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TheHomeSchoolMom

Homeschooling help and encouragement from experienced homeschoolers - find out how homeschooling works and how to start, get tips & ideas for when things need adjusting, read curriculum reviews before buying, learn how online schools work, gain confidence about homeschooling high school, and more.

The Home School Mom The Home School Mom The Home School Mom

Jeanne Faulconer

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 Learner Home, 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.

Make Your Own Bird Unit Study

Make Your Own Bird Unit Study

by Jeanne Faulconer

Winter is the perfect time for a bird unit study! Birds can provide you and your kids with a wild distraction from current events, a connection to the natural world, and a chance to be grounded in an off-screen reality. If you’re in a winter climate, the leafless trees, snow, and dormant vegetation provide a crisp backdrop for spotting birds. In moderate climates, your locale may be the recipient of migratory birds, providing an ideal opportunity to spot species that aren’t around during other times of the year. Continue reading »

Night Vision Homeschool Astronomy Activities

Night Vision: Homeschool Astronomy Activities

by Jeanne Faulconer

In many parts of the Northern Hemisphere, winter is downright chilling, and both the season and the change from Daylight Saving Time mean the sun sets early. An activity that works well for homeschoolers this time of year is amateur astronomy—and you don’t even have to stay up late to see the night sky!  Continue reading »

How will your actions now change homeschooling later?

How Will You Change Homeschooling?

by Jeanne Faulconer

A question to consider: how will you change homeschooling?  You might be a long-term homeschooler, or you might be homeschooling in reaction to public school closures and virtual classes. If so, your choice, along with the choices of many others, may impact both public school and homeschooling. Will the public education ecosystem change as a result of so many people opting out of the public schools? Will homeschooling change? Continue reading »

happy girl with clay on hands and text Pursue interest-led learning with rabbit trails

Help Your Homeschool with Rabbit Trails

by Jeanne Faulconer

Homeschooling is boring, your child is resistant, the curriculum seems “complete” but moves on quickly and without depth. You can improve this kind of homeschool experience by opening yourself to following the rabbit trails. What are rabbit trails? They are the paths you make as you help your child follow an interest or a question from one resource to the next. Continue reading »

Smartphone with earphones and text 21 ways audiobooks benefit your homeschool - thehomeschoolmom.com

21 Ways Your Homeschool Can Benefit from Audiobooks

by Jeanne Faulconer

Are you using audiobooks in your homeschool? If not, you are missing out on the awesome benefits that come from listening to books. Homeschooling parents embrace the benefits of audiobooks because audiobooks create a shared listening experience, with adults and kids on “the same page,” like watching a movie together… Continue reading »

Ask Jeanne (thehomeschoolmom.com) Q. I am a homeschooling mom. I heard some families get paid to homeschool. Is this true?

Ask Jeanne: Money for Homeschooling My Kids?

by Jeanne Faulconer

“I am a homeschooling mom from Minnesota. My brother-in-law told me that he knows of homeschool families in North Dakota who get paid $1500.00 a month to homeschool. Is this true?” Get paid for homeschooling? Sounds good, right? Find out more about the circumstances in which there might (or might not) be money for homeschooling. Continue reading »

Ask Jeanne (TheHomeSchoolMom) - Question: What started as a joyous process is turning out to be ugly and unhappy. I feel so lost as of now. What can I do?

Ask Jeanne: Homeschooling When Everything Is Terrible

by Jeanne Faulconer

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 »

Thought bubble with text "Ask Jeanne TheHomeSchoolMom" and separate square shape with text "Do I need teacher training to homeschool? If it isn't necessary, would it be beneficial anyway?"

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 »

Group of 6 children and text "Homeschooling - because there is no such thing as an average child - Read More"

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

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 »

Tips for Feeding the Homeschool Family

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 »

"Homeschooling" Hybrids - Are education hybrids really homeschooling?

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

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

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 »

As featured on

US News & World Report, Forbes, KQED, HuffPost, AL.com, Money, Healthline Parenthood, Family Education, Parents, Scholastic

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