De-schooling - Welcome Back Son!

It has only been three weeks and experts suggest it takes months for a child who has been in mainstream school to de-school and adjust to a new learning environment. I'm already seeing some really positive changes in his behavior and attitude not just towards me as his new 'teacher' but to life in general.

So, what have I noticed?

He is more confident

He is now in an environment of encouragement where he can build his confidence. He is learning that who he is is exactly who God made him to be. He doesn't have to be good at soccer or watch hours of Nickelodeon to be liked. He is liked and loved by his family and our close friends and is beginning to learn that his value is beyond peer group acceptance.

He no longer has to survive in a school environment because he can thrive at home!

He is more polite

Hello manners!

This was the first thing I noticed. He was suddenly saying please and thank you but in a way that seemed genuine for the very first time. It wasn't something 'forced' upon him but something that suddenly clicked. I now reassure him that I appreciate his manners as it reflects an attitude shift.

I suspect that spending more time in a consistent environment has helped. At school politeness isn't always essential so he probably just learnt what he could get away with and then had to adjust to coming home to different expectations.

He is happy

My son is happy as opposed to moody, flat and exhausted. In fact, I don't mind his crazy hyperactive moments as at least I know he's happy. I can see he is content and that makes ME happy!

DS6 is making beautiful progress and even felt confident enough to walk through his old school this afternoon to pick up his brother from kindy. I'm really proud of him!

The de-schooling process will continue but for now, I am seeing so many positive changes in his attitude and interactions that I am encouraged to persist through the difficulties.

I feel like the son I know and love is slowly coming back.

Welcome back Son!

Comments

Inspiring Character That Lasts - We Choose Virtues Giveaway!

One of the benefits of homeschooling is the opportunity to help shape our children's character. In fact, one of the points from our own homeschooling mission statement is that I desire.... To build strong character in my children believing that good character is more important than academic success Children are not born with a set of values and beliefs about the world - they are taught. This means they do not always naturally become kind, patient, content and diligent - they need to be guided, gently corrected and encouraged to embrace the kind of virtues that God desires within us. I find this a challenge with my incredibly spirited, strong-willed children (yes, all of them fit this description). I have often allowed myself to feel discouraged and disappointed in their behavior rather than see it as an opportunity to teach and shape their character. Another benefit of homeschooling is that we can encourage these virtues all day - not just for a

How to incorporate World Travel into your Homeschool with a Large Family (and a budget)

So, how do you incorporate overseas travel into your homeschool with a large family (and a budget). It's not overly complicated but are you ready to know the secret? Wait for it. How do you do it? You don't take them all at once! Yep, that's right - you take one at a time. 1 . Take one child at a time! Can it become a logistical nightmare to work out what happens with the rest of the family while you (or your husband) are away? Yep - but it's worth it! In 2015 my eldest son had the opportunity to travel to the Philippines with his dad on a church missions trip. Not only did this provide an opportunity to see poverty and understand the needs of others - it was also valuable father / son bonding time that he will remember for a lifetime. In 2017 my second-born (pictured) had the same opportunity to travel to Philippines but with me included! I took great joy in watching him be-friend local children and learn some of the language. Havi

Why I Chose Skwirk For Homeschooling

Over the years we've used a few different online learning resources but I'm particularly excited about trying something NEW for 2015. Skwirk has had a make-over and quite frankly, it's awesome. There is nothing quite like it around at the moment and it has some great functions that work well with homeschooling. It provides animation based lessons for younger ones as well as great options for independent learning for older kids all the way up to year 10. As an educational tool it is aligned with the Australian curriculum so if that's important to you, or you just like to occasionally see where your kids sit in relation to their peers (like I do) this is a good thing. The subjects it includes are maths, English, science, geography and history. My plan was to use this for my 5 year old who is 'technically' in his first year of school next year. However, once I learnt all the features of the program I'm thinking it will be a great resource for encour

Modern Homeschool Today

Search This Blog