Tag: homeschool parents

Purchasing Digital Content.

Let’s Talk About: Purchasing Digital Content with Lindsey Casselman.

If you’re new to home-schooling, you may not have had much experience purchasing digital content before. This is something most veteran homeschoolers are very familiar with, so let’s talk about it!

What Is It Digital Content and How Is It Offered?

Digital content is when you make a purchase of materials that don’t have a physical product. This includes e-books, PDFs and a ton of other downloadable content. Because talented people and companies are located around the world, providing digital content is an easy way to bring their product to the world.

Digital content is available in many places, like Pinterest, TpT and many homeschool curriculum companies, including Schoolio. 

  • Some places offer both print and digital versions of their content. The Digital and Print product are offered at different price points (because printing is expensive). Also as two separate products on their website. Be sure to carefully look over your cart before completing a purchase. Doing so to ensure you’re getting the version you expected to get. 
  • Some places offer printing and shipping for you as an add-on cost. This means you’re buying the digital version of the content. In addition you’ll receive a printed version for an additional fee. These are usually print-on-demand (meaning they aren’t printed until the order is placed, so it may take 7-10 business days or more to reach your door). However, they are often one of the best printing rates you’ll find. That is because the company has negotiated a volume discount with the third-party printer. (If you’re unsure about the rate, look in the FAQs for a price-per-page rate, or look in the product description for page numbers of the product and do the math yourself to find a price-per-page cost. Then compare locally to printers in your area).
  • The majority of digital product companies do not offer printing at all. You will need to either print at home or find a printer that is local to you. The price difference between printing at home or paying a printer to print for you varies widely. Factors that change the cost are based on your printer, what you’re printing, and your location. A little research in this area is a good idea before you decide to buy any digital product. This way you don’t get shocked later by the additional cost to print your digital files.

Tips to Being a Digital Product Consumer

  1. Digital products are almost always non-refundable. Once you purchase a digital product, you’re able to download it to your hard drive and it is yours forever. There is no way to “return” a digital product. Even if a company takes away your access to the download, they have no way to ensure you haven’t saved it locally. Therefore, almost every digital company you come across will have a no refunds policy. 

It is your responsibility as the consumer to ensure the product is what you want. 

  • Read all the descriptions about the product, before purchasing digital content. If you’re buying any sort of bundle, read the descriptions of each piece of the bundle so you’re sure about what you’re getting.
  • Find and read the FAQs. These will answer a lot of the most common questions other people have asked. In addition to this you may learn an answer to a question you hadn’t even thought to ask!
  • Look at samples. There should be samples available for you to look at. Read them thoroughly and envision using the product in your own homeschool. 
  • Read reviews. You can read testimonials on the company page, ask other homeschoolers, or watch youtube reviews of a product. If you have a local friend already using the product- ask to borrow it!
  • Start small. If the program has mini units or some other small product, buy it for the cheaper price as a more detailed sample. This way you get to actually use something from the company before you commit to an entire year financially.

 I don’t know a single fellow homeschooler. That includes myself. Who hasn’t paid good money purchasing digital content   that ended up either not working out, or just never being used. It happens, so don’t beat yourself up if it does. But following the above steps and not rushing a purchase can help you avoid it as much as possible.

  1. Digital purchases won’t be available to you forever. Always download your purchases somewhere locally.

    Most companies allow limited storage of your purchased content. Even if they will store it for you indefinitely, it’s good digital consumerism to always save your purchases somewhere safe. Somewhere that you have control of them. Website maintenance, server or platform changes, expired links, etc. All of these issues can lead to frustration if you count on someone else to hold your purchases for you. Some companies will give you a set number of times you can access your materials. This avoids people sharing their links with friends. Alternatively, other companies will give you an expiry date on your available downloads.

       Places to save your digital product purchases:

  • Your computer’s hard drive. This way you have access to your purchases whenever you need. In addition if it’s saved on your hard drive, you don’t even need an internet connection to preview.
  • External hard drive. Thumb drives are available affordably and in massive size capacities these days. You can have one dedicated to your homeschool digital downloads. This is extremely helpful if you worry about problems with your computer and losing your materials.
  • Cloud storage. I personally can’t say enough good things about OneDrive through MS Office. If you already pay for MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.). Then you already have a OneDrive account. I love that I can save things to my OneDrive and then easily access them from my desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone, anywhere, anytime. Additionally, it also saves your content in the cloud. That way if disaster ever struck your device, you’d be fully covered.
  • Storage companies. Curriculum companies don’t want to be your digital closet. However, there are several companies out there that do! DropBox is a popular one, along with Google Drive. Both are there to safely store your digital purchases. The one downside is that you will need internet service to access your files.

We’ve all had the misfortune of losing an important download.

Some of us have dropped our thumb drives in our coffee cups…. I won’t say who. The best practice is to store it somewhere safe. While also being sure to keep it in two different locations. On your hard drive, plus a thumb, or a cloud server. If you do lose something important, contact the company and they may be able to help you. But if they can’t, don’t let that bring you down, because it happens. We’ve all been to the park and left our favourite sweater or the book we were reading behind. Sometimes things get lost!

  1. Understand licensing agreements with digital products.

    Depending on what you purchase, you will want to be familiar with the licensing agreement. Ebooks are usually yours to read, over and over again if desired. But a lot of homeschool materials will have a one-user only license or a personal-use only license. One-user only means the program is designed to be consumable (most likely a workbook with pages you write directly on) and to only be used once. If you intend to re-use the program for a subsequent child, the legal thing to do is to purchase two copies of the product.

Personal use only means the program is not to be used to make money. That means you can’t resell it to other people. But you also can’t use it to teach a group. Many digital curriculum companies offer co-op or group rates. This is where you get a discount for buying multiple copies of the program to use with your group. If you don’t see it offered somewhere on the site, or you’re unsure about user agreements. Always contact the company’s customer service and they will likely be happy to help you. 

Please remember that digital piracy is just as much stealing as going to a store and walking out with a sweater tucked in your bag. Stealing is stealing. Please model good citizenship to your children.

  1. Check formatting before printing.

    I once sent a PDF to my local printer. Due to one extra blank page being inserted, all the two-page spread sheets were misaligned and the whole book was a mess. It wasn’t the company’s or the printer’s fault. They inserted a blank page after the title page to be the “back” of the title page- makes sense! My printer however prints the title page separately on a heavier card-stock. So that blank page became my book’s page 1, and everything else was messed up from there.

Before you spend the money to have a digital product printed, or print it yourself, be sure to take a look at some formatting:

  • Open up the PDF and take a look at the layout. Are there cutouts involved? Will they be unusable if you print double sided? Are there extra blank pages anywhere to accommodate cut outs that you don’t need printed and inserted if you’re printing single size? 
  • Any other visible formatting problems when open in your program? Even when you have a PDF. The page layout size it was saved in and the default page layout size of your PDF reading program could misalign important pages or images. Always check and make sure everything is the way you want it before you print or send it to the printer. 
  • Talk to your printer about how they do title pages and back covers. 

Make sure you know what you’re getting ahead of time. This way you aren’t disappointed or paying for it to be printed again.

I hope these tips help you in your purchasing digital content journey! Digital products are an amazing way to access great content from anywhere in the world.  With a little know-how, you can really make the most of any digital purchase!

 

This blog was written by Lindsey Casselman, Co-Founder and Lead Curriculum Writer at Schoolio Learning.

 

Click Here to learn more about how to use digital curriculum.

5 Tips To Avoiding Homeschool Burnout | How To Avoid Homeschooling Burnout

How To Avoid Homeschooling Burnout

You probably already know that parenting is not easy! It was tough, long before the year 2020. However, this year has taught many parents how to be more adaptable, homeschool, and how to keep your kid calm when you feel like you’re going to freak out at any given second. This year has been a bust on many different levels. If you are having a difficult time with COVID and feel like you are struggling to maintain sanity at home, we have a few tips to share from our experience. 

Since we won’t be entering the new year with a solution to all our problems, let’s start it off with some excellent tips for giving ourselves an adequate dose of self-care. What does self-care look like anyway? When I hear those words, I think of a person with a mint face mask, cucumbers on their eyes, hair in a towel, wearing a white house robe and being too pampered. I’ve never actually had this happen to me, but it’s where my mind goes when I think of ‘self-care’. What does self-care look like for a homeschooling parent? You may try to lock your door and hide from your kids for a few minutes. But does that help?  

For some people, self-care and self-love look like: Laying on the couch, watching a movie while your kids mess up the basement. Or cleaning and organizing all the cupboards in your kitchen. For some, it’s painting the dining room so that when you walk in the room, the burst of fresh colour helps lift your spirits. For some, it’s a bath with Epsom salt and lavender. Maybe for you, it’s taking a walk or a long run. Or locking yourself in the bathroom with a box of chocolate to soothe the anxiety you’re feeling. There’re many different ways that people medicate with Self-care and love. How do you? 

Top Tips

Let’s start with the symptoms. These indicators are warning signs; please pay attention to them.

· Crying randomly
· Lack of patience with daily tasks
· Overeating or no appetite
· Overreacting
· Irrational decisions

· Crying randomly
· Lack of patience with daily tasks
· Overeating or no appetite
· Overreacting
· Irrational decisions

A few tips,
· Lower your expectation. You cannot be the parent, the teacher, the wife/husband and the other ten roles you need to play. It is ok to lower your expectations and underperform.
· Build a community. Create a small circle of strangers with whom you can share and be transparent outside of your family. Sometimes, it is hard to communicate with the ones you love and having this outlet will help you share the burden.
· Create a schedule and get the family to involve in all aspects of running the house. Please don’t do it all yourself.
· Get out of the house. Take a walk, go for a drive – something.
· Do ‘your’ thing. What is the one activity that you can do by yourself that makes you happy? Reading? Painting? – find something that gives you alone time and some mental break

On the newest episode of The Schoolio Podcast, we discuss how different self-care and love can look for many of us. Laughter being a huge one, have you ever thought of laughter as a way to remedy the blues? Have you ever heard of writing letters to yourself? Today we talk about both these interesting self-care ideas and so much more. 

The laughter in this episode is contagious, so beware! And please, share with us your go-to self-care tips! We would love to hear them.

Listen to episode 11 of The Schoolio Podcast now on your favourite podcast streaming app, or listen on Spotify.

Let us offer you a slice of peace of mind. We know that right now, many kids are bored from the lack of routine that they’re experiencing. So, we have a brand new FREE mini unit about New Year’s for your sweet kids to do when they’re ‘bored’. 

You can pick up your FREE Mini Unit here: https://schoolio.io/newyear/

P.S are you on the fence about homeschooling? Have the newest lockdowns made you frustrated that your child’s education has been interrupted yet again? Maybe you really aren’t a fan of virtual learning but you aren’t sure where to start, or how? 

We have all the tools you need to start your homeschooling journey at: https://schoolio.io  

What’s a Learning Pod?

Whether you are a new homeschooler or an old homeschooler, “Learning Pods” seems to be a ‘new’ aspect of homeschooling for everyone.  So, what is a Learning Pod? 

According to study.com, Learning Pods are characterized as being, “Small group learning with an experienced teacher for a whole-child education from the safety of your home.” 

Many seasoned homeschool parents are now thinking to themselves, ‘But that’s a Co-Op!’ 

A Learning Pod and Homeschool Co-Op have many similarities, and honestly, I was just as confused as many other families when I heard of Learning Pods. So, what’s the big difference? 

According to www.thehomeschoolmom.com, “A homeschool co-op is a group of families who meet together and work cooperatively to achieve common goals.” Like Geography, Art, Crafts, Science, Music. 

The main differences that I can see between a Learning Pod and a Class Homeschool Co-Op would appear to be the content being taught. In a Learning Pod, you have basically one person responsible for teaching children. Creating a little pod of learning, thus the name: Learning pods! Learning pods appear to be a new way for families to keep their children safe from the pandemic that is raging outside. Co-Op is a shared experience between many different homeschool families, where they join together to teach their kids fun classes, like art. Leaving the core subjects, like math, and language arts for the structured classes at home. 

Along with that information, I’m pleased to inform you that on the newest Schoolio Podcast we interviewed Marie Pihl. Marie is a first-time homeschooling mama who is managing her own Learning pod successfully. Marie Pihl has three children, ages, 8, 7 and 5.  She worked as an Event Coordinator for Children’s Aid for many years before deciding to stay home, full time with the kids. Currently, Marie works part time as the Community Development Manager at Schoolio and is homeschooling her 3 kids at the same time while also managing a Learning pod. (Where is her super hero cape?) 

Today we asked her lots of questions about what Learning Pods can look like, and we even got some awesome legal information from Sathish Bala regarding how to have a safe, legal, pod. We hope that you enjoy this new Episode of The Schoolio Podcast! 

Stream it now on your favourite Podcast Streaming app, or click the link to find it directly on Spotify! 

The Canadian Homeschooler

You aren’t the only one who feels like they just aren’t mastering this homeschooling gig. In fact, there’s hundreds of parents who are second guessing themselves and feeling super low. It’s really hard to manage life, work and homeschool on top of all of that. Thankfully for you, there are amazing people who know that you might be struggling and want to help you through it. One such person is Lisa Marie Fletcher, founder of The Canadian Homeschooler. Lisa Marie Fletcher is a homeschooling mom of 5 kids ranging from preschool to high school. When her homeschooling journey began, she searched for Canadian homeschooling resources and started to share them online. That was the beginning of The Canadian Homeschooler – whose mission today is to connect Canadian homeschoolers with each other and with resources to help them on their journey. She knows how you feel, and she doesn’t want you to get stuck in those feelings of inadequacy, overwhelm and frustration. She instead wants you to feel all the good feelings that you truly should be feeling.

During our recent podcast interview, Lisa Marie talks about ‘Backwards planning’ which is a really cool concept! You write down what you did, after you did it. Rather than writing a list of things you need to accomplish for each day and then feeling guilty when you don’t get to all of them, you instead will just jump to your morning, accomplish the things that need to be done and write them down. Talk about a stress reliever. Lisa Marie also shares her 6 steps for starting homeschooling. Because she understands just how overwhelming it can be to start homeschooling. She aims to keep you from feeling overwhelmed and to instead have a direct plan to help you get through the first few months of homeschooling.

During the episode Sathish Bala (CEO of Schoolio) asks, how a partner can be more involved with homeschooling, or be more involved at home to help the parent that is taking the brunt of homeschooling on. Both Lisa Marie and Jaymee help him with this question. Giving advice to help him and others find ways to help their partner during this new homeschooling chapter. It’s our mission at Schoolio to bring you the best, content which is relevant to your Canadian Homeschooling journey which is why The Schoolio Podcast episode 7 is dedicated to helping you have the best homeschooling journey, here in Canada.

To listen to The Schoolio Podcast Episode 7 click on the link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7I41lZAzh0Ik6Bf5xYaoI0

Or find it on your favourite podcast streaming app.

To learn more about Lisa Marie Fletcher and The Canadian Homeschooler, check out her website: https://thecanadianhomeschooler.com you’ll find an amazing blog, tons of resources and more about The Canadian Homeschooling Conference.

That Homeschool Stress Though!

When you first thought of the idea to homeschool your children you probably imagined yourself being the next Elizabeth Thatcher, cultivating a great relationship with your kids. Helping them learn in a fun way with a big smile painted across your face at all times. Patience abounding from every corner of your heart, as you teach with deep understanding and constant kindness. But, two months into it you find yourself wearing your pyjamas for the entire day. You don’t remember when the last time you brushed your hair was, shower? Let’s not even talk about a shower. And, that patience and happiness that you thought you’d portray? Ya, you’ve currently placed your children in their room prisons because their attitudes have caused great irritation in your mind. All those activities and art projects you saw on Pinterest and thought ‘We’re going to do these!!’ Are now crumples of paper and popsicle sticks and one is currently glued to your first grader’s math while the other art disaster is stuck to the table. Your house hasn’t been properly cleaned since ….September? And, your favourite meal is cereal.

You sit down for a break and open up your phone to see another homeschooler on Instagram. Her hair’s done, she has make-up on, she’s posting pictures of her clean house, her perfectly set-up classroom, and her perfectly dressed children. Suddenly, you think ‘What am I doing wrong?’ Suddenly that stress that you were feeling has been impacted and now you feel not just the horrible stress but the feeling of inadequacy. The thoughts ‘Why can’t I do a good job like her?’ ‘Should I even be homeschooling?’ ‘What am I doing wrong?’ Are all flashing through your head. This stress just adds another layer of tension to your already tense shoulders and you feel much more snappy than you did this morning when you woke up.

Before you get to that point, I want to stop you right there. I want you to remember -before you look through the series of perfection Homeschooling parents on Instagram- that you are doing an incredible job. Parenting is hard, parenting during a pandemic is hard, taking care of a house is hard, working is hard, working from home is especially hard. But, you’re more than likely doing most of -if not- all of these things. You are incredible! You have to stop looking at all the things you ‘aren’t’ getting done and start looking at all the things you are accomplishing! Most people would look at your daily life and just curl up in a ball and say ‘NOPE.’ But not you. You’re tackling it all.

But stress, stress is the hardest part of all of our lives. So, what are some tips that we could use to calm down the Homeschooling/parenting stress and instead give us a small dose of peace?

If you haven’t already, listen to The Schoolio Podcast -Episode 5- ‘Tips to Help you Navigate the Stress’ on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1tnFc9JUnzHQ4C7zWtRHbB

or find The Schoolio Podcast on your favourite podcast streaming app.

P.S Don’t forget to subscribe!

Why Your Kids Are Driving You Nuts.

You’re now a few weeks into homeschooling and hopefully by now you’ve started to find a groove. Or you’ve learned 82 ways that DON’T work and you’re still searching for a peaceful rhythm.

Let me ask you this: Are your kids driving you crazy?

Are you wondering how on earth the veteran homeschool moms handle this gig? How do they stand being with their kids so much? I mean, you love those kiddos to pieces and you would literally jump in front of a bus for them, but they’re like, literally always here, am I right? 

You’re probably wondering, when do you get a break? When do you get time to yourself? Your kids seem to need a question answered or a snack approved or a fight resolved every 5 minutes! 

So, here’s the veteran homeschool mom secret: Homeschooled kids are actually more independent. 

I’m sorry to say it, I hope you don’t feel offended, and I know there will be people who disagree. It just doesn’t fit the stereotype that homeschooled kids can’t “cut the apron strings” or “have no real-world experience.” (Trust me, if there was a fake world I had access to, I’d be seriously considering moving in as 2020 carries on, but no matter where I go, here I am in the “real world”.)

People ask me all the time about when I get “time to myself” as a homeschool mom. And at first, I wasn’t sure how to answer. I mean, when I think about it, you’re right, they ARE always here aren’t they? I hadn’t really noticed… I mean, I know they are here.  What I truly mean is, I have LOADS of time alone. Half the time I’m really not sure WHERE my kids are. They are home, that I know. But are they in their rooms reading, in the basement playing a boardgame, outside in the backyard? I don’t know. It’s possible I haven’t heard a peep from them in an hour or more.

I write for a living and my desk is in the living room. The living room! Does that blow your mind? I can work in the living room with my kids also in the living room and no one bugs me for long stretches of time. Did your head just explode? My kids aren’t special. They are totally regular kids. Homeschooled kids.

The problem could just be that the school system actually teaches kids to do all these behaviors you are finding obnoxious. And the only way to really fix it is to wait. This is a matter of time, and patience, while your children unlearnsome of the non-academic things school has taught them. I’ve written a list of things the school system has taught your kids that may be driving you bonkers in your early days of homeschooling, and how to help minimize this type of behavior:

1. Asking permission.

Kids in school learn that they have to ask permission for ev.er.y.thing. Need to get a tissue? Sharpen your pencil? Use the washroom? Get a drink of water? Ask. Permission. 

I understand why they do this in school: classroom management. You absolutely cannot manage 30+ children with one adult without a lot of rules and asking permission to do anything that’s different than what the rest of the group is doing. It’s a necessity of the school system. But remember now that your kids are at home, they are used to an environment where they can’t make their own decisions and get up and do something on their own. So when you’re trying to get some work done and hoping your kid can do one simple math page independently, but two minutes after you sit down he’s standing beside your desk chair, saying something like, “Ummm, I need my pencil sharpened…”looking lost and confused and you’re thinking to yourself, “SO SHARPEN IT!!! Why does this need to involve me?!?!!?” Don’t pull your hair out just yet. Take a deep breath, and remind your child that he can sharpen his pencil on his own, he can figure out where and what to do, and in the future he can just do it, without your permission first. Be careful not to simply give the permission they’ve asked you for, or this will just continue. Simply empower them to make their own decisions by gently reminding them every time that they don’t need permission, and they can do what they need to when they need to do it, because you trust them to make those decisions. 

2. Being constantly scheduled.

Odds are, if your kids have spent time in the school system, they’ve gotten pretty used to having every moment scheduled for them. Classes are scheduled, breaks are scheduled, which subject is delivered when, for how long, and the content of that lesson, is all planned out by adults, and your child had zero say in any of it. And if you’re anything like us when our kids were in the system, school takes up so much of your life that your evenings and weekends are usually pretty planned out too with extra-curriculars, obligations, errands, scheduled playdates, and family outings. Your kids are just not used to making decisions for themselves or deciding for themselves how to use their own time. 

This is why you get the “I’m bored”. And you look around at the dozens of toys, games, books, and technology that litter your house and think, “HOW?!? HOW are you not entertained?” But it’s not a matter of not having anything to do, it’s a matter of not knowing what to, because they aren’t used to that kind of choice.

If you think the solution is to micromanage their time, it’s not. I mean, you certainly can, if that brings you joy, and it’ll get rid of the “I’m bored” dilemma, but it won’t teach them anything. Instead, help them brainstorm a mega list of all the things there are to do in your house, and pin it up somewhere. Forbid the words “I’m bored” under threat of chores if you want to, and encourage them to figure out their own entertainment, without (gasp!) any direction from you.

3. Rushing

When my kids were in school, life was a constant rush. As soon as they got up in the morning it was rushing to get breakfast, get ready, get lunches packed, get everyone out the door on time. Kids are rushed and hustled around all day at school: 

“Quickly and quietly through the halls please!” 

“The bell rang, let’s get a move on!” 

“I’m going to count to 3 and by the time I’m done I want everyone in their seats!” 

“Get your snowsuit on! Get your boots on! Let’s go, you’re going to miss the bus home!”

The peaceful pace of homeschool can be such a culture shock, for your kids AND you. You now have the ENTIRE day to get 2ish hours of schoolwork done.  Do you ever get that anxious, twitchy feeling that there are things that you need to be getting done? You know, that feeling you must be forgetting something important? Kids can feel that too! But they’re less capable than adults of labelling their feelings and anxieties and the roots of them. So, while you might just ring your hands, they might jump around on the living room furniture while you’re trying to have a Zoom meeting with your boss.

Try writing a schedule and putting it somewhere they can see that shows them all their free time blocks. Let them visually see how much free time there is going to be today and talk with them about what they think they might choose to do in those times. This will help them feel less uncomfortable with having open time, and help them learn to entertain themselves, if you begin with helping them make those unfamiliar decisions initially. 

4. Fitting In

I’ve talked about the armor our kids wear to protect themselves at school, so I won’t bore you with that rant all over again. But I will say, fitting in is a survival necessity in school social culture. 

When it comes to academics, kids also learn to assimilate and blend in. They learn that the “right” thing to do is to have the “right” answer. No outside the box ideas, no brain dumps, rants, or long trains of thought allowed- you’re holding up the class! 

As a teacher I know that there’s always those kids who wants to tell you a 20 minute story about what their dog ate for breakfast, or go on and on about the new Pokémon card they got- and you half-listen while bustling around the room trying to get everything prepped and set up. Nodding and giving an “uh huh” as often as you can. Until you finally have to interrupt them with a gentle, “That’s really lovely, but I need you to take your seat now so we can start the class” or “That’s a great story, but we need to let someone else have a turn to talk now.” That child has unfortunately been shut down, shut up, and discouraged. It’s not the teacher’s fault- a classroom is a busy place and s/he has other things to do, other children to attend to. S/he DOES need to start class and other kids DO need a turn to talk. The longer your child has been in the school system, the more this natural curiosity, and love of learning, speaking and expressing their thought process has been shut down. 

With your kids learning at home, if your aspiring veterinarian wants to talk about what the dog ate for breakfast in great detail, you can listen. You can google a YouTube video on dogs, you can talk about carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores, you can look at pup’s teeth to see how they differ from our own. You can make that train of thought an entire lesson if you want! Try not to stifle their thoughts when they come pouring out!

Maybe your child isn’t like this though. Maybe when you try to “make learning fun” (what a weird saying- when did learning stop being fun?) by letting them choose topics of interest all you get in response is “I don’t know”. 

Maybe you try to teach in a Socratic fashion by asking questions, and all you get for answers are “I don’t know”. 

Remember that they’ve learned in school to give the right answer, briefly, so class can move on. And they’ve also learned that if they don’t have the right answer, someone else will. So, what’s the point in giving it any lengthy thought? The answer will be provided by either another classmate or the teacher within 30 seconds! This is why your child is so quick to answer with “I don’t know”. In school, you don’t need to think about the answers to questions, you either have the answer or you don’t, and if you don’t, class moves on. 

They’ve also learned to only learn what they’re told to (and because that rarely interests them, they’ve also learned to do the bare minimum required). When you ask something as open ended as “What would YOU like to learn about this year?” that question may just be so big and new that they actually “don’t know”. 

They’ve never had a choice in their education before, so that may just be too big a question right now. Grab some pre-made curriculum or make your own plan on a topic you think they will like based on their interests and go from there. Help them re-open their minds and imaginations and rediscover their love of learning, and their ideas will come back to them!

The bottom line is, hang in there parents. You and your children are brand new to homeschooling, and you both have a lot of unlearning to do. Your groove will come. Your rhythm will be found. Be patient, be kind, be forgiving, take it slow. Lower your expectations. Now lower them again. Hang on to your sanity in these early days of this crazy new ride, and before you know it, you’ll have smooth sailing ahead of you.

Lindsey Casselman is a writer, teacher, and mom. She is the founder of Linden Tree Learning and a valued team member at Schoolio. Lindsey is passionate about helping all parents gain the tools they need to have a successful homeschooling journey.

When Homeschooling is Hard.

When you were considering homeschooling you probably heard the experienced home school moms says “We finish school in a couple hours, then the rest of the day is play time.” So, when you shifted your mindset, to actually stay home with your kids, you thought: ‘This is going to be awesome!’ But now you find yourself sitting at the dining room table, listening to your child whine about how they hate math. They literally have 3 math problems left and you’ve been stuck there for an hour. You’re probably wondering what you’re doing wrong. Wondering if your kid needs the school setting. Or if homeschooling was a huge mistake?  

Now you sit here in your frustration, your anxiety, your feelings of inadequacy as a teacher. This right here was not what you signed up for. You signed up for something that made you feel connected to your child, something that helped them learn in a one on one setting. But you’re scratching your head thinking ‘WHY DID I DO THIS?’ Then there’s the whole virtual learning challenge. Maybe you didn’t take the full plunge into homeschool, but you decided to keep your child home and do the virtual learning option. Only to be overwhelmed by frustrations when the technology doesn’t work, or your kid can’t hear the teacher over all the other children’s noises. 

You still find yourself sitting at the table with your child, as they spend countless hours sitting in front of a screen. You notice that they are beyond frustrated, but there’s not much you can do to soothe them because you also are extremely overwhelmed by this whole situation as well. 

You find yourself longing for the days when you could just put your kid on a bus and let someone else educate them. Giving you some time to work, rest, clean, shop or visit friends. Let’s face it, life is completely different for so many of us. The overwhelm that we are facing today can be overtaking. It’s hard to manage your time and patience when so much is new, and more challenging. But you need to remember that you are an incredible human being, that has given up so much to help your child learn in a safe and healthy environment. 

How can you keep calm on those days that just never seem to end? How can be a pillar of peace for your child when everything has turned crazy in their lives and yours? 

First, remember that they are struggling too. For many kids this new virtual reality and/ or homeschool adventure can be really challenging to undertake. It’s not that they’re at you. They’re mad because their life has changed. They had no say in what happened, none of us did. No one had the chance to avoid a global pandemic. Remember, that your child is just trying to navigate this new reality. So, when he gets frustrated with you, or his virtual teacher, or his homeschool math problems – that’s not your fault. 

Second, take breaks. It’s OK to walk away from the schoolwork. It’s OK to say “Hey you know what? We need the day off.” A day off doesn’t mean that they won’t be learning. Give them some Lego, let them build. Give them some paint, let them create. Get them an apron, let them bake. There’re so many ways to learn that don’t involve workbooks and schedules. There’re so many opportunities for them to learn about the world, about creating things, about having fun, and about taking care of themselves. 

Third, model good behaviour. Obviously, you don’t want to throw a tantrum in front of your child about how much you despise homeschooling and or virtual learning. But if you’ve accidentally done so. Move forward. Show your child that it’s ok to become frustrated, but that we don’t sit in that frustration. We recognize the frustration and we move forward. Nothing is normal right now, and that is something that your child is feeling also. Connect with them, tell them that you’re also struggling. Model to them that it’s OK to share your feelings, that it’s OK to be frustrated. 

Fourth, talk to your child. Ask your child whether there are ways that she thinks you both can improve this new chapter in your lives. Sit down, PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY. Talk to your child like you are talking to your friend. Not a student, not your kid, a friend. Ask them how they are feeling, tell them what you’re thinking. Brain storm ideas to move forward. 

Change is hard for everyone. We here at Schoolio understand that. Some of us handle it so much better than others. So, teach your child that even though change can be challenging, it doesn’t have to mean that you will both be miserable. There’s no instruction manual for how to homeschool during a pandemic and an increasingly changing world. Just take it day by day. Don’t be hard on yourself, don’t be hard on your child. You’re both trying, and there’s a lot to be said for that.

Jaymee Davis is a stay-at-home/work-at-home/homeschool mama. She wants you to enjoy homeschooling, even when it can be challenging. And is dedicated to helping you succeed in this new chapter.  

The Homeschooling Mindset.

When it comes to living a happy life, experts agree that mindset is key. Changing your mindset to one of positivity is essential in your life journey, but what about your homeschool journey? Sathish Bala –CEO of Schoolio- asked Lindsey Casselman –Schoolio Team Member and founder of Linden Tree learning- how to get into the mindset of wanting to homeschool. She answered with ‘The biggest thing is to set your mind to being flexible.’ 

Why is flexibility key in homeschool? As Lindsey said “you have to be willing to let go of your plan.” Realizing that sometimes certain things are just not working for you and your child is key. All too often we compare homeschool to traditional school. We try to make them one in the same, when in all actuality homeschool is different. Obviously, you want to keep the education the same (which you can accomplish by using Schoolio’s Ontario Curriculum) but they’re different and It’s important to embrace the differences. Flexibility being on the top of the list. 

Flexibility in homeschool is important for many different reasons, one being that it’s important to give our children a say. As Lindsey said she will sit down with her kids and say “Something isn’t working, what do you guys want to do differently?” Allowing your child’s voice to be heard is huge. And with homeschooling they get the opportunity to do that. In traditional public school, the child must learn the same way as the others.  The child must accomplish what the others are. They must maintain that locked in schedule. The child’s voice becoming one of the hundreds of others in the school setting, easily being drowned out. The beauty of homeschooling is that your child has a say. Your child is heard. You can swap out the schedule, you can take an ‘explore nature day’, you can help them learn other important life lessons, like how to do laundry or cook. Things that are overlooked with traditional schooling yet are an essential part of living life. 

Something I’ve learned with homeschooling is that EVERYTHING is a lesson. It’s not like I’m a teacher for 3 hours out of the day and the rest of the time my kids just have free reign of our household. No way! I’m a teacher all the time. I teach them to cook, to clean, to paint, to exercise, to enjoy life. A simple question from my child can become a lesson all on its own. There is no perfect way to homeschool, and that’s ok. Embrace the imperfections, teach your kids about flexibility in their schedule. Teach them that it’s OK to take breaks and do something other than the designated plan. Being a teacher is something that -believe it or not- you’ve been since your child was born. Teaching them to walk, talk, eat, interact, go to the bathroom. All these things you’ve done. So, teaching them core educational subjects is something that you CAN do. But you have to allow yourself space for flexibility and peace of mind. 

What else matters when it comes to the best mindset for homeschool? Patience. Patience goes hand in hand with flexibility. Be patient with yourself and with your children. Emphasis on yourself. When you are impatient with yourself and allow the negative thoughts to take over your thinking frame, then you are destined to be short tempered with your children and just about every other aspect of your life. Be patient. Be flexible. 

Amp yourself up. When you think to yourself ‘What am I doing?! Why am I doing this?! I’m not a teacher, what makes me think I can teach my kids?’ Let go of that negative self-talk. And replace it with thoughts that lift yourself up. ‘I am a good teacher.’ ‘I taught my child to read today!’ ‘I’m an exceptional parent, putting my child and their education first.’ Not everyone can homeschool their child, but look! You’re doing it! That is something that you should be insanely proud of. There’s absolutely no reason for you to treat yourself like garbage. You are a champion! 

No day is going to be perfect, in fact most days may end up messy (especially when you’re beginning). And that’s ok. Teach your child to enjoy the imperfections. Teach your child to balance things out just like you are. Show your child how to love themselves by demonstrating it through kindness towards yourself. Remember, words hold power. Words of kindness, words that build you up, those are the best words to have in your vocabulary when it comes to your homeschooling mind-set. Don’t limit yourself by thinking negatively about yourself.  You and your child can accomplish anything, today, tomorrow and every day. Homeschooling is freedom, so gain the freedom mindset. You’ve got this.  

Jaymee Davis is a stay-at-home/work-at-home/ homeschooling mama. She is here to be your personal cheerleader, reminding you that you are able to accomplish anything, and homeschooling is definitely one of those things.