Homeschooling Techniques to Prepare for the ACT or SAT Exam

This topic is mainly addressed to homeschool students who are preparing for the American College Testing (ACT) and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). As a parent, it is best to discuss this with your kids to make them aware of what they can expect during the exam and to figure out a schedule and a study plan.

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Dumb Things People Say to Homeschoolers that Make Them Want to Sigh Excessively

Before you say anything else, do your homework.

 

Whenever someone says something inaccurate or unintellectual about a specific topic, don’t you just want to groan endlessly and roll your eyes out? First of all, how dare they say something they have absolutely no idea whatsoever. And second, how credible are they for uttering such dense comments or opinions?

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The Pros And Cons Of Homeschooling An ADHD Kid

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Teaching to a child affected with ADHD is enough to challenge as it stands, as well as entrusting him/her to an actual school, but weighing the pros and cons of doing it yourself is a whole other story: from supplies to the actual relationship with the subject, there are many factors involved.

Andrew Adesman, MD, Chief of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, stationed at Steven and Alexandra Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center of New York, cautions prospective homeschooling parents that “it is not for the faint of heart.” Also, he said that “It requires a fairly substantial commitment on the part of the parent.” He adds that even in the best of households, homeschooling may not be what a child with ADHD needs.

An Assessment Before Homeschooling

According to Kathy Kuhl, who authored “Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner,” the said parents and guardians planning on homeschooling should ask themselves these four questions before they pull their children out of formal school.

Do you want to teach? The first question that should be asked is whether if you’re up to the task. Do you like explaining how things work, like how cookies are made? Have you got the patience needed for this task? Those are the first questions you may want to ask.

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Can you afford it? With homeschooling, the least that may happen is that one parent may have to stop work to attend to the child in question. However, homeschooling still entails the expenses for equipment in an actual school: books, school supplies, and the like. Kuhl even observed that everyone she knew who homeschooled has bookshelves installed.

Do you have the kind of relationship that will accommodate homeschooling?  Parents/guardians should assess how they are with the child in question. Can they rely on them to do simple tasks? If the answer is no, they may have to reconsider about homeschooling. “Parenting in general is hard these days. Parenting a child with special needs is often harder,” said Dan Peters Ph.D.

Are there useful local resources available for the homeschooling parent? Depending on where the household is located, there may be excellent homeschooling resources, Kuhl relates. State or local sources may help you with advice for this endeavor.

What Homeschooling Can Do To Your ADHD Kid

Homeschooling has been reported to have multiple benefits to a child with ADHD. The benefits are as follows:

  • Customizable curriculum, fit for the child’s needs. You can hasten the subjects at will, in sync with how fast the child learns. According to Dona Matthews Ph.D., “You can make time for creativity, play, outdoor time, nature exploration, community involvement, the arts, science experiments, or project learning.”
  • Customizable schedules, unlike a regular school, to accommodate the child’s quirks and needs
  • No set criteria to follow, so the child isn’t stuck in the same routine for too long.
  • Limited, if no distractions.

What Can Happen If You Choose Homeschooling

As with everything, homeschooling also poses several pitfalls to the household in question. Here are some of them, enumerated:

  • Marital strain. Homeschooling demands for the parent to do the homeschooling his/her time, which may dig into the couple’s “alone time,” related Kuhl.
  • Double the strain; instead of only filling for your child’s educational needs, you would also need to adapt to his/her psychological needs
  • Lack of access to facilities such as gymnasiums, science facilities, art studios, and the like, hindering the child’s learning opportunities.
  • Dimmed social skills. As with every disorder that can isolate the patient, they may feel cut off from the outside world, from their peers.

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Overall, as with all things, balance is the key to making sure homeschooling works out for you and the child in question. You will have to make sure your child gets to still have the best of both worlds, despite the condition at hand.

“A child’s ability to overcome daily challenges are best met when parents, educators, and mental health providers are on the same page”, said Annabella Hagen, LCSW, RPT-S.

How To Deal With Disappointments That Come With Homeschooling Your Children

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Bullying is one of the long-standing issues that cause sorrow to many people, according to therapists. “Bullying is not only isolated as a childhood problem, but also affects adolescents and adults as well,” Kristen Fuller, M.D. After all, the act tends to make the victims want to get away from the place where they have been bullied. If it is an adult, he or she may quit the job they have always wanted to have peace of mind. If it is a kid, the parents may decide to pull him or her out of the school where the bullies are and enroll the child to another school or trying homeschooling.

Considering you live in a town where finding a new elementary or high school for your kids is impossible — or you cannot move to that location because your livelihood will be left behind — homeschooling is the next best option. Your bullied child can stay away from the bullies, for one. You don’t have to get up every morning to prepare them for school as well because any part of the house can turn into a classroom.

The thing is, more and more parents turn out to find some aspects of homeschooling a bit disappointing. After all, this new education system entails your kids won’t be studying with their peers. As you know, some children perform best when they see their friends doing the same thing. Since they are at home, they may prefer playing more than listening to their tutors. Then, you may wonder, “Is this genuinely helping my kids?”

In case you need to stick with homeschooling at the moment, here are a few things you can do to deal with the disappointments that come with it.

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1. Look For The Best Teachers

The first thing that you may want to do is to make sure that your children have the best tutors among the teachers that their previous school may have recommended to you. I am not exactly talking about the accolades that each teaching professional has gotten or how many years of experience they have. The teachers you need are the individuals whom your kids will want to listen to during their classes.

Say, find out if your child has a favorite tutor at school. If he or she has, you can ask the higher-ups whether you can hire that person for private tutoring or not. Considering your kid is not fond of any of his or her past teachers, you may ask for recommendations from other parents whose children are being homeschooled as well.

2. See If You Can Become Their Tutor As Well

If the kids do not respond well to whoever comes to your house to teach them, the next best decision is to become their tutor. The truth is that not all states allow this idea. However, let’s assume that you live in Washington, North Dakota, New Mexico, North or South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Georgia, Ohio, or Pennsylvania.

The essential requirement is that the mom or dad should have a high school diploma or passed their GED exam to qualify as a tutor. In Washington, to be specific, the parents need to take a home-based studying course or have gone to college before the state allows them to teach their kids.

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3. Invite Your Friends’ Kids To Hangout With Them

Another thing that you can do is to ask your friends to bring their children over to your house. The purpose of doing so does not entirely have to be educational, considering they may not even be homeschooled like your kids. You may think of it as a playdate. Laura Brodie Ph.D. explained that “Conscientious homeschoolers must exert effort to ensure that their children interact regularly with people of all ages and backgrounds, so that they can learn to handle the difficult social situations that will continue throughout life.”

The reason why it is essential is that your children need to be around other kids to avoid feeling lonely. They have to learn how to mingle with their peers and share their toys with them and whatnot. Homeschooling may be best for your kids right now, but there will come a time when they will have to face the world outside of the comforts of your home. Before that happens and shocks them, you better allow the children to hone their social skills as soon as possible.

Final Thoughts

I know that some parents may be doubting the essence of homeschooling now, especially if you had gone to regular school only when you were studying. Despite that, this new educational system has been set up to help the children who either get overwhelmed by the circumstances that take place at school or need to be on-the-go due to their parents’ work. As what Dona Matthews Ph.D. said, “Most research findings show that structured homeschooling leads to higher achievement test scores than regular schooling.” Follow the tips mentioned above to overcome your issues with homeschooling instead of immersing the kids back to the conventional system before they are even ready.

Cheers!

How To Handle Homeschooling Issues

Nowadays, many parents have decided to choose to homeschool for their kids. This set-up is ideal for parents who keep on traveling because of work or for those who are too busy with their businesses to the point that they cannot commit to enrolling their kids to a regular school. “Teaching toddlers to read at home is the silver bullet for school reform,” says J. Richard Gentry Ph.D. Fortunately, this kind of set-up has been validly recognized by the State as a valid means of acquiring an education. Therefore, homeschooled kids can still get their diplomas and gain knowledge for all subjects included in the curriculum.

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If you are one of the parents who has decided to choose to homeschool for your child, then you are probably aware of the challenges that come with it. The reality is that homeschooling can bring a lot of issues in a marriage or family life. You may end up having arguments with your husband about it or even get criticism from the people surrounding you. We understand how these issues can be stressful for a busy person like you. As such, we are going to share some tips and tricks on how you can handle them the right way.

 

Here are some of the ideas to keep in mind:

 

Talk To Your Child

Before you enroll your kid in homeschooling, it is imperative on your part to make him understand this choice. According to Jessica Koehler, a school psychologist, “Suggest that your kids continually ask about the hows and whys of why things work as related to whatever they are studying at the time.” Let your beloved kid know why you want him to stay at home for his studies. Remember that such a setup can be complicated for him, as he would not get a chance to do the regular things that other kids of his age do in a traditional school. At the same time, you must never forget to talk to him regularly even if he has already been into homeschooling for years. If your child gets anxious often and asks ‘what is anxiety frequently,’ talk to him about anxiety and other mental health issues that homeschooling might cause.

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Open Up With Your Spouse

If there are some problems in the relationship brought about by differences in views about homeschooling, the best thing to do is to talk to your partner about it. As much as possible, be honest in starting a conversation with him to avoid some bruised feelings. Aside from this, it is also best to act nice when your husband is opening up to you about the problems that you have. Remember that the only way to solve the marital conflict is to discuss it at the right time.

 

Ask Advice From Others

Another thing that you can do is to seek the advice of parents who are also in a similar situation as you are. Let them know about your questions so that you can get the correct answers. Make sure to avoid making assumptions because it can only complicate things for you and your homeschooled kid. If possible, have an open mind in receiving comments or suggestions from other people. Do not take it against them if they point out some things that you have been doing wrong. Instead, be grateful for their concern because they only want the best for you.

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Homeschooling can be fun and exciting as long as you know how to handle it. As what Dona Matthews Ph.D. stated, “There are many homeschooling styles, models, and approaches.” Always think twice before you take a step when it comes to your child’s education. What you do today can affect his future.