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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