LDS Oregon Home Educators Association

[LDS-OHEA Admin]

First Steps: How do I Start?
By Paul Stone, President Accelerated Achievement LLC

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It is common for those new to homeschooling to proceed with fear and trepidation. There are so many unknowns. After many years of homeschooling, publishing my own curriculum and operating a user group with nearly 800 members, I have compiled some principles that will greatly simply your homeschool and make your life easier. The effectiveness of your school will also increase dramatically. Those who follow these principles report that their children have advance two full grade levels each year. Your mileage may vary.

When you first begin homeschooling you will struggle. Your children will struggle. This is true of all new homeschoolers. This period, the transition from public to homechool is typically called "detox". It is difficult forboth parent and student. Give yourself and your children some time to grow into this new way of thinking and learning. It is well worth the effort.

Worksheets
The typical worksheet encourages the following behavior: Read first item on the worksheet. Look at the "blank". Read the assigned material looking specifically for the right word to "fill in the blank" and ignore the message. Hunting for canned answers is not what homeschooling is about.First we must learn how to learn.

Here are some basic principles:

Principle 1: It is your school. You make the rules.
You know your children best and love them most. Nobody is in a better position to teach your children than you.

Principle 2: Keep it simple.
The most common problem I have encountered is people making it harder than it needs to be.

Principle 3: There are only 3 subjects;
reading, writing and arithmetic. Almost every other academic subject can be learned from reading excellent books.

Principle 4: There are two kinds of books: Text books and Trade books.
Text books are written for an audience that is forced to read them (boring). Trade books are written for an audience that is free to leave any time they want. They are usually much more interesting and they cost much less as well.

Principle 5: Turn any book into a text book.
1. Take notes while reading.
2. Have the reader "play the teacher" by writing questions and their answers(including page numbers) as they read. Use these questions as review questions later. (Label trick questions and trivia as such.)
3. Keep a dictionary on hand to "capture" unfamiliar words as your own.
4. Keep a quote journal to record those "gems" encountered while reading,rather than just letting them slip into oblivion.
5. Write a short summary after reading each day to reinforce what was read.
6. Write a book report at the conclusion of any book. This will help the reader remember it and help improve writing skills.
7. Teach the family something that was learned each week. A subject is really learned when it must be taught, and it builds presentation skills.

Principle 6: Tests are administered in public schools for two reasons:
1. Diagnostics: To determine how effective the teaching has been and to determine where the children need more instruction.
2. Communication: Tests are used to give children grades. Grades are used to communicate performance to parents. When the parent is also the teacher and the class size is very small the need for diagnostics is almost nonexistent and the need for communication between the teacher and the parents is nonexistent. Annual testing (norm referenced standardized tests) for diagnostics is important. It is important for you to know how your children are progressing, to determine if and where the "holes" exist.

Principle 7: College Entrance: Contact the colleges and universities your child may be interested in attending annually, to discover theirpolicies for admitting home schooled students. Remember these policies can change without notice.

Principle 8: Never accept information from a third party regarding college admissions. This information is frequently wrong. Bad information can have a tremendous impact on your child's ability to get in college. Too much is at stake. Always go directly to the horses' mouth.

Principle 9: Mentor, Mentor, and Mentor:
Give your child projects to do. Let them lead the project while you provide shadow leadership from the background. Every project has a goal (statement of work), tasks (things that need to be done), a schedule (when they need to be done) and a budget. Each task has a resource, usually many resources. (Learn about project management before trying this.) Review progress with your child on a regular basis.Document what went well and what could be improved. Leadership skills will become formidable.

May the Lord bless you and your efforts as you adapt these principles for use in your homeschool. The transition may be painful and slow. The rewards are worth every bit of the pain.

Paul R. Stone President Accelerated Achievement LLC
http://www.accelerated-achievement.com (253) 874-5554