/>Dear Jeanne – I am stuck in a terrible situation and need some advice. I quit my job to follow my husband to another country. I put my daughter in a public school as my husband wanted, but then I started homeschooling because of poor school quality. While I feel comfortable teaching my daughter, and she has made some progress, I have ill health, and my daughter is still behind in school due to a vision problem. We have financial problems, so I’m teaching to earn money, and my husband is not supportive of homeschooling. It’s all affecting my mental health . . . I feel so lost as of now. What started as a joyous process is turning out to be ugly and unhappy. Continue reading »
Jeanne Faulconer
A popular speaker at homeschooling conferences, business groups, and parents’ groups, Jeanne Potts Faulconer homeschooled her three sons in North Carolina, Mississippi, and Virginia for twenty years. Jeanne is director of Brave Writer's Homeschool Alliance, which provides homeschool coaching, community, and "grad school for homeschool" for parents. She is the contributing editor for TheHomeSchoolMom newsletter and writes the popular Ask Jeanne column, addressing homeschool parents' questions here at TheHomeSchoolMom. She is a former college faculty member, former editor and book reviewer for Home Education Magazine, a long-time editor for VaHomeschoolers Voice, and a news correspondent for WCVE, an NPR-member station. Holding her Master of Arts degree in Communication, Jeanne has conducted portfolio evaluations for Virginia homeschoolers for evidence of progress for many years.
Ask Jeanne: Do I Need Teacher Training to Homeschool?
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>I am not a parent yet but intend on having children and homeschooling them in the future. I’ve done a lot of research but never really found an answer to my question. I know that in my state it is not necessary for the parent to have a teaching degree, but I’d like to know whether getting a teaching degree (there are some online as well) or even attending a few college courses surrounding how to teach children would benefit the parent homeschooling the children. I’m getting my pharmacy doctorate so a teaching degree would be extra time and money so I’d like your opinion on whether you think it would be worth it. Continue reading »
Homeschool Moms’ Night Out
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>Give yourself social time. Give yourself professional development. Give yourself empathetic colleagues. Give yourself Moms’ Night Out!Find one. Make one. But get to one — a Moms’ Night Out! Homeschooling can be lonely, even when you’re surrounded by children. Sometimes — especially when you’re surrounded by children. Spending occasional time laughing and talking with adults is refreshing and helps you remember who you are when you are away from the children. Continue reading »
Benefit of Homeschooling: Embracing the Wide Range of Normal
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>When it comes to education, one size does not fit all. One of the benefits of homeschooling is parents’ ability to shape education to fit each, not all. Kids come with a wide range of abilities—academically, developmentally, socially, temperamentally, artistically, physically, and emotionally. Expectations in schools are based on a “standard” student when there is no standard student. Kids mature at different rates, have unique interests, have their own home environments, and have their own genetic traits. Here’s how homeschooling can make the most of that. Continue reading »
Tips for Feeding the Homeschool Family
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>Have you discovered that feeding the kids is the homeschooling challenge nobody warned you about? For homeschooling to work, home has to work, including the food. Especially the food! We’ve put together some tips for keeping your sanity while feeding your homeschooled kids. Continue reading »
The Homeschool Challenge Nobody Warns You About
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>When I started homeschooling, I knew my big challenge was going to be helping my kids learn. Having them become academically prepared was my overriding goal. Choosing the right curriculum and the right educational philosophy were paramount. Imagine my surprise when it turned out they were pretty good learners once I refined our approach to homeschooling. My real challenge turned out to be the unexpected one. Continue reading »
Ask Jeanne: Tips for Homeschooling a Difficult or Defiant Child
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>My 7-yr old spends most of her homeschool time in tantrums wanting to short-cut her work. We have tried everything from punishment to taking away free-time activities. I am at my wit’s end and I don’t know what to do to get her to do her school work without a meltdown every few minutes. Do you have any advice that may help? Continue reading »
Education Hybrids: Is this homeschooling?
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>In some states, there are various hybrid education models due to families combining some elements of homeschooling with classes and programs offered by public schools, private schools, charter schools, colleges, and online schools. Often called “homeschool hybrids,” these education hybrids may take the form of part-time enrollment at a traditional local public school for a class or two while homeschooling, participation in extracurricular activities and/or sports at a local school while homeschooling, university model schools (usually private) that students attend two or three days a week while learning at home the rest of the time, and more… Continue reading »
Instead of Curriculum: Boomerang Audio Magazine
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>Those of us who have been homeschooling a while know that sometimes the best resources aren’t the newest or flashiest. That’s the case with Boomerang Audio Magazine for kids. A big benefit of these audio resources is that kids can be busy doing other things with their hands or bodies while listening. For some kids, this actually enhances learning, because they’re not focused on having to keep still, which can take a lot of energy. Continue reading »
Tips for Homeschooling an Anxious Child
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>Just attending school doesn’t, by itself, help kids overcome abnormal anxiety because they are “sticking it out.” Just homeschooling doesn’t prevent, treat, or cure abnormal anxiety. These tips can help you move past just homeschooling to helping your anxious child cope with their anxiety. Ways to get help: Combine homeschooling with professional treatment for abnormal anxiety. Consider cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for your child, which helps many people manage abnormal anxiety. Seek a counselor or therapist who is knowledgeable and unbiased about homeschooling. Know that homeschooling brings with it the “Power of Now” – you can do what’s right for your child now, even if that means you prioritize mental health over academics. Continue reading »
Homeschooling for School Anxiety / School Refusal
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>Can you homeschool your child who refuses to go to school due to school anxiety? Should you? Kids in crisis who are too anxious to go to school are in a challenge called school resistance or school refusal. What if school refusers are telling us something through their refusal? What can we do to help? This post covers reasons we might homeschool a child with school anxiety along with concerns that might arise and tips to make the best of homeschooling in such a situation. Continue reading »
Homeschool to College: Outside Evidence
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>Homeschooling parents whose kids will likely seek admission to college usually realize their homeschool graduates will need parent-made homeschool transcripts. They will probably also need “outside evidence.” That’s because a homeschool transcript full of parent-graded courses and independent learning done at home may not by itself convince university admissions counselors of a teen’s preparation for college-level work. Continue reading »
Pros and Cons of Homeschooling: Hard Education Choices
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>The yellow legal pad had a line down the middle: the pros and cons of homeschooling were written on opposite sides of the blue-inked vertical line. Not content with that, I flipped to the next page and drew another line down the middle: pros of public school to the left and cons of school to the right. Continue reading »
Homeschooling: The Power of Now
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>What if you asked, “What does my child need right now?” and immediately began working on it, with little to no red tape? Welcome to Homeschooling’s Power of Now. Homeschooling allows the choice to prioritize what your child needs today, whether that’s refuge from bullies, time to make art, help for a learning difference, treatment for mental or physical illness, advanced learning opportunities, or more time to play outside. Continue reading »
Can Somebody Homeschool My Kids?
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>You work. Or you cannot imagine yourself as a homeschool parent. Or your kids are demanding, and you don’t mesh with them well. Or you have a child who has special needs you don’t feel prepared to help with. Or you have a health problem that will make homeschooling challenging to impossible. Or really, you just don’t want to homeschool. But your kids need to be out of school, and they need to be homeschooled. I hear your question: “Can somebody homeschool my kids?” Continue reading »
The Keeper of the Squid
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>I have kept a secret from my husband. We have moved an average of every two years since we began homeschooling, and some homeschool materials have gotten, uh, misplaced from move to move. Including the squid. Which I had never told him about. Continue reading »
Ask Jeanne: Can a 20-Year-Old Earn a Homeschool Diploma?
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>As a parent of a high school homeschooler, I was approached by a neighbor who asked if I knew what the age limit was to begin homeschool. Her 20-year-old son never finished school, sadly. It seemed almost impossible for him to get his GED, having been enrolled on and off since he was 16. Knowing the need for a diploma, she’s considering homeschool, believing with one-on-one teaching, he will obtain his diploma, and his future will much brighter. Unable to find information on the North Carolina Homeschool help website about age restrictions, I’m hoping you can help us. Continue reading »
Naming Your Homeschool
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>Does your homeschool have a name? Does it need one? What makes a good name for a homeschool? Whether you name your homeschool has to do with law, custom, and personal preference. You will want to consider benefits and disadvantages to naming your homeschool, as well as naming ideas, things to avoid, and how you can use a homeschool name to your (and your children’s) advantage. Continue reading »
“I Can’t Homeschool – I Have to Work!”
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>Recently, a visitor commented on a post on TheHomeSchoolMom about educating at home. This visitor expressed sentiments that homeschoolers often hear, including the idea that homeschooling is only for privileged families that can afford for at least one parent to stay home. This Ask Jeanne column is a response to the general notion that homeschooling is out of reach for many families because of finances. Continue reading »
Ask Jeanne: Homeschooling and Immunization Law
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>I have a 4-year-old little girl. We have always wanted to homeschool her. The main reason for this decision is we don’t agree with vaccinations. My fiancé is older than I am. He grew up in the ’70s, so in his mind, this was going to be easy. Well, times have changed. I have been doing research, and it seems so much harder than I was thinking. I’m so overwhelmed with information that I don’t know where to start. My little girl is so smart, and she’s easy to teach, so we’ve got that down, but as far as the law goes we, of course, want to make sure we follow the guidelines so it doesn’t backfire on us. If there is any way of simplifying all of this, I would greatly appreciate any advice. Continue reading »
