The 5 Worst Pieces of Homeschooling Advice

Mary Ellen and Ginny began homeschooling before the age of influencers. They say that was an enormous blessing because there is a lot of bad advice out there. 

The good news is that, using their combined over 50 years of homeschool experience, they have this to share: "The 5 Worst Pieces of Homeschooling Advice." 

Program Notes:

Let's jump into some bad homeschooling advice.

1. If it's hard, you are doing it wrong.  FALSE

• The complete opposite is true. 
• It shames the mom into thinking she is doing something wrong. 
• You are educating young minds, and they are not inclined to hard work. 
• Homeschooling well, running a household, doing sports, etc., is hard work.

Tip: Recognizing it is hard and treating it like a full-time job will make your life easier.  

2. Child-led learning will result in a complete education. FALSE

• Probably not – an attractive book is helpful but not enough.
• Math, grammar, writing skills, and foreign languages require effort and diligence.

3. Grading your child's work will kill their love of learning.  FALSE

·       Grades should never be a source of shame.

• They show if students are learning the material. 
• Grades are a guide to adjust your methods or materials.

4. Routine oppresses you and makes you less creative. FALSE

• Children thrive when they know what to expect. 
• Routine lets creativity thrive - mundane tasks are done by rote - leaving the brain free to create.  
• Many famous writers and authors have structured routines they follow with success.

5. If you feel burned out or frustrated, you should switch curriculum. FALSE

·      Being burnt out is not a good reason to switch your curriculum choices.

·      Try other things before throwing the baby out with the bath water. 

·      Frequent switching of curriculum creates gaps in skills and knowledge. 

There are many ways to cope with burnout - We did a whole episode on burnout – See the link below.

Homeschooling Resources

Coping with Burnout - Scroll down to Episode 10 on 1/25/23

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