Comments on Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers: Top Ten Homeschooling Words of Wisdom

Thanks for the list! This is my first year and I h...

2010-08-13T16:05:59.090-04:00

Thanks for the list! This is my first year and I hope to find us a groove at some point, it's lovely to know I'm not the only one who feels she is balancing on shaky ground here! Always so nice to hear such heartfelt advice on this subject. Bless you!

Thank you for sharing! This will be my first year ...

2010-08-12T18:24:06.727-04:00

Thank you for sharing! This will be my first year homeschooling and this list is priceless!!

I could have written this verbatim...even down to ...

2010-08-12T14:50:39.653-04:00

I could have written this verbatim...even down to the "classically eclectic with a Charlotte Mason bent". Excellent advice. And now that this will be my 6th year (holy cow!) I all of a sudden feel like a veteran...not a pro, but experienced enough to kick back a bit. Thanks for this great post!

I ditto it taking a while to find your groove. Ev...

2010-08-11T16:20:37.473-04:00

I ditto it taking a while to find your groove. Even though we have homeschooled from the beginning, I feel like this year (my oldest is in 2nd grade) is the first year we've really got things going. More organized, knowing my son and his learning style better, him responding to me better as his teacher (that was more of an obedience issue, but anyway...). With this year shaping up to look so good, I can't wait to see how we improve even more in the years ahead!

Very good, Kris!

2010-08-11T11:31:29.276-04:00

Very good, Kris!

I haven't even started homeschooling yet, but ...

2010-08-11T09:49:43.923-04:00

I haven't even started homeschooling yet, but I greatly appreciate the list. I went k-12 in public school myself so I don't really know "how" t homeschool or how to start or anything. It makes me nervous. But now that I know some good books to check out, I have something to go on.

Thanks, Kristen. I think the humility part is bor...

2010-08-11T09:34:38.816-04:00

Thanks, Kristen. I think the humility part is born from the fact that this really is what I would say to myself back then if I could. I was really uptight that first year. ;-)

Kris, this is excellent advice. Really excellent. ...

2010-08-11T09:26:13.926-04:00

Kris, this is excellent advice. Really excellent. It's so hard to see someone who is struggling with trying to do everything (like I did)and know how to best help them. It's also very hard to share this type of advice without sounding like a "know-it-all", but you've done such a good job of sharing with humility that I think people will listen.

Great list! I shared it with some of my friends wh...

2010-08-11T07:59:52.822-04:00

Great list! I shared it with some of my friends who are 1st time hs'ers. Sometimes we tend to get away from the original reason we chose to hs, because we're too busy trying to "do it right."
Keep on keepin' on, Mama!

Thank you for this! We just finished our first y...

2010-08-11T07:57:38.182-04:00

Thank you for this! We just finished our first year of homeschooling, and I am loving the revelations that have come to the surface. There is no way to describe it, really - we are all more relaxed, happy, and I think a million times smarter for it!

This is such a great list! I'm finally feelin...

2010-08-10T21:38:35.185-04:00

This is such a great list! I'm finally feeling I've hit a groove because I'm not super freaked out about this year. It will be the first year I'm really schooling 3 though.

This was a really good post. I sooo agree with nu...

2010-08-10T20:02:40.453-04:00

This was a really good post. I sooo agree with number 5. Calmly and discreetly address weaknesses... yes. But make our lives a quest to "fix" our kids... NO!
If only we could write to our younger selves! :)

Kris, Excellent points! Thank you for sharing your...

2010-08-10T15:03:02.509-04:00

Kris,
Excellent points! Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us.

Peace to you,
Renae
http://lifenurturingeducation.com/

Kris, this is such a great post! And you are so ri...

2010-08-10T14:15:59.768-04:00

Kris, this is such a great post! And you are so right with the socialization. I am having to cut back this year, so we can have a little time at home to get some work done! :)

I think I was really hard on our oldest when she s...

2010-08-10T11:38:51.097-04:00

I think I was really hard on our oldest when she started first grade, because I had listened too much to other people. A neighbor of mine, whose child was a couple of years older and going to the local public school, had told me kids practically need to learn how to read BEFORE they entered school. I felt like a failure - I hadn't even begun to teach her to read and she was almost in Kindergarten! ;) Also, some family members had expressed concerns about our decision to homeschool - and they still do! I thought my child was "behind". (Behind who?) I was really hard on her. She learned to read well the summer after Kindergarten. The time has gone so quickly. I wish I had slowed down and savored our time together more. Now, she's in 7th grade (already?) and we have two more.

Fantastic post! :)

2010-08-10T11:28:28.994-04:00

Fantastic post! :)

I needed this today! Public schools are going to ...

2010-08-10T09:18:43.753-04:00

I needed this today! Public schools are going to school today in our area. I'm a first-year homeschool mom and just needed to be reaffirmed. Thanks!

Thank you for this post, from this mom who is home...

2010-08-10T09:17:58.188-04:00

Thank you for this post, from this mom who is homeschooling her 13 year old son for the first time this year! I LOVED #5! That is my true goal. He's a smart kid so he will learn. But I want to spend a whole year letting him see what it's like to have someone focusing on his positives instead of his negatives! (But my natural self will have to fight myself to keep from pointing out those negatives.)
Nicole

I'm not even a homeschooler (well, I guess I a...

2010-08-10T09:16:48.753-04:00

I'm not even a homeschooler (well, I guess I am b/c my kids are 4 and 1...so I'm at home and teaching them, right?) but this is fantastic information. Chilling out on every level and focusing on character is indeed the most important!

Thanks for linking up!

@ Jennifer -- You brought up a very good point tha...

2010-08-10T09:11:15.757-04:00

@ Jennifer -- You brought up a very good point that I should have mentioned, "You don't have to be married to your curriculum." I think that's why it took us until Year 4 to feel that we'd found our groove -- because that's when we finally starting finding the curriculum pieces that were a good fit for us.

Jacque and Carrie, thanks for commenting! ;-)

Hi, Kris! I've been reading your blog for a...

2010-08-10T08:46:04.407-04:00

Hi, Kris!

I've been reading your blog for a while, and today, ... well I had to comment! GREAT post!

Hi Kris - Your list is SO VERY accurate. Even to ...

2010-08-10T08:45:44.154-04:00

Hi Kris - Your list is SO VERY accurate. Even to the point of saying that it isn't until about year four that you start hitting a grove. We're just beginning year 4 and I'm finally feeling like it's okay to admit to the good days/bad days, okay to switch curriculum during the school year, okay to say no to vendors at H.S. Conventions, etc.

Wow! Thanks so much for sharing this! I am just ...

2010-08-10T08:44:22.691-04:00

Wow! Thanks so much for sharing this! I am just going to be starting some 'preschool' for my middle son that's 3 and I am really nervous about the whole homeschooling thing. I have it talked up really well in my head but I am super nervous to actually be saying out loud - "Yes. I am educating my children. No. They will not be going to public school for it." I especially like your mention of teaching them how to learn. That has been my saving grace... don't stress over all the things I may miss... as long as they know how to look it up if they need to then they might be alright. Thanks again for sharing! I love reading your blog - just don't always comment. :)
Have a great day!