We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success. We often discover what will do, by finding out what will not do; and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery.~ Samuel Smiles
You must learn day by day, year by year, to broaden your horizon. The more things you love, the more you are interested in, the more you enjoy, the more you are indignant about, the more you have left when anything happens. ~ Ethel Barrymore
We are all the authors of our own lives. The authors featured here share their stories, insights and perspectives.
Success by Lune
It has taken me a good while to arrive at an idea of success that sits happily in my own mind. And this idea may seem very ‘insignificant’ to others, because it had nothing to do with grandiose goals or achievements; it is very ‘in the moment’ and very close to the earth ...
Circle of Trust by Stacy
I remember standing inside my home, alone, holding my newborn son. I was looking out the window and my heart was wide open. I was peering into the world and thinking, “I need to find it. I need to find the connection between motherhood, peace, and community. I know it’s here" ...
How My Children Learned to Read and Write by Susan
My oldest learned to read at age four. Not because I set out to do have her do that, but because it was in her nature ...
How My Children Learned to Read ... Differently! by Mimi
Back when my 15 year old was about four I decided I would not send her to school when she turned five, I would homeschool her and her younger sister. I wanted them to do whatever learning they might through play ...
Homeschooling a Child with Aspergers by Dory
I will be beginning this journey of homeschooling in the next few weeks with my precious son who is six and diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism. I have a background in psychology and education, so I’m not too worried about how things will turn out. My son is very bright, creative and enthusiastic about learning ...
Lessons in Reading by Sonya
My oldest, Wanderlust and my youngest, Giggle Goose learned to read in a similar manner…. sitting on my lap with Pathways to Phonics. At the age of 5, they were content to sit with me for 10 to 30 minutes a day and flip through the book page by page. I was content with this as well. It was comfortable and cozy. It was the ‘dream’ of a homeschooling mother.
My lessons came from my son, Jumpin’ Bean ...
Welcome to Our World: The Gifted Visual-Spatial by Amy Cortez
When we first started homeschooling in 1999, I knew that my student was gifted and really thought it was going to be such an easy journey. Our first few months we used a purchased curriculum from one of the more well known "homeschool friendly" curriculum providers. My student literally "sucked" that dry in a few months and was looking for more ...
Nobody Dumbed Him Down by Ned Vare
to be exactly like one another." -- John Stuart Mill
Soon after Cassidy was born at our ranch in Colorado, Luz handed me a book by John Holt ...
What is Unschooling? by Angela
Unschooling is where the children’s education is created from their own interests. It is child-led and child-created. Parents are their tour-guide through life, presenting ideas, suggestions, and fostering those interests....
Suzuki Instruction and Child-Led Learning, by Christine
Music is such a complex means of expression. It can arise from so many varied emotions and feelings and at times seems to spring out as if by accident....
A Journey to Homeschooling, by Valerie Bonham Moon
Our oldest son attended public school (and parochial school for two years), so I knew the drill from that angle. In 1988, his senior year and the year our youngest started Kindergarten, the overseas military newspaper, The Stars and Stripes, published an article about some new fad called homeschooling. This was the first I’d heard of it....
I Am...., by Mary
Before having children, my husband and I had every intention of sending our children to public school, but after trying the nursery school path for a year, we found it too restrictive for our oldest child. After removing him from nursery school we decided that "life without school" would be the best path for us. When he started kindergarten, we first attempted "school at home," since it was all we *thought* we had known. We found that a bit too structured, so we explored interest based learning and found it was a good fit. After all, that WAS the method our children followed while learning to walk and talk during their early years....
The Over-Scheduled Child, by Amy
A friend recently commented to me about another parent "they drive them to a bunch of activities and schedule so many things for them to do that when they don't have anything planned for them, they don't know what to do."...
Overwhelmed, by Jackie
Today is my overwhelmed day. Right from the start it was bad. Before I rolled out of bed, I heard my 10 year old daughter reading a book to my husband. Good, right? No, bad. She pronounced Colorado like, well, Clorox. Five minutes later, she was arguing that Montana is a big city in...Canada....
Reading, by Beth
Forrest had just turned three when he first made the connection between a letter, the sound it makes, and a word which begins with it. It was early summer, and we were drawing with sidewalk chalk. He drew the letter “C” and excitedly said, "Look mama! C! C is for cat, right mama?"...
Word Magic: About Early Reading, by Elesheva
I am currently reading And The Skylark Sings with Me by David Albert. It has been a truly interesting read and I am much taken with the author's story of the homeschooling of his two precocious daughters and also his discussions of the problems with compulsory education....
Back to the Beginning, by Christine
From as early as I can remember, I have wanted to read. When I went to kindergarten, the reading lessons of the day were taught with small, yellow paperback books: a series of books about a monkey and his animal friends. As in many other early reading books of its time, it had lines like: “Mit and Mat...Mit sees Mat...Mat has bat.”...
Emergent Learning and connecting with the field, by Chris
I have been watching my five year old son learn to read.
My son lives in a family of autodidacts. Almost everything we know and do in this family arises from self-teaching. We unschool out kids and have been largely influenced by the work of John Holt, Joseph Chilton Pearce and John Taylor Gatto in this matter....
Learning to Read, by Terri
I've told this story countless times, on UU Homeschoolers and elsewhere, but I'm glad to enter it "officially" into the record to hopefully set at ease the minds of all those overwrought parents whose children aren't reading by the age of 1... Our now 14 year old son didn't learn to read until he was 10...
Coming Home Again, by Sara
Quick – list the top ten words that describe you. Since you’re reading this, you probably put “homeschooler” close to the top of your list. For most of my life, I identified myself that way also, but for a while I thought I’d leave that behind and become a “normal person”....
Watercolor Children, by Helen
As a writer I work with the precise meanings of words. Control and mastery are important when one is trying to convey an idea, an emotion, or an experience. Realizing many years ago that writing was a very controlled activity, and seeking an alternative which might help me loosen up my thinking and perspective, I turned to watercolor painting....
Work and Homeschooling, by Debra
I love what I do professionally, and would want to continue even if it didn't contribute much to our bottom line. My husband is a mathematician, and although technically we could live on his salary, we wouldn't be able to save much for retirement if I didn't also work. I wanted to have financial independence just as a matter of principle. Also, I will confess, I am personally motivated by my love of free markets and capitalism....
Homeschooling & Financial Freedom (or lack thereof), by Ellen
As we begin our first year as "official" homeschoolers (my oldest is now old enough to attend kindergarten at the school up the street), my family is declaring its independence from formal learning institutions. However I find myself, as a non-earning homeschooling mom, more dependent than I ever thought I'd be as an adult. My husband's income pays our bills, and my days are spent addressing the needs of our small children. I am not a martyr, and so I'm doing my best to find a path which lets us homeschool while giving me a little more independence, both financial and intellectual....
Shelter, by kelli
Shelter.
Ok, had a question about shelter and the homeschooling thing.
Yes.
I shelter my kids.
There you go....
Perspective, by Andrea Rennick
This is the time of year that seems to make even the most seasoned homeschooling parent question everything. Catalogs stuff our mailboxes, convention notices appear everywhere, and much advice is shared among friends. From methodology to curriculum brands, from expert to guru, all these things have swirled around me these past two seasons, without having an effect. They seem to blip on my radar briefly enough to be noticed, then they are gone again unmissed....
Standards of Learning, by Stephanie
About four years ago my older daughter was in public school, my son was in day care, and the little one was not even a glimmer in her daddy’s eye. I was working full time with a community mental health agency, doing consulting & counseling in the schools and community....
The Last Straw, by Homeschool Mom
It was Special Person day in my son’s third grade classroom in our local public school. He excitedly chose me, his mom, as his special person. I was honored to attend. However, honestly, I dreaded going to that school, because I had been so many times for the multiple meetings regarding my son’s “disabilities.” That is to say, he had a writing disability, a processing disorder, and Tourette’s Syndrome. My stomach was in knots each day in anticipation of the next phone call, the next problem, the next crisis. Having thought seriously about homeschooling, we already had one foot out the door. This is what happened next....
Why We Choose to Homeschool, by Jennifer
Before my kids were born, I was an elementary school teacher. I absolutely loved teaching. I felt that school was a magical, fun place to be....
Why We Homeschool, by Jeanette
I did not grieve the day the pediatric neurologist told my husband and I that our son would always be “different.” I do remember thinking to myself – “Of course he’s going to be different. He comes from a long line of ‘different’ – and thank goodness for it!” ....
Why We Homeschool, by Lori Challinor
Keir was my first child. I was spectacularly ignorant when it came 'normal' child development, having never even baby sat or held a baby before he was born....
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