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Guilford Christian Academy is a private school that allows the students to be taught in their own homes by the parents.

homeschool struggles

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*Test or not to test.

TestShould I test my child each year?

This question has come up many times over the past 15 years. It is really an individual thing. It is not mandated for homeschooler in Maine but some use a standardized test for their form of annual assessment.

We had our children take a standardized test once during our entire time of homeschooling. When it got towards the end of their schooling we had them take a standardized test just to see if they were, at the very least, at the standard. We always shot for more than the standard, which was not very hard.

A test can serve a purpose at times.

We did not specifically teach for the test but there were some tests taken through out the years of schooling to be sure that the student understood the material, math especially had a test or two. However, everything else was mostly monitored by verbalizing with our children on what they were learning. We did not use tons of textbooks but let life be our academics. The essence of homeschooling is to be able to choose your methods, style, and materials as well as provide the best environment for your child, that can be different for everyone.

If you do choose to give your child a standardized test you can find them at Seton or Christian Liberty Press Testing Services. These CAT tests do not need to be administered by a certified teacher, they can be done at home with the parents or at a testing location. The cover reading, language, and math. (We found our students did better if they were testing with other students, the times were monitored and they were not easily distracted by things at home. ) There is also another option offered by Bob Jones University that has to be administered by a certified  teacher. Both options are great, it really depends on your needs and costs.

Guilford Christian Academy is offering testing at their location in Dover-Foxcroft on June 6th from 10-1 pm.

If you have a student that you would like to participate in this testing session please contact us so we can put them on the list. We have limited space and it will be first come first served. We can put you on a waiting list if people cancel.

The cost for the administered test and the mailings back and forth is $50 per student. Payment must be received on or before May 30th.

Photo Credit – Rachel D.

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*To the Defeated Homeschool Mama.

For the 14 years that I have been encouraging and strengthening homeschoolers in Maine, one topic always seems to come up many times in a year.

Thoughts “where you assess yourself at the end of the year, and you feel pretty small and as though you just can’t quite do and be enough. Where your shortcomings in regards to schooling your kids at home are leaving you feeling defeated.” (actual quote homeschooling mom)

Defeated

My reply is “From what I can see you are doing an awesome job. I have done the same thing and now that my children are all moving on into the adult world, they have strength and confidence that I never had! Do they make all the perfect choices? NO, unfortunately, but they are level headed, use common sense, have great jobs and are complimented often about their work ethics and I now know that I have done a pretty good job, Jim and I both, even with all our short comings. God is good all the time, even when we beat our self up, he is lifting us up. Please know that your children are going to get much more out of being home educated than you may see in your lifetime. It is a hard and demanding, draining, emotional, rewarding, and tiring job but it is such a blessing to be able to be with your children everyday all day and to walk with them through the tough times, teaching them how to react to situations, not only by talking to them about things but by how we handle things. I commend you for the great job you are doing.”

As the conversation went on the Mom comes to the reality that – “I think a lot of home schooling parents let their guard down and quit because it’s the easier option than struggling with the guilt of their own imperfections, or even worse, from listening to the societal lie that we just aren’t doing right by our children.” “…especially as our children get older and are on the cusp of their schooling years coming to an end. It’s terrible. Sometimes I lay awake with insomnia at night wondering if I’m doing right by them!”

Why are we so hard on our selves?

Our middle child is at boot camp right now, we couldn’t be more proud of him. He had a rough two 11692786_851590198229371_8536860830521206588_nyears and has come back to what he knows is right. We just got a letter from him, (he was never a writer so we are always excited to get one) he thanked Jim for teaching him to never give up. That is what it is about. Too many just give up because it is too hard or we have to go with out or …. you can always come up with a reason to not do something. 

So when the day is done and the homeschooling is completed you will have done the best for your children. We may not do it perfectly but no one is perfect. They will have fond memories of their mom or dad being there for them everyday of their childhood. It may take them a while to appreciate the sacrifice that you have given for them, but, it will come.

As I am preparing Guilford Christian Academy for another year of helping families to home educate I reflect on all the lives we have been part of. The fond memories I have of graduations, field trips, events, and just great conversations are all coming back to me. I love each and everyone of these families and I am so thankful for the Lord leading me to do this job he has for me.

Are you interested in homeschooling and would like to know the way to get started, the options you have, the resources that are available? Give me a call, stop into the office or send me an email. I would love to talk with you. If you are too far away we can always Skype as well, for a face to face discussion.

Happy Homeschooling!

Visit my blog on the Bangor Daily News at The Homeschool Hub.

*Photo credit Rachael Darrah and Kimberly Whitton

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Do You Have Cabin Fever?

So, it is almost the end of January, do you have cabin fever? Are you ready for spring? One of the fun things we did with our students this time of year was to take some tempura paints and paint spring on our windows? We painted flowers and butterflies etc on the windows and when spring finally got here we washed it off. Those were the days! WeHomeschooling did so many interesting things like that to keep us sane in the winter. We would sometimes take a break and just go snow shoeing, although I did not do as well as the kids at it and they sometimes had to help me get up it was fun and the fresh air was really good for us.

Some other things you can do to help with spring fever is to visit Housing a Forest. They have lots of really cool and fun things to do from Observing Ladybugs ( they seem to last all winter here in Maine ) that gives you information and crafts to do in regards to the little red and polka dotted beetle. There is much more on the site as well but I don’t want to give it all away. I will say that she has art and experiments on there that will make any day fun.

Staying active is most helpful during the winter months so get out there and build a snowman, “do you want to build a snowman”, oh sorry, just couldn’t refrain. Other winter activities that do not break the bank is snow shoeing, snow ball fights and snow forts. Go sledding, in our area we have a lot of great sledding hills, ice skating is also offered at many parks.

Visit local (and not so local here in the big state of Maine) museums and aquariums etc. There are some places that offer free days or discounted days for homeschoolers, give them a call and ask and set up a day for other homeschoolers to go with you to get a discounted rate.

Over at Ihomeschool Network there is a list of articles all on “Surviving the Winter Blahs”. I have only read a few of them, feel free to comment on some that you have peeked at.

Have a game day! There are lots of great games out there that make learning fun and break up the monotony of the winter days. Most of all have fun and enjoy this time with your children. Remember that learning is not all from a book, there are many things that can be “learned” by doing and having fun doing it.

Please comment with your cabin fever preventives. There are many that will benefit from your ideas. 🙂

Happy Homeschooling.

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Struggles? We all have them.

I struggle with….

Struggles! I hear this many times over the course of the year. As a veteran homeschooler I have experienced many of the struggles others have faced and I will probably not cover most of them in this post. I will try to cover some of the popular ones and share with you my experiences pertaining to that struggle.

Are we covering enough material?

I used to beat myself up over this one many times, are we covering enough material? I would get really down about it at least once a year and Jim would always tell me we are doing more than the government schools do by far. Now, I do not compare what we do to the government school because they really spend lots of time going from class to class, getting kids settled, passing out papers, assemblies, and lots of other time robbers. The children really only do academics for about an hour and a half to two hours a day, the rest is just stuff.

We have always been a doing family, there are just some times that we had to sit down with a book and cover some ground with material but for the most part our learning was through doing and lots of it was done on the road. Did you know learning can be done on the road? There is a really cool resource that I used many times called Carschooling. There are tons of ideas and learning games that can be played while you are on the road. Living in Maine you have to travel a lot to get anywhere, those of you that live here know what I mean. 😉

In a typical day here our children would have to tend to the animals, chickens, strugglespigs, dogs, and a bull or two in the morning and evenings. They would have to bring the wood in for the fires, we cook with wood, as well as heat with wood. These things are not what most would think of as part of learning but they really are, maybe not so much the wood hauling but it is physical fitness. In taking care of the animals they learn a lot; what to do to keep them protected from weather and predators, how to keep them happy so they don’t attack each other. We learned about biology when it came time to butcher some of them, I know it is not a subject that everyone enjoys and we certainly had a hard time with it at first but it is a part of life on a farm.

I would organize trips and classes so that the children would have groups to work with and give them that experience of working with others to think things through and be a team player. There were activities that taught this trait as well for example, summer baseball and playing in a popular blue grass band, the Abbott Hill Ramblers.

What about socialization?

Lack of socialization, in most homeschooling families, is a myth. There is more socializing going on in homeschooling families than in government schools. The socialization that is going on is not of just the peers of the student but of all ages and walks of life.

Think about it, in the real world, are all bosses your age? Are all supervisors older than the workers? No, some may have a younger boss or a younger supervisor, no where in the work force is everyone the same age. Your student may be the supervisor of a younger person or an older person, they are not going to be working with people only their age.

Homeschooled children are children longer but much more mature than the government school counterparts. It sounds like an oxi-moron but it is the truth. I have seen homeschooled teens scoop up a toddler that ran over to them and then get down on the floor, play legos with a young child; later you will see them talking to the 82 year old gentlemen and hold a very engaging conversation.

We take our children with us everywhere and they socialize, they meet people of all ages and they talk to them at their levels.They are polite and well behaved, you can spot them where ever you go.

It is very exciting to see all the upcoming graduates! Homeschoolers can make a difference in this world. I know I have said it before, they are our future leaders, Amen!

Can my child get a diploma?

Yes, you can make your own diploma or purchase one, if you are in a RAPPS like Guilford Christian Academy they may provide one for you. HSLDA sells diplomas for a small fee. Most higher education institutions will accept your diploma, your student may have to do an entrance exam but for the most part it should not be a problem.

On pet peeve of mine is if the institution requires that your student get a GED in order to attend the program, I would seek another place to attend. If all the work you put into that student does not count for anything then I wouldn’t spend my hard earned money there. There are a few that require this of anyone, so I have heard, and it is just ridiculous in my humble opinion that your student goes through all that education and they want them to get a General Education Development certificate? Really? What has this world come to?

There is so much to choose from, how do I know what will work for my child?

You are absolutely right and this is probably one of the biggest struggles for most that are just starting out. The one bit of advise I am going to give you is to stick it out for the year. When we first started I chose a curriculum and then after a few months as I was looking at other options I thought that maybe this other curriculum would work better for my child as the one I was using was not a good match for them. So I purchased another curriculum. strugglesA few months later the same thing happened and before you know it the year is over and we have only covered up to the Revolutionary War, LOL. It was not good. When you choose a curriculum stick with it for the year, supplement if you need to and add to it or adapt it but continue until the next year and then make a change.

Can I access the school for classes?

Yes you can if you file a Letter of Intent. We have some families that have some of their students enrolled in GCA and others reported through the state under the letter of intent. The ones that are enrolled with us follow our requirements and the one under the letter of intent have to have an assessment sent in at the end of the year.

We do recommend that you try to find another means to provide your student with the opportunity other than using the government school. There are many co-op classes around and adult ed classes that they can be part of.

There are many options available today that were not available when we started, lots of programs now seek out homeschoolers and set times during the day to accommodate them and alleviate struggles.

There are many more struggles.

Please share some of your struggles here, share how you have dealt with them and some encouragement for those going through it now. If you have a struggle and you do not know what to do about it, sstruggleshare and we will share ideas on how to overcome it.

Homeschooling is not always an easy road, there are ups and downs, we can be an encouragement to each other. In good times we love homeschooling in bad times we start thinking about other options, this is where we can make bad choices that will affect our children and family down the road. So, keep on keeping on, the time goes by so fast and before you know it you will be graduation your last student. Your children will thank you for it!

 

Happy Homeschooling!