anyway, I’ll still offer you a few thoughts about middle school. Ages 11-13 are what I would consider the logic stage, or the middle stage of classical education.  This is where you help your child to organize all the information they have been collecting so far.  This is also where you will probably veer away from the way things are being done in public schools (and most private ones).  This is because the American system of education has become more of Elementary School, Elementary School 2.0, and finally Elementary School 3.0. ...

  (I’ve covered some of this in previous posts, but thought I would expand on a few things here.)   Most people consider the elementary school years to be Kindergarten through fifth grade, about ages 5-11.  Personally, as I’ve state before, I don’t see any reason to start any kind of formal school until 8-10 years old, depending on your child.  For the kids in the “elementary years” who aren’t yet ready for formal education, you can continue as you were doing in the preschool years (see previous post).  Remember, though, that you want your children to be ready for learning.  This includes making sure they are learning to be obedient, learning to sit still, and learning to work hard even when something is a struggle for them.  In this phase of “school age but not yet school ready,” make sure they are learning these lessons well.  This is something I utterly failed at.  We were too busy playing and having fun, and I was too lazy as a mom, to...

  I think it is kind of funny when people ask me what kind of curriculum to use for preschool.   I mean, the term is “pre” school, which means before school, right?   So why would we need workbooks and other curriculum before school?   I’m not sure.   I think much of it has more to do with parents wanting to look good because their kids are “so smart” and parents who just go along with what everyone else is doing rather than actually thinking things through.   First, I’ll just put it out there - I think every single child in the world should be homeschooled for preschool.  Of course, there are situations in a fallen world where that just isn’t possible, but it is possible much more often than it happens.  A lot of (married) moms would find that, if they really count up the costs (including a second vehicle, nicer clothes, convenience foods, more sickness and doctor visits, etc. as well as school/daycare costs), they could probably stay home w...

  Lately, I have been hearing my friends talk about what their children will be doing for school next year.   There are a lot of changes in the works and it got me thinking about something that they are saying and that I have said in the past.   “She decided she wants to . . .” and “he would rather . . .” are the main ways the conversation starts.   I did this with one of my kids.   I gave her a choice - she could go to school and not play sports or she could homeschool and still play sports.   She chose to homeschool, but really, should I have had her making that choice?   On the one hand, we want our kids to want what we decide is best for them.   But on the other hand, it is our job as parents to decide what that is, even when they are 16.   Now, I am a firm believer that teens should be making more and more of their own decisions, even if they choose something that will turn out to be a mistake.  I think teens should be learning...

  I am a believer in a Classical Education.   I also am a believer in Unschooling.   “Wow,” you say, “those are totally opposite philosophies of education.”   You would be correct.   To a point.   Let’s start at the beginning of the journey and I’ll explain. From the moment that beautiful newborn baby is laid in your arms, you are a teacher.   This is where the unschooling begins.   You live life.   Your child learns to talk, to walk, to obey.   At this point, some parents really want to put their children into preschool or at least pull out some preschool workbooks.   “DON’T DO IT!” I yell.   Preschool, and even early elementary school are great times of learning naturally.   This is the perfect time to follow your kids’ interests.   Go to the library.   Read living books (see below).   Take “field trips.”   Plant a garden.   Cook together.   Clean the house.   Count everything in si...

I feel the need to answer this question.  Homeschooling is not only doing what you would do in a classroom at home.  Many people say they are "homeschooling" right now because schools have had to move to an online format.  While there are some homeschoolers who use online schooling to "homeschool", in my limited experience, most families who homeschool exclusively using online schooling don't last at home very long.  Online schooling can be frustrating and can circumvent real learning.  The beauty of homeschooling is that it doesn't have to follow any kind of pattern.  There are as many ways to homeschool as there are homeschool families.  Some families totally unschool - just learning through life and rich experiences.  Some families spend all morning sitting at the dining room table doing workbooks and using textbooks.  Most fit somewhere in between.  The thing is, as homeschoolers, we can remember that the goal is LEARNING, not grades...

The second half of this year's CBS study we have been working through the book of Hebrews.  Wow!  It is amazing to me how much God uses His Word to talk to us where we are at the moment.  The last few weeks we have been looking at the eleventh chapter - the "Hall of Faith".  We have talked a lot about faith and perseverance.  This is something I need right now. We seem to be stuck in Limboland.  We thought we would have been moved long ago, certainly by now, but we haven't even put our house on the market!  In fact, we aren't even sure where we are going.  All this with no more job here (construction project, not actual paycheck).  One job near for a few more months, but what next?  We thought we were going on to another job, but that job keeps getting pushed back.  This is truly one of those moments when we must put our hands in His and let Him lead us through the dark. This, for two type A personalities who need a plan for eve...

Wow! I have nothing profound to say or even think. I remember why we do school year around - so we can take frequent breaks. Every other school year I have just tried to average 15 days a month and been content. But last year, I worked hard in the fall, expecting to move near the end of the school year. Of course, that didn't happen. So we ended up taking a longer than usual summer break (sort of) and started our school year with August 1. We have been going full tilt since then. Obviously, that is more than 15 school days in August - actually, it is 23 days. Why am I pushing? Once again, a move at some point in this school year is hanging over us. I think I am going nuts. We are going to have to do shorter periods of intensity. No one seems to be able to handle this! Next week - a shortened week. Then - a whole week off!

Well, I am officially in a foggy, boggy, funk (again). You would think, as often as this happens to me, I would be used to it. Or, even better, be able to trust enough to actually get out of it. I feel like I keep falling into a mud pit, crying to be pulled out, and then jumping back in. All those lies I listen to. All that trust I lack. School is a great example. People ask me how to homeschool , and I give them the patented homeschoolers reply - "What works for us, probably won't work for you. Here are some ideas, but you really have to figure it out for your family." The problem is, figuring it out for your family can be very scary. And even when you think you have it figured out, something changes and you have to flex with it. I have friends who run the gamut from total unschooling to sitting down at the table all morning to have school. Personally, I like something in between, maybe even leaning toward unschooling . My husband, however, definitely lea...