I agree that you can “get behind”, BUT you can also make up ground SO fast! My oldest is dyslexic and didn’t read fluently until age 10.5. He didn’t start writing formally until age 12.5. He was very “behind”. He’s now 15, a freshman, and he reads at a college level and is 4 lessons away from finishing his entire high school writing program. Homeschooling allowed him time to mature. It also allowed me the flexibility to find what worked and make up ground rapidly. The public school mindset tells you it takes years to make up ground. I’ve learned with my kids that this isn’t the truth. So “behind” is kind of an illusion in my opinion. Great video!
Definitely, I do believe you can make ground fast. My daughter has had some gaps after I pulled her from the public school system. And it was unbelievable how fast we was able to get her caught back up. Homeschool does give us time for growth and improvement especially if we set individual goals for each of our children and strive to meet them every year.
This is my current situation with my 11year old, he is dyslexic and just started reading fluently ( still needs practice). We struggle with writing/spelling and I feel like I want to take the school year on reading, writhing and spelling!
Thank you for sharing. This is so encouraging! I have a 9 yr old (a few Days ago) son who has dyslexia and he’s not reading fluently yet. I know he’d be considered ‘behind’ but it hasn’t been from our lack of trying!!
That’s so amazing! How sobering though to think of all the kids in public school who struggle with the building blocks of reading and get left behind, never to catch up. Thank goodness we can homeschool!
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 girl yes. I’m in my third year homeschooling. And I swear, much of what we see from homeschool social media platforms are a facade. Truly. It’s also consumerism at its finest. And I fell for it….hard. Cost me my money, my time, and my peace. I’m thankful I’ve realized this, but I wish I knew sooner. And it’s still a temptation. Rather it’s my schedule isn’t strict enough, or free enough…my space isn’t organized cute enough, or we don’t school out side like we should…I mean it can go on and on FOREVER. I had to delete so many social media accounts because of this robbing me of my peace and time with my kids. Well done on this video. Well done.
I love that you brought up the point about saying "anyone can homeschool, it's practically free, all you need is a library card!" --especially as someone who lives in a place without public libraries (at least not the way people in the US experience public libraries)...homeschoolers in my city/country can't simply access resources through a library. There's a cost to homeschool, there are many ways to make it fit the budget, but we can't deny the cost. And you know I'm all about the early years learning--my little guys have been so curious and our early years of "school" have been so fun in this preschool season. And as someone who was homeschooled BEFORE trendy/popular curriculums even existed...I fully support the idea of sometimes plain, classic, simple curriculums work really, really well.
You are so right about homeschooling for free. I say the same thing. Homeschooling is not free! Cost can be manageable for the person’s budget but free it is NOT. Lol.
I completely agree! Nothing is free especially time. Even with the mentality of "just a library card," you still have to utilize gas and carving out your time how many times a month to go.
This is one of my biggest pet peeves! Even if you can download free curriculum, you pay money to print it out! You need basic school supplies and will probably pay for math at some point. Yes, it can be cheap but not free!
A lot more people will agree with this than what we think, it just doesn’t always get spoken of. Love this video! Also, your sweater/sweatshirt is so cute! Love it!
Great points! Recently I shared what I’m doing with a homeschooling friend of mine. She was surprised I am doing so many academic activities with my 3-year-old. She questioned me, “As a trained teacher, do you think our kids really need to be doing all of that right now? What they really need is to spend the entire day outdoors.” My answer: “As a trained teacher, I know that all children are unique and learn at different paces, so it depends on the child.” By two years old, my son was already showing giftedness in math and a pure enjoyment in everything numbers, geometry, etc. Why would I stifle that? People think I’m making my pre-schooler sit here with a pencil doing addition and subtraction problems that are not developmentally appropriate? Of course not!!! Because of homeschooling, my child has the freedom to enjoy math and move ahead at his own pace. We do fun and challenging activities that are relatable to his real-world experience, yet I also us a curriculum. As a former public school teacher, I know his learning would have been stifled in this area, had I started him in formal preschool too soon. And YES! They absolutely can “fall behind.” We envision ourselves homeschooling now, and we are blessed to be able to do so. But you never know when hard times may come, your spouse could lose their job, life could take you in a different direction unexpectedly. While we want our kids to be free from the stigmas of “learning slower,” you never know when you will - out of necessity - have to put your child in public school. That’s life. So, think it is wise to help your child stay more or less on pace with state standards. I don’t want to force-feed reading to my child, who I can see is not ready yet. But I also don’t limit exposure or neglect introducing the concepts to him! The fact of the matter is, if we end up needing to put him in school for any reason, he will have to know how to read.
This resonates so much! I completely agree about getting behind.. not only to have certain goals/benchmarks but so that kids reach their own potential. We can get too comfy and let things slide and as they move into upper grades it becomes more apparent.
Great points! I love homeschooling conversations and diversity of hs opinions. The beauty of Homeschooling is we can pick and choose what works best for our families, but we will make better choices if we are exposed to more of the different philosophies.
Yes to alllll of this. The thing that drives me NUTS regarding early academics for littles, is people [on this platform] who *say* no formal education until 6, but then are clearly *doing* some sort of phonics/math/reading instruction prior to that, and then when their child is reading in K/1 it somehow feels like magic. Can we just be honest? It’s really ok either way! And it’s also really is individual to each child (my 3 year old does way more than my older one did, etc.), let’s just stop guilting people in either direction!
"If everyone isn't using it, you need to be ok with that!" I totally agree. There are times where I don't see anyone else using what we have and a FOMO tries to rear it's ugly head. I have to keep pushing it down!
I teach and tutor on Outschool and I have seen more than my fair share of students who are in 3rd or 4th grade who can’t do basic addition/subtraction or 2nd graders who can’t recognize the letters in their name. If you’re homeschooling without a curriculum you have to do some heavy lifting when you’re planning! Unschooling is SO misunderstood and is unfortunately sometimes used as an excuse not to do anything. And some kids really do need direct instruction due to learning differences!
I definitely think Unschooling is misunderstood by some. However, when unschooling is done right it is amazing to see all of the skill and achievements children are able to have when they find something that they are passionate in. I believe unschooling does work for some children but it may not be the best method for all.
Agree with all of these! Especially the idea of starting "early" if your kids are eager and ready. I have one with a September bday so she would've had to wait another school year to start kindergarten if pubic schooled, but she was reading signs and labels to me as we walked around the grocery store (I hadn't started teaching her to read yet, she just picked it up from listening to big sister and figuring things out on her own). So we jumped in and did K at home anyway even though everyone told me to wait. She's done great and I don't regret it at all. And yes yes yes to falling behind, trendy curriculum, and all the rest. You're right on. Unpopular maybe, but I'm on the same page.
My unpopular opinion: we homeschoolers need to be more discerning about our homeschool curriculum. Pretty unit studies with no substance are so common in HSing circles. I look for academic rigor (and secular, since I have concerns about the academic rigor of a lot of religious curriculum). And, yes, kids can get behind their public school peers, which will disadvantage them later in life.
I’m last 3 years i haven’t wasted so much $$ buying curriculums based on RUclips Reviews until this revelation hit me one day… of course homeschool youtube channels r going to absolutely love n recommend certain curriculums bc they r promoting it!!! Not only r they get 100s of free homeschool supplies, curriculums, games, room set ups, n so on but they get commission off if it to!!! When i learned this n thought of all the $$ i couldn’t afford to waste bc i bought material n etc based on a recommendation that my kiddos n i ended up not liking at all it kinda made me mad but it was my fault to for not researching more!!! Now i do loads of research n look for honest reviews!!!! Ty for ur honest reviews n pls keep ot up!!!
So true about Saxon!! So many people diss Saxon. They hear it’s black and white and boring but it is so, so solid! IMO, math doesn’t need to be fun, it needs to be tried and true with great structure and explanation. But not overwhelming like Abeka higher level math.
With the part on getting behind, I am WITH YOU! I was homeschooled 14yo to graduation, and I was close with a family whose youngest could barely read anything at age 9. I can’t judge, because I don’t know if there were learning disabilities, or what, but I know he needed an intervention or extra help of some sort, and he wasn’t getting any. Because of this perspective I honestly don’t mind that my state requires we show proof of progress at the end of the year (and we’re only required to be above the 23rd percentile for standardized test, or have a written letter from an evaluator, which is someone who has a masters in an educational discipline or a licensed teacher.)
I truly enjoy your videos so much ! I agree with all of this but also I'd like to say I really love how you mentioned respecting your children to not dish the actions that need disciplining ! I feel that was very great of you and shows true character. Over all I enjoyed this content ❤️
i 100 percent agree that Homeschooling is not totally free and I love you well you broke it down. You are either going to spend more time or money. I am like you in that I don't end our homeschool day because they kids are having a rough time. We take many breaks within our homeschool block of time.
I think there is a misunderstanding regarding what is formal academics. I have been homeschooling for over 15 years and I did delayed formal academics until much later than 6. It didn’t mean they didn’t learn, it meant I did not force curriculum or use a lot of bookwork. We learned through more interactive life activities. When we did start more formal bookwork they had a wealth of life knowledge to understand and grasp the concepts presented much easier and they actually progressed much faster. They started out technically behind but caught up and surpassed their peers pretty quickly.
I agree with so much of what you shared in this video. Homeschooling has many amazing, beautiful moments but it requires a lot of work and patience as the parent/teacher and it's definitely NOT FREE! 😄
Loved hearing your opinions! I agree 100% about keeping your blinders on as you pursue what work for your own family. That took me awhile to learn. I think it was the theme of my video on my biggest mistakes in homeschooling.
I think you are overall right, they can get behind if you want them to be at a level for college or careers etc however I also think many of the people saying that line are talking about our kiddos with learning struggles. He’s not behind where HE should be given what his challenges are, he is however far behind being ready to leave for college by age 18.
Think of different ways to teach. Beans on cardboard work for multiplication and division. Abacus are great for addition and subtraction. Throw plastic measuring cups in the bathtub to learn fraction or use a bowl of rice. Use textures when learning the alphabet like sand paper letters or shaving cream. Use scrabble board letters, magnetic letters, or the game upword for spelling. Teach American Sign Language letters to help memorize spelling words. Children can learn over 3000 words through the power of rhyme (ex. cat, bat, rat, etc). There are 220 rhyming families taught in grades first to third. In third grade concentrate on prepositional phases to speed up reading. The most important thing is reading. Read books on a variety of subjects and don't stop reading to your children until their vocabulary is higher than yours. But never acknowledge their vocabulary is higher than yours even if you have to study at night.
I loved this video! Thank you! I heartily agree that homeschooling is not free. I really dislike when people say it is; even if all you have is a library card and free online curriculum you still need access to a printer ($), reliable transportation ($), internet access ($), electronic device ($), etc. All of those things do cost money and not everyone has access to them.
You are absolutely right. I am very grateful to now have more access to the supplies I need to homeschool. But in the beginning I really had to start from scratch. 😊
Thank you! This was a great video. I agree with everything you said, especially the last opinion. We should not give up no matter how hard it is because it is not easy! I believe we see the “perfect” homeschool life on these videos and it frustrates us when ours doesn't quite work out the same way. Thanks for being real!
I totally agree about elementary and middle school science!! And I’ve taught middle and high school science before. I think the only way to be behind in science is to be behind in math and problem solving skills once it’s time to take Chemistry. I see a lot of homeschoolers on a track to take Algebra 2 in their senior year which makes it hard for a student to succeed in chemistry that they’re usually taking concurrently if that’s the path they’re on… and that math track makes it nearly impossible to take physics if that’s something you or they were interested in….
Yes! I have 2 younger daughters coming up and I think I am going to come up with something creative to do for science and history so I can really focus on reading, writing, and math.
I agree with everything you said! We have the same views. Im on my third year of homeschooling. Im required to teach science and social studies/History as well. Im glad they don’t tell us how to do it, because I refuse to buy curriculum for those two subjects until 4th grade. I use my library, nature, kitchen, field trips and RUclips videos to teach these subjects. And I keep it very simple.
Yes ! That is such a good idea. I definitely think I am going to take a similar approach to science and history for my little ones when we officially start school. 😊
Our local libraries have a ton of resources for kiddoes in their learning sections. I think that matters, where one lives and what the free resources in their area look like.
Yes!! Thank you so much for this video. We are in our first year of homeschooling and had a rough day yesterday. I was torn because I didn't want to completely scrap all the lessons for the day but I felt like that is what I am told is a benefit or luxury of homeschooling. I agree with your solution much more and I do need to get better at being ok with not finishing everything but I don't like giving up either.
Reading a variety of books on science and history should be enough for the lower grades. Schools are trying to push to much on lower grades. The concentration should be on reading, writing and math. Complement learning with science museums, looking for bugs, climbing trees, collecting leaves, touring caves, and other fun activities.
Yasss!! 🙌🏼👏🏼 So many good points in here!! Homeschooling ain’t free by any means! Lol Don’t get me wrong I will hunt on Pinterest for those freebies but yes there are costs associated with homeschooling. Love also the point about trusting your gut and doing what’s best for your kiddos and not just going with the shiny and popular things. And exhausted is an understatement on some days - there is certainly chaos amidst the beauty on some days! Thanks for sharing! 💙
It's like you were reading my heart, these are all opinions that are shared by most of us. "At the end of the day my brain is fried." Lol saaaame girl! That's why minimum 1 hour quiet time is mandatory in my home so I can rest and recharge my mama brain. 😊 Thank you for sharing!
Where I am there is this mad rush to have children reading by the end of the first 11 week term of Kindergarten. Even children who didn't have preschool. Children who aren't reading by October get labeled delayed. This rush to get kids reading isn't equaling out to better readers when 3rd and 8th-grade reading assessments are done. This rush seems to be this need to seem as if there are strong academics. So then homeschooling people are fine with a child being older before reading and to people with the public school mindset, these kids seem behind. The idea kids should be doing this at 5. I'd rather start slow and ramp up as kiddo gets older.
I definitely feel that is awful to have children be labeled as delayed if they have not mastered reading in the public school by a certain time. As a homeschool mom I definitely have goals I want my children to meet but I am totally fine with taking thing slow. As long as we are progressing and meeting our goals I am honestly happy. 😊
Wow! What a refreshing video 😅 I’m glad to see so many of these topics brought to light and that so many others share some of these same perspectives. We homeschool exclusively through a Charter program so even though we are technically with a public school, we are at home and have almost all free will with our curriculum choices and styles of teaching. With that being said, because we are allotted state funding, it is “almost” free for us. We definitely wouldn’t be able to traditionally homeschool because of the price tag. I agree with so many points if this video and always love coming back to your page 💕
I totally agree with each of these. Daily my goal is to set our girls up for living life outside of our home and each of these steps does just that! Great video!
Yes! My two-year-old has to have her own crayons and school book during our school time! It's amazing how much little ones love to copy their siblings. :) Great video!
@@brittanyolga haha yes.. I just finished watching now... had to pause quite a bit lol #momlife but the part where if your having a bad day and completely giving up for the day... completely agree on that one!
You are so right about younger kids! I have my 3 year old sitting at the kitchen table participating with my kindergartener and it is so good for him to build the interest and enjoyment of doing worksheets for their level! And agree about getting behind! It is true kids can go at a more individual speed but benchmarks by the public school are not all bad and it is good to choose benchmarks to measure your kids growth.
That is so awesome your three year old tagging along. My youngest is always happier when she is at the table with the big kids.😊 I have found it helpful using the book Home learning year by year. I do not follow it exactly but it is a great guide to help me set realistic goals for my kiddos. 😊
We started Math with Confidence and my daughter just didn't like it at all so we just completely stopped using it. She fell in love with Dimensions Math & it works so well for her! She actually gets excited about doing math now! I've come to terms with having to ditch curriculum and add new! With it being my first year homeschooling it's a learning experience! ❤️ homeschooling is for sure hard but so worth it!
@@lauramickow5823 Girl nothing is wrong with y'all! Everyone is different! My daughter liked some of the games but she is just more of a get to the point & get it done kind of kid! I was shocked that she didn't like it because of her hands on learning style but it wasn't a fit for us at all! She would get bored way too quickly & just didn't want to do it anymore. She loves the Dimensions math because it's pretty straight forward!
Agree with all and I wanted to add kids also can get ahead in some areas and master skills from above levels too and keep their own track and not get stuck in the same skill etc. My oldest is 9 and is not a fluent reader YET and its ok we keep working on those skills. He is working harder with his writing skills too. 😍
Yes exactly!!! I love that !!!! My daughter is definitely ahead in English whereas we are right on par with mathematics. I love that we can advantage in areas of strengths and slow down in other areas. 😍
My younger was in PreK when Pandemic hit then full Virtual in Kinder and he was way ahead in Math but well, he needed to do Kinder stuff like everyone else. Thats when I knew I needed to homeschool and keep growing his skills. Not both are thriving and the freedom we have its amazing. This is our second year and we love it every single day! BTW LOVE YOUR VIDEOS, keep it up girl!
Homeschool is not free absolutely! I never agreed with that. I think that is said to just help new homeschoolers free better. I have been schooling for 6yrs now. Great video
My step daughter is in 2nd grade this year and the last 2 years were hard she was pulled in 2020 from preschool. So she was never taught reading or anything so in kindergarten I had to back track a lot to make sure she had the basics of reading and sounds and stuff. But she was able to catch up and is now ahead in reading which is great. But now I’m currently 6 months pregnant so trying to balance teaching 2nd grade and not always feeling the best and being tired all of the time plus also watching my 3 year old and doing light preschool with him it’s just hard right now. But I’m just taking it a day at a time and plugging along lol.
Yes definitely taking it one day at a time is all we can do ! As long as we are consistently working with our kiddo I truly believe they will be fine. Best of luck with your pregnancy and postpartum recovery. 😍
It drives me crazy 🤪 hearing moms say homeschooling is free. I started my child's learning early because he was ready! He's my only and loves learning. I am never going to tell him he has to wait until he's 6 to learn. That would discourage the love of learning. I'm not going to discourage him!
We’re in agreement about everything girl!!! Homeschool is the most expensive schooling option for me , even if I get everything for free !!! I’m an Engineer (worked for Fortune 500 ) … my time is precious , my decisions are top notch- gold and privilege. You’re right about getting behind. Yes - Saxon math. Distraction free 3 Rs. Very good video. Thanks!!
I definitely don’t think you’re in the minority group in having these opinions. I, myself, agree with many of the points you made! I really enjoyed listening to you share.
Mine is it can hurt your child's social skills and cause speech delay. And my case I'm so busy with home life and there are no children around. So my daughter has developed speech delay and is behind ar age 4. So yes it is a money investment. Because if I had sent her to school they would have many different types of projects and activities that I barely have the time to put together to do with her. The space in your home and the amout of money you have to invest can hurt. My other unpopular opinion is if you don't start by they are underage it can be difficult if you are academically behind yourself and to busy to learn how to teach. In this case if you could sign them up for a charter school and a teacher can sit down and help you do that
This is nonsense. Any speech language pathologist will tell you that early language acquisition comes from parents, so speech delays don't happen from "homeschool isolation". My child was in traditional daycare and public Pre-K, and had me as a mom (and I talked to and read to them from the time they were infants), and still had a speech delay and required speech therapy for a year.
I agree that you can “get behind”, BUT you can also make up ground SO fast! My oldest is dyslexic and didn’t read fluently until age 10.5. He didn’t start writing formally until age 12.5. He was very “behind”. He’s now 15, a freshman, and he reads at a college level and is 4 lessons away from finishing his entire high school writing program. Homeschooling allowed him time to mature. It also allowed me the flexibility to find what worked and make up ground rapidly. The public school mindset tells you it takes years to make up ground. I’ve learned with my kids that this isn’t the truth. So “behind” is kind of an illusion in my opinion. Great video!
Definitely, I do believe you can make ground fast. My daughter has had some gaps after I pulled her from the public school system. And it was unbelievable how fast we was able to get her caught back up. Homeschool does give us time for growth and improvement especially if we set individual goals for each of our children and strive to meet them every year.
This is my current situation with my 11year old, he is dyslexic and just started reading fluently ( still needs practice). We struggle with writing/spelling and I feel like I want to take the school year on reading, writhing and spelling!
Thank you for sharing. This is so encouraging! I have a 9 yr old (a few
Days ago) son who has dyslexia and he’s not reading fluently yet. I know he’d be considered ‘behind’ but it hasn’t been from our lack of trying!!
That’s so amazing! How sobering though to think of all the kids in public school who struggle with the building blocks of reading and get left behind, never to catch up. Thank goodness we can homeschool!
I appreciate this comment! Thank you!❤️
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 girl yes. I’m in my third year homeschooling. And I swear, much of what we see from homeschool social media platforms are a facade. Truly. It’s also consumerism at its finest. And I fell for it….hard. Cost me my money, my time, and my peace. I’m thankful I’ve realized this, but I wish I knew sooner. And it’s still a temptation. Rather it’s my schedule isn’t strict enough, or free enough…my space isn’t organized cute enough, or we don’t school out side like we should…I mean it can go on and on FOREVER. I had to delete so many social media accounts because of this robbing me of my peace and time with my kids. Well done on this video. Well done.
I love that you brought up the point about saying "anyone can homeschool, it's practically free, all you need is a library card!" --especially as someone who lives in a place without public libraries (at least not the way people in the US experience public libraries)...homeschoolers in my city/country can't simply access resources through a library. There's a cost to homeschool, there are many ways to make it fit the budget, but we can't deny the cost.
And you know I'm all about the early years learning--my little guys have been so curious and our early years of "school" have been so fun in this preschool season.
And as someone who was homeschooled BEFORE trendy/popular curriculums even existed...I fully support the idea of sometimes plain, classic, simple curriculums work really, really well.
Omg yes Racheal 🙌🏽!!! Preach !!! I love it. 😍
You are so right about homeschooling for free. I say the same thing. Homeschooling is not free! Cost can be manageable for the person’s budget but free it is NOT. Lol.
Lol yes ! It can be affordable and budget-friendly. But definitely not Free lol 😆
I completely agree! Nothing is free especially time. Even with the mentality of "just a library card," you still have to utilize gas and carving out your time how many times a month to go.
@@KatsGrimm Right..
This is one of my biggest pet peeves! Even if you can download free curriculum, you pay money to print it out! You need basic school supplies and will probably pay for math at some point. Yes, it can be cheap but not free!
A lot more people will agree with this than what we think, it just doesn’t always get spoken of. Love this video! Also, your sweater/sweatshirt is so cute! Love it!
Aww thank you so much Lauren!!! You are absolutely right a lot of these topics just don’t get spoken about. 🙈
Great points! Recently I shared what I’m doing with a homeschooling friend of mine. She was surprised I am doing so many academic activities with my 3-year-old. She questioned me, “As a trained teacher, do you think our kids really need to be doing all of that right now? What they really need is to spend the entire day outdoors.”
My answer: “As a trained teacher, I know that all children are unique and learn at different paces, so it depends on the child.”
By two years old, my son was already showing giftedness in math and a pure enjoyment in everything numbers, geometry, etc. Why would I stifle that? People think I’m making my pre-schooler sit here with a pencil doing addition and subtraction problems that are not developmentally appropriate? Of course not!!! Because of homeschooling, my child has the freedom to enjoy math and move ahead at his own pace. We do fun and challenging activities that are relatable to his real-world experience, yet I also us a curriculum. As a former public school teacher, I know his learning would have been stifled in this area, had I started him in formal preschool too soon.
And YES! They absolutely can “fall behind.” We envision ourselves homeschooling now, and we are blessed to be able to do so. But you never know when hard times may come, your spouse could lose their job, life could take you in a different direction unexpectedly. While we want our kids to be free from the stigmas of “learning slower,” you never know when you will - out of necessity - have to put your child in public school. That’s life. So, think it is wise to help your child stay more or less on pace with state standards.
I don’t want to force-feed reading to my child, who I can see is not ready yet. But I also don’t limit exposure or neglect introducing the concepts to him! The fact of the matter is, if we end up needing to put him in school for any reason, he will have to know how to read.
Beautiful said 🙌🏽. I hope you and your family have a great homeschooling journey. Beautiful comment 🥰. I completely agree.
This resonates so much! I completely agree about getting behind.. not only to have certain goals/benchmarks but so that kids reach their own potential. We can get too comfy and let things slide and as they move into upper grades it becomes more apparent.
Great points! I love homeschooling conversations and diversity of hs opinions. The beauty of Homeschooling is we can pick and choose what works best for our families, but we will make better choices if we are exposed to more of the different philosophies.
Yes to alllll of this. The thing that drives me NUTS regarding early academics for littles, is people [on this platform] who *say* no formal education until 6, but then are clearly *doing* some sort of phonics/math/reading instruction prior to that, and then when their child is reading in K/1 it somehow feels like magic. Can we just be honest? It’s really ok either way! And it’s also really is individual to each child (my 3 year old does way more than my older one did, etc.), let’s just stop guilting people in either direction!
Amen 🙏🏽 to all of this !!!! 🙌🏽
"If everyone isn't using it, you need to be ok with that!" I totally agree. There are times where I don't see anyone else using what we have and a FOMO tries to rear it's ugly head. I have to keep pushing it down!
Yes 🙌🏽. It I feel that sometimes and then I have to remember to keep my head down too lol 😂
I teach and tutor on Outschool and I have seen more than my fair share of students who are in 3rd or 4th grade who can’t do basic addition/subtraction or 2nd graders who can’t recognize the letters in their name. If you’re homeschooling without a curriculum you have to do some heavy lifting when you’re planning! Unschooling is SO misunderstood and is unfortunately sometimes used as an excuse not to do anything. And some kids really do need direct instruction due to learning differences!
I definitely think Unschooling is misunderstood by some. However, when unschooling is done right it is amazing to see all of the skill and achievements children are able to have when they find something that they are passionate in. I believe unschooling does work for some children but it may not be the best method for all.
@@brittanyolga Exactly! It’s amazing when it’s done right but I’ve seen it misrepresented. Unschooling is still work for the parent!
Agree with all of these! Especially the idea of starting "early" if your kids are eager and ready. I have one with a September bday so she would've had to wait another school year to start kindergarten if pubic schooled, but she was reading signs and labels to me as we walked around the grocery store (I hadn't started teaching her to read yet, she just picked it up from listening to big sister and figuring things out on her own). So we jumped in and did K at home anyway even though everyone told me to wait. She's done great and I don't regret it at all. And yes yes yes to falling behind, trendy curriculum, and all the rest. You're right on. Unpopular maybe, but I'm on the same page.
My unpopular opinion: we homeschoolers need to be more discerning about our homeschool curriculum. Pretty unit studies with no substance are so common in HSing circles. I look for academic rigor (and secular, since I have concerns about the academic rigor of a lot of religious curriculum). And, yes, kids can get behind their public school peers, which will disadvantage them later in life.
I’m last 3 years i haven’t wasted so much $$ buying curriculums based on RUclips Reviews until this revelation hit me one day… of course homeschool youtube channels r going to absolutely love n recommend certain curriculums bc they r promoting it!!! Not only r they get 100s of free homeschool supplies, curriculums, games, room set ups, n so on but they get commission off if it to!!! When i learned this n thought of all the $$ i couldn’t afford to waste bc i bought material n etc based on a recommendation that my kiddos n i ended up not liking at all it kinda made me mad but it was my fault to for not researching more!!! Now i do loads of research n look for honest reviews!!!!
Ty for ur honest reviews n pls keep ot up!!!
So true about Saxon!! So many people diss Saxon. They hear it’s black and white and boring but it is so, so solid! IMO, math doesn’t need to be fun, it needs to be tried and true with great structure and explanation. But not overwhelming like Abeka higher level math.
Yes it really is a solid math program. I am so happy I finally found something that works for my daughter. 🙌🏽
With the part on getting behind, I am WITH YOU! I was homeschooled 14yo to graduation, and I was close with a family whose youngest could barely read anything at age 9. I can’t judge, because I don’t know if there were learning disabilities, or what, but I know he needed an intervention or extra help of some sort, and he wasn’t getting any. Because of this perspective I honestly don’t mind that my state requires we show proof of progress at the end of the year (and we’re only required to be above the 23rd percentile for standardized test, or have a written letter from an evaluator, which is someone who has a masters in an educational discipline or a licensed teacher.)
I truly enjoy your videos so much !
I agree with all of this but also I'd like to say I really love how you mentioned respecting your children to not dish the actions that need disciplining ! I feel that was very great of you and shows true character. Over all I enjoyed this content ❤️
i 100 percent agree that Homeschooling is not totally free and I love you well you broke it down. You are either going to spend more time or money. I am like you in that I don't end our homeschool day because they kids are having a rough time. We take many breaks within our homeschool block of time.
I think there is a misunderstanding regarding what is formal academics. I have been homeschooling for over 15 years and I did delayed formal academics until much later than 6. It didn’t mean they didn’t learn, it meant I did not force curriculum or use a lot of bookwork. We learned through more interactive life activities. When we did start more formal bookwork they had a wealth of life knowledge to understand and grasp the concepts presented much easier and they actually progressed much faster. They started out technically behind but caught up and surpassed their peers pretty quickly.
This video is SPOT ON! Yes, yes, and more yes! You brought up so many great points.
I agree with so much of what you shared in this video. Homeschooling has many amazing, beautiful moments but it requires a lot of work and patience as the parent/teacher and it's definitely NOT FREE! 😄
Loved hearing your opinions! I agree 100% about keeping your blinders on as you pursue what work for your own family. That took me awhile to learn.
I think it was the theme of my video on my biggest mistakes in homeschooling.
Also agree with the pushing through if the kids are having a bad day.
I think you are overall right, they can get behind if you want them to be at a level for college or careers etc however I also think many of the people saying that line are talking about our kiddos with learning struggles. He’s not behind where HE should be given what his challenges are, he is however far behind being ready to leave for college by age 18.
Yes ! I think I should of been more specific in this video. But that is exactly what I was trying to say. 😊
Think of different ways to teach. Beans on cardboard work for multiplication and division. Abacus are great for addition and subtraction. Throw plastic measuring cups in the bathtub to learn fraction or use a bowl of rice. Use textures when learning the alphabet like sand paper letters or shaving cream. Use scrabble board letters, magnetic letters, or the game upword for spelling. Teach American Sign Language letters to help memorize spelling words. Children can learn over 3000 words through the power of rhyme (ex. cat, bat, rat, etc). There are 220 rhyming families taught in grades first to third. In third grade concentrate on prepositional phases to speed up reading. The most important thing is reading. Read books on a variety of subjects and don't stop reading to your children until their vocabulary is higher than yours. But never acknowledge their vocabulary is higher than yours even if you have to study at night.
I loved this video! Thank you! I heartily agree that homeschooling is not free. I really dislike when people say it is; even if all you have is a library card and free online curriculum you still need access to a printer ($), reliable transportation ($), internet access ($), electronic device ($), etc. All of those things do cost money and not everyone has access to them.
You are absolutely right. I am very grateful to now have more access to the supplies I need to homeschool. But in the beginning I really had to start from scratch. 😊
Preach!!
I feel the same way about so many of these! Thank you for being brave enough to share!
Thank you! This was a great video. I agree with everything you said, especially the last opinion. We should not give up no matter how hard it is because it is not easy! I believe we see the “perfect” homeschool life on these videos and it frustrates us when ours doesn't quite work out the same way. Thanks for being real!
I totally agree about elementary and middle school science!! And I’ve taught middle and high school science before. I think the only way to be behind in science is to be behind in math and problem solving skills once it’s time to take Chemistry. I see a lot of homeschoolers on a track to take Algebra 2 in their senior year which makes it hard for a student to succeed in chemistry that they’re usually taking concurrently if that’s the path they’re on… and that math track makes it nearly impossible to take physics if that’s something you or they were interested in….
Yes! I have 2 younger daughters coming up and I think I am going to come up with something creative to do for science and history so I can really focus on reading, writing, and math.
Yes math is a prerequisite to the true sciences
I agree that you can get behind if you have a certain goal at the end of the journey.
I agree with everything you said! We have the same views. Im on my third year of homeschooling. Im required to teach science and social studies/History as well. Im glad they don’t tell us how to do it, because I refuse to buy curriculum for those two subjects until 4th grade. I use my library, nature, kitchen, field trips and RUclips videos to teach these subjects. And I keep it very simple.
Yes ! That is such a good idea. I definitely think I am going to take a similar approach to science and history for my little ones when we officially start school. 😊
Our local libraries have a ton of resources for kiddoes in their learning sections. I think that matters, where one lives and what the free resources in their area look like.
Loved all of these and I definitely share a lot of these same unpopular opinions
Thank you so much Wendy !!! I was so nervous to publish this one but I am so happy I did 🥰
Preach it sister!!! Just found your channel and I love the boldness and speaking counter homeschool culture. Thank you!!!
Yes!! Thank you so much for this video. We are in our first year of homeschooling and had a rough day yesterday. I was torn because I didn't want to completely scrap all the lessons for the day but I felt like that is what I am told is a benefit or luxury of homeschooling. I agree with your solution much more and I do need to get better at being ok with not finishing everything but I don't like giving up either.
Useful opinions, be ok, keep that balance
Reading a variety of books on science and history should be enough for the lower grades. Schools are trying to push to much on lower grades. The concentration should be on reading, writing and math. Complement learning with science museums, looking for bugs, climbing trees, collecting leaves, touring caves, and other fun activities.
This is exactly what I am going to do !!! I love all of the ideas. Thank you 😊
I am not a secular homeschooling mom, however, I do agree with you on most everything you have spoken about here! 🥰
Yasss!! 🙌🏼👏🏼 So many good points in here!! Homeschooling ain’t free by any means! Lol Don’t get me wrong I will hunt on Pinterest for those freebies but yes there are costs associated with homeschooling. Love also the point about trusting your gut and doing what’s best for your kiddos and not just going with the shiny and popular things. And exhausted is an understatement on some days - there is certainly chaos amidst the beauty on some days! Thanks for sharing! 💙
Yes! Agree with so much of this!! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Grateful for your channel and realness!
Thank you so much 😊
I am right here with you! I agree with all you said! Thank you so much for your honesty and sharing with us!
These are fantastic opinions!
It's like you were reading my heart, these are all opinions that are shared by most of us. "At the end of the day my brain is fried." Lol saaaame girl! That's why minimum 1 hour quiet time is mandatory in my home so I can rest and recharge my mama brain. 😊 Thank you for sharing!
Where I am there is this mad rush to have children reading by the end of the first 11 week term of Kindergarten. Even children who didn't have preschool. Children who aren't reading by October get labeled delayed. This rush to get kids reading isn't equaling out to better readers when 3rd and 8th-grade reading assessments are done. This rush seems to be this need to seem as if there are strong academics.
So then homeschooling people are fine with a child being older before reading and to people with the public school mindset, these kids seem behind. The idea kids should be doing this at 5. I'd rather start slow and ramp up as kiddo gets older.
I definitely feel that is awful to have children be labeled as delayed if they have not mastered reading in the public school by a certain time. As a homeschool mom I definitely have goals I want my children to meet but I am totally fine with taking thing slow. As long as we are progressing and meeting our goals I am honestly happy. 😊
This was such a wonderful video!!! I agree on so many topics. Keep it up Mama, you’re doing awesome!! 💖
Thank you so much 😊
Oh my gosh! I love everything about this video!Amen!!
I think we need to be friends!
Yess 🥰!!! I am so happy you enjoyed it !!!
So appreciate your honest and thank for continuing to share your journey. Be blessed. 💖 🙏
LOVE this!! This video is amazing! We are in the early days of homeschooling with little kids. I’m saving this video to rewatch later too!
I agree totally with everything you shared!
Such a great and fun video. 🌸💗
Wow! What a refreshing video 😅 I’m glad to see so many of these topics brought to light and that so many others share some of these same perspectives. We homeschool exclusively through a Charter program so even though we are technically with a public school, we are at home and have almost all free will with our curriculum choices and styles of teaching. With that being said, because we are allotted state funding, it is “almost” free for us. We definitely wouldn’t be able to traditionally homeschool because of the price tag. I agree with so many points if this video and always love coming back to your page 💕
I totally agree with each of these. Daily my goal is to set our girls up for living life outside of our home and each of these steps does just that! Great video!
Thank you so much Morgan!! 🥰 I was so nervous to post this video but I am so happy I did.
Loved this video. I agree homeschooling is not free. FOMO is the same as comparison will steal your joy.
I agree!! Homeschooling isn’t free and honestly can be a huge investment.
Great truthful video!...So right!..Homeschokl can be affordable, but that does not mean free.
Thank you so much 😊
Yes! My two-year-old has to have her own crayons and school book during our school time! It's amazing how much little ones love to copy their siblings. :) Great video!
Littles always love tagging a long and if the young ones want to do school.. why not?! Totally agree!
Yes 🙌🏽 . Sometimes the littles are more willing to learn than the big ones lol 😆
@@brittanyolga haha yes.. I just finished watching now... had to pause quite a bit lol #momlife but the part where if your having a bad day and completely giving up for the day... completely agree on that one!
@@lifewithginab Yes that one can be hard sometimes😞 but it has been very beneficial once I stared implementing this in my homeschool.
Great information, totally agree with it
Yes yes yes! Homeschooling is an investment as well.
You are so right about younger kids! I have my 3 year old sitting at the kitchen table participating with my kindergartener and it is so good for him to build the interest and enjoyment of doing worksheets for their level!
And agree about getting behind! It is true kids can go at a more individual speed but benchmarks by the public school are not all bad and it is good to choose benchmarks to measure your kids growth.
That is so awesome your three year old tagging along. My youngest is always happier when she is at the table with the big kids.😊 I have found it helpful using the book Home learning year by year. I do not follow it exactly but it is a great guide to help me set realistic goals for my kiddos. 😊
Nailed it!!
Someone has to say it!!! Thank you for this video! So true!
We started Math with Confidence and my daughter just didn't like it at all so we just completely stopped using it. She fell in love with Dimensions Math & it works so well for her! She actually gets excited about doing math now! I've come to terms with having to ditch curriculum and add new! With it being my first year homeschooling it's a learning experience! ❤️ homeschooling is for sure hard but so worth it!
That is so awesome you found something that works out better for your daughter. It is such a joy when you find the right fit for your kiddos. 🥰
My son didn't like Math with Confidence either! I have never heard/read anyone else say that and I thought there was something wrong with us.
@@lauramickow5823 Girl nothing is wrong with y'all! Everyone is different! My daughter liked some of the games but she is just more of a get to the point & get it done kind of kid! I was shocked that she didn't like it because of her hands on learning style but it wasn't a fit for us at all! She would get bored way too quickly & just didn't want to do it anymore. She loves the Dimensions math because it's pretty straight forward!
Agree with all and I wanted to add kids also can get ahead in some areas and master skills from above levels too and keep their own track and not get stuck in the same skill etc. My oldest is 9 and is not a fluent reader YET and its ok we keep working on those skills. He is working harder with his writing skills too. 😍
Yes exactly!!! I love that !!!! My daughter is definitely ahead in English whereas we are right on par with mathematics. I love that we can advantage in areas of strengths and slow down in other areas. 😍
My younger was in PreK when Pandemic hit then full Virtual in Kinder and he was way ahead in Math but well, he needed to do Kinder stuff like everyone else. Thats when I knew I needed to homeschool and keep growing his skills. Not both are thriving and the freedom we have its amazing. This is our second year and we love it every single day! BTW LOVE YOUR VIDEOS, keep it up girl!
Typo* Now both are thriving 😆
@@MarimeSB thank you so much 😊! I am so happy you guys have gotten into a good groove with homeschooling. 😊
Jumping into our 4th year homeschooling, agree with all you said!
Homeschool is not free absolutely! I never agreed with that. I think that is said to just help new homeschoolers free better. I have been schooling for 6yrs now. Great video
I appreciated all of this! Thank you
Spot on!
My step daughter is in 2nd grade this year and the last 2 years were hard she was pulled in 2020 from preschool. So she was never taught reading or anything so in kindergarten I had to back track a lot to make sure she had the basics of reading and sounds and stuff. But she was able to catch up and is now ahead in reading which is great. But now I’m currently 6 months pregnant so trying to balance teaching 2nd grade and not always feeling the best and being tired all of the time plus also watching my 3 year old and doing light preschool with him it’s just hard right now. But I’m just taking it a day at a time and plugging along lol.
Yes definitely taking it one day at a time is all we can do ! As long as we are consistently working with our kiddo I truly believe they will be fine. Best of luck with your pregnancy and postpartum recovery. 😍
Six is really old to start formal learning....is it not?
Thank you
🙌🏼 to all your unpopular opinions. ❤️☺️
It drives me crazy 🤪 hearing moms say homeschooling is free. I started my child's learning early because he was ready! He's my only and loves learning. I am never going to tell him he has to wait until he's 6 to learn. That would discourage the love of learning. I'm not going to discourage him!
My daughter hates math but LOVES SAXON! SO FAR LOLOL
Lol same here 🤷🏽♀️!!! I am happy I finally found a good fit for her 🙌🏽
Can you share what printer you recommend?
I have an EcoTank printer it was an investment bit I love it I only fill the ink once a year. 😍
@@brittanyolga which one exactly? Thank you for replying.
We’re in agreement about everything girl!!!
Homeschool is the most expensive schooling option for me , even if I get everything for free !!! I’m an Engineer (worked for Fortune 500 ) … my time is precious , my decisions are top notch- gold and privilege. You’re right about getting behind. Yes - Saxon math. Distraction free 3 Rs. Very good video. Thanks!!
I definitely don’t think you’re in the minority group in having these opinions. I, myself, agree with many of the points you made! I really enjoyed listening to you share.
Thank you so much 😊 I am so happy you enjoyed the video. 🥰
Mine is it can hurt your child's social skills and cause speech delay. And my case I'm so busy with home life and there are no children around. So my daughter has developed speech delay and is behind ar age 4. So yes it is a money investment. Because if I had sent her to school they would have many different types of projects and activities that I barely have the time to put together to do with her. The space in your home and the amout of money you have to invest can hurt.
My other unpopular opinion is if you don't start by they are underage it can be difficult if you are academically behind yourself and to busy to learn how to teach. In this case if you could sign them up for a charter school and a teacher can sit down and help you do that
This is nonsense. Any speech language pathologist will tell you that early language acquisition comes from parents, so speech delays don't happen from "homeschool isolation". My child was in traditional daycare and public Pre-K, and had me as a mom (and I talked to and read to them from the time they were infants), and still had a speech delay and required speech therapy for a year.
Like 👍