Comments on: 4 Easy Steps to Help You Fail at Homeschooling http://fivejs.com/4-easy-steps-to-help-you-fail-at-homeschooling/ Free Homeschooling Resources to Help Parents Raise Lifelong Learners Thu, 17 May 2012 15:05:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Joyhttp://fivejs.com/4-easy-steps-to-help-you-fail-at-homeschooling/comment-page-1/#comment-4451 Joy Sun, 31 Oct 2010 18:31:30 +0000 http://fivejs.com/?p=4015#comment-4451 <a href="#comment-4449" rel="nofollow">@Marciana</a>, Excellent point. Although, as you saw, my points were given in pairs: "Too little & too much". I think we often do too LITTLE celebrating of the joy of learning and watching them grow physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually; but I'm not sure if we could really celebrate that too MUCH! :) @Marciana, Excellent point. Although, as you saw, my points were given in pairs: "Too little & too much".

I think we often do too LITTLE celebrating of the joy of learning and watching them grow physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually; but I'm not sure if we could really celebrate that too MUCH! :)

]]> By: Marcianahttp://fivejs.com/4-easy-steps-to-help-you-fail-at-homeschooling/comment-page-1/#comment-4449 Marciana Sun, 31 Oct 2010 15:16:43 +0000 http://fivejs.com/?p=4015#comment-4449 Your list doesn't have what's been the most important thing of all on our homeschooling journey: Fail to celebrate the joy, the joy of learning, the joy of accomplishment, the sheer, overwhelming joy of watching your child learn and grow as a valuable, important part of God's creation. We've learning to seize the moment now: when that concept from history suddenly "clicks" and the pieces of the idea come together, we go with it. Google it, discuss it, read and write more about it. I love watching my son glow with pleasure as he absorbs new information and ideas. Your list doesn't have what's been the most important thing of all on our homeschooling journey: Fail to celebrate the joy, the joy of learning, the joy of accomplishment, the sheer, overwhelming joy of watching your child learn and grow as a valuable, important part of God's creation.

We've learning to seize the moment now: when that concept from history suddenly "clicks" and the pieces of the idea come together, we go with it. Google it, discuss it, read and write more about it. I love watching my son glow with pleasure as he absorbs new information and ideas.

]]> By: Shanna Duckhttp://fivejs.com/4-easy-steps-to-help-you-fail-at-homeschooling/comment-page-1/#comment-3841 Shanna Duck Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:58:25 +0000 http://fivejs.com/?p=4015#comment-3841 I've been really encouraged and blessed by reading your posts....This one, though was a little disheartening to me -especially the part about "planning too little." I would LOVE to have a schedule and stick to it. I would personally love to be about to achieve scope and sequence (I've already read that wonderful post!), but it's not about to happen. Our adopted daughter is very intelligent, but has some learning delays and "glitches", and she struggles very hard in some areas. It may take her an hour to do what another child might do in 15 minutes. What her little friend could do in an hour or two might take my daughter 4 hours or more. Sometimes (usually at least once a week), I stumble upon some major issue that I thought she had learned a year ago, but which apparently she's forgotten or never really understood. What many children seem to learn intuitively, like the fact that 5 is greater than 4, have been sources of great confusion for her. (We've had to go over the concept of "before" and "after" many, many times for instance.) With her, my sanity will only allow me to take things one day, or at most- one week- at a time right now. I never know where a "learning glitch" will appear and what form it will take and how much "extra" work we'll have to do to overcome it. I think having set lesson plans is good, but I think that for us (and maybe for families like us) planning a week in advance may be all we can aspire to. My goal is NOT to finish a pre-made curriculum or a book, per se, but to help her move forward to whatever end God has for her life. It may be college and it may not. God had to really work hard with me about this, but it has changed my modus operandi in many, many ways. I think we all have to use a lot of prayer in determining what we expect of our children, or we will start getting angry because self-imposed "goals" are not being met (and we blame either ourselves, or the child, or both). God bless you for your web-page. I've been really encouraged and blessed by reading your posts….This one, though was a little disheartening to me -especially the part about "planning too little." I would LOVE to have a schedule and stick to it. I would personally love to be about to achieve scope and sequence (I've already read that wonderful post!), but it's not about to happen.

Our adopted daughter is very intelligent, but has some learning delays and "glitches", and she struggles very hard in some areas. It may take her an hour to do what another child might do in 15 minutes. What her little friend could do in an hour or two might take my daughter 4 hours or more.

Sometimes (usually at least once a week), I stumble upon some major issue that I thought she had learned a year ago, but which apparently she's forgotten or never really understood. What many children seem to learn intuitively, like the fact that 5 is greater than 4, have been sources of great confusion for her. (We've had to go over the concept of "before" and "after" many, many times for instance.)

With her, my sanity will only allow me to take things one day, or at most- one week- at a time right now. I never know where a "learning glitch" will appear and what form it will take and how much "extra" work we'll have to do to overcome it. I think having set lesson plans is good, but I think that for us (and maybe for families like us) planning a week in advance may be all we can aspire to. My goal is NOT to finish a pre-made curriculum or a book, per se, but to help her move forward to whatever end God has for her life. It may be college and it may not. God had to really work hard with me about this, but it has changed my modus operandi in many, many ways.

I think we all have to use a lot of prayer in determining what we expect of our children, or we will start getting angry because self-imposed "goals" are not being met (and we blame either ourselves, or the child, or both).

God bless you for your web-page.

]]> By: Top 25 Homeschool Blogshttp://fivejs.com/4-easy-steps-to-help-you-fail-at-homeschooling/comment-page-1/#comment-3714 Top 25 Homeschool Blogs Sat, 19 Jun 2010 03:59:06 +0000 http://fivejs.com/?p=4015#comment-3714 [...] and her posts will help other homeschooling parents do the same. Some popular posts include Four Easy Steps to Help You Fail at Homeschooling, How to Choose the Right Homeschool Curriculum for Your Family, [...] [...] and her posts will help other homeschooling parents do the same. Some popular posts include Four Easy Steps to Help You Fail at Homeschooling, How to Choose the Right Homeschool Curriculum for Your Family, [...]

]]> By: Rachelhttp://fivejs.com/4-easy-steps-to-help-you-fail-at-homeschooling/comment-page-1/#comment-3119 Rachel Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:05:36 +0000 http://fivejs.com/?p=4015#comment-3119 This was a great thing for me to read. I have gotten too far behind because of my lack of preparation. I didn't get a set curriculum, and I'm not organized enough, (apparently), to prepare everything that my kids need to know for their age. So now I'm at the point of ordering a curriculum that I think would be great for all of us, but it will put my oldest behind a grade. Not to mention, I still need to figure out what I'm going to do for the remainder of this year just to get caught up on their 'time' for the records. Any advise? This was a great thing for me to read. I have gotten too far behind because of my lack of preparation. I didn't get a set curriculum, and I'm not organized enough, (apparently), to prepare everything that my kids need to know for their age. So now I'm at the point of ordering a curriculum that I think would be great for all of us, but it will put my oldest behind a grade. Not to mention, I still need to figure out what I'm going to do for the remainder of this year just to get caught up on their 'time' for the records. Any advise?

]]> By: Lesliehttp://fivejs.com/4-easy-steps-to-help-you-fail-at-homeschooling/comment-page-1/#comment-3053 Leslie Sat, 10 Apr 2010 17:37:36 +0000 http://fivejs.com/?p=4015#comment-3053 Hi, Joy, Your post was at once humbling and encouraging. I'm a veteran homeschooler of eight years and still tweaking. I intend to share your Four Fails with a newer homeschooler who is struggling with getting a vision for her school. We use the Charlotte Mason-based <a href="http://amblesideonline.org" rel="nofollow">Ambleside Online curriculum </a>. It follows a trimester schedule of twelve week periods with a week following each term to review and do optional testing. I call that my "Catch-Up Week." It takes the pressure off when the unexpected happens. It proved its usefulness this winter when we got so disrupted by the snowstorms that plagued us in February. Thanks to using the Catch-up Week, I'm only a few days "behind" and I can live with that! After all, our local schools will be in session until JUNE 23rd to make it all up. Glad it's not US! Leslie's recent post...<a href="http://motherrobin.blogspot.com/2010/04/weekly-wrap-up.html" rel="nofollow"> Weekly Wrap-Up Hi, Joy,
Your post was at once humbling and encouraging. I'm a veteran homeschooler of eight years and still tweaking. I intend to share your Four Fails with a newer homeschooler who is struggling with getting a vision for her school.
We use the Charlotte Mason-based Ambleside Online curriculum . It follows a trimester schedule of twelve week periods with a week following each term to review and do optional testing.
I call that my "Catch-Up Week." It takes the pressure off when the unexpected happens. It proved its usefulness this winter when we got so disrupted by the snowstorms that plagued us in February. Thanks to using the Catch-up Week, I'm only a few days "behind" and I can live with that! After all, our local schools will be in session until JUNE 23rd to make it all up. Glad it's not US!
Leslie's recent post… Weekly Wrap-Up

]]> By: Lisahttp://fivejs.com/4-easy-steps-to-help-you-fail-at-homeschooling/comment-page-1/#comment-2770 Lisa Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:56:33 +0000 http://fivejs.com/?p=4015#comment-2770 I needed to read this today -- thank you! I feel like I'm on a constant seesaw from one extreme to another. I'm a curriculum junkie too, and I have this great desire to teach my kids so many things. I can plainly see, though, that they do their best learning when I leave well enough alone! I'll have to try your six-week planning segments. I've already "failed" by doing all 4 things listed above, plus the two additional ones mentioned by one of the commenters, so there`s nothing more to lose, LOL. I needed to read this today — thank you! I feel like I'm on a constant seesaw from one extreme to another. I'm a curriculum junkie too, and I have this great desire to teach my kids so many things. I can plainly see, though, that they do their best learning when I leave well enough alone! I'll have to try your six-week planning segments. I've already "failed" by doing all 4 things listed above, plus the two additional ones mentioned by one of the commenters, so there`s nothing more to lose, LOL.

]]> By: Kristy Rodriguezhttp://fivejs.com/4-easy-steps-to-help-you-fail-at-homeschooling/comment-page-1/#comment-2669 Kristy Rodriguez Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:45:04 +0000 http://fivejs.com/?p=4015#comment-2669 What a great post!! To be honest, I was a little nervous to read this one. I HATE to fail, but failure is also the best teacher. I'm so thankful I read it. I was just thinking about balancing my home life and work life (I'm a ballet teacher) the other night. I have two boys (4 and 2), and I've been doing some preschool work with my oldest since he was 2 -- as a way to find out if homeschooling would work for us. We definitely enjoy it, and I am SO thankful to be at home with my kids (sacrifices and all). Well, I'm still trying to find some type of balance. I LOVE to plan, and I've done the "one week at a time" scheduling and just burn myself out. Then, I've also tried the "let's just wing it," and that doesn't work either because I feel so lost. I'm so thankful to run across your blog today! It has given me hope and helped me set some realistic expectations for myself. Blessings to you and your family!! What a great post!! To be honest, I was a little nervous to read this one. I HATE to fail, but failure is also the best teacher. I'm so thankful I read it.

I was just thinking about balancing my home life and work life (I'm a ballet teacher) the other night. I have two boys (4 and 2), and I've been doing some preschool work with my oldest since he was 2 — as a way to find out if homeschooling would work for us. We definitely enjoy it, and I am SO thankful to be at home with my kids (sacrifices and all). Well, I'm still trying to find some type of balance. I LOVE to plan, and I've done the "one week at a time" scheduling and just burn myself out. Then, I've also tried the "let's just wing it," and that doesn't work either because I feel so lost. I'm so thankful to run across your blog today! It has given me hope and helped me set some realistic expectations for myself. Blessings to you and your family!!

]]> By: Joyhttp://fivejs.com/4-easy-steps-to-help-you-fail-at-homeschooling/comment-page-1/#comment-2622 Joy Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:18:29 +0000 http://fivejs.com/?p=4015#comment-2622 <a href="#comment-2621" rel="nofollow">@Sebastian (a lady)</a>, I adore your #5 and #6, and YES, I've done BOTH of them before too! Maybe I should edit my post and add your great points too :) @Sebastian (a lady), I adore your #5 and #6, and YES, I've done BOTH of them before too! Maybe I should edit my post and add your great points too :)

]]> By: Sebastian (a lady)http://fivejs.com/4-easy-steps-to-help-you-fail-at-homeschooling/comment-page-1/#comment-2621 Sebastian (a lady) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:52:34 +0000 http://fivejs.com/?p=4015#comment-2621 I've probably done each of these in turn. I've also done #5 If you two programs that are both good and tempting, then mash them together and plan to cover everything in each of them, even though they each have more than a years worth to cover. If possible, you should also add selected elements of a couple other booklists as supplements. #6 If you have a basket of extra reference and living books on a subject, then plan that each child will read all of them. Don't just put them out to dip into or use as an extra taste for a child who gets ahead or as references for projects. .-= Sebastian (a lady)´s last blog ..<a href="http://blakeney-academy.blogspot.com/2010/01/photography-as-life-skill.html" rel="nofollow">Photography as Life Skill</a> =-. I've probably done each of these in turn. I've also done #5 If you two programs that are both good and tempting, then mash them together and plan to cover everything in each of them, even though they each have more than a years worth to cover. If possible, you should also add selected elements of a couple other booklists as supplements.

#6 If you have a basket of extra reference and living books on a subject, then plan that each child will read all of them. Don't just put them out to dip into or use as an extra taste for a child who gets ahead or as references for projects.
.-= Sebastian (a lady)´s last blog ..Photography as Life Skill =-.

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