10 Secrets to Surviving the Long Haul of Homeschooling

Burn Out, Classroom Help, Informative, Organization

Published with Permission
by Denise Mira
www.denisemira.com/blog
www.TOSMagazine.com

It’s February. The leftover frozen Christmas cookies have been consumed, the unwanted gifts have (finally!) been exchanged, that protracted euphoric sense of holiday freedom lingering through December and January has ended, and all your excuses for “not doing normal school” have run dry. (No,Mom, Super Bowl Sunday isn’t considered a long weekend!)

It’s that time of year on the school calendar. You’re “in between” in the dead of winter—sort of like the Laura Ingalls Wilder family in the late 1800s, rolling across the desolate, flat, blustery plains of the Midwest in their rustic covered wagon, with no . . . end . . . in . . . sight. And, most definitely, no 7-Elevens to stop at for a Big Gulp!

The remaining stretch of terrain lying before you can appear particularly daunting this time of year. I know, because I’ve been there. Our “wagon” was packed with five busy boys and led by two public school-educated, first-generation, homeschooling pioneer parents: hubby and me, who were intent on changing the world—but without much practical preparation.

As you know, beginning is always more exciting than continuing. That’s why so many people give up in the middle. But if we’ll persist, it’s amazing how much treasure is hidden along the way. Here are ten secrets I’ve unearthed as I’ve journeyed for thirty-one years in marriage and over twenty years in home education. If you’ll take them to heart, these nuggets of gold are guaranteed to propel you forward with momentum! (more…)

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Updated: We Are Not Alone

Biography, Informative, Just For Fun

Written with permission
By Katharine Trauger
katharinetrauger.wordpress.com

Imagine yourself as Maria, wife of a famous Jew, whose family has made—and had to leave behind—fortunes, many times, forced to leaveIsraelduring the Roman destruction, andSpainduring the Inquisition. Arriving inEnglandviaVenice, and again wealthy, your husband is a famous writer, admired by Lord Byron and Sir Walter Scott, before you marry him. Now facing anti-Semitism inEngland, it seems you can find acceptance nowhere, and your son begins to need an education.

Your husband fears the better English schools, although your family can afford them, because of the attitudes of the elite. Therefore, he tentatively places your son in one of the lesser schools. You mourn for your son as he faces daily, rude reminders of his differences—his darker hair and skin, his slight stature, and his unbelieving stance toward Jesus Christ. To compensate, he learns boxing and regularly demolishes his classmates.

And is miserable. (more…)

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The Winter Blues

Burn Out, Classroom Help, Informative

Written with Permission
By Debbie Slaughter
HeritageCreek.blogspot.com
www.TOSMagazine.com

This time of year is really tricky for teachers, at least those of us who teach at home. Recently I’ve come across several women (fellow homeschooling moms) who are tired and weary. Some are ready to give up and stick their kids in the public school; others are just in need of some changes at home. Let me just say, “Been there; done that.”

I have experienced those feelings before: being weary of the same old routine (or lack thereof) and feeling like I’m cheating my children out of activities, friends, and academic success. All of these feelings would hit me at the same time every year—right after Christmas. (more…)

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