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Freedom in Education
We will all defend our basic first amendment rights with everything we’ve got – freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of assembly, and rightly so. As a society, we all value freedom, individual rights and independence from those trying to oppress our freedoms. Those are some of the most important and fundamental values our country has been established on. When it comes to education, though, it’s a whole other story. We insist that students need to learn what adults feel is important for them to know, in a way we approve of, and on a time schedule that has been pre-determined by bureaucracies far removed from the classrooms in America.
The learning process
Teachers are not free to instruct students in a way they feel will best fit their students. Often their hands are tied to teach in accordance with pre-determined criteria that will be tested and needs to be measurable. They are forced to only be concerned with the end product and not the process of learning.
The process of learning, therefore, can be very unpleasant, stressful, and pressured. Sadly, often that is what we feel is necessary to really learn something valuable. No pain, no gain, right? Nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to education! Yes, sometimes there are spots where a student might have a little hump to get over in their understanding of a concept, which might not be as engaging, but overall learning should be joyful and is pretty natural to humans (young and old). If we just give them a chance to have the freedom to explore in education and not just be stuck with what bureaucrats feel is important for them to learn on their timetable, it all could look so different!
What can we do?
On this Independence Day, as we celebrate of our country’s independence and all our freedoms, I want to urge us all to embrace and encourage any actions that will promote freedom and independence (agency) in education. We all know as adults we learn more and retain better if we study something we have an interest in and if we are allowed to learn it in a fashion that fits our style of learning. Why would it be any different with children?!
When we go to the store, we expect a variety of products so we can pick the one we like best. Why do we not allow that in education?!
We are free to do so many amazing things. Why are children not allowed to learn what they’re interested in and in a way they enjoy, at a time when they’re ready for it?! Do all children walk exactly at the same age? Do they learn to read at exactly the same time? Never!
Why do we expect them all to understand the same things at the same time as everyone else when it comes to formal education?! If they don’t, we have them spend any free hours they might’ve had for play (a crucial part of learning that we so often neglect) to work on extra practice or tutoring so they can be “up to standard”. Who is setting the standards and why? I believe that often our own pride as parents are on the line when our child is “behind” so we want to get them “up to standard” so we will look like good upstanding parents with “smart” children.
Environment of consent
There are countless examples of people who were allowed to follow their own learning journey and who came out to be what we would label “geniuses”. All it took was for their base of knowledge to expand by exploring and poking around with what they found compelling and fulfilling. No significant discovery came about without a lot of trial and error. I’m not arguing for a complete absence of any guidance from adults. If children don’t have any input, they might not always know what there is to explore necessarily. However, if we can teach them in a relaxed and non-stressful environment to read, understand, and interact with what they read in a discerning way, can they not learn anything they set their heart on? That is how we, as adults, learn things. If we feed them with a rich environment of materials, books, videos, technology, and more than anything our attention, time, and love, they will set the pace and learn without coercion. We teach them about consent in every other part of their lives and we neglect that completely from our education process. Feel free to check out this excellent short video by Blake Boles.
Honor ALL our freedoms
The fact remains that our education system was set up on the Prussian model which was intended to create good soldiers and good factory workers, who work long hours on something they don’t necessarily enjoy day after day without complaining. We still do that in traditional schools and our world has completely changed! With the more rencent advances in AI, it is changing faster than we can keep up with. Are we surprised that we’re falling behind other countries? It is time to do better and honor and model the freedoms we have in every other part of our lives for our children in the education realm as well.
A place to start
If you don’t want to be solely in charge of all this change for your children, there are many options. One way would be to incorporate games into their curriculum (even video games) to make learning more engaging. Sit with your child, look through our catalog of classes, and let them pick some that interest them. Then, maybe you also pick a few that you feel might be helpful to them in the future, if you don’t want to teach all math and English yourself, and let go of the stressful expectations of a particular product at the end. Another way to enliven learning could be to watch some amazing documentaries together. Just enjoy a year of learning together and notice the difference! Let there be lots of choice! I am convinced that you will be amazed at the reciprocity of the learning between you and your children if you’re willing to also open yourself up to more joyful learning. We all have our own journey and the freedom to explore it. Let’s make freedom in education one of our valued freedoms as well!
Relationship-based student-centered education
As adults, we won’t put up with what we, as a society, expect children to be happy with! If, as adults (and this does often occur at a job or even with traffic school after a traffic ticket), we have to sit through trainings that are irrelevant to what we are interested in, there would be the person here or there who would dutifully sit through the trainings and pass whatever test is at the end. Those are the people who probably did well in school. Everyone else will probably try to find the fastest and least painful way to get through the training and if there is any chance of skipping it or just reading a paragraph about it to sum it up, most would take that route. Why? Are they just being lazy? No, I think not at all, in fact, they are intelligently choosing to do something better with their limited amount of time. We all are curious and learn all the time whether we want to or not, even as adults, but we are only curious about certain topics and we also only learn in particular ways that differ from our neighbors’. As a general rule, we need to have an interest in what we are supposed to be studying or it is just not an enjoyable activity! Maybe some other incentive will get us to do it (like a paycheck) but definitely not for our own enrichment and fulfillment.
In addition, compared to children in typical schools, adults take lots of breaks. At work, adults can usually get up and go to the bathroom or go get a drink or check in with a colleague (unless in the middle of a meeting, of course) and they are getting paid to do all this. For children, we expect them to sit still for far too many hours, in many schools they’re not even allowed to go to the bathroom whenever they need it without a special pass, and they definitely can’t just get up and go chat with a friend or eat a snack. For that there will for sure be unpleasant consequences. They are even more scheduled than adults plus they don’t get paid to do so! They’re young and need lots of active movement and aren’t made for environments more strict than offices!
How are we surprised that they start to hate learning?! Why do we wonder what happens to the creativity of children especially as they grow older or why there is such a lack of critical thinking? How are we shocked that they don’t do a great job all the time or try to rush off the homework so they can go play or hang out with friends? That’s what they’re made to do at that age according to their developmental stages! Of course, as with adults, there are always some things here and there that we all just need to do like the dishes and the laundry. I haven’t met many people who love doing those, but that doesn’t take up the majority of our lives! For school-aged children, as we do it, school and homework form the main part of their day. Most of their productive hours are forcibly consumed in this way. No wonder they’re so happy when it’s summer break or any sort of holiday. I believe not keeping kids actively involved in their own education is a futile attempt to fill up their brains with some irrelevant information and not giving them the tools they need for their future!
In contrast, children attending the classes at Learn Beyond The Book and other like-minded organizations, don’t want the school year to end and are sad when it’s the last day of classes. Of course, they also look forward to summer vacation trips, but they aren’t counting the days for “school to be over”. Our philosophy at Learn Beyond The Book is that students choose what classes they would like to be part of. Even if those classes end up being the main core subjects, once registered and in the class, the instructors follow an interactive, Socratic method of discussion and active involvement of students to make sure topics are studied that interest the students and in ways that support their learning styles. Since the class sizes are small (less than 12 students), it is possible to individualize a lot of learning.
We also believe that students and instructors learn from each other and we try to stay in a growth mindset where we are open to continually learn, question, reflect, discuss, and form new insights. We are interested and eager to hear student and parent feedback and invite everyone to be part of our learning community. We also ensure that the community is filled with adults who really enjoy being with children, have empathy, and are kind. We encourage an environment of collaboration, rather than competition, and a non-judgmental space where mistakes are learning opportunities. Students are reminded to be kind and empathetic as well as encouraging to their friends. At Learn Beyond The Book, we believe wholeheartedly that true learning does not take place when there is not an authentic, caring relationship between the teacher and the student as well as between fellow students, so our goal is to foster a sense of caring community in all that we do, creating a safe space to grow. The results are amazing!
If our goal is for students to learn, we need to change the narrative of education and make it more in line with this quote by Benjamin Franklin –
“Tell me and I forget,
Teach me and I remember,
Involve me and I learn.”
A great video on this topic is this one by Blake Boles about consent in education. I can’t agree with him more!
If you have a learning community and need help to change the environment, reach out and let’s see how we can help. If our learning community sounds like yours, we would love to connect and say hi; we love to know of others like us across the country and globe.
Essential Life Skills
How often these days do you encounter young and even older adults who have no idea about basic life skills such as personal finance or healthy cooking? What impact does nutrition have on our health and how does one even use a hammer? How should we handle all the stress in our lives? How can we tell when we encounter biased news sources?
At Learn Beyond The Book, in addition to all the wonderful academic courses, we are trying to bridge this often-too-wide gap between book knowledge and living real life successfully with classes like Adulting 101, a year-long course covering a wide range of topics from critical thinking and how we write history to practical personal finance, cooking, and more. We also have whole courses dedicated to Cooking and Holistic Nutrition, Sewing, DIY Projects and Personal Finance/Entrepreneurship. Mental health is also a huge concern and a growing problem in our society and therefore we offer classes like Wellbeing 101 and Psychology. We are planning workshops in Growth Mindset as well as Communication and Conflict Resolution. Our college prep class helps students work on their path to college and help guide them to a career that fits their passions. Even if you’ve got this all figured out, but can’t present a seminar or speak in public, that might be problematic, so we offer public speaking courses as well as improv & theater games classes to build students’ confidence! We start these really young so that students are so used to doing it that it reduces the stress often caused when these topics are introduced only later on to older students.
What we often don’t realize is that these life skills classes also involve quite a bit of “core learning” for example in every cooking class or DIY or sewing project, there is math and in every public speaking class, there is writing involved, even if that is not the main focus. Often these types of classes can be a way to get more reluctant writers or math students more involved in real-life applications. Ultimately, though, we can have all the “core learning” down, but if we don’t know some basic life skills, we have a problem, not to mention the “soft skills” like good communication and conflict resolution skills that employers are increasingly looking for in potential employees.
The way we make sure students learn these skills effectively is to ensure that the environment created by highly skilled teachers and fellow classmates are friendly, non-judgmental, and a safe space to make mistakes because how else do we learn? Our teaching methods are community and relationship-based and kindness prevails throughout. Our teachers are passionate about what they teach and experts in their fields. Feel free to check out our teacher bio page for more details.
We offer so many classes because everyone has their own unique needs and we would love to help anyone get better at what they feel they need most help with. Check out our class selection for Fall semester (starting Sep.6) at this link. If it’s easier to search by subject, here is another way to search. If you find you need help deciding, please contact us and we can help.
Creativity & Art Instruction
What comes to mind when you hear the word “creativity”? Until not too long ago, it was a word that denoted something to me that I believed I didn’t possess. I remember wishing that I was good at art and to me that was creativity. I think most people when they hear the word might think of the arts – visual arts and performing arts, but creativity is so much more! It is the out-of-the-box thinking that we need so desperately, it is coming up with creative solutions to problems, even as an engineer or programmer, it is, as my good friend, Elizabeth Rydall, helped me discover, coming up with activities and learning opportunities for children, which is what I do all day and creativity is so much more! I remember the day that I was telling her that I wished I was creative and she was astounded by the comment because she, a brilliant artist, already understood that creativity is so much broader than the arts. I was so happy for her insights that day!
She has been an amazing art teacher to my own children and now she teaches awesome art classes at Learn Beyond The Book and also create her own beautiful art. See her short video about her classes to the left. Learn Beyond The Book offers so many other forms of art and other creative classes as well. Creativity is really written all over all our courses and in everything we do.
Creativity is encouraged and runs like a golden thread through all our classes, but some other classes that might interest those with some specific interest in the arts would be the Cartooning with Lena Harbali, or the in-person art courses with AJ Bondio or Zach Robinson. Then there is the video production class or phone photography with Michael Marchesan (see the video on the right) as well as dance fitness classes with Becky Castells. Lena also teaches some fashion and textile design (video below). Maybe you would like to mix art in with something else like the Spanish & Art Projects classes or the Draw Write Now class and it’s even possible to mix in history, like the class that Camryn Good is offering with Egyptian Archeology & Art Projects or Lena’s Study History through Fashion course. Camryn is also teaching Ceramics and Oil Painting. These are just a few options. For a full list, click here for art options and here for acting & film related classes, but remember… creativity is so much more! Check out all our creative courses here.
Real-life Learning
What better way to learn about engineering and building than from an engineer? Just one more way that Learn Beyond The Book brings learning and real-life together. Michael Marchesan was trained as a civil engineer who discovered that he really enjoyed teaching and tutoring, so for the past few years, Michael has been teaching Math, Engineering & other subjects at Learn Beyond The Book. We’ve had some fun watching the kids design and build bridges, housing structures complete with drainage systems, and other projects!
Why would anyone want to learn these skills? Not only does it come in handy for students who want to pursue a career in a STEM field, but the classes encourage critical thinking, problem solving, and designing of solutions. Then, students have the hands-on experience of building what they’ve designed. They get to use real tools and are encouraged to be creative within the parameters of the projects! In our changing world, these skills are becoming more and more invaluable by the day!
For early elementary students, we offer Lego Robotics & Engineering to introduce these skills.
For a full list of our Fall classes for Math & Engineering, click here
Customize your education, just like your burger!
Also available as a podcast on Spotify here
Extra pickles, no mayo, add avocado, gluten-free bun please … how can it be that you can customize your burger, but not your education?
We would agree that people should be able to pick their own meal at a restaurant. Restaurants in the United States also have gone the extra mile to allow anyone to customize their order even after picking the meal or drink that they want. Any special dietary restrictions are accommodated. Any changes to an order? The answer is almost always, “Sure! No problem!” There are restaurants to pick from for every taste bud out there and I am so happy to live in a country where that is the case!
However, when it comes to education, we are so used to the standard recipe. Customization is rarely even considered! Public schools are overcrowded and everyone attending, no matter what they would like to study, will be made to study the exact same thing, predetermined by higher ups in the policy making offices. I call this cookie-cutter education, one-size-fits-all. Only problem… one size does not fit all, as is clearly evident from our food orders alone. Every student learns differently and are interested in different topics, so the only education model that truly makes sense is student-centered education where students have a say in what they study, as well as when, where, why, and how!
Not only do students learn in many different ways and are interested in many different topics, but the typical information fed to students in a steady stream with daily instruction and ridiculous amounts of homework, is mostly irrelevant to what they need to be focusing on in our changing world where it will be much more important for students to know how to solve problems and come up with creative solutions than memorizing a bunch of facts! Critical thinking, emotional resiliency tools, and other life skills are sorely lacking from curriculum and might be some of the most important skills to ever learn!
We are very aware of all of these issues and we have come up with a new hybrid school solution that could easily scale into a full-time school at our learning center, Learn Beyond The Book. Classes are created by subject specialist teachers who are passionate about their field. They have control over what they teach and how with minimal admin responsibilities. They instruct small groups of students with a class size of maximum 12 students and the students are only there if they chose that class. The classes include interesting and creative combinations like The History of Astronomy through Minecraft or Reader’s Theater combined with Shakespeare. Core subjects are seamlessly woven together with other things and sometimes core subjects are combined in classes like Math and Movement or Science through Art. Real life skills are taught in classes such as Adulting 101, Cooking Workshops, Entrepreneurship, and Economics/Personal Finance to name just a few!
Every semester students and their parents look through a list of over 200 courses, some in-person in Los Angeles area and some via Zoom with live teachers. They pick the courses that they are interested in. Sometimes it could be something as simple as Video Game Design, Python Computer Programming or Minecraft Mods, which most parents don’t have much knowledge about or it could involve a class in Beginning Guitar or Sound Design. High school classes are also part of the menu as well as Dual Enrollment Community College Courses.
Sometimes parents don’t want to deal with the mess of a science class, so they outsource that and for the rest of the time they homeschool or maybe the parent just really struggles with math so they sign up for someone else to teach their child. Often, these students are under the umbrella of virtual homeschool charter schools where families are provided with some funding to use for educational services at approved vendors, such as Learn Beyond The Book, but others pay out of pocket. Students then meet with their credentialed teacher at the charter school on a regular basis and discuss educational goals and progress. This outsourcing takes the burden of teaching all subjects at all different levels away from parents and especially when families have multiple age groups of children, it is helpful to have outside help from teachers they can trust. All the teachers are background checked and carefully selected not only based on subject knowledge but also character and care for students. Learn Beyond The Book is all about community and belonging, a safe learning environment where students are nurtured to love learning for life!
Learning centers, like Learn Beyond The Book, are springing up across the country and the world and provide the added benefit of a social environment for students, who are homeschooled, to learn with peers and make friends. In addition, it provides some time for parents to take care of their own needs while their children are learning. Often parents pick classes back to back so they can drop off the children and come back a few hours later so they can work part-time or just get the week’s shopping done. It is an all-round win-win situation for everyone involved. The centers also provide a potential for someone who wants to just earn a little extra cash at a good rate by teaching an interesting class. Often these centers also organize social events and field trips to fascinating places and even organize events such as homeschool proms or dances! Fun holidays are also celebrated by e.g. dressing up for Halloween or having a holiday party!
Learning centers, such as Learn Beyond The Book, often provide the best of both worlds… the flexibility and customization of education that homeschooling offers while still having access to the fun events of traditional school with friends and community. We hope you will join us soon for something you want to learn about!
COVID-19 has made me a homeschooler, now what?!
If you’ve never thought you would use the word home-schooler to describe yourself and you might’ve even thought it was only for radicals of some sort, this blog post is for you. COVID-19 has changed all of our lives, even the homeschoolers, believe it or not, because, unlike what the word might sound like, we, as a general rule, are rarely home. We are out socializing at park days, group classes, field trips to interesting places, or just hanging out with friends.
So… it’s a whole new world for all of us. The only difference is that you’re probably not used to having your kids around all day and maybe you prefer it that way, but now that has changed, at least short-term. So, what to do about it all and how to proceed? I would love to give some input from my 20+ years of homeschooling my 4 children and also running a learning center for homeschoolers.
First of all, you will be asked to do some school at home from your local school. That is not what most homeschooling normally looks like, but it is one form of homeschooling.
There are many different approaches in homeschooling and now that you have the time and freedom to do some of the schooling in more engaging and fun ways, feel free to explore the many other philosophies. I have a recorded homeschool information meeting if you would like more details without researching it too much on your own and it covers approaches from Charlotte Mason to Project-based Unit Studies, Classical Education, Thomas Jefferson Education, Unschooling, and Eclectic Homeschooling.
Many of us homeschool through a homeschool virtual charter school, which provides a lot of freedom in picking curriculum, but still gives the structure of meeting with a credentialed teacher about once a month, getting some guidance and of course some educational funds to pay for educational classes, tutoring, music lessons, or materials and often those funds are spent at hybrid learning centers such as Learn Beyond The Book, where students attend classes once or twice a week and get a lot of learning done. Others choose to enroll in classes and pay out of pocket and file their own private school affidavit. There are many other ways of doing things than doing it all online or all on your own. There are great support systems, field trips, and social events for those who choose to homeschool, even prom, and graduations!
Since some of you might only be doing this for a short time, I would recommend spending the time reconnecting with your kids and enjoying being with them. This is a difficult time for all of us and your children are no exception. Don’t expect them to learn a ton when they’re stressed out and not feeling particularly safe. Those are key ingredients for successful learning to occur.
In the meantime, consider that a lot of things that aren’t considered ‘educational’ could still be part of learning. Pull out the Lego bin, a few puzzles, or some board games. Think about how to make the games more cooperative so there is less potential for someone getting too competitive and others getting upset. Many games can also be turned educational, for example, a simple game of cards can be turned into Math War instead or you can play scrabble with some vocabulary words. The possibilities are endless. Let the kids watch some Discovery Education or Our Planet on Netflix or something similar on a different platform. There are great documentaries on all platforms and there are even movies that you could watch that might portray a certain time period that they are studying or interested in. Make sure to consult your kids as you come up with things for them to do, especially if they’re a little older because once they have a say in the matter, attitudes often change for the better. Be open to their ideas, because they will have some great ones and teach them some research skills by helping them research and sift through what is a reliable source of information and what is not. This is the time where they can just explore a ton of interests. Initially, they might look directionless and it might look like they’re just poking around, but give them time and space and something really great might emerge. How about cooking or baking together, if they’re interested? You can do a lot of math as part of cooking and baking as well as some kitchen chemistry. If you were bad at Chemistry in school and feel like you don’t know anything about kitchen chemistry, why not research it together? If you’re willing to become a student with your children, they will learn a lot just from that. This is a great time to read up on some topics that you’ve always been curious about and learn something new, maybe even an instrument that has been lying around the house! Or alternatively, teach them something that is a hobby of yours that they might be interested in. You could also try out a virtual class in something they might find interesting to see how they enjoy that.
For some a rough schedule for the day is helpful, others don’t do too well with strict schedules so find your rhythm, there is no huge rush and you don’t have to worry about the kids doing well on the state tests this year, although with a lot of one-on-one help they might all actually perform better than usual on the tests, if they were being given, which they aren’t. If you feel the need, you can hire a great tutor for certain subjects as well. There is no right or wrong way to homeschool because each child is different and they have their own learning styles and modalities, personalities, and brain functions. Keep that in mind. They might learn differently than you do and that is great, but sometimes harder to teach, but you can learn how.
Home-schooling is a journey, not an event. If you remember one thing, please remember that. You will have a lot of trial and error, just like you did when you first became a parent and probably still somewhat every day, so don’t be too hard on yourself or your children, especially in this time, enjoy each other, see them for who they are, find the beauty and strengths in their personality, try to understand why they do the things they do (what needs are they trying to meet and what feelings are they experiencing as a result), focus on having a growth mindset (I don’t know now, but I can learn how) and learn with them. You will be surprised at what bond might grow out of it for the years to come.
Welcome to the world of home-schooling, the way of schooling that existed before the 1800s and produced our founding fathers and many other amazing and fascinating people in history. You can do it!
- Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com
What I wish I knew before starting to homeschool
We all start homeschooling for different reasons. Here are just a few:
- Disillusionment with the public school system
- Not able to afford private school
- Religious reasons
- Wanting to spend more time with our children
- Wanting a superior education for our children
- Wanting our child not to be indoctrinated with pop culture
- Wanting our child to not just fit in society’s boxes, but to be a free thinker
You could’ve gone into the whole endeavor for any or all of the reasons above or a number of other reasons.
Whatever your reason for starting, we all run into similar issues as we go along our path and some catch it sooner than others. I have learned some of the lessons in the following articles the hard way and through observing and communicating with lots of different homeschoolers and I am convinced that if you know some of these potential pitfalls at the start, you can more successfully navigate through it, even prevent it all the way, and come out on the other side with well-rounded children and a strong marriage intact, both of which are really important for a fulfilled life as a homeschooler.
I am convinced that more books will be published in the next few years, because as homeschooling matures and becomes more widely accepted, as well as more people reach the point where their children are graduating and they can look back and reflect on what they might’ve done differently.
So, I intend to, in the articles that will follow, let you know some of my experiences and those of others I’ve talked to and observed, in an effort to save you a bit of the difficult learning curve. We’re busy enough as homeschoolers to not have to waste unnecessary time on stumbling through some potential pitfalls.
Make peace from the onset that you WILL make “mistakes” on your homeschool journey, in parenting, as well as in life in general, but try to see it not as mistakes, but learning experiences and adjust accordingly, as we teach our children as well. As long as you’re willing to change, there really is no such thing as a mistake. As long as you don’t expect perfection from yourself, you will do just fine.
There is a poem by an anonymous person that has changed my life and I would like to include it below. I now live by this poem or I try really hard to and it goes further than parenting. I believe it is just as applicable to homeschooling. I think we all start out with some of these as goals, but then in the busy-ness of the whole homeschool journey we sometimes forget this, so read it often to remind yourself where you’re heading.
“If I had my child to raise (school) all over again,
I’d build self-esteem first and the house later,
I’d finger paint more and point the finger less,
I would do less correcting and more connecting,
I’d take my eyes off my watch and watch with my eyes,
I would care to know less and know to care more,
I’d take more hikes and fly more kites,
I’d stop playing seriously and seriously play,
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars,
I’d do more hugging and less nagging,
I’d see the oak tree in the acorn more often,
I’d model less about the love of power …
And more about the power of love.” – Anonymous
Using community college in self-directed learning
Sometimes college and self-directed learning go hand-in-hand, but sometimes it’s the polar opposite. Often, when we’ve had self-directed learning happening for the beginning years of a child’s education, college courses can be quite a shock to the system! Suddenly there are textbooks to be read, papers to be written and discussions to be had. Sometimes it can at first seem overwhelming in the quantity of work or just way too boring, but I want to argue that it is indeed possible to use the system in your favor and still foster self-directed learning.
I have 4 children and all of them have been using the community college system to earn dual credit courses and now we offer companion courses at Learn Beyond The Book to help students achieve those credits. The beauty of these classes is that, in most cases, they are free to high school students. Secondly, they are taught by experts in their field of study. Then, we also have the benefit that, to fulfill IGETC transfer requirements or AA General Education requirements (if university is in your student’s future), many different options are available, for example, to fulfill the Arts and Humanities area on the IGETC, not everyone has to take the same course! There are options available in Art or if your student isn’t an artist, there is Art History, Dance history, Film history or Theater History and a few other courses in those subject areas. If that is not enough, there are even courses in Spanish, Anthropology, Philosophy, English, Linguistics, Chicano Studies etc. So much to choose from to fulfill that one subject area. It is the same for most of the other areas of study. They have options and can tailor make their own experience by choosing the classes that most closely resemble their interests! Instead of Biology, one could possibly take Biological Anthropology or Biological Psychology, etc.
In the case where a student isn’t planning to go to university, there are tons of options of classes that they can pick from and they can take any random college course. There are even courses in very practical skills, such as welding, plumbing, and construction! If they start a class, they have 2 weeks to drop it, if it’s not a good fit, and with the help of RateMyProfessor.com, even the teachers can be vetted before enrolling. It is really a beautiful system that can advance a student in very specific knowledge that a parent might not normally have.
If a student decides that university is where they want to go, it is also such a cheaper and less painful way to get done with high school and college credits that they might not be that interested in before going to university. A semester class at a college counts for a year of high school credit and also increases the student’s GPA. Often, if a student has taken a lot of college courses, done well in them, and decides to apply to colleges, they do not have to do any SAT or ACT testing either. If they completed the right courses, they can transfer into a university as a junior or sometimes they can even sign a TAG agreement or TAP and be guaranteed a spot in a university or a much higher chance of being admitted.
There are a few skills that students will need before they can successfully do most of these courses and it involves reading well and writing a good 5-paragraph essay. These skills can be obtained rather painlessly with a good teacher or some curriculum to help them and the beauty of self-directed learners is that they are intrinsically motivated, so once they know that they need something, they just take care of learning it! One of my sons had done Algebra 1 and was busy with Algebra 2, but not very enthusiastically and inconsistently and when he realized he was interested in studying Aerospace Engineering, he took 6 months and used the free Khanacademy website and taught himself the rest of Algebra 2, Trigonometry, Geometry, and Pre-Calculus and tested into the college Calculus 1 class where he then completed all the different levels of Calculus and fell in love with Math. That is a supreme example of intrinsic motivation, self-directed learning and taking care of what he had to learn to advance towards his goal.
The thing to remember with college courses are that those grades are pretty permanent, so make sure a student is ready before enrolling, but with our new program at Learn Beyond The Book where we have a companion course for each college course that the students are enrolled in, there is very little chance of failure, unless they just aren’t trying at all. We vet the teachers, we discuss assignments, students enjoy having their peers around while learning the material, we remind them of deadlines and we have had great success with many students. Let us know if you have questions about this program. Here is a link to what will be offered in the 2019-20 school year.
Math – What’s next?!!
As someone who LOVES Math and did all the extra problems in school for homework (just because it was so fun) and now have been teaching it for about 18 years, I’ve learned so much while teaching! Math came so easy to me, but I learned, while teaching my own 4 kids, that it doesn’t come naturally to everyone and when it doesn’t, it can drive a parent up the wall, especially if they don’t understand how kids learn Math and especially if they love Math themselves and are naturally good at it. I did not realize how much repetition it took, how much time certain concepts would take and initially didn’t have the knowledge of how it all fits together like one big beautiful puzzle. So it created a lot of frustration.
I feel I owe this article to all the Math-loving parents and non-Math loving students out there! I hear more about Math frustrations and confusions than any other subject. The worst part of all? Everyone thinks they’re the only ones with the problem! I believe anyone can learn Math, it’s just a matter of time, patience, and the right way of learning it.
I tell my students that Math is a language, it has vocabulary, it follows rules and you can’t learn to write essays before you can write words, so everything builds on everything before that. If someone is teaching you Math and they don’t understand the flow of how Math builds, it becomes extremely frustrating and no fun, while Math is inherently fun with all the cool patterns and all the amazing things we can do with it. We put a man on the moon with Math! But let’s not start there, let’s start at the beginning.
There are 2 types of teachers who teach Math, whether in home schools or in public schools: those who love Math and find it easy and fun and those who hate Math and find it very confusing, frustrating and near impossible to understand. The latter, once they do understand it, naturally have more patience with students, because they remember the struggle and how hard it was for them, while those who loved it and found it easy, often can’t even remember the order they learned it in, because they just know it all now and can’t remember a time that it was hard and often don’t exhibit a ton of patience, because they can’t even understand how anyone “can not get it, since it’s so easy!”
If you feel you aren’t the best person to teach your student Math, one way of dealing with it is outsourcing it to someone who is experienced in teaching it like the caring teachers at Learn Beyond The Book, where we do Math twice a week for 1.5 hours each time and students can come once or both sessions, combine it with some fun math games each class period and move up to the next level as they reach their math goals. Students are allowed to work at their own level of Math without being compared with the other students in the class and classes have max of 12 students, in which case we normally have teacher’s assistants in the room as well.
Another way might be to employ a private tutor, which we also offer at Learn Beyond the Book. If none of those appeal to you and you would like to teach your homeschooled students at home yourself, you might find this information helpful. I decided to develop a very simple product (cost is $1) that looks a bit like a table of contents, but it is much more than that. It shows a logical flow of what needs to be taught in terms of Math instruction in the order that is easiest to teach and for children to understand based on my experience from my 18 years of teaching Math.
Many parents and even non-math-loving teachers try to teach their students math and use traditional textbooks, but they don’t understand the flow of Math instruction and then aren’t always aware that e.g. teaching fractions when someone has not mastered the concept of division and what it entails, will be very difficult and you won’t get very far and it will end up in frustration for everyone involved.
This product is meant to be used with whatever curriculum you choose to use, but it is to help you sift through where your students are at, help with assessing what they might be missing and where they might’ve developed “gaps” in their math instruction using certain textbooks and help you stay on track. The Math curriculum that most closely follows this approach is Math-U-See, and then the “Key To” series once you reach Decimals, % and Fractions. Used in conjunction with those curriculum, it will be easier to follow this plan and cover all your bases and make sure your students are not getting lost in what could be a Math jungle.
For any questions, feel free to contact me at LearnBeyondTheBook@gmail.com.
Happy Computing!
New to homeschooling? Where to start? Helpful tips to get started
I’m homeschooling… I have no idea where to start! HELP!
First of all, congratulations on deciding to take a pro-active approach towards your children’s education. Secondly, I know how scary this can feel, much like you felt the first time your oldest child was put into your arms and you had to start parenting and had no idea what you were doing. As you look back, I’m sure you, like most parents, would’ve told your younger self to relax and enjoy it as much as possible. You really CAN do this! You’ve successfully taught them to walk and talk, and you can take it the rest of the way! You are not alone and there are great resources available, more now than ever before.
In this article I would like to guide you a little on where to start with some practical tips to make the process move along a little smoother.
1. Join as many local support groups as you can find and know where to find information for local homeschooling. Then start attending some of the events and field trips to get connected.
For Santa Clarita, that is easy, because we have a lot of support out here and hundreds, if not thousands, of homeschool families. There are TONS of social activities and if you hook up here, you will find out about all of them.
Here are some links to get you started:
http://www.meetup.com/Santa-Clarita-Homeschoolers-and-Hybrid-Schoolers/
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Homeschooling_Explorers/
http://www.learnbeyondthebook.com/articleslinks.htm
2. Attend a homeschool information meeting where you can ask questions and get some basic homeschool information – there is one about once a month and details about it is available on the LearnBeyondTheBook.com website.
If you can’t wait till the next info meeting, click on this link for a recorded info meeting with all the supporting documents.
3. Read “how to” books about homeschooling.
Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
Discover Your Child’s Learning Style by Maria-emma Willis, ISBN 978-0761520139
The Three R’s by Ruth Beechick, ISBN 978-0880620741
Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto, ISBN 978-0865714489
How Children Learn by John Holt, ISBN 978-0201484045
101 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy, ISBN 978-0929320151
The Teenage Liberation Handbook ISBN 978-0962959172
4. Attend a local park day and listen to all the veteran moms talk about curriculum and classes and ask your questions. Most likely someone else has the same question or has used that curriculum before that you have a question about. You can talk while your children will form important friendship bonds with the other kids.
5. Attend your first Used Curriculum Sale – these are always some in the summer months and we have a used curriculum selection for sale all year at Learn Beyond The Book. Used Curriculum sales are great to look at curriculum hands-on before purchasing it and the prices are a fraction of the cost of new curriculum. Definitely go to one of these before buying new curriculum if possible.
6. Attend your first curriculum fair/convention. These usually also occur during the summer months. They provide lots of great talks and discussions where you can learn more. If you missed it this year, don’t worry, they happen every year.
7. Like the Learn Beyond The Book page on Facebook. Our Facebook page provides inspiration, current news, homeschool humor, and lots more and it’s LOCAL!
8. Familiarize yourself with the California Homeschool Network (CHN) website where you can find answers to questions about if it is legal to homeschool and tons more information. It is also great to refer friends and family to, if needed.
9. Take a look at the California Department of Education website if you are wondering about standards and what would be covered in different grades in a public school.
10. Decide if you are going to file your own PSA or if you are going to register with a charter school. Feel free to read my other article about charter schools so that you can get a better understanding what that involves. If you decide on a charter school, make sure to apply ASAP.
11. If you decide you don’t want to do all the subjects alone at home, but want to “outsource” some learning to someone else in and do some version of hybrid schooling, check out our Fall 2019 schedule to choose from hundreds of engaging, hands-on, project-based courses, kindergarten through 12th grade, in 4 different locations.
12. ENJOY your children and being together as a family and enjoy all the learning you will be doing yourself!
Happiness in Education
Happiness…. What is it? Most of us will probably define it as something that we all strive for, something that is even listed as one of our “unalienable rights” in the Declaration of Independence – the right to the pursuit of happiness. The Webster’s Dictionary calls it
a : a state of well-being and contentment : joy
b : a pleasurable or satisfying experience
Amidst all the talk about happiness, including countless seminars and books, it appears to me that we don’t always put a high enough premium on it when it comes to the world of education. It seems we have forgotten that happiness is also an unalienable right of children and not just adults. So often we see kids dragging themselves to school, experiencing little joy from the process of learning, even though education is one of the most wondrous of life’s experiences!
This saddens me, and makes me very determined to work for a change! The incorporation of happiness and joy into the process of learning is grossly undervalued in most of our educational systems today. Our lives are so short; this is a reality I have just recently experienced again with the death of my father. Why would we spend extended periods of time in self-imposed misery when we don’t have to? Sadly, most kids don’t have any say in this whole process of imposed joylessness. They get dragged to school with no choice and the frustration that creates can spill out in the form of a variety of undesirable behaviors.
There are many enjoyable and engaging ways to learn. The industrialized method that we’ve been using for the past century is, increasingly, not one of those. Wouldn’t it be more engaging for students to learn through experiences, projects, apprenticeships, and from people with a passion for the subject than to spend an inordinate amount of time practicing for a test? If an adult wants to learn something, they find someone who knows the subject, spend time with them and learn in a hands-on, experiential way–why is it not the same for kids? When teachers are saddled with increasingly large class sizes, required to spend many days testing and many more preparing for these tests, and required to cover all subjects, it is virtually impossible to engage every child in the most inspiring way. Putting aside the fact that it takes all the joy out of teaching, there are other problems with that model as well. If that teacher really is not a fan of Math, do you think it will not come through in her teaching? If she freaks out when she sees a bug, do you think her Science class will take a hands-on approach, or be the best these kids have ever had? Of course not! Everyone has their limitations, and someone who does not enjoy a subject isn’t the best choice to be teaching it.
At Learn Beyond The Book, we have taken many of the problems we’ve seen in traditional schools and created solutions. Not only are all our classes taught by individuals who are highly passionate and knowledgeable about their subject, but also by kind, compassionate individuals who think of the children as whole human beings, engaging them as individuals and encouraging them as a group. We see children as resourceful, and value their input as part of the educational process. We create classes where they feel embraced and respected as they actively participate in their own learning, where they more easily remember what they’ve learned, because they were engaged in the learning process, not passive bystanders!
Learn Beyond The Book maintains small class sizes to create an intimate and safe environment where kids can try things, fail, learn from their mistakes, succeed, and celebrate each other’s successes. What is the result of all this? Happy kids who can’t wait to come to class! It’s a win-win for students, teachers, and parents. All the kids attending are either homeschooled or hybrid schooled, which combines independent learning with several of our classes. We provide support to homeschooling families and high quality class options to families who enroll in home-study charter schools. Homeschooling parents love this system because it provides them with some free time and a break from the feeling that they have to become an expert in every subject, especially the ones they do not enjoy themselves. Many times we’ve even seen parents become more interested in learning about a topic that they previously didn’t find interesting, because their kid has been so inspired by a class and shared their excitement with a parent. Our teachers enjoy teaching because they have freedom to teach the kids in the way that they best learn, considering all the different personalities and learning styles in their class, and without being bound by stringent testing and grading standards. Our students have a great time learning and doing it all surrounded by good friends and a supportive, less competitive atmosphere. It is all so exciting to observe!
In my experience, happy teachers teach more effectively, and happy students are more efficient learners. Many of our families have remarked about the change they see in their kids when they are learning in our more happiness-inducing atmosphere. Imagine how your child might blossom in such an environment.
If you are interested in a different kind of learning environment for your children, feel free to check out our website and all of our Fall classes.
Why I love homeschooling and hybrid schooling as much as I do
As this calendar year draws to a close, my appreciation for homeschooling and hybrid schooling (a mix of school at home and outsourced classes) keeps growing. As new students attend classes at Learn Beyond The Book, I feel so grateful for the opportunities we have, especially where we live. An individualized education for each kid is possible! It takes work, but so do most things that is worth anything in life.
Here are some things I love most about homeschooling/hybrid schooling:
- Kids can learn at their own pace and in their own style!
Everyone is so different! As adults, we all know it, accept it, and even appreciate that about each other, but in schools there is so much pressure to conform to a certain standard and all at the same age. When you homeschool or do hybrid schooling, you can truly customize education! Then it’s not a one-size-fits-all education, but a have-it-your-way education! It’s the way of the future!
If you, for example, feel that your child is advanced in Math, you can put them in the skill level class that you feel they need to be in by either getting the curriculum for that level or attending a skills-based Math class at Learn Beyond The Book or signing up for some sessions with a great tutor. If you feel they’re a little behind in Reading, there is a class for every level. If they’re really interested in Science, there is a class for that as well! Homeschooled kids are so used to kids of all ages that they don’t even bat an eye if an older or younger child is in their class or on their level. We always stress in all our classes at Learn Beyond The Book that you can only know something if you’ve learned it, so we make sure no-one ever has any comments like “You don’t know that?!” That way every class remains a safe learning environment for everyone to be in, on an emotional level as well as academically.
On the other hand, if your child is extremely interested in Technology, why not build their education around their interest? Why not sign them up for a Minecraft Science Modules class if they are a Minecraft fan, or help them learn how to program their own Video Games? If they love History, focus most of their learning around their interest and see their love for learning blossom!! We love to provide all these different kinds of classes to homeschooled kids so that they can excel in their areas of interest.
- Homeschooled kids, especially as they get older, have more time to themselves – no unnecessary busy work and homework that leads nowhere. Teens tend to know themselves better, because they have more time to focus on what drives them and what they like to do when no-one is telling them what to do. This leads them to discover what their passion in life is or just what they enjoy doing and it could lead to a future career. When some of my children were in high school, they took a lot of community college courses and even with a pretty full load they still had hours more per week to themselves than their public school peers.
What did they do with their time? The one spent hours a day practicing singing in the band he was in, then moved on to spending hours on a flight simulator and starting to read airplane manuals, watching countless documentaries, reading books about people he admired, which all lead him to his desire to study Aerospace Engineering. The other spent hours a day playing video games and hanging out on Skype with his friends after learning some special effects video editing, with which he has earned some money and he developed his art. Then he dabbled in Filmmaking classes, learned all about lighting, editing, Photoshop, multimedia art, and more at the local community colleges. Now he studies concept design for the entertainment industry and uses, as he told me the other day, every single thing he ever delved into, even the map building software that was linked to a videogame he loved as a teen. The focus was not on getting him to stop playing video games, because that would’ve been futile, but to make sure that he doesn’t just play but use it in some creative way, which I asked him to do every day at some point and he usually happily did that, because it was still linked to his big love of games. He has now learned within days a complicated game development software and started building his own game while using his own concept design art for it, using all the skills he acquired in that time when many might have thought he was just wasting his time on games. One interest leads to another and as long as we are helping to guide things to a healthy place, eventually they find who they really are. If they are told constantly what to do and when, they barely know who they are, end up with years in college for a degree they aren’t that interested in and thousands of dollars in debt later, they end up in a career that they don’t love and when midlife hits, there is a crisis.
- The fact that homeschooled students have more free time than kids in traditional schools usually also allows them more time to spend with family and friends and as a result they develop really deep and meaningful relationships that often last a lifetime. Bonds between siblings are very close if nurtured properly by the parents, because they spend a lot of time together. They are also often a little less influenced by what their typical teen peers and society would think is “cool” and enjoy simple wonderful things in life. Because they are used to being around their parents and other adults, they appreciate parents more than most school kids who are gone from their parents for almost all productive hours of the day. As they grow, it often becomes more important for them to have a little more independent time with friends, which is when nurturing classes and group social events come in handy (like the ones at Learn Beyond The Book), because they have healthy interactions with friends with the guidance of a compassionate facilitator. All this make for kids who are socially very well adjusted because they are so used to interacting with all different ages from adults to younger kids with the mixed ages of families, classes, parkdays and social events. They aren’t just used to interacting with their exact age peers. As the excellent movie, ‘Class Dismissed’ put it, there is no need to group kids “by date of manufacture”. I love that term!
In our classes at Learn Beyond The Book, all students are treated with the same respect we would give an adult, so all their opinions are treated as valuable and it makes such a big difference in how they perceive themselves and their fellow students, no matter what the age.
I can keep talking for much longer, but these are my top three reasons for loving homeschooling and hybrid schooling as much as I do! More in my next blog, thanks for reading!
Inspirational Day
Today was one of those days that I won’t easily forget. A sweet lady, Gina, asked to sit down on our bench in the hotel lobby. She had an oxygen tank and clearly was out of breath. After making sure she was ok, we started chatting and she started telling us her story about how she recently was finally diagnosed with Alpha-1, a genetic disorder that affects your liver function and that in turn affects your lungs, a disease dating back to a genetic mutation from the Viking days!
She continued to tell us how she was misdiagnosed for years and at death’s door and just knew there had to be a better way and that something was wrong with her treatment and as she kept seeking for answers, she discovered that she has this genetic disease. Now she is a walking testimony of the great work that the Alpha-1 Foundation does for those with this disease (they were having a conference in the hotel I was staying in). She shared with us how it is free to get tested for the disease with a simple blood test and how it can really make a big difference if someone is diagnosed at a younger age.
At the time, I was meeting with Arlene, from Inspire Charter School and another friend. We were all so happy that Gina sat down right where we were, because none of us has ever even heard of this disease! What was even more remarkable was her journey and how she never gave up, even when she was near death. She questioned the doctors and kept searching for answers on her own. She just sounded like a true homeschooler! When she found out that we were homeschooling, she said that she would’ve done it if it was an option when she was younger and she mentioned how she skipped high school and attended community college herself instead!
This experience inspired me just once again to continue encouraging our children to always use critical thinking, question those in authority when needed, not just blindly following the “expert” advice. It was also another reminder of how perseverance is such an important character trait to teach. I love how homeschooling allows us to have more time with our kids and it makes me so grateful that I’m able to be around to teach these important traits to my kids and the kids at Learn Beyond The Book.
New hybrid school program for Santa Clarita starting Fall 2015!
The great news about charter schools just keep coming this week!!
As you know, Learn Beyond The Book already partners with 10 great charter schools offering classes and social groups, fieldtrips, and more to their students and will continue to do so (Golden Valley, Sky Mountain, Gorman, SCVi, iLead Lancaster, iLead Exploration, Sage Oak, Albert Einstein Academy, Excel Academy, and Mission View Charter Schools).
I’m very excited to let you know that Inspire Charter School has partnered with Learn Beyond The Book, to provide a true hybrid program for homeschoolers/hybrid schoolers in a new Specialty Program, starting Fall 2015. There are many benefits for you as a result of our partnership. Most families will love the ability to choose up to any six of the available Beyond The Book classes each semester. These classes are available tuition free for all enrolled Inspire Charter School students. If students want to take more than the six classes, parents are free to pay the rest out of pocket.
The whole goal of Inspire is to simplify things in order to give students the best individualized education program possible. Inspire provides special education services and the teacher assigned to your student will be available for assisting parents in getting any questions answered that you might have about the program or homeschooling in general.
A credentialed teacher, assigned to the students at Learn Beyond The Book (one of our own local teachers), will be on site at Learn Beyond The Book at regular predetermined times and they will be collecting the monthly work samples, most of which will be created during Learn Beyond The Book class times from students/parents, as well as an attendance calendar, which has to be initialed by the students and signed by parents for all days attended in the month. Since the teacher will know the students from being on site, they wouldn’t have to meet with them and the parents for an hour each month. Parents also won’t have to fill out any specific learning logs. We are excited to have Kelli Mejia, a homeschool mom herself, be our first teacher!
If your student chooses to use the online courses available to them, the funding for those will not reduce your tuition-free classes. For K-8 students, K12 or Odysseyware is available and A-G approved APEX for high school students. Students in high school could replace APEX courses with community college classes and/or test out of certain courses. High School Science courses with labs done through APEX will have labs completed by attending 2 Saturdays per semester of lab time. Electives taken at Learn Beyond The Book can count for credit under certain circumstances, so please see this article for more details. High school credentialed teachers are available all week for students’ questions via phone and online and classes taught by our own credentialed teachers will be able to count for high school credit.
When testing time rolls around, all Inspire state testing will also be conducted at Learn Beyond The Book’s facility and proctored by the assigned teacher(s). Inspire doesn’t believe in teaching to the test so students will not feel pressure about that.
If students want to use funding at other vendors as well, they can enroll in a different program of Inspire with an annual budget of $1,000 for enrichment with the core subjects being done through one of the online platforms (K12, Odysseyware and APEX). In this program, students have to use the online curriculum.
There are limited spots available for the Fall, so don’t delay your enrollment if this sounds like a great fit for your family. Then also register on our site for the classes you want and put Inspire down as your school.
A free information meeting to provide you with more details about Inspire’s partnership with Learn Beyond The Book was held on July 16, 2015 and here is a partial recording of the meeting (forgot to push record right away, but what you missed is in this article).
Spotlight on Homeschool Wind & Percussion Band
Have you ever wished your child could play in a Wind & Percussion band at school, but thought that it might be hard to pull off because of the fact that you’re homeschooling? Maybe you don’t want to pay for Flute, Trumpet or Drum lessons first and then get into a band, because maybe the kids won’t even want to take it or won’t be excited about practicing, even though you see the benefits of learning to read music and play an instrument.
Well, there is good news. At Learn Beyond The Book, we have started a Band program and it has been so fun! The kids don’t have to be trained in any instrument before joining the band. They can join and receive lessons as part of band practice. The motivating factor for getting better is that they’re playing in a band with their friends and that usually helps motivate them to practice.
Our awesome band director, Kris Chase, has played in a lot of bands and can teach all the different wind/percussion instruments. We have Beginnning and Intermediate Band, so if your child has already been trained in one of the instruments, they can join the Intermediate Band and if they are brand new, Beginning Band would be perfect. The Band meets Monday afternoons starting 9/14. Beginning Band meets at 5-5:45pm and Intermediate Band meets 4:15-5pm.
A great perk is that we are allowing homeschool parents of enrolled band students to join us for free if they would like to play as well.
My Favorite Curriculum
People ask me so often what curriculum I recommend. The answer always is a hodgepodge of curriculum, otherwise known as an eclectic approach. I found these curriculum choices to work well for a broad spectrum of kids and use it regularly in the group classes that I teach at Learn Beyond The Book as well, so I wanted to write them down, because many wonder about it. If you ask 10 homeschoolers what curriculum they use though, you will have 10 different answers, so it will be a trial and error process to find the good matches for your child’s learning style, so try to get the curriculum used. Here are just my own personal favorites, but of course by no means a comprehensive list:
For Language Arts:
Spelling:
Spelling Power is my favorite and I sometimes combine it with the free version of Spelling City online that has a few online games which they like. I will do the pretest from Spelling Power, but modify it a bit and go till they have 10 words wrong, then put them into Spelling City and let them do that daily until they get 100% for 3 days in a row. If they keep missing just 1 word, I will move on and just add that word to the next list. The way that Spelling Power prescribes also works great, but if you have less time every day for a pretest, the Spelling City combination is helpful.
Reading:
Bob Books and then the readers from the curriculum set Sing, Spell, Read, and Write. After that I love some small reader books from the library and then switch to lots of picture books. Once you do picture books and they get a bit harder, you might read some words and they read some and that way they don’t get too tired and frustrated. I would say whenever frustration sets in, that’s it for the day. You want them to love reading, and not hate it. Also, read out loud to them a lot of fun books that they can’t read themselves yet. Dr. Seuss books are my favorite, but there are tons of other fun ones too.
After they start reading, let them pick books that they love from the library or Amazon/Barnes & Noble.
Grammar:
First Language Lessons and the Rummy Roots games from English from the Roots Up to learn Greek and Latin Root words, then reinforce things learned in First Language Lessons with Easy Grammar and Daily Grams.
Writing:
I like Writing Strands for some things and Institute for Excellence in Writing for other things (look for this used, it is really expensive). I like to combine Writing with whatever else we’re learning, so if we just studied ants, I will let them tell me something about what they’ve learned and write it down (start with just a few words, then progress to a sentence and paragraphs, then essays eventually). Then I would let them copy what I wrote, because that way they write it, it’s really their words, but they see the correct way to write it with correct spelling, punctuation and capitalization OR you can let them copy sentences from their favorite books. I got this idea of copying and dictating from the Charlotte Mason Approach.
Math:
Math-U-See for place value, addition and subtraction and then when they’ve mastered those, I like the Key To Series for Decimals, Percents & Fractions, etc., coupled with a lot of Math Games. After that I like Saxon Algebra ½ for Pre-Algebra and for Algebra 1 my favorite book is Elementary Algebra, which you can purchase with or without a DVD with an excellent instructor.
Economics & Finance/Consumer Math:
I wrote my own curriculum for this, because I didn’t find something that I really liked. My curriculum is called Where’s the Money? It has a lot of hands-on teaching and ideas and incorporates games and entrepreneurship.
Social Studies:
For Social Studies, I love Story of the World as the backbone and books from the library plus unit studies from Teachers Pay Teachers for activities for specific topics to supplement – borrowed this idea from Classical Education where History is done chronologically.
Science:
Lots of Science books from the library and Schlessinger Media DVDs and Discovery Education for almost any subject. I would tailor it a lot to what my kids were interested in at the time. Animal Planet episodes are also great for some Science. Mostly let them ask all their questions about how the world works and find them the answers and ask them questions about it so that they start thinking about it themselves. I also love Brain Pop. There will be some free videos, but a subscription is usually required. A lot of the charter schools have this as a free resource to you though, so check with your teacher if you are in a charter school.
I hope this has been helpful. Feel free to come browse our selection of new and used curriculum at SCV Beyond Books.
Class Dismissed Documentary Review
A few months ago, I found out that a new documentary about homeschooling would be released soon and I was very excited. I bought my ticket online and drove down to North Hollywood last night to see it in the Laemmle Theater. I entered the theater with great anticipation and the hope that this will be a documentary that I can recommend to secular and religious people alike when they consider homeschooling as an option or are new to it. Up to this point, I haven’t had much luck locating a documentary like it anywhere. All I’ve had to recommend were Sir Ken Robinson’s awesome TED Talks and the great talk about Hackschooling. I must admit that I was concerned and a bit nervous too, since I had invited a lot of fellow homeschoolers to go watch it with me. What if this was just another biased documentary with an agenda to push one way of homeschooling as the only right way?
The theater was clearly filled with enthusiastic homeschoolers as was evident from the loud cheers at regular intervals during the screening. As the movie minutes rolled along, I got more and more excited about Class Dismissed. It really portrayed all different kinds of options available to homeschoolers as it followed a family along their homeschool journey, struggles and all. What I really loved about it was that several different options were given. Viewers got to see different approaches to homeschooling and other options like hybrid schooling with the help of learning centers as well as an experience with a charter school. They made the point throughout that one thing would or wouldn’t work for their family, which is the way it should be seen, especially as homeschoolers. There is no right way for each family and not even for each student!
I felt the movie did a wonderful job of being real. It had a real family, real-life issues, real questions and concerns, real solutions, without being unnecessarily dramatized. I am convinced that the homeschool world needs a movie like this so badly, because everyone has their own struggles and especially when you are new to it, parents so often feel so alone and think that they’re the only ones with struggles and that they are just not equipped to pull it off! I’ve found countless times that as soon as I’m honest about our family’s struggles on the journey, others open up and share theirs as well and it is amazing how similar these struggles are. The film did an excellent job of portraying homeschooling as it truly is: a journey and not an event.
I appreciated the homeschool experts who spoke during the movie, with all their years of wisdom. They all had such good points to add and really contributed to making this a great and balanced film. I loved how none of them pushed just one way of homeshooling as the only or superior way. Blake Boles even commented how homeschooling isn’t for everyone and that it really is about the choice that parents should have between all different kinds of schooling, which is not currently the case. I believe that movies like this will do a lot to promote change in that direction, which is very exciting.
The drive down to North Hollywood was made even more worth it since we got to meet the family who is the main part of the film, as well as the 2 producers, Jeremy Stuart and Dustin Woodard. What an amazing production! The cinematography and editing were excellent as well. I found it very easy to watch and interesting to follow the life of the family. It was engaging and not repetitive footage as is often the case with documentaries.
I want to show this film to everyone because of all the great reasons above and so we will have small screenings at Learn Beyond The Book as we’ve done before, depending on demand. I am convinced that this movie could be the start for many families of creating an environment where everyone can be happy, fulfilled individuals all throughout their lives. I hope you will be able to join us for one of the screenings. If you have a day and time preference, please leave it in the comment section.
Why Summer Camps?
Isn’t summer for fun and lazy days on the beach or spent playing videogames? I would reply a resounding yes to that question, but summer can also be a great time to try out some new interest or hobby. What about making your own videogame?! What about taking a summer camp for a week to see how you like a new technology or if you might want to work in the entertainment industry with some acting coaching? Maybe even bake something or create gorgeous art?
This is what Learn Beyond The Book, in conjunction with ASE Enrichment is offering at their location this year for anyone over the age of 6. Starting June 15, there will be many different camps ranging from Technology to Art and Performing Art. Santa Clarita is in for a treat! Come learn about Video Game Design, Animation, Acting, Woodburning Art, Entrepreneurship, Website Building, Improv, Cooking, and more!
One of the great features of these camps are that they will not have more than 12 students per camp, so every student will get very individualized attention and learn a lot.
Don’t delay to sign up, because these camps are filling fast.
Why homeschool parents want to quit and why they don’t have to – part 4
As I’ve discussed in previous blogs, there are many reasons why homeschool parents think of giving up, but today I want to give you the final two in this series accompanied by some possible solutions.
• I’m not patient enough to do this
Although it is true that some people have a more patient disposition without even trying, a lot of people will be much more patient if they put themselves in their children’s shoes. I challenge every homeschooling parent to learn a skill they are not familiar with especially one that is hard for them, to feel the inadequate feeling that comes with that.
I recently started to learn the flute and even though I already read music, it was not easy at all and I was just imagining how hard it must be if someone doesn’t even read music yet. It gave me even more patience for kids just learning a new language or Math concepts. A lot of the time, especially learning those skills, it seems crazy how often the kids forget the facts they’ve learned and knew perfectly the day or week before, but it has not been cemented in their brains yet if they forgot it. I used to think my kids were just lazy and not trying their best until I learned how much repetition it takes to make it second nature in our minds.
Possible solutions:
– Don’t accept that you’re not patient as a character trait, but work on becoming more patient by e.g. learning something new yourself and/or thinking from the child’s perspective
– If you have a particularly hard time staying patient with a certain topic, consider a tutor or other teacher. We are most impatient in the subjects that we’re really good at, because to us it is already like second nature and way too obvious, so it’s hard to be patient with someone who might have a harder time with it.
• I’m worried they don’t have enough friends
The question about socialization is a big one amongst non-homeschoolers and often brought up to try to persuade homeschoolers that they really aren’t doing a good thing. However, if you have a concern about your child’s social group, there are many ways to solve it.
Possible solutions:
– Get more involved with your local homeschool groups. Join a Meetup or other homeschool support groups in your area.
– Enroll in some classes where your students will meet others and see them on a regular basis.
– Make socializing a priority and take initiative setting up playdates or hang out times.
Don’t stress too much!
I have to write a short encouragement to you all tonight:
About 5 or 6 years ago I had a teenager who was not that interested in Math whatsoever, not terribly interested in a lot of Academics. In fact we had such constant nagging over getting Math done every day and so inconsistently succeeded that I decided he could learn it later on if he had the need for it. I valued a good relationship with him more than him knowing Algebra.
At the time we were doing Decimals, Fractions and some other basic Math leading up to Pre-Algebra. We didn’t do a whole lot of Math past that point. In the back of my head I felt very conflicted, especially since I love Math and I knew he probably would need it later on. I still felt though that he had the tools to learn it one day if he ever needed it. A few years later, we picked up a Math curriculum written by a college professor with a great DVD and he took it upon himself to start studying Algebra 1. He continued on and started Algebra 2 with the same publisher and then the day came about 6 months ago, when he decided to pursue Engineering and he realized he would have to get to Calculus.
He took off and studied Trigonometry and Pre-Calculus with the help of Khan Academy and some input from myself and his Dad and today he tested into Calculus 1 with his college placement test. I’m so proud of you, Jonny Hyman, for all the hard work you’ve put into this and for what you’ve accomplished all by yourself. I know you will be ready for anything now!
What this has proven to me just once again is that it is true that once a child sees the point in learning something and they see the need for it, they will do whatever it takes to push through it if they have the character training in place of perseverance and a high work ethic. Expose them to good life skills and books like 7 Habits of Highly Successful Teens. Show them the joy those have who have found their passion and possibly an example or two of people who really hate their jobs. Academically, all they need will be the basics of the core subjects, that they learn early on and then they’ll take off. It fills me with so much joy to know that he now also loves Math, like myself and that he actually finds it more fascinating than even myself because he truly discovered it on his own and made those connections. He has long surpassed me now. Go Jonny!!
To everyone else, don’t stress too much if your child is “behind”, “ahead” or any other label, just help them find their way 🙂 All they need will be the basics of the core subjects, which they learn early on, maybe another Math teacher or tutor along the way, and then they’ll take off, in whatever direction they are meant to go. It fills me with so much joy to know that my son now also loves Math, like myself and that he actually finds it more fascinating than even myself because he truly discovered it on his own and made those important connections. He has long surpassed me now. Go Jonny!!
To everyone else, don’t stress too much : )
Why homeschoolers want to stop homeschooling and why they don’t need to – Part 3
As we’ve discussed in previous blogs, there are many reasons why homeschoolers feel the urge to stop homeschooling or those considering it think that they rather shouldn’t pursue it. Here are a few more:
I’m scared my kids will have gaps in their education
This seems like a perfectly legitimate concern until you actually start homeschooling and realize just how many gaps you yourself have even though most of us went through traditional school and were even very good at it. If you ever learned some of the stuff, you already forgot it long ago, since it is not useful to your current life. If a child has learnt how to read, write and do basic Math, he/she can learn everything else they desire to learn on this planet, maybe with the help of some expert, but they are capable of filling in any gaps that you might’ve left. As parents we are so concerned for our children’s well-being that we are most likely not to leave gaps and a disjointed curriculum would have a better chance of leaving gaps.
Possible solutions:
– Check to see if your children have critical thinking skills and if they question things around them and you’ll know if they’re interpreting their surroundings accurately.
– Ask lots of insight questions and you will soon span all disciplines of learning just based around a common theme.
– Make use of classes by experts where they can learn the things you aren’t comfortable teaching.
– If you are nervous you’ll leave gaps, feel free to check the standards listed on the CA Department of Education site, which would mean you would at least be leaving the same gaps everyone else in California schools would have.
– You could again enroll in a charter school where a credentialed teacher will be supervising your journey and can help you make sure important things get covered.
I’m worried I’ll mess them up
This concern is solely based on the responsibility we feel to “produce” good adults, productive and involved citizens and all around someone that everyone would like to have around. We feel inadequate in ourselves to pull that off.
Once again, just the fact that you’re concerned about it, most probably means you’re not messing them up. However, “messing them up” should be defined. I think it probably will have a lot to do with leaving gaps in their education, which I discussed above. There does come a point where fighting with your children to get them to do school work could start damaging your parent-child relationship and create a “messed up” view of education where they start hating it. I believe that is the point where a change is needed.
Possible solutions:
– There are many solutions though and most of the time this starts happening as the kids enter puberty where they really are just trying to figure themselves out and establish that they are individuals and don’t want to just be followers and feel like puppets. This is perfectly normal and healthy for them to do and once you know that is what is happening, it becomes less personal and we feel less defensive as parents. It is especially hard when this happens to your firstborn, because your sweet, friendly child suddenly becomes less happy and even rude and disrespectful to you at times and you’re not used to it happening at all. It does pass and it is important to give kids some space to develop into their own during this time. The more they see you respect them and this process, the more likely they will be letting you into their world, because you are not trying to control them.
One of my friends likened this stage of development to that of a chrysalis turning into a butterfly. All that has to be done with it is to leave it alone and provide the conditions for it to successfully emerge. If you ever tried to shake around the chrysalis or tried to help the butterfly get out when it is stuck in the process of coming out of the cocoon, you know that it is interfering with nature and never works out well. We’ve had a few butterfly gardens and it never works to try to “help”. As parents the most important thing is for us to be available to them and assure them of our love and providing an enriching world, but not “shake around” their chrysalis or try to control their emersion as they try to mature.
– At this point in time, it also really helps kids to have a lot of social interaction with friends and often they appreciate other teachers in their lives, not just their parents. Find a good class and teacher in the neighborhood in the topic they are most interested in and expose them to other good teachers and role models.
Why homeschool parents want to quit and why they shouldn’t
As homeschooling families, we all have our good days and our bad days, just like any other regular family. The only difference is that, since we homeschool, we might potentially be with the kid who is causing us distress the whole day while other families might have some hours that the child is at school to think about how to handle the situation when the child returns from school, time to sort of push the “reset” button. So, our bad days sometimes feel like bad weeks, bad months or even a bad year. There are many reasons for things going wrong and for most there are solutions that work differently for different children. Today I want to write about what it is that pushes most families to thinking that they should stop homeschooling (or never even start) and invite you to investigate why that shouldn’t make you stop and how it can potentially be solved. Most of all I want everyone to realize they are NOT alone in these struggles, it is very common.
Here are some common concerns that homeschoolers face during the years of homeschooling:
• Student(s) resisting instruction
• It’s too expensive
• We have a lot of hard days
• I’m scared my kids will have gaps in their education
• I’m worried I’ll mess them up
• I’m not patient enough to do this
• I’m worried they don’t have enough friends
In this article, the first in a series, I would like to explore just the first concern and in subsequent articles, the others will be discussed.
• Student(s) resisting instruction
Many of us probably have encountered the child who, when called to start “school”, gives a sigh and asks, “Do I have to?” Although that is not a fun thing to hear when you spent several hours preparing something that you think would be important or even fun, it is important to not take it personally.
Remember the following possibilities:
– If you were waking the child up to go to the school down the street, you probably would’ve had the same response, but wouldn’t have thought anything of it, because that would be “normal”, because everyone else also deals with that and you’re not anything unusual.
– A lot of times if you have a child just coming out of traditional school, they might need some time to deschool first.
– It’s not always easy and neither is it fun to be pulled out of doing something you’re really enjoying to do something that you might not be that interested in. We don’t even like it as adults.
Some possible solutions:
As is the case with all homeschooling issues, there isn’t just one answer, but several possible options that might be helpful.
– Give the child a time that school will start and it is great to have that be a consistent time, e.g. 9am every morning or 2pm or whatever time works best with their natural rhythm and age (teens usually like to sleep in way later).
– Give the student some warning, e.g. remind them about 10 minutes before they need to start.
– Some families let the student set their own schedule. They are given an assignment sheet for each day and they have freedom to do those things whenever they would like as long as it’s done by the end of the day. This encourages time management and self-regulation, but it might have to be slowly implemented with younger children who might have a hard time to manage all their time right away.
– Reconsider the curriculum you’re using if this is a common occurrence where the child is complaining about doing school work. It might not fit their learning style or modality. Keep the lines of communication open and don’t take anything personally.
– Always encourage them to give you feedback. Try to put yourself in their shoes. Try to feel what they’re feeling. The more they have a say in how and what they’re learning, the more likely they will be active participants.
– If the problem persists, consider setting up a meeting with a homeschool consultant (like myself) to discuss potential solutions for your specific situation.
More on the other concerns in my next article.
Class Dismissed Movie Review
A few months ago, I found out that a new documentary about homeschooling would be released soon and I was very excited. I bought my ticket online and drove down to North Hollywood last night to see it in the Laemmle Theater. I entered the theater with great anticipation and the hope that this will be a documentary that I can recommend to secular and religious people alike when they consider homeschooling as an option or are new to it. Up to this point, I haven’t had much luck locating a documentary like it anywhere. All I’ve had to recommend were Sir Ken Robinson’s awesome TED Talks and the great talk about Hackschooling. I must admit that I was concerned and a bit nervous too, since I had invited a lot of fellow homeschoolers to go watch it with me. What if this was just another biased documentary with an agenda to push one way of homeschooling as the only right way?
The theater was clearly filled with enthusiastic homeschoolers as was evident from the loud cheers at regular intervals during the screening. As the movie minutes rolled along, I got more and more excited about Class Dismissed. It really portrayed all different kinds of options available to homeschoolers as it followed a family along their homeschool journey, struggles and all. What I really loved about it was that several different options were given. Viewers got to see different approaches to homeschooling and other options like hybrid schooling with the help of learning centers as well as an experience with a charter school. They made the point throughout that one thing would or wouldn’t work for their family, which is the way it should be seen, especially as homeschoolers. There is no right way for each family and not even for each student!
I felt the movie did a wonderful job of being real. It had a real family, real-life issues, real questions and concerns, real solutions, without being unnecessarily dramatized. I am convinced that the homeschool world needs a movie like this so badly, because everyone has their own struggles and especially when you are new to it, parents so often feel so alone and think that they’re the only ones with struggles and that they are just not equipped to pull it off! I’ve found countless times that as soon as I’m honest about our family’s struggles on the journey, others open up and share theirs as well and it is amazing how similar these struggles are. The film did an excellent job of portraying homeschooling as it truly is: a journey and not an event.
I appreciated the homeschool experts who spoke during the movie, with all their years of wisdom. They all had such good points to add and really contributed to making this a great and balanced film. I loved how none of them pushed just one way of homeshooling as the only or superior way. Blake Boles even commented how homeschooling isn’t for everyone and that it really is about the choice that parents should have between all different kinds of schooling, which is not currently the case. I believe that movies like this will do a lot to promote change in that direction, which is very exciting.
The drive down to North Hollywood was made even more worth it since we got to meet the family who is the main part of the film, as well as the 2 producers, Jeremy Stuart and Dustin Woodard. What an amazing production! The cinematography and editing were excellent as well. I found it very easy to watch and interesting to follow the life of the family. It was engaging and not repetitive footage as is often the case with documentaries.
I want to show this film to everyone because of all the great reasons above and so we will have small screenings at Learn Beyond The Book in November and the months beyond, depending on demand. I am convinced that this movie could be the start for many families of creating an environment where everyone can be happy, fulfilled individuals all throughout their lives. I hope you will be able to join us for one of the screenings. If you have a day and time preference, please leave it in the comment section.
New to homeschooling… where do I start!?
I’m homeschooling… I have no idea where to start! HELP!
First of all, congratulations on deciding to take a pro-active approach towards your children’s education. Secondly, I know how scary this can feel, much like you felt the first time your oldest child was put into your arms and you had to start parenting and had no idea what you were doing. As you look back, I’m sure you, like most parents, would’ve told your younger self to relax and enjoy it as much as possible. You really CAN do this! You’ve successfully taught them to walk and talk, and you can take it the rest of the way! You are not alone and there are great resources available, more now than ever before.
In this article I would like to guide you a little on where to start with some practical tips to make the process move along a little smoother.
1. In another article about where to start, I listed some steps to consider, but here are some more.
2. Join as many local support groups as you can find and know where to find information for local homeschooling. Then start attending some of the events and field trips to get connected.
For Santa Clarita, that is easy, because we have a lot of support out here and hundreds, if not thousands, of homeschool families. There are TONS of social activities and if you hook up here, you will find out about all of them.
Here are some links to get you started:
http://www.meetup.com/Santa-Clarita-Homeschoolers-and-Hybrid-Schoolers/
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Homeschooling_Explorers/
http://www.learnbeyondthebook.com/articleslinks.htm
http://www.examiner.com/homeschooling-in-los-angeles/elmarie-hyman
3. Attend a homeschool information meeting where you can ask questions and get some basic homeschool information – there is one about once a month and details about it is available on the LearnBeyondTheBook.com website
4. Read “how to” books about homeschooling.
Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
Discover Your Child’s Learning Style by Maria-emma Willis, ISBN 978-0761520139
The Three R’s by Ruth Beechick, ISBN 978-0880620741
Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto, ISBN 978-0865714489
How Children Learn by John Holt, ISBN 978-0201484045
101 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy, ISBN 978-0929320151
The Teenage Liberation Handbook ISBN 978-0962959172
5. Attend a local park day and listen to all the veteran moms talk about curriculum and classes and ask your questions. Most likely someone else has the same question or has used that curriculum before that you have a question about. You can talk while your children will form important friendship bonds with the other kids.
6. Attend your first Used Curriculum Sale – these are always in the summer months, the next one coming up July 26. It’s a great time to look at curriculum hands-on before purchasing it and the prices are a fraction of the cost of new curriculum. Definitely go to one of these before buying new curriculum if possible.
7. Go to your local teacher’s store. They have great workbooks, educational toys and games, and school supplies. You can find these at Learn Beyond The Book’s store that is open every Monday – Thursday 12:30-4:30pm (see more details at SCVBeyondBooks.com)
8. Attend your first curriculum fair/convention. These usually also occur during the summer months. They provide lots of great talks and discussions where you can learn more. If you missed it this year, don’t worry, they happen every year.
9. Like the Learn Beyond The Book page on Facebook. Our Facebook page provides inspiration, current news, homeschool humor, and lots more and it’s LOCAL!
10. Familiarize yourself with the California Homeschool Network (CHN) website where you can find answers to questions about if it is legal to homeschool and tons more information. It is also great to refer friends and family to, if needed.
11. Take a look at the California Department of Education website if you are wondering about standards and what would be covered in different grades in a public school.
12. Decide if you are going to file your own PSA or if you are going to register with a charter school. Feel free to read my other article about charter schools so that you can get a better understanding what that involves. If you decide on a charter school, make sure to apply ASAP.
13. ENJOY your children and being together as a family!
Spotlight on Math
Last week I wrote about the importance of Language Arts in the curriculum of every student and this week I want to highlight the importance of Math.
For a lot of students Math is a nightmare and they just can’t wait to be done with it for life. I always tell them that they will never be done with Math, since we use it every single day. There is a level of Math though that few people ever use unless they get into a career like Engineering, Architect, or Math teacher. Even though it is not everyone’s favorite thing to do, it sure can be taught in more interesting ways than it sometimes is. Some parents/teachers really hate it themselves and never quite got it down themselves and now years later, after not using it, they have forgotten a lot of it. Math is like a second language and therefore needs to be taught as such, with constant repetition until it becomes second nature to the speaker.
At Learn Beyond The Book our Math classes are taught by individuals who absolutely love numbers and Math and will impart that love and passion to their students. We employ lots of games and projects as well as hands-on manipulatives for a lot of it, whenever possible.
We also break Math down in the components & skills that make up higher Math. We start out with a very strong emphasis on Place Value, which is essential to grasp and then Adding & Subtracting, plus things like reading clocks, counting money, etc. Once students master these concepts and Math facts, they move on to the Multiplication & Division class. Once they mastered those skills, which of course build on addition & subtraction, they are ready to move into the Decimals, % and Fractions class. Then we introduce them to positive and negative numbers in the Integers, Measurements & Word Problems class, some basic Geometry, Graphs, and cement all of that with word problems. Finally, they are ready for Pre-Algebra and higher Algebra and Geometry classes, which would be the next levels. Just understanding that progression already helps a lot to know where everything fits in place. Lots of curriculum teach a little of everything and don’t review enough for students to really master anything and so when they return to the same skillset the next year, they don’t remember it anymore and it is discouraging. Mastery is such a crucial aspect of Math instruction.
When I was in school, we learned Math more like parrots than thinking people and it was very confusing to most students and even though I loved the numbers and manipulating them, I didn’t have a clear understanding of what I was in fact doing. So, my goal in teaching Math, is to make sure students understand what they’re doing and why, because without that, they’ll feel lost and never be able to apply it to real life situations.
Of course, there are the applications of Math as well, so we also have some creative classes that mix Literature with Math for those students who love stories. We use the Sir Cumference series of books to demonstrate several Math concepts and do projects based on the story for the week. Another class that apply Math in a very important way is the Economics & Personal Finance class, titled “Where’s the Money?”. This class gives students all the skills they need to manage their own personal finances and even start a small business. They learn through projects, games (money & review) and lessons. Near the end of the semester, we have an Entrepreneur Day and also a fieldtrip to the Federal Reserve Bank planned.
For those students who might really not like Math, the Math through Logic & Games class might be a great fit, since they play games, but learn Math at the same time. The teacher, working on her PhD and a Mensa member is so fun and has as much fun as the kids with the games!
Even given all this, we also have Math tutors available to help with homework or for students who need a little extra practice during the week which can be scheduled by appointment.
Whether you sign up for a Math class or do it at home, please make sure your students master the Math skills before moving on. To me there is no such thing as Gr.5 Math or Gr.2 Math, because every student is at a different level with it and either acquired certain skills or not.
Patience and encouragement in teaching it is key to students’ success. Happy teaching!
Spotlight on Language Arts
What skill do you use more than any other in your life? I would venture to say it is your ability to read, interpret what you read and then explain it to someone or write something about it. In college, that is, other than Math skills, without a doubt the biggest asset to be proficient in reading and writing. It is the one skill that you will have to use in every class.
In school, we call this Language Arts and it includes skills such as Reading, Phonics, Reading Comprehension, Literary Analysis, Writing, and Grammar. I’m excited to focus a bit this week on the exciting and crucial classes we are offering this Fall 2014 semester covering Language Arts. Many of our classes combine different subject areas in unit studies and cross-curricular classes, so I’ll be including those as well.
For our youngest students (5-8yo.) we offer:
– Phonics, Literature, and Reading Comprehension with Cindy Dominguez, a credentialed teacher, reading specialist, and educational therapist. The class would be a good class to have regardless of the teacher, but with Cindy’s kind and gentle approach all students are guaranteed progress in these areas in a fun, loving, and supportive environment.
– On Thursdays, Rachael Ward and Ashlyn Setterfield are offering Science, Social Studies, Language & Math Through Stories. The class will be based on great children’s literature and with a history theme. Rachael and Ashlyn with their energy and engaging personalities are perfect to do a literature-based unit study. In this class students will be able to take care of lots of subject areas including Language and combining it with good literature. They also have lots of samples to take home for use with the charter schools. Once students can read, they start focusing on spelling, grammar, and writing.
For our 8+yo. students we will be offering the following:
– Basic Grammar & Root Words with Games where we focus on basic punctuation, capitalization, sentence structure, types of sentences and learn a ton of root words that help with vocabulary, spelling, and ultimately SATs. We even learn some common idioms and figures of speech. We’ll focus on common mistakes when using apostrophes and homophones. As in many of our classes, the concepts learned will be solidified with lots of educational games and hands-on activities.
– Kathy Reynar will be offering her popular Literature & Writing class for students 11-14yo. where they will be focusing on books such as Phantom Tollbooth, The Giver, Walk Two Moons, Bud, Not Buddy and Absolutely Normal Chaos. Kathy is a credentialed teacher as well and is known for her awesome Lit & Writing classes with lots of great discussions.
– Our chronological World History unit study, covering Early Modern History (1600-1850A.D.) this year, will once again include Literature and historical fiction as well, related to this time period, which accomplish 2 topics at the same time. This can easily be combined with Writing about the topics covered as well.
– Several Writing classes are on the menu as well, some of them combining other disciplines, creating a interesting and engaging twist.
Here they are:
Storytelling & Illustration (Creative Writing & Art)
Art Appreciation & Creative Writing (Writing & Art History)
Writer’s Workshop: Creative Writing
Writer’s Workshop: Paragraph & Essay Writing
For our 12+yo. students, we offer:
– Literature & Writing with Kathy Reynar – a true high school level class that can be used to get high school credit.
– Public Speaking & Presentations as well as Debate classes put a new spin on Writing, since students also master the skills of presenting their writing to an audience.
– Our Friday college prep teen series will include Quickwrite classes on specific topics, which will help students think on their feet and assembling outlines and writing in a shorter amount of time with no homework.
We hope you might join us for some of these classes dealing with essential skills for academic success.
Homeschool Success Stories
We’ve all heard the stories… children graduating at ridiculously early ages from college with a Master’s degree, amazing kid sports stars playing with professionals, young kids attending music festivals, playing several classical pieces from memory and the one common thread between them? They are usually homeschooled. Yes, I know some of these amazing children myself and I’m really glad I do, because they are all wonderful human beings. We also often hear about how homeschoolers compare with their public school peers and how their test scores are on average so much higher than those of public school students. In the homeschool world, however, since homeschooling is a subculture that isn’t always deemed as a legitimate educational choice by friends, family and strangers, we are often trying to prove how homeschooling is so advantageous and superior academically and in every other way, that we engage in showing off achievements of our children, trying to keep up with the Joneses so to speak. I’ve often felt the pressure myself and even added my own comments from time to time, but I realized that it is doing 99% of homeschooling parents and students a big disservice.
Of course we will always have the students who are truly gifted in one specific way or another, but there are so many homeschooled students who are regular, average, and awesome kids with no specifically outstanding ability and the parents, and sometimes the students, feel the pressure of comparing themselves to the stories of the genius who graduated college last week. Too often we have the idyllic picture in our mind of the homeschooled student who sits under the tree outside, peacefully reading their book of the week for hours on end without even having to be told to do so. That just isn’t everyone’s reality, and honestly it isn’t the reality of most.
I’ve lately talked to many parents and realized that as soon as I am honest with them about my struggles, honesty from their side revealed that they often feel very alone in their struggles, as I have felt from time to time, which led me to write this article. There are very few homeschool parents who don’t run into challenges along the road. There are many solutions to those challenges, but it is very helpful, I believe, to first of all realize that there is nothing abnormal about you, your family, and your children if they’re not scoring 100% on all their tests or not retaining those pesky Math facts after one glimpse. Even worse is when one child in a household does have that special gift and the others don’t. All we need to do is think of ourselves. Some of us have special abilities, but most of us are just smart, hard-working individuals who got where we are in life by putting in some serious effort.
Of course everyone is special in their own way, and everyone has their own unique strengths and weaknesses and the world needs us all, but I feel we often fall into one of the traps we are trying to avoid by homeschooling, which is comparing ourselves to the other homeschoolers and making judgments on how successful our schooling is for our children. I’m not arguing that we shouldn’t take note if we realize there might be a learning difficulty or some other problem, but as the parents, we are in tune with our children and we usually know or can figure out what they need most. I’m not arguing for mediocrity at all either. I’m arguing for every child achieving their personal best. Let’s celebrate when that is achieved!
Not all children will like reading, because neither do all adults. Not all children will be good at sports, because neither are the adults. Not everyone will be math geniuses, because neither are the adults. Let’s celebrate our children’s differences and stop comparing ourselves to everyone’s success stories only. Let’s be happy for each other’s success and try to help with each other’s challenges. That is what true homeschool support really is all about.
Language Arts Classes
Having a hard time with a struggling reader? Frustrated because nothing seems to be working? Can’t figure out how to get your children to write anything without a fight? Wondering how in the world you’ll get your child to study a second language when you only know one?
You are not alone. It is one of the oldest struggles amongst homeschoolers. Plus these are some of the most fundamental skills that kids need to learn and it can cause quite a bit of stress on the parts of parents when nothing is working. Now there is help! There are several excellent classes being offered this Fall and every semester at Learn Beyond The Book to assist parents in their educational goals.
We have a native Spanish speaker to teach Spanish and an expert teacher (with a teaching credential including a special Reading certification) to assist with English Reading Fluency, Comprehension, and excellent Writing instruction. For the slightly older crowd of students, we also have Literature Discussions and Writing from a published author! We even have small group Reading Intensives to provide focused help with Reading issues.
Not only are these teachers excellent at their craft, but they are some of the kindest teachers I have ever met and as director, I am delighted to have them teaching my own children. Students will be learning these life-long skills in an emotionally safe environment where they can each progress and learn at their own pace in a non-threatening environment.
If you are wondering what there might be for your students this Fall, check out our weekly schedule.
History: Middle Ages/Renaissance Unit Study
I know how we can all get caught up in trying to search for the perfect combination of classes for our kids. There is a theme running through our classes this 2013-14 school year.
At Learn Beyond The Book, we value a chronological approach of History integrated into all our studies. We studied Ancient Times last year and this year we’ll move on to the Middle Ages & Renaissance. We are very excited about this.
I wanted to highlight one set of classes, which especially if you are in a charter, could really make your life easier. It is the Middle Ages/Renaissance unit study, that involves Literature, History, Geography, Science and Art on Wednesdays, Theater (including Shakespeare) on Mondays, Art for younger kids (Mondays), some Music (Mondays and Tuesdays), and even mixing it up with Minecraft(Tuesdays)! As part of this unit, we will also have an optional weekly monitored online activity from home on the game Civilizations where students will be able to build empires and learn about how it works to rule and defend an empire. There are a few classes that make up this great unit and they are marked with asterisks on our Fall schedule. We will even have some fieldtrips to go with the unit study. Every week we update what was done in the classes with optional additional enrichment activities and suggested books to read in our learning record files that you and your EF/IST can access and we will also have pictures of our work on there for work samples. The unit is designed to be a year-long course, but students enroll for a semester at a time and isn’t obligated to attend both semesters. Basically if you do this unit, you will be covered for all subjects, except Math and PE!
Students retain so much more when they are immersed in a unit study and so we are looking forward to learning about this time period in History in all the ways possible! We hope you’ll join us!
Science Fair and Science Classes for Santa Clarita Homeschoolers
Science classes at Learn Beyond The Book are some of the most fun classes! Science, which in itself is fascinating, are made even more fun and educational with lots of hands-on experiments that students can participate in within small classrooms and in a loving and supportive environment.
I started teaching Science classes in a group setting many years ago, because I found it much more likely that I would do all the great experiments available if I had a group of kids to do it with and not just one. Then, as I thought about it more, I realized that very few scientists ever work alone. It is so frequently a group/team effort. So, it became even more important to me to have high quality Science classes available to homeschooled kids. I just love the mixture of Science with other disciplines as well, as you will notice from all our offerings.
This coming school year, I’m excited about a creative class called We Built a Zoo!, a Middle Ages/Renaissance History of Science & Art class, and classes to get students a broad overview of Science they will be tested on (if they’re in a charter) in 5th or 8th grade! We even have High School Health and Biology. For the younger crowd we offer Spongebob Academy (mostly Oceanography) as well as a unit study on Mondays that involve all the core subjects, including Science, based around Literature. You can also come explore some Physics with our Lego Robotics classes or learn all about computers in Technology, or study how light influences photography in a class. Science is just everywhere around us and as a result woven into so much of our curriculum.
To top it all, we will have a Science Fair near the end of the year which we will be preparing for all year! We will have milestones for students, so they stay on track and don’t rush to get it done at the very end.
So bring over your young enthusiastic scientists for some great learning opportunities this year!
Math classes in Santa Clarita
Are you tired of trying to get down those multiplication tables and other Math facts, frustrated because the kids are finding it so dry and boring? Do you find every day’s Math a battle to get through? Or maybe you just feel like it could be more interesting?
If so, you are not alone at all. Many homeschoolers find Math a challenging subject and they are ready to throw the towel in many days. First it is challenging because it might not be the parent’s favorite subject. However, in some cases where it is the parent’s favorite, they have a hard time teaching it and staying patient, because it all seems so easy to them and they can’t quite understand how it would be hard for anyone to remember it. An even more common problem is that parents don’t realize how much repetition goes into Math before mastery will occur.
Sometimes all that is needed in there is a little fun, but it is sometimes hard to come up with something interesting to do when there are so many demands, so many subjects to cover and children at various levels of learning.
One option you might consider to alleviate this potential problem would be to join in on one of the Math classes offered at Learn Beyond The Book. The Math teachers here love Math and love teaching it. They’ve been doing it for years and know what it takes for kids to get it down. Learn Beyond The Book offers Math classes covering all different levels, starting with Place Value, Addition & Subtraction. Then there are classes forMultiplication & Division, Decimals, Percentages & Fractions, Integers, Measurements, Word Problems, Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry and Algebra 2. If none of those interests you because you already own a Math curriculum that works well for your child, there are also other classes to change it up, like the Logic & Math Through Games class, plus this year we also plan to host a Math Bee for Santa Clarita. We are so excited about that! If you are more interested in applied Math, some Consumer Math classes (titled “Where’s the Money?”) for 2 different ages could be interesting to you and your students.
Feel free to check out our Fall schedule to see what else is offered.
How to start homeschooling in Santa Clarita
Many people consider homeschooling and they start researching it, but it all just seems so overwhelming and they don’t even know where to start. I’ve encountered so many people like that recently. I have been doing homeschool information meetings at Barnes & Noble and will have another on Aug.10th at 4-5:30pm to help with it, but in the meantime, I thought to write an article to help people know how where to start.
Here are some easy to follow steps, although it will still take some more research on your part, so I will link it to my articles about it to make your life a little easier.
1. Decide what your goal is for homeschooling. Do you have a specific vision? Would you like to let your children have more academics or less? Is your decision mostly social in nature, e.g. not wanting certain influences, certain attitudes or character development needed? This would make a difference to what you do next. If it’s not totally clear to you, don’t worry about it, but just keep it in the back of your mind to think about. This will likely change over the years of you homeschooling as well.
2. Decide if you want to homeschool on your own, keep your own records and take care of your own transcripts, diplomas etc. If your child is in elementary school, this might not be that big of an issue yet and you can always change it later, so whatever you decide is never irrevocable. If you do want to have all the freedom possible, the best option would be filing your own private school affidavit, keep an attendance record and some work samples as well as your own report cards (easily created on your own computer).
If you would like more direction, you could pick to either go with a private PSP who will do the above for you and provide some guidance, but you will have to pay a little for it. If you want more direction, but have no funds, you might want to consider public homeschool charter schools. These are free and give you some funds for materials and classes from approved vendors. There are several options for these charters. All of them have waitlists, but get on the waitlist anyway, because you can always just not join once you get in if you change your mind or got into another one.
3. Once you picked which way you will legally homeschool, you have to do some research on all the homeschool philosophies. Here are some of the main ones:
– Traditional worksheets/textbooks
– Charlotte Mason
– Thomas Jefferson
– Classical Education
– Project-based unit studies
– Unschooling
– Hybrid Schooling (some classes and some curriculum at home)
– Eclectic (a little of everything, my favorite)
4. After you’ve determined all this, it would be helpful to observe your child and how they learn best before you will be ready to pick which curriculum you might want to get.
5. There are so many options available for curriculum, but I would suggest checkingused curriculum sales first for curriculum at a fraction of the regular cost. The internet also provides tons of free resources. If you need to purchase something, you can check out all the articles and links I have listed. Rainbow Resource and Amazon.com are usually the most affordable options for most curriculum needs.
6. I strongly recommend getting together with other homeschool moms, getting on some yahoogroups, facebook groups and meetup groups for Santa Clarita homeschooling and visiting a local parkday to get input from more experienced moms. There is a parkday every Friday around noon till about 4 at Valencia Glen Park on Via Gavola. You can come and go as you are able. If you live elsewhere, search for some local groups.
7. Know that homeschooling is a journey and you will probably change and adjust your course several times as you find what works best for each child since they’re all so different.
Good luck and I hope to see you at one of our parkdays very soon!