Starting with the test in math!

 

My favorite trick for math curriculum users who have bored children - at the start of a new chapter/section give them 24 hours to review the material and then give them the "test".

If they do 90% or better they know the material and they don't need to do that section. If they don't get a 90% or better - they have to cover the material in that section as you normally would have assigned it.

This method gives them a ton of motivation to do their very best work on the test, prevents them from having to repeat a bunch of stuff they already know, and helps them quickly move up to a level of math where they are actually able to learn something without you worrying they are missing something.

Computerized All-in-One Curriculum?

 

Did You Know?

Many new homeschooling families today first ask for an all-in-one computerized program that their student can work on independently. They want an education just like the public school they are leaving.

When asked if their student learns best on the computer, they almost all say "YES! My student loves being on the computer." (Ah, but being on the computer for hours on end is very different from doing schoolwork on one.)

When asked what grades their student is getting in school, they often admit their student is behind. (After all, 50-70% of public-school students aren't at grade level. Why, if their computerized program is so good is it failing our students?)

When asked why they are leaving the public-school they often say stress. (Why, if their computerized program is so good is it not meeting their social-emotional needs?)

When asked if they are a hands-on learner, an auditory learner, or a visual learner they often say hands-on or tell me the student has ADHD. (Why are we expecting a computer to get them up and moving?)

Many students use the educational software for a few minutes and then wander off to play computer games and watch YouTube videos - or use the software to give them the answers to all the problems and never actually learn much. Months after starting to homeschool the parent feels like a failure and they can’t understand what went wrong. Trying to reproduce public school at home with a resource designed for a public school is where.

Please do not try to reproduce public school at home! Very few students learn best from all-in-one computerized programs.

Most students NEED interaction.

They NEED you to guide them.

They NEED you to be an active participant in their daily learning with real books from the library, discussions in the car, hands-on experiments and math manipulatives, jokes about silly audiobooks you listened to together while cooking dinner, and historical fiction movies ending at bedtime. They need YOU!

(Yes, I worked full time and homeschooled. I get it – it isn’t easy. Ah, but your kids are SO worth the hour or two a day year round it takes!)

Does your bedroom have an office?

Imagine your ideal bedroom. I bet it is a lot like mine: a super comfy bed, dust free furniture, only a very few decorations, subdued lighting, and very little that would distract from a calm and peaceful sleep. 

No loud noises, no TV, no computers. 

I have never understood how some folks have home offices and school computers in their bedrooms. If I did that, I would roll over at 3 am, see the pile of work,  and think about everything I still have to do and never be able to fall back to sleep. It would make my anxiety and the number of sleepless nights I already suffer with skyrocket. 

Does your student have trouble sleeping? 

Does your student deal with anxiety? 

What is in their bedroom? Can you find any other space in the house to create a separate office? 

The Power of Volunteering

For many years my sons and I delivered Meals on Wheels. We received a list of folks, picked up the meals, and I drove. I always went with my children when they were little and I loved seeing the smiles as they saw children coming in their door with their meals. 

Along the way we met some absolutely lovely folks. They simply beamed because they not only got to see other people - but actual children. 

We had one person yell and swear at us when we wished him a good day. It offered us good conversations about why that person might have acted that way. My children didn't go back to that door for some time. 

One visit was memorable. We were instructed to ring the bell after leaving the meal in the cooler outside the door. As the children were a bit older now they did this on their own. One day my oldest came back to the car and said the meal from the previous day was still in the cooler so we made calls and, sure enough, the lady had fallen. My son's concern saved her life and he was featured in a newspaper article. 

We also took various seniors grocery shopping once a week. They always treated it as high adventure! 

My children learned a lot about the circle of life volunteering. I wish more families would find the time to volunteer in some way in their community. It would teach compassion and understanding to old and young alike - and maybe even save a life or two! 

Illinois Homeschools are Private Schools!

 Did You Know? 

Did you Know? The IL Supreme court case The People v Levison is over 70 years old. That is the case that declared homeschools in Illinois to be private schools. Our private school status is not a law - it is based on legal precedent.

This is vital. If it were a law, law makers would be trying to define what homeschooling is and what it looks like. Of course, legal precedent can also be over turned. We must remain vigilant and staunchly defend out private school status!

You are a private school. You have all of the rights, privileges, and responsibilities as any other private school. When someone asks where your children go to school give them your school's name. Do not make it easier for the government schools and systems to track you, count you, or name you as something you are not. They want your children back in the system and will lie to you to make that happen. Do not make it easier for them to take away your freedom!

2023 HRC Used Curriculum Flea Market

 Are you planning on attending the June 24th Homeschool Resource Center Used Curriculum Flea Market?

Please be sure to note that Johnsburg Rd will be undergoing bridge repairs a mile west of the library. If you are coming from Rt 31 you will need to take one of several alternate routes. Use your online navigation or contact the library for directions!

https://johnsburglibrary.org/.../hrc-used-curriculum.../

How Many Homeschoolers are There Today?

 Homeschooling spiked during the pandemic and has certainly declined but is holding steady at significantly higher percentage than we saw prior to the pandemic. Be sure to check out NHERI's breakdown of the data! 

https://www.nheri.org/how-many-homeschool-students-are-there-in-the-united-states-during-the-2021-2022-school-year/

The Homeschool Resource Center is 21 years old!

 

Can you believe it? The Homeschool Resource Center at the Johnsburg Public Library is,

as of today,

21 YEARS OLD!

About 2000 items in the collection and only a small percentage of the original items first purchased for the collection (the microscopes, a telescope, chemistry glassware kits all have survived VERY WELL despite our worries!). The curriculum has certainly changed a lot in 21 years but the library continues to update the collection.

It is moving to a different section of the library and getting another reinvention. Please come and check things out or borrow them through interlibrary loan so they don't have to move them. lol!

Do you have Power of Attorney for your 18 year old?

 My family had a paperwork signing ceremony on a child's 18th birthday - and thank goodness! We experienced something similar when my oldest ended up in the hospital while in college - but we had the piece of paper we needed! POAs can be FREE. No excuses!

WGN News Story

Illinois Homeschool Association

 Congratulations to Illinois HOUSE! They have changed their name to.... drumroll please....