November marked the end of 12-months of homeschooling for us even though we are in our fifth year of schooling at home. I've shared a lot of our experiences during the past year from our experience leaving public school to my struggle going to a homeschool convention and trying to find where I now fit as an educator. With more than 25 homeschooling posts, here are the top 5 based on their popularity among Happily Homegrown readers. ...
Homeschooling
Ready to Start Homeschooling? Steps to Take for a Midyear Transition
After a horrible public school experience for our oldest son, we decided to start homeschooling. I had actually made the decision in February of that year, but we waited and dealt with the aggravation and issues at the school until the end of the school year. In all of the educational decisions we have made, that's the one I regret the most. I didn't know we could withdraw midyear and start homeschooling right away. I didn't have a homeschooling mentor to tell me it would be alright. So for ...
Professional Development for Homeschoolers
When I was a classroom teacher, we needed to complete 100 hours of professional development over the course of five years. So on average, about 20 hours a year. During that time, I took courses on differentiating instruction, teaching writing, guided reading, developmental spelling, and Everyday Math. I spent hours upon hours writing a literature-based Social Studies curriculum. I attended faculty meetings, teaching conventions, and workshops offered throughout the region. I read books and ...
August Teacher Appreciation Days
Your favorite stores are showing the love at their teacher appreciation events this August for classroom teachers and homeschoolers. I know some of the brick and mortar schools are already back in session. Up here they go back somewhere between the last week of August and the week after Labor Day. Homeschooling is a whole other ballgame. But one thing teachers and homeschoolers alike need to know about is Teacher Appreciation Days! ...
Teaching Developmental Spelling
Luckily, during my classroom teaching experience, I worked in two school districts that allowed the classroom teacher to differentiate spelling for each student in our class. Differentiating instruction is how we best meet the needs of our students and give them what they need to be successful. Since spelling ability is developmental, I always found it vital to use a spelling program that was created with differentiation in place. Early in my teaching career, I worked for a ...