To homeschool or not to homeschool-- that was the question just a few weeks ago.
I kind of had that answered for me in a variety of ways. First one being told that the new school my children would be going to did not have room for my kindergarten or first grader. My kindergarten teacher telling me my son was indeed the most behind in the class when asked and seeing how absolutely right she was when I first attempted to do homework with him confirmed to me that he is just not ready for kindergarten curriculum--- further supporting my need to work with him one on one. When my daughter came home telling me that one day all he wanted to do was go home I kind of felt further nudging that he was a child who not only could benefit from homeschooling but should be in a more individualized program that the regular school setting cannot provide. In evaluating one of my daughters it is obvious that she does not have the basic foundation on which to build her education and she is struggling to keep up with her peers. Top that with a deep personal conviction that she needs to have less distractions and more one on one time with me-- I am certain that I will be homeschooling her too.
So one hurdle has been jumped.
I am homeschooling a few of my children.
Awww, but the dilemma does not end. No, I actually feel my mind constantly doubting my own ability to homeschool my children. And so I cling to every opportunity to stay connected to the public school system via California Virtual Academy or a local homeschool charter.
Both seem to have their pros and cons-- but then there is that Mother knows best attitude that feels like neither is ideal for my children.
And so I have went out and bought Accelerated Christian Education gap materials for my daughter who is now plugging along through the workbooks in addition to her regular schoolwork taking her back to the basics she never learned. I am satisfied with the curriculum so far and when I came across this post, I felt so validated that I had made my first big girl step down the homeschool journey that I have been further inspired to go out on my own and build my children's curriculum based on what I feel is right for them. I don't know about all you homeschool Moms-- but this has been so fun. I have felt inspired to go out and buy a little from Costco, a little from Target, and a little from Dollar Tree. Notepads here, a drawing book there, a Thesaurus here, and three first and second grade workbooks that cover every subject. Throw in all of the online education sites like Brain Pop, Starfall, Bogglesworldesl.com, and Learning Planet and I feel like I can really get into this homeschool thing.
And yet, I know myself. I know that I can be really excited about something and then get overwhelmed and want to give up. And I can't do that to my children...
and so I freeze up.
Like I need one big pep talk.
I still have so many questions.
How will I know that my child is learning? How can I gage their progress without the help of the public school system? What about transcripts? What about diplomas? What about college? Will my choice to homeschool today affect their future in ways that I am just not thinking about today?
Why does this have to be so hard?
42 inspiring thoughts:
Awww congrats Christine. You can do it. My mom home-schooled me 6th-12th grade. We had a home school evaluator that would give the proper testing for certain grades and would look through our portfolio's each school year to make sure we were on target. In Pennsylvania we applied for my diploma through the PA Homeschoolers Association. You could have it mailed or go to a graduation ceremony with other homeschoolers. Good luck!
I think homeschooling is like anything else in life... if God directs you to do it, then He'll provide ALL you need for it. As a formerly homeschooled child (grades 7-12), I say YAY! While it's not right for everyone, it was great for us. I know you prefer to be right in the middle of God's will, even when it means taking on a new challenge! Praying for His grace and wisdom for you!
Hi Christine!
I know I commented before about the charter schools in the area you are moving too, but I thought I would answer a couple of your questions.
We have a ton of the same concerns, and do not pretend to know the future for our kids--one kid at a time, one year at a time is our motto when it comes to school.
The charter school helps with all your concerns! We use River Springs Charter School, and absolutely love it.
First, you get some funds to help purchase curriculum (you cannot purchase any kind of religious curriculum with those funds, so we use it for books, math, typing, etc.). It sure helps!
Second, you have an Education Specialist (ES) assigned to you. They help you with every facet--such a great resource and aid! They even come to your home for meetings, so you don't have to interrupt your day. They can help with learning styles, curriculum choices, teaching methods...
Third, because it IS a public school, under the umbrella of a local school district, you get to use their standardized tests to evaluate your kids' progress. And there are many resources available.
Fourth, again because it is a public school, and River Springs is accredited, you get a report card and a diploma, etc. I feel like I could put my kids right back into public school at any time if that is what we should decide to do--and we have done that once, and she was right up with her peers!
Fifth, God made YOU your kids' parents. Even though all the help in world is so beneficial and so useful, He enables us as parents to know what is best for each kid. You CAN teach your children. There is so much great curriculum, you will not have a hard time finding one that fits both YOU and Each child. The time spent with your kids builds incredible relationships--now I am able to pick and choose different curriculum for different subjects for each kid, because I know what works for them, how they learn best, etc. It's incredible, and only possible because we have homeschooled, and it has been a wonderful learning process for me.
Hope that helps. If you have any questions feel free to email me:
carleerussell@gmail.com
My little girl has been doing "Superkids" in school. She is now in the second grade.
On their site they have a lot of free easily printed out work sheets for math and vocab
http://www.superkids.com/
Christine,
I think this is a great step. Many parents decide to homeschool for their special needs children first.
First and foremost, I would go to the HSLDA website ( Home School Legal Defense Association); if you havnen't already heard about them. Once you join, they actually have people you can discuss your special needs curr. with. They are SOOO helpful. I have emailed them plenty of times and they always call me within 48 hours or email me back. SO helpful and will back you up in ANY legal issue for free, after the start up fee, which is per family, not too expensive and worth every penny.
Second, I would suggest keeping a schedule of some sort. Start each day at the same time. Have expectations, ie, beds made, breakfast eaten, teeth brushed before school begins. Routine helps all of you know the importance of getting things done.
Treat school work like you do other things in your home that are VERY important. People ask me all the time how I get my kids to do their work. Well, my answer is that is isnt an option. Never has been, never is. What I ask you to do gets done. (Cleaning their room just doesn't seem to work like that though!! LOL!) I see you have a rule about being kind to the other children in your home. It is a serious rule for you. Treat their school work in the same way.
Also, Each Sunday night I sit down and write out the weeks schedule for each child. They put it in the front of their binder and get to work. This way they are held accountable (depending on the age) for what they need to do and they can check it off when done. If you don't get through it, add it to the next weeks schedule.
Be flexible and know that school at home is NOT school like is away from home. Took me 2 years to get this one! HA! Have fun, do neat things, teach them life skills, get a new hobby, anything you want that you can check off as school work.
Relax. God is in control. He put this thought in your heart. He knows you and what you can do - with HIM to guide you. You will be great! You know your kids best.
My best to you. email if you need to. teamgilets@yahoo
Sue
It's not hard! You are MAKING it hard! Just go forward and do it! You will find that ACE cirriculum will make your children stupid in the long run.
For my high schoolers I use North Atlantic High School our of Maine- http://www.narhs.org/ (I live in Washington and they work in every state.) You pick your cirriculum and teach your child. They review the work, make sure you meet all the necessary requirements, prepare the transcript and give an accredited diploma (something that was important to me). My oldest graduated through them last year and I really liked them.
You can definitely do it! There are going to be some rough days, but it's definitely worth it. And the best thing about homeschooling is that you can change anything that isn't working. If you find that you don't like the ACE curriculum (I did Grades 1-3 in it before my mom switched to a different one) . .. it's a very simple matter to choose something else.
And I agree with previous posters, have fun with it! At my house, we're learning about zoo animals. We did some workbook pages, but we also watched some videos on YouTube of lions, checked out some facts on NatGeo Kids and read an interactive Aesop's fable online, then made our own "habitat" for a lion. You can have a lot of fun and it's all learning!
i would HIGHLY recommend you join a homeschooling group, especially with your big move, as it will not only help you connect with the people in your new location but also give you TONS of resources. many parents do this from the time their kids are toddlers and can share with you plenty of tips, what to try & what to avoid, which program works best for which type of learner, all those kinds of things.
plus, many of these groups get together & hold a graduation ceremony each year - something your kids would miss out on otherwise.
for physical education, i know the place i trained when i was in gymnastics had a program for homeschoolers, and many other gyms do as well. they focus on gymnastics of course, but include other things as well depending on the gym. i'm sure something like your local YMCA would be a great help too.
crazy as this sounds, i REALLY LOVE the program the Duggars use! you see clips of the kids doing their learning on their show, and they talk about it, and i've looked up those programs and love them. my sister used ABEKA and it was good academically but hard to work with, although many would disagree as it has been one of the most popular for years.
another BIG factor will be how many computers you have. a lot of programs require computer use... but you don't necessarily have to have one for each kid, you can rotate so while one is on the computer another can be doing workbooks. but if you only have one computer and you are homeschooling like 7 it would be hard.
i'll be praying as you make these decisions - you CAN do it! :-)
- michelle
Hi Christine! I can send you some informal reading assessments and directions on how administer them once I get them photocopied. You can get a decoding level of independence and a comprehension level of independence. They have to read a selection out loud to you while you keep track of errors and then you ask them questions after about what they have read. If you count the words they read in a minute and then subtract the number of mistakes, you can get a fluency rate for that reading level. It is a words per minute score. I have two assessments but both are similar; one is the Miller Comprehensive Reading Assessment and the other is Qualitative Reading Assessment-4th edition. I have pre-k up to grade 10-12 (they group those together). Just let me know how high you need. If you are looking for a good reading program that teaches phonics but kids can do independently, check out the Explode the Code series. Target has a good spelling program (not the store, but if you google Target Spelling, you'll see it) and Step Up to Writing is a great writing program but it's a bit pricy. I have math assessments too, Options Math Predictors, but I only have grades 2-6. Let me know what you need if you are interested. -Melissa
YOU CAN DO IT!!!!! Actually if you look at all the homeschool stats out there- if a mother has a hs diploma or a college ed. Their homeschooled children still outscore public schools. It has nothing to do with being supermom....just a mom who cares. That in and of itself excites your children to learn. Will it be tough- yep just like parenting itself, but you do that just fine.
Take courage!!!!
Good questions. We homeschooled our boys all the way through high school. I made their transcripts, the took the SAT like everybody else, (there are college counselors specifically for home schoolers) 3 of our boys went through college on Full Scholarships. One is a CPA and just finishing his masters this semester.
One is a minister, graduated from Catholic University in D.C. on Full Scholarship and is now at Reformed Theological Seminary, and looking for a doctorate program. Our son who was so far behind that he could not read or write at the age of 11 ( in Public School) is now a Certified Public School teacher with accreditations in Special Education, History and Science. He is certified to teach all grades and all levels of Special Ed.
We used something similar to what you are using for our first year, because I didn't know what to do.
After that we learned more of what fit us, and found great resources.
For the girles, I started them out with Rod and Staff for Language arts and Math. We now use Learing Language Arts through Literature along with our Rod and Staff, and we are using Saxon Math, with the Dive CD's (electronic teacher) He is GREAT!
If you need anything... just email me. :)
I'm pretty fond of time4learning.com. You have to pay a monthly subscription fee, but you can start kids anywhere (including preschool)through 8th grade I believe. The kids move at their own pace. All the lessons and activities are on the computer and many of them are scored so you can see whether the kids are getting them or not. There's also lots of scored tests and quizzes. They've really helped my very lagging son catch up. I have him work on those lessons in addition to his regular school work.
Welcome to the homeschool journey. Most of the comments are right on with their advice. Some suggestions I would add: 1) check out the library for materials, 2) look for books by Dr. Ruth Beechick - particularly "You can Teach Your Child Successfully" and the Home Start Series, 3)don't fear change - enjoy the journey!
It will be wonderful!!
I don't homeschool, but I did tutor my son the first summer he was in this country. However, I am also a certified teacher in my state. What I found he needed was English and social skills and family time. Family time was just there. Social skills he gets at school and at home with family and friends; I and teachers just need to prompt him now and then. English, however.... I followed one specific approach. Russian and Ukrainian are very phonetic, and I used a phonetic approach with him. We also did math together. In Ukraine, he was 8 and 9 in first grade at the orphanage (because his mother had not sent him to school). I started him in the first grade in public school two weeks after he arrived in the States - it must have made them crazy - tee-hee. So, he is behind most of his age mates - he is now 10 going to be 11 in March and in 3rd grade. By necessity, my wife and I are not stay-at-home parents, so I really don't have the option of homeschooling. My son's school (the same system I work in) was not the least bit prepared to teach him. They have children of seasonal migrant workers and have the infrastructure set up to help Spanish-speaking students but had no resources to help a Russian/Ukrainian speaking student. My son is apparently very bright. He was an "A" average student in second grade with special English language help and some classroom adaptations the first half of the year. By year's end, he scored at the top of the English language learner's proficiency test. This year in 3rd grade, he has no adaptations to his school day and is still an "A" average student. I love to tell that story. If it sounds like boasting, I am happy to boast about my son's success. It is his success story, not mine. I KNOW not all children have the same success. But, you just do what you can. Try to be attentive to your child's needs while being aware of what the system wants. Pray pray pray, praise praise praise, don't be afraid to say, "No, do it over." Rejoice in every success. Be always involved, whether they are in school out of or in the home. And, you go, girl! Make a plan, set a schedule, stick to it, and keep all us interested people informed. I hope you take this as encouragement whether you see the same success I did or not. Belive me, it sometimes was not a happy time for either of us. But, I too have learned from the experience.
We have been homeschooling for 12 years now. It has been an incredible blessing for our family. There are times that are hard but isn't that the way with anything of great value. Overall though, it is a lot of fun and I LOVE having our children home and seeing them thriving.
We have used many different types of curriculum over the years. There is no right or wrong answer here. You have to do what works with your family and your schedule.
We are using a combo of Teaching Textbooks (We LOVE this for math), BJU for high school, Some Sonlight, and for the first time ever ACE. :o)
ACE has been a great fit for some of our kiddos who were struggling with BJU. I like it because it is bite sized and there is a tangible end for the student. It really has been a perfect fit for our ESL students.
Many Blessing to you as you start your journey. You are going to be a GREAT homeschooler!
Christine, I am encouraged that you are going down this journey. We also just started down the road of preparation to homeschool our children. I do know that Summit Ministries has excellent curriculum that teaches a Christian Worldview. We are using that. But the other stuff I don't know about yet. I learned alot by reading all the comments to your post. Thank you and God bless. You can do this!
I have to say that I second what someone else stated, that you should definitely check out HSLDA. The other thing I would add, though not near as harsh as someone else said it, I strongly recommend not using ACE beyond the early elementary years. I went into a private school that used ACE half way through my 10th grade year. (by my choosing at the time) I completed school a year early but couldn't tell you anything I learned during that time beyond filling the gap of sentence diagramming. The kicker is that I had been in AP classes in both History and English and was a year ahead in math (which I went no further with at that point). As a mom who also homeschools myself I do agree that there are some great points in their elementary curriculum and possibly as you said to fill in some gaps but beyond that my opinion of it is by far not high....JMHO, no offense intended, just my two cents worth. Feel free to contact me if you have any other question ;)
YOU WILL LOVE IT!!! This is my first year teaching my three little girls, my son Trevor (17) has been taking online HS through Alpha Omega. I bought LifePac through AO for my girls and I love it! Each subject is colorful and fun plus it's God's centered which makes it even more wonderful. Before we started this school year I was in a panic for a couple of reason's... First, I had to teach my 9 year old Mandarin speaking child to read and write English. Second, my daughter Rachel can give me a run for the money with her strong will and third, I didn't go to college for "teaching" so I didn't think I was qualified. So yes, I was in a panic! Let me tell you this, we are having a ball! There are some hard days when I would like to walk away but we hang in there and get through it. Everyday we start with prayer and bible which I think starts us off on the right foot. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be the one to teach my children, it's a blessing even when you want to pull your hair out!! LOL... you'll make modifications as you discover what works best for each child. We also have a "school room" which is nice to have a place where the girls know this is school and not just play. Don't be too hard on yourself and take it all in stride. You will do a wonderful job and your kids will benefit so much from one on one. I bet in no time you'll have them all home! God bless and if I can help in any way shoot me an email.
Amy <><
My advice--take it or leave it--is find a good homeschool group. Ask at the library for starters. Our local library at least has a packet of info for homeschoolers that contains info on the local homeschool groups. I live in a not-so-large town and there are two groups here. One is openly, staunchly Christian, and open only to those willing to sign the statement of faith. The other is open to pretty much anyone and not Christian specifically, although there are Christians in the group. The "group" has been so helpful in connecting me with resources and providing outings, support etc. We have found out how to get our assessments done with homeschool friendly PS approved teachers etc. Been homeschooling for 12 years now. ;-) Always done it, and my oldest is 17, almost the big 18. He is scoring at Post-High-School level in ALL Subjects on his last two years's acheivement tests. I hope that encourages you. I have also homeschooled my Russian born princess, and get compliments regularly on how well she is doing academically and with her speech/lang etc.
Good luck Christine! God totally pulled us into homeschooling 9 years ago and I didn't know ANYONE who did it! Crazy for sure, but the biggest blessing in our family right after our children. You can do it!! There is massive amounts of "stuff" out there to help. Don't get overwhelemed. Enjoy the journey!!! :)
I Know this is a hard decision to make, Christine....If it helps you any:
I was homeschooled from 9th to 12th grade thru the University of Nebraska - Lincoln divison of Continuing studies.... I had to take tests at the end of each unit that got sent to the University High school division and were graded and sent back to me with comments from teacher..I had a mentor there.......when I graduated I got a diploma form them, my Transcript...I had to do this becuase our family moved to Spain and I did not have the level or language skills to go to Spanish high school...
My little sister was home schooled similarly thru the Calvert system in 2nd and 3rd grade. Then she went to Spanish school.
I applied to the University of NY at Stony brook and Graduated with a 4.0 GPA and was Valedictorian. My sister is now a Pharmacist.
If done right, homeschooling can be a GREAT thing for kids...But yes, it will take dedictaion - pèrhaps a system that is not COMPLETELY up to you and will you give you an official document at end? LIke U of Nebraska?
I know alot of child actors etc. use the University of Nebraska continiung studies divison when they can not go to shcool.
Hugs and good luck...
: ) Rita
Have you read Blessed by a Child blog? http://blessedbyachild.blogspot.com/
Jeanne, the author has twice as many kids as you from many countries around the world and home schools all of them. Her family seems very similar to yours and I'm sure she'd be able to give you some advice.
Hey there. I too just started homeschooling my first grader. I ordered a few paces from the A.C.E. curriculum just to get us started since I just took her out of school. Now, reading these comments, I am concerned.
If anyone is willing to give me some further information or ideas, please do so. My email is jlpeacock_3@yahoo.com
I'm a kindergarten teacher. These are my favorite idea sites...
www.kidscount1234.com
http://www.jmeacham.com/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html -you can subscribe or you can do a google search for a user name and password
My favorite homeschooling book is "The Well TRained Mind" by Susan Wise Bauer. I followed her plan for 6 years, the best 6 years of my homeschooling career. I am now schooling with k12 because of the age range I am dealing with now- can't do high school and kinder at the same time well.But those 6 years created some smart, love to learn students for our family.
I also LOVE love love Veritas Press for their reader suggestions. Just getting their catalog will tell you what books to take out at the library for reading. I don't always agree with their focus on Calvinism, (you might, who knows) but they have good readers.
You'll do great.
Hello Christine,
I was home-schooled all the way through school. My parents went through an accredited school in Michigan (Clonlara HBEP) mostly so that we could receive accredited high school diplomas. My parents were friends with the public school principals in our town and my brothers and I attended band and other extracurricular activities at the school.
I was accepted to and graduated from Calvin College without any trouble, and then worked for a Christian Community Development organization in Romania for two years. I'm now living in the States again and married, and getting a master's degree with a thesis on human trafficking.
During high school, I wished I went to the public school and wondered whether I was learning all that I needed to know. Now I have no doubts that my parents did what was best for us. I have had no trouble with socialization or functioning in any area of society.
As long as you recognize that you're home-schooling for the best of your children and that it's your job (and not "oh, it's easy and cheap way to do it"--which I've heard before), I'm sure you and your children will excel.
I would just try to steer clear of using all online schooling or video programs, because that can really take the fun out of learning and home-schooling for both you and your children.
Blessings and Peace!
A brilliant young man was hired as the organist at our church a few years ago. In chatting with him, I found out he was homeschooled. I was pretty close to starting homeschooling at the time, and asked him was curriculum his mom used. He said that the first year about all he did was read the biographies that he found in the bookshelf, and he got so bored he started "messing around" with the piano - well, look where that "messing around" got him! He is a professional organist...now a professor as well. So, yes; your decision to homeschool will undoubtedly have all sorts of results you aren't thinking of. When his mom decided to homeschool him, I'm sure there was no thought that boredom would lead to the piano, which would lead to a career.
Just keep in mind that even in school, things are pretty haphazard. The curriculum can be very mis-matched, no class ever finished a textbook in a year.... I always think about the fact that while I went to a first-rate public school system, somehow I never, ever studied World War II! I think it was always at the end of the book....
And, you can always alter and change, if something isn't working. My favorite homeschool books are the Moore's books - especially "Better Late than Early", and Gutterson's book "Family Matters" (I think that's the title).
Congratulations on taking the leap into the home schooling world! It can be so overwhelming, but such a wonderful choice for our kids!
Have you checked out "teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons", I've used it on three of my kids now (it did not work for a 4th one, instead we used the leapfrog dvd's and the bob books). I've loved focusing on reading aloud with my kids (yes, even my older kids). We love gathering together on the couch to read a great book (biographies on American heros or Missionaries are some favorites, but just good literature is wonderful too!).
As we've traveled this road we've found that the most wonderful part of homeschooling is the family fellowship and helping our children grow in their faith. "Family Driven Faith" by Voddie Baucham, has been such a blessing to our family.
God bless!
Someone above mentioned River Springs...I am not sure where you are moving to, but if it is the Inland Empire, I cannot recommend River Springs enough. I only homeschooled one child, for two years...4th and 5th grade. Did CAVA the first year, and it was ok, but not enough teacher interaction for me. River Springs was wonderful.
I teach at a schol in Haiti and we use ACE with our students, they all test at apropirate grade levels back in the states, and some have even gone on to university and college
hope that encourage you about using ACE
-Crystal
We belong to a homeschool group in our area. We take some co-op classes through the group and standardized testing together at the end of the school year. The group provides connection to other homeschool families, many of which have been home schooling for years. They can help you with choosing curriculums and answering any questions you might have. You should check and see if there is a group in your area. I have been home schooling my two boys for three years and I am so glad that Imade the choice to home school. My boys were attending a charter school and finished the 3rd and
6th grades there before we desided to home school. There are great curriculums available.
I recommend the Apologia Science Zoology curriculum.
You can do it if I can.
Oh Christine - I also have those questions almost 2 years into our home schooling journey. I started with ACE because I went to an ACE school for my primary schooling - I think it's a wonderful place to start. We have since changed curriculum, however I am hoping to go back to ACE for my daughter next year as I feel it will be more beneficial for her.
You are just going to enjoy your home schooling journey. It's one decision that we have never thought about reversing - it is such a great life for our family!
You are an intelligent woman, so will have no trouble teaching your children. I think the biggest thing is not to compare them with other kids - especially if they are slower like my daughter is. Instead as long as you see them learning - progressing being it ever so slowly at times, be happy.
I wish you every success in your endeavour - you're doing a wonderful job!
Renata:)
Keep in mind that it is ok to switch curriculum if it is not working for you. I did the workbook approach for a couple of years and my blessing did not like it.
I was frustrated with the math program so we switched to a more hands on approach and what a difference! Our language arts is still workbook centered, but the other stuff are some of what that article is talking about-but it works for us.
That's the thing to keep in mind-if something is not working, change it. And you may have some children that do well with workbooks and others that do not.
You will know if they are learning or not fairly quickly. There is no place for them to hide when you are seeing their work every day or even a few times a week.
And even my unit study/hands on/manipulative approach has tests.
Email me if you if you have questions. And there are groups out there just for special needs children too.
It is hard, but you can do it!! Look at all of the hard things you do all the time:-) I was a homeschooling mom as needed as well. Some years, I could just sense that some children needed to be home. God has led you and he will continue to!
I'd use Orton Gillingham or Preventing Academic failure to teach reading//handwriting. It's awesome and I just started learning more about it. Email me if you want more info!
I am a public school teacher. In CA (as well as all states) you can look up the CA state standards online for any subject and any grade level. This simply gives you an idea of what the public schools are required to teach and expect their students to have mastered. Something that seems obvious, but isn't always is that YOU decide what order to teach things in, the text is simply a resource. I teach our Math program completely out of the order it suggests we do. I teach Kindergarten and in CA the students are expected to be reading at a level 4 when they leave. It can be done. My suggestion is to have FUN with it and make sure you keep a routine. You can do it!!
I've been homeschooling my children for 15 years now and I still have 11 years to go. I will be honest it is not always easy, but it is ALWAYS worth the effort. I quite often tell people the first thing to do before you begin to homeschool your children is pray about whether this is God's will for you and your family. I say this because if you feel the Lord say "YES" then on those days that you want to quit, and there will be those days, you will not quit because you know that God has called you to do this thing.
I'm praying for you to hear God's voice on this journey. If you have any questions I would love to help out.
Love in Christ,
Sue
So I used to teach in a parochial school that used ACE. I think it is fantastic curriculum for kids that struggle with slower learning adn for kids that need limited stimuli.
Don't sweat the graduation thing. Dont sweat the testing stuff. If you are filling in the gaps, retesting and filling in again (even if the gaps are the same), she will be ahead of where she was before you started. As for college, I have known many people that simply took their ACE diploma and high school record and got in with no problems.
I personally don't think ACE is a good curriculum for all kids bc it tends to move slower which means a "lesser" education. However, for the stuggling student I think it is very good. An example of "moving slower": A Beka first grade does everythig ACE first and second does with the execption of one concept. I had several transfer students that had A Beka and come to us for second. They all had the eact same gap in placement testing. They had one unit to do and then skipped the entire second grade in all subjects.
When we first homeschooled our eldest we had to follow the textbooks of the school that he belonged to - in Hungary no home schooled kid goes without a school! He had to sit exams twice a year on the xact same material his pears were learning. We, however, kinda unschooled, because he ate up the textbooks like whoa on his own! He loved that.
Now with Noa we are in a very similar situation. I don't exactly teach her: I guide her in her learning. We also have twice a week online tutoring for her in Armenian through a friend, who happens to be a school teache rin Armenia.
Hi Christine! I'm so tickled that you're going to homeschool some of the kiddos! I keep meaning to post our homeschooling journey ... one day soon, I think! We are in a little different situation, living out of the country - but tho' we're only a couple months in, I'm delighted we chose to teach the kids this way, at least for this year. Right now I'm using Time4Learning, and we've really liked it - our kids are young tho'. Maybe won't work for older kids. But again, our options were a bit limited compared to living there. I'd say the Time4Learning is about 1/2 of our 'classroom' activities, but by using it I feel I at least something as a base. And I actually really like working with them otherwise - wouldn't like to have the teaching all done online! Good luck - you will soon be giving us readers tips from your experiences! And the best of luck with the move. I know how you are feeling about now (or at least can guess) - can't wait to have the move done and be settled into routine in the new home!
My only advice on homeschooling is know your own limitations as far as personal knowledge and teaching abilities. My boys were both homeschooled and have done very well but I realized when they were junior high age that I was not going to be able to teach them everything. They took courses through Texas Tech University for English and History. A math professor from our local university tutored them in higher maths.
The very best to you and yours. You have a very beautiful family!
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