31-day program Archives - Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau

Jan 31 2014

{Day 31} Time Out For Moms And Dads

{For an overview of all 31 Days of Homeschooling click HERE.}

~ This is the final article in this series / check web site for more free courses and articles ~

Few parents are busier than homeschool parents. Between teaching and creating lesson plans, driving children to and from activities, creating schedules and keeping academic records, some days never seem to end. Couple this with a larger-than-average families and spending more time at home (i.e., more mess, more housework), and it’s easy to see why homeschool moms and dads get no time alone.

What’s not so easy, is for homeschool parents to carve out time for themselves. For many, this seems impossible. This is exactly the reason moms and dads need to make togetherness a priority. Without specific attention on the marriage during the homeschool years, partners may experience stress or indifference, and relationships strained.

Families differ, but some techniques seem to work well in many households. Using these tips as a guide, time for moms and dads can be woven into very busy days.

The process begins with the recognition that couples don’t need to leave the house to be alone. Getting away is better, but locking a door and sharing a scone and a latte constitutes a date in many households. Some parents even sit in a parked vehicle in the driveway for a few moments just to get away. These brief periods are refreshing while they last, until a longer opportunity comes along the next time.

A phone conversation is another way homeschool parents can reconnect. When getting together isn’t possible, sometimes a 15 minute telephone call during a lunch break or nap time, is. I don’t suggest using wireless devices while driving, but I have met several couples who hold scheduled conversations every evening while the husband is driving home from work. They explain this works because his duties as a dad begin the moment he walks through the door, so the phone call gives him time to spend with his wife before he gets there.

Getting out of the house can be possible, too. That is, as long as parents realize date nights don’t have to be at night, and they don’t have to be planned, either. Grabbing chunks of time whenever an opportunity presents itself is the key. If a trusted friend, relative, or neighbor offers to watch the children for an hour, parents should be willing to get up and go. Spontaneous dates are sometimes the most fun, and should never be turned down without a very important reason.

The 31 Days of Homeschooling is now available for download! CLICK HERE to find out how to purchase this program and receive hundreds of homeschool tips all in one place! Includes BONUS MATERIAL not found anywhere else.

Actual date nights begin to happen more easily as children get older. In larger families, an older sibling can supervise the younger children when mom and dad need to go out. Having grown up together, knowing all of the procedures and routines well, older siblings make the best sitters around.

If there are no siblings quite ready for child care, a babysitter can be found, with the understanding that older siblings are also permitted to help. Sometimes, parents reluctant to use sitters feel better when an older child is present, since their own values and directions will still be followed while they are away.

Finally, some couples take the whole family out on dates. Though it might seem counter-intuitive, dating with the children isn’t so far-fetched if it’s at the right place. Those with infants can easily dine with a sleeping baby in a sling or a car seat. Those with toddlers can choose a fast-food restaurant with a safe area for children to play alone. Families with older children may enjoy an arcade-style restaurant (think Chuck E. Cheese or Dave & Busters) where children receive wrist bands and cannot leave the premises without their parents. These solutions may be more expensive, but offer the chance for couples to talk and eat alone. Some moms and dads also hire a sitter to accompany them to these places, so they have nothing to do except pay the bill!

The perfect time to get out may never come — that is, until all of the children are grown. Homeschool parents need to get creative about finding blocks of time to spend together whenever they can. Whether a few minutes or an entire night off, this is so important to maintaining a solid relationship, not to mention handling the life they have created together — once they get home.

The homeschool years don’t last forever, and those years are too precious to be missed. However, time away from the children does not harm those years — it enhances them. Children feel most secure with happy, loving parents. Time out for moms and dads is the best way to guarantee this will always be the case.

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Further reading:

Everyone needs personal space

Homeschool burnout

On homeschool moms and letting go

Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau is a college professor who traded in her tenure to become a homeschool mom 20+ years ago. A homeschooling pioneer and the founder of many groups and organizations, she works to advance home education, and is an outspoken supporter of education reform coast to coast. Her book, Suddenly Homeschooling: A Quick Start Guide to Legally Homeschool in Two Weeks, is industry-acclaimed as it illustrates how homeschooling can rescue children and families from the public school system, and how anyone can begin homeschooling within a limited time-frame, with no teaching background whatsoever. A liaison for regional school-to-home organizations, a homeschool leader, and a women’s life coach, Marie-Claire mentors in a variety of areas that impact health, education and lifestyle. A conference speaker, she has appeared at FPEA, H.E.R.I., Home Education Council of America, The Luminous Mind, Vintage Homeschool Moms, iHomeschool Network, and many other events. Her articles have appeared in and on Holistic Parenting, CONNECT, Homefires, Homemaking Cottage, Kiwi, Circle of Moms, and hundreds of sites and blogs nationwide. Marie-Claire can be reached at contactmarieclaire@gmail.com.

Jan 30 2014

{Day 30} Record Keeping To Be Proud Of

{For an overview of all 31 Days of Homeschooling click HERE.}

To advance to the next lesson, look for the “NEXT LESSON” link at the end of this article.

After several years of homeschooling, most families seem to settle into a favorite method of homeschool record-keeping. Some choose a very highly organized system, unable to operate any other way. Others are more relaxed about it, using something that might seem disorganized to everyone else, but works perfectly well for them.

There are valid reasons to keep accurate homeschool records. Some of the reasons include:

Satisfying legal requirements
Monitoring progress
Calculating grades
Creating a scrapbook or log of experiences
Helping to select materials & plan the next year

For families with high school students, the reasons for record-keeping are even more obvious. They include:

Making sure students have completed academic requirements
Creating high school transcripts
Supplying information to colleges and scholarship committees

Complete and accurate records makes performing these tasks a breeze — that is, compared to recreating four years of homeschooling from memory.

Homeschool records can take on many forms. Some families do little more than toss completed papers in a cardboard box or plastic bin. This isn’t ideal, but is better than having nothing at all. If papers are stored in date order, all the better. At the very least, the pile may be turned upside-down, creating a story of the entire homeschool year from beginning to end.

Some families go a step further and separate work by child, and by subject. Boxes and bins can be used for this, too, as well as straw baskets, plastic drawers, or anything else. These systems make it easy to store papers in order, plus additional dividers and tabs can be used to highlight important items, as well. This is an excellent way to get started — for those who may have never done this before.

Still a notch more organized is using individual file folders or 3-ring binders. This method may be slightly harder to set up, but is the easiest to follow once established. It allows parents to collect school work in certain sections, while also collecting grades, test scores, legal documents, or any other important items in a separate folder all their own. File and binder systems can be stored in boxes, baskets, filing cabinets, or just about anywhere, and can even look attractive using some of the decorative tips found on homeschool blogs, Instagram or Pinterest.

No matter what system is used, the goal of any record-keeping system is always the same — easy access and retrieval of information when it is needed. Since it takes longer to find things in a messy system than in an organized one, organized is usually the best way to go.

Easy access to information makes it possible to create great-looking portfolios, reading lists, student resumes, transcripts, and many of the other kinds of documents families need over the years. There is no time wasted when information is handy, so parents can spend more time creating professional-looking documents sure to grab anyone’s attention. {The transcripts I produce for the families I work with are highly praised by colleges and universities! Contact me if you need transcript help.}

You’ll find a variety of homeschool helps in the FREEBIE section, my e-books and this section of my web site. Browse these selections to find sample forms to download, photos of different organizational tools, and more advice on how to keep accurate, up-to-date homeschool records. For a comprehensive look at homeschool record-keeping, This book contains an entire chapter of record-keeping ideas and methods to suit every possible family, budget and style.

NEXT LESSON

Further reading:

Writing course descriptions for high school

Homeschool organization

Household Binder (plus free download)

Comprehensive high school record

Jan 29 2014

{Day 29} Pointers For College Prep

{For an overview of all 31 Days of Homeschooling click HERE.}

To advance to the next lesson, look for the “NEXT LESSON” link at the end of this article.

Admissions requirements for colleges and universities are fairly straight-forward. Whether traditionally or non-traditionally schooled, all applicants must meet the same set of basic requirements.

For Freshman, these requirements usually consist of:

a completed college application
proof of high school completion
an SAT or ACT score
a transcript of high school course work
a Freshman resume listing accomplishments, activities and extracurriculars

Although no two people are exactly alike, these requirements result in most applications looking exactly alike once they are submitted. Just imagine an admissions office receiving thousands of similar applications every year!

This begs the question, what makes certain students stand out? In particular, what can homeschoolers do to increase their chances?

Homeschoolers already several default advantages. Unlike traditionally schooled students, homeschoolers are able to mix and match courses and experiences to focus on specific areas, and then showcase their expertise in endless varieties of ways — projects, internships, jobs, service, special electives and more. Exploiting this flexibility by choosing high school experiences wisely is one way homeschoolers already stand out.

Another advantage is the result of homeschoolers being raised and schooled at home. Differences in character and maturity are immediately obvious during college interviews, making favorable impressions right off the bat. These characteristics come across in the activities that homeschoolers choose during high school, too. They shine through in written essays, as well.

A deliberate way for homeschoolers to stand out is to have a rigorous education plan. By completing a challenging curriculum and by investing the time and energy it takes to do well, graduates will be well prepared to compete for limited college vacancies. Adding into the education plan things like early college, AP and honors courses, and in depth treatment of certain subjects, and the transcript just looks better and better.

Another way to stand out is by sending additional exam scores. Instead of just taking an SAT or ACT, homeschoolers can take subject examinations, too. Subject-focused exams provide ways for homeschoolers who excel in certain areas to pull ahead from the rest of the pack. Working this strategy into the homeschool curriculum is crucial, so that a high level of mastery can be achieved by test taking season.

Finally, as a by-product of certain kinds of homeschooling, many homeschooled grads are already excellent writers. For those who are not, there is plenty of time to practice during high school. Strengthening writing skills makes it easier to ace college application essays, compared to students less skilled in this area. Colleges notice.

Across the board, homeschooled graduates have no difficulty get into good colleges, and great colleges too. For additional college prep advice, follow the ‘high school’ and ‘college’ tags at the end of this post. You’re invited to contact me for more specific advice, or to schedule a high school seminar for your group or organization.

NEXT LESSON

Further reading:

Free homeschool curriculum for high school

Earning credit for life skills

Goal-setting for a great beginning

The Core

Jan 28 2014

{Day 28} The Importance of Listening To Your Kids

{For an overview of all 31 Days of Homeschooling click HERE.}

To advance to the next lesson, look for the “NEXT LESSON” link at the end of this article.

I have a confession. I am a trained teacher. Though theories have evolved greatly over the years, I was trained by that part of our culture that believes ‘teachers always know what is best for students’.

For many years, I learned from top universities how to “tell” students this and “make” children do that. Never really comfortable with it all, I still used those techniques in my classes. But, I always felt something was wrong, and looked constantly for ways to better understand my students. I began applying things I learned from computer programming and artificial intelligence to my classes. I studied the human mind, behavior, and social psychology, searching for ways to figure my students out. I believe my success and popularity as a professor and a teacher at the time came from the fact that I was different from the other teachers.

Some 20+ years ago, I became a homeschool parent. I knew my children would never go to school, and was determined to teach them in the ways that were best for them, too. Despite my determination, for a teacher trained like me, this still took a little adjustment. Part of the adjustment was about remembering to always listen to my kids. Above all training and classroom management techniques. Above ANYTHING else the teacher books said.

You see, teaching isn’t only about delivering information to students. It’s about watching them, and hearing what students say back to us. We’ve all seen the cartoons of information dropped into human brains. These have nothing to do with true education at all.

Even today, I still find some homeschoolers have this problem, too. Educated in schools themselves, naturally, many moms and dads still buy into the “Open head. Insert information.” theory. Many do not understand the importance of observing and listening to their children. Many try to duplicate school at home. Some do not understand there is a difference.

This conversation is very eye-opening to the parents I meet with. In my work as a homeschool coach and counselor, I often meet parents who think homeschooling is nothing more than dropping a set of books in front of a child and walking away.

In fact, what can be gained by watching and listening to children speaks louder than any chapter summaries, any grades, any tests, or any results of science experiments. What can be gained by truly watching and listening to our children is the absolute essence of teaching, for it reveals exactly what children think, how they learn, and where their misunderstandings lie, too.

Imagine a child completely mesmerized by a movie, wrapped up in a game, or fascinated by a place. What can be learned by observing this child? Have you every really watched a child on the edge of his seat?

Now imagine a child fidgeting, wiggling, looking about, and playing with small objects around him. What does this reveal?

Finally, listen to any child at the dinner table, in the car, or while she is talking to a friend. The clues in these conversations are priceless!

I assert that homeschool parents have the very unique opportunity — and responsibility – to optimize learning just by watching and listening to their children. Without this important component, the possibilities for that child’s learning will never be fully realized.

Click on the articles below for further reading about this topic. Contact me if you’d like to learn how to unlock your child’s true learning potential.

NEXT LESSON

Further reading:

Lost exuberance: The important of play

Uncovering hidden clues in what children say

When a child hates a subject, he’s telling your something

Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau is a college professor who traded in her tenure to become a homeschool mom 20+ years ago. A homeschooling pioneer and the founder of many groups and organizations, she works to advance home education, and is an outspoken supporter of education reform coast to coast. Her book, Suddenly Homeschooling: A Quick Start Guide to Legally Homeschool in Two Weeks, is industry-acclaimed as it illustrates how homeschooling can rescue children and families from the public school system, and how anyone can begin homeschooling within a limited time-frame, with no teaching background whatsoever. A liaison for regional school-to-home organizations, a homeschool leader, and a women’s life coach, Marie-Claire mentors in a variety of areas that impact health, education and lifestyle. A conference speaker, she has appeared at FPEA, H.E.R.I., Home Education Council of America, The Luminous Mind, Vintage Homeschool Moms, iHomeschool Network, and many other events. Her articles have appeared in and on Holistic Parenting, CONNECT, Homefires, Homemaking Cottage, Kiwi, Circle of Moms, and hundreds of sites and blogs nationwide. Marie-Claire can be reached at contactmarieclaire@gmail.com.

Jan 27 2014

{Day 27} How To Handle Bad Days

{For an overview of all 31 Days of Homeschooling click HERE.}

To advance to the next lesson, look for the “NEXT LESSON” link at the end of this article.

No family is immune to the occasional bad day. Whether homeschooling or not, life just isn’t predictable. When something unexpected happens, even the most well-planned day can fall to pieces within minutes.

How families tackle these challenges and interruptions is crucial to homeschooling success. Handling situations promptly, then swiftly getting the family back on track is the best way. Crumbling under pressure and quitting homeschooling altogether is not.

New homeschoolers may not always recognize the signs of a homeschool day about to go wrong, and may not be aware of the tactics other families use to avoid certain kinds of problems. Parents new to homeschooling haven’t enough experience under their belts to diffuse situations, and haven’t always acquired the knowledge need to figure out some other way. They may become very stressed and lose confidence. Sometimes, they throw in the towel too soon.

For new homeschool parents, the best advice is staying calm and reassessing the situation. This is almost always the most effective way to go. Taking a time out, either with or without the children, and looking at the problem objectively will help to reframe what is going on. Only after everyone is calm can parents brainstorm solutions, then apply them. It is never a good idea to make significant changes while everyone is still upset.

Some bad day problems are easy to solve. If children are tired, hungry, fighting or misbehaving, first handling the specifics, then getting back to work, is all it takes. If children are uncomfortable or whining, often checking simple things like an uncomfortable chair, the room temperature, the difficulty of a question, the grip of a pencil, or something relatively easy, will set the family back on course in minutes. Dealing with easy problems is very helpful in the long run. After addressing these kinds of things several times, parents will come to recognize the signs and handle them (or prevent them altogether) the next time.

Other bad days are not so easy to diffuse. In fact, some even require a couple of days off from homeschooling until a solution becomes clear. If a certain curriculum isn’t working, for example, it could take a day or two to figure out what to do next. If illness strikes, it could be a week of irregular schooling (or none at all) until everyone is feeling better. If out-of-town relatives come to stay or major equipment malfunctions make it impossible to accomplish anything, families have no choice but to school somewhere else or take time off. When new babies arrive, it can take even longer to reestablish a regular, “good” routine.

For seasoned homeschoolers, bad days take on a completely different form. Having already learned to expect the ups and downs of homeschooling and family life, these families are unaffected by trivial things, since they have already mastered lots of ways to turn bad days around.

For veteran homeschoolers, bad days seem to develop from longer-term challenges, like a growing boredom over a routine, lack of enthusiasm over a curriculum that has turned stale, difficulty teaching/learning more challenging material, adjusting for attitudes/needs of growing teenagers, or something of this nature. Parents who have been homeschooling for many years may also experience fatigue, a feeling they are running out of ideas, a desire to be done with it all, or a growing feeling it is time to resume a career and move forward with other things.

When bad days persist like this, a variety of factors may be at play. In these cases, more serious assessment needs to happen. Just as homeschooling takes many years to hone and fine-tune, so these kinds of situations can take some time to resolve. Long-term bad days are not impossible to solve, but require deeper thought before arriving at the right answers.

Just as suggested above, these families must also take a time out. Parents in particular should take a serious step back and assess the situation from all angles. This could take a few days, or even a few weeks, but should be long enough for the anxiety and pressure to wear off a bit, for the family to reconnect on some level, and for truly objective analysis to occur. During this period, families go on field trips and family outings, select relaxed schooling activities they love to do, or take an actual vacation from school.

Next comes taking a look at priorities. With a fresh perspective, it is time to list what is important and what is not. This creates the opportunity to remember why the family is homeschooling in the first place. It is also a time to evaluate which activities do nothing but add stress and confusion, and should be stricken from the calendar from now on.

After a time, families will be able to resume schooling with a new perspective. Should any solutions have been uncovered, or changes to homeschooling discovered, they should be implemented. Usually, bad days will vanish homeschooling returned to normal, happy functioning.

This is much more to this topic. Check the links, below, for further reading. I also invite you to consult with me for additional techniques to help restore joy to your homeschool and your family.

NEXT LESSON

Further reading:

TPC – Time Off, Prioritize, Change Thinking

Too much togetherness

Real homeschooling life. It isn’t always pretty.

Things we don’t do.