Every homeschool mom loves to talk curriculum. In this episode, I talk about my own curriculum and why I chose it for my 10-year-old twins.
Here's what we get into:
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Today's episode is all about an issue I'm facing right now: how to renew and refresh my homeschool-gone-frustrating. I've been thinking about this a lot and taking specific steps to change course and change my spirit. I hope some of these help you, too.
Here's what we get into:
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Over two decades and three homeschool books behind me, and I'm learning a whole new way of homeschooling:
Homeschooling struggling learners.
Just a couple months after Everything You Need to Know About Homeschooling was released, my adopted twins both received diagnosis of a relatively rare behavioral/emotional issue as well as ADHD.
Fun times.
It totally explained the frustrations that had been gradually mounting over the past couple of years. But it also pointed to a new hurdle: I needed to learn new parenting and homeschooling skills.
So when I met Peggy Ployhar at a conference for homeschool leaders, I was so relieved. At last, someone who understood and ministered right where I and so many of my friends are at: teaching struggling learners.
Peggy Ployhar, SPED Homeschool Founder & CEO, is a physicist turned home educator who left a lucrative career in the medical device industry to teach the struggling learners in her own home after her oldest son’s diagnosis with Asperger Syndrome.
Peggy founded SPED Homeschool in 2017, an organization that empowers families across the globe to homeschool children with specialized educational needs, and she also hosts the popular live broadcast and podcast, Empowering Homeschool Conversations, a weekly talk show where her guests address relevant issues related to homeschooling for unique learners.
Peggy helps us out with so many things:
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Peggy Ployhar Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube
I am such a suburban girl. An indoor suburban girl. I can't catch a ball, I don't know the names of any trees (pretty sure Christmas trees are called evergreens, but that's as much as I've got.). So definitely, I'm not teaching anything outside.
But now I will!
Rachel came on the show and changed my mind for good. Literally, for good.
Rachel Tidd is the author of the Wild Math curriculum and the Wild Reading curriculum. She is passionate about integrating the outdoors and natural materials in education. Prior to creating Wild Math curriculum, Rachel had extensive teaching experience as an elementary and special education teacher. She and her husband also homeschool their two adventurous boys outside of Ithaca, NY.
Here's what Rachel taught me:
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"What is your interview about today, Mom?"
"I'm talking with my friend Amy Sloan about memory work in our homeschooling."
"Memory work?! Mom! You called me the wrong name three times just this morning!"
"This is why I need help."
My son may not believe it, but memory work is possible -- even for me! That's because Amy has a whole different perspective on it than do most people -- especially my son.
Amy Sloan and her husband John are 2nd-generation homeschoolers to 5 children from 6 to 16 years old. The Sloan family adventures together in NC where they pursue a restfully-classical education. If you hang out with Amy for any length of time you’ll quickly learn that she loves overflowing book stacks, giant mugs of coffee, beautiful memory work, and silly memes. At any moment she could break into song and dance from Hamilton, 90s country music, or Shakespeare. Amy writes at HumilityandDoxology.com and hosts the weekly “Homeschool Conversations” podcast.
I love what Amy has to say about memorizing. She reframed the concept and made this something beautiful and practical ... and even easy.
It is simple. Here's what she tells us:
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Humility and Doxology Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
How's your homeschool going?
No, really.
Probably not all perfect, right? Struggles, arguments, messes, stress, fatigue, confusion ... it can get pretty hairy.
We tend to think that the answer is a new curriculum, a new method, a new learning theory, a new gadget. But that's not really the case.
My friend Leslie Nunnery has been there. She knows the tough side of homeschooling -- and she knows success. She is passionate (yes, I used that word, but it really fits this case) about helping homeschool moms regain their focus and find joy.
Leslie is the homeschool mom of 4 children, 3 of which have already graduated and are pursuing God's plan for the rest of their lives. She is the cofounder of Teach Them Diligently and is the author of several books and classes including most notably Teach Them Diligently, Raising Children of Promise and Heart School, which helps homeschool families thrive by seeing homeschooling as a great tool for discipleship and good parenting. You can connect with Leslie at Teach Them Diligently events, through their podcast and blog, as well as through the free Teach Them Diligently app.
To meet Leslie is to love her. Seriously, I could look at her bubbly face all day. She always makes me smile.
And here's how she'll make you smile, too:
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Teach Them Diligently Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest
My daughter is being bullied. I never imagined that this would be an issue in my family -- we are homeschoolers, for crying out loud! But sure enough, just playing with her neighbor friends exposed her to pain and rejection.
And I didn't recognize it.
I thought they were arguing. I thought the other girl "just isn't nice." I thought my daughter could just kill her with kindness. It took me months to realize we were dealing with something much bigger. Much more dangerous.
Bullying is everywhere: in our neighborhoods, in our co-ops, in our church classes.
In our families.
When I met Candice Dugger, I was so naïve. Why was she concerned with something that's a public school problem? Then she explained to me the prevalence. Then I knew I needed to share this with you.
Candice is the founder of Bullied, Broken, Redeemed and a nationally recognized anti-bullying expert, author, speaker and trainer. Candice and her team specialize in equipping leaders, parents and youth on all aspects of Gen Z Bullying. These life-changing programs use interactive activities and projects to motivate and empower effective anti-bullying warriors. Candice has been featured on NBC, CBN, FRC and is a recognized trainer for Fortune 100 companies.
Candice is one of the nicest people I have ever met. God keeps bringing us together in the neatest situations. And I'm so glad I can introduce her to you.
Here's what Candice knows you need to know:
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In today's episode, I get to answer some of my favorite homeschool questions. Why are they my favorite? Because they get to the heart of what we are doing: teaching our children while taking care of our needs as well as theirs.
Here's what we get into:
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There is nothing quite like living with your child 24/7. Am I right? In fact, one of the main reasons people give for not homeschooling is "I don't want to be in the same house with my child all day" or "I can't handle my child, but the teacher can."
I have often said that homeschooling is just parenting on steroids. And part of that "steroid" part is seeing the actions and attitudes of our child that just, quite frankly, drive us insane. They just don't do their work and chores immediately and sweetly every time we ask. And we don't see immediate changes in them as soon as we correct. Sometimes, quite frankly, we just don't know what to do with a difficult, er, parenting "opportunity."
That's why I wanted to talk with my friend and parenting expert Ginger Hubbard about how I could do better.
Ginger Hubbard, bestselling author of Don’t Make Me Count to Three, Wise Words for Moms, and I Can’t Believe You Just Said That, speaks at women’s events, parenting conferences and home school conventions across the country, and co-hosts the Parenting with Ginger Hubbard Podcast. Jesus saved and southern raised, Ginger and her husband, Ronnie, reside in Opelika, AL, where they enjoy working together from home.
What I love about Ginger is she doesn't just give some "when they do this, you do that, and everything is fixed" kind of answer. Instead, she helps us see the spiritual issue and practical ways to open our child to change.
Ginger gave a lot of good help:
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One of the main reasons we homeschool is to pass on our faith to our children. But then why is teaching Bible so hard? It is, though. It's hard to fit into the schedule, to find the right program, to answer the right questions our children have. Sometimes, we just want to give up.
Danika Cooley understands. A homeschool mom of four, she has faced down teaching her children the Bible and found a way to make it real. And she believes that we can, indeed, teach our children the Scriptures -- even the hard parts. Even when we don't feel like it.
Danika Cooley is an award-winning children's author and Bible curriculum developer. Weekly, she encourages tens of thousands of parents to intentionally raise biblically literate children. Danika is a homeschool mother of four with a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Washington.
Danika Cooley’s book, Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible, will give you the tools and confidence to study the Bible as a family. It will help you identify and overcome your objections and fears, give you a crash course in what the Bible is all about and how to teach it, and provide the guidance you need to set up a family Bible study habit.
You will finish this book feeling encouraged and empowered to initiate and strengthen your child’s relationship with the Lord through His Word.
Danika and I talk about the hard things:
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Danika Cooley Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | Twitter
Here you find evidence that once-upon-a-time, I cleaned my house.
Beyond that, there's better info. This introvert talks to those introverts out there about how to get started, how to do it on a budget, how to get dad involved, and how to hide from people.
Seriously, here's the gist:
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I love music. I studied piano and violin in college, started two school music programs, headed a church music ministry, taught piano and violin for many years, and played in a symphony orchestra.
But I never really taught my children music appreciation.
In one conversation, Mary Prather changed my mind about that. Mary is the mother of a homeschool high schooler and a college student. She is a former public school music teacher and has a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Supervision. Mary is the author of SQUILT Music Appreciation curriculum which makes music appreciation easy and accessible.
Now I want to integrate music into my homeschool, too.
So while Mary and I talked about something we both love, she taught me a lot I didn't know. And maybe some stuff you don't know, too.
Mary explains a lot:
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This episode is probably not what you expect. I'm not really even talking about homeschooling. Instead, I'm talking about life.
Three of you asked me recently the same question: How do I balance it all? And the answer is not so easy, but it's also not so hard.
I'm not giving you a step-by-step "how to make homeschooling work in 3 hours with 5 children" kind of answer. Instead, I'm delving into what makes our lives as wives, mothers, homeschoolers, entrepreneurs, employees, volunteers ... what makes it all work.
So here is what I talk to you about:
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Not very many moms enjoy teaching writing. Even fewer students enjoy learning writing. Yet all of us enjoy a good story. And we can create stories ourselves. That's the message Daniel Schwabauer has for us.
Daniel Schwabauer, M.A. is an award-winning novelist, teacher, and the creator of The One Year Adventure Novel, Byline, and Cover Story writing programs. His professional work includes novels, stage plays, radio scripts, short stories, newspaper columns, comic books, and teleplays. He lives in Kansas City with his wife and a 9-week-old puppy.
I loved this conversation because we delved into much more than the mechanics of writing: good stories, good messages, good truths.
In this episode, Daniel and I talk about:
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For a long time, I was not a fan of online homeschooling. I wanted to be more hands-on with my students, believing that was how they learned best.
But I was wrong.
When one of my sons moved to Peru for a year, he needed a way to study on his own. So I turned to online schooling. And you know what? He thrived. The compact lessons, the video lessons, and the online assessments met his learning style better than I had. He learned a lot.
Lee Giles is the creator of Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool, a free homeschool curriculum for preschool through twelfth grade. She is the mother of six children ages 8 - 21. Her family served as missionaries for 14 years in Macedonia and Turkey.
Lee and I talk about the misconceptions about online homeschooling, how and why of to use it, and the ways it benefits you and your students.
Some of the things we talk about:
I love writing. And I love teaching writing. Sometimes. Some students love to learn writing, and some of them really don't. It's hard to teach the ones that don't.
Andrew Pudewa understands and helps. Andrew is the founder and director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing and a father of seven. Traveling and speaking around the world, he addresses issues related to teaching, writing, thinking, spelling, and music with clarity, insight, practical experience, and humor. His seminars for parents, students, and teachers have helped transform many a reluctant writer and have equipped educators with powerful tools to dramatically improve students’ skills.
This episode is fun not only because we both get to talk about a subject we love, but also because we get to talk about helping students and parents love writing, too. I hope you are inspired by the conversation.
Andrew and I talk about:
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I just learned that my son has ADHD. And in looking at his unique difficulties with his doctor and therapist, I realized that he has been struggling more than necessary in several areas. He's bright, he loves to learn, but he has these bad "glitches" that are slowing him down.
So I was really, really excited to talk with Dianne Craft. Dianne has a master’s degree in special education. She has over 25 years’ experience teaching bright children who have to work too hard to learn. She has developed the successful “Three-Pronged Approach” to reducing and eliminating learning disabilities: Brain Integration Therapy, Right Brain Teaching Strategies, and Targeted Nutritional Interventions.
In this episode, she talks with me about surprising (to me) strategies that make a huge difference in not only fixing learning issues (yes, she says they can be fixed!) but also in the student's confidence. And these strategies work at any age.
Dianne tells us
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When I started off this podcast, one of the first questions listeners asked me (and several did!) was "How do I organize all the homeschool stuff?" I need help with that, too (don't look at my homeschool bookshelves and supply cart).
Kristi Clover is a home organization and #momlife expert. She’s also the author of M.O.M: Master Organizer of Mayhem and Homeschool Basics as well as a popular conference speaker. Her passion is to encourage families to find simple ways to bring more joy into their home and life. She loves to share about her adventures in motherhood and home life through a variety of media that you can find at KristiClover.com. Kristi lives in San Diego with her husband, Steve, and their five children.
Kristi helps me out so much in this episode, and I think you'll get some ideas, too.
In this episode, Jamie gives us steps to prepare:
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Kristi Clover Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | Twitter
There are two homeschool questions I get all.the.time. 1. How do I get started? 2. What about high school? I've been spending a little more time lately on that second question. And in this episode, Jamie Gaddy helps us out.
Jamie is Editor-in-Chief of Homeschool.com and homeschool mom of six. Jamie has been homeschooling for 14 years and has graduated several children on to college. She loves helping new homeschool moms find their path to homeschooling and loving it.
I loved this conversation with Jamie because it was so meaty and practical! And fun, too!
In this episode, Jamie gives us steps to prepare:
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Homeschool.com Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube
It doesn't matter if you are a new homeschooler or old hat at this, we all can get overwhelmed or even in a boring rut. It doesn't matter if it's the beginning of the year, the end of the year, or that dreaded month of February. We sometimes just need an attitude check.
This week, then, I'm answering several of your questions about just that: what we should be thinking about homeschooling and how that affects our actions. I get to talk about some things I really love discussing with homeschoolers, and I think you'll enjoy these questions and answers, too.
As always, you can find more questions and answers including in-depth information on these topics in my reference work Everything You Need to Know About Homeschooling.
In this episode, I answer questions about...
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