Back-to-Homeschool 2024-2025

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And…we’re off! Off to tackle another exciting homeschool year. My son is a junior in high school this year. My daughter is a freshman in high school. That means 11th grade and 9th grade, respectively, for those not used to the US terminology.

Homeschool mom with giant pencil and eraser

I think I am ready for a new school year and yes, this really is the way I dress to homeschool my children (jk).

We had a wonderful summer break. I worked hard in my soap business and helped my husband with his, too. The kids stayed busy with summer camps, developing skills and hobbies, and playing with the cats. We have two inside cats and one outside cat. Never a dull moment.

Giant Pencil and Eraser

Having fun with my new props

They could have read more books, but at this point I have learned to just let it go. It is what it is. They will learn at their own pace in their own way. And one day they will look at me and say, “I wish you had made me read more as a teenager.” Ha!

They did not care to take back-to-school pictures this year, so I had fun with retrieving some pictures of them from 2018… On the other hand, my daughter had a lot of fun taking pictures of me today with my jumbo pencil and eraser.

Governor and First Lady Haslam with Mom and Daughter

Claire and I in 2018, at the Governor’s Mansion in Nashville, meeting Governor and First Lady Haslam

Written goals

There is so much excitement in the air in the beginning of a school year. I get really excited about setting goals. Personally, I am an advocate for writing goals down and reviewing them daily. Don’t just stick them in a drawer.

Boy in astronaut suit

Preston made this astronaut costume for himself back in 2018

Did you know that just writing goals down gives you a 43% better chance to reach your goals? But you must also pull them out and look at them daily. Take three minutes to absorb them and maybe even copy them down again. Experts in personal productivity recommend this. Don’t shoot the messenger.

Right now, I have seven goals for the next 12 months and I write them down every morning. It is part of my morning routine, my personal time with God and with myself. More on that in a future blog post.

For now, I wish everybody a wonderful new school year, many successes, learning opportunities, friends, and challenges. To our growth!


New School Year

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And… we’re off! Grade 6 and Grade 8 (with three high school credits), here we come! I am so much more relaxed this year because we do not have that March exam looming over our heads at the old umbrella school. It was good while it lasted. That achievement test gave me a calendar and a benchmark. I am glad I don’t have that anymore though. We have entered a new era.

Mom and students

Mom and students before 6th and 8th grade

With our new umbrella school, we do not have to take a test. If we test at all, it is because we need to figure out if the kids like the ACT or the SAT better. Once we have decided, we only prepare for that one test as we look long-term to college admissions. Continue reading »


Post No. 835 and the Blog’s 7th Birthday

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HomeschoolWays.com turns seven on August 4, 2020 – that’s tomorrow. This is post no. 835. As we look at these two milestones, we want to do something special for our readers. How about a series of broadcasts on Facebook Live?

Homeschool Pets

Our son is holding Thunder and our daughter is holding Smoky.

We will cover three themes, which summarize the bulk of your preparation to homeschool: the 3 Cs – confidence, connection, curriculum. Without confidence, nobody decides to take the education of her children into her hands. We will highlight ways in which you can build your confidence to homeschool. Continue reading »


Lessons from the First Week

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We started on August 5 this year because we needed to have 150 school days before their nationally standardized test in March 2020. That is how I know when to start. I give myself 150 days of instruction not because I have to, but because I want to.

Why send them to this test unprepared? It would only demoralize them. As I have written here before, we do not think the standardized test represents the benchmark of our success in homeschooling. However, it is a strong indicator of our level right now. Continue reading »


Back to Homeschool, 3 of 3

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One more week of summer break and then we are off to the races! Maybe you have a few more weeks. But I need to think about starting in a very real way. What is there to do, once you got a plan, organized your schoolroom, and ordered your supplies? Put some finishing touches on your preparation.

Relaxing at the pool

Relax by the pool while you still can.

Start by putting yourself first. As I said in a blog post around this time last year, homeschool moms need self-care. Do you have enough time in the day to exercise and clear your mind at regular intervals? I need about 30 minutes every morning to myself: reading, writing, praying, answering urgent emails or social media communication with my family – these are all important to me as a person. If I do not take care of “me,” it will be incredibly hard to focus on my children’s needs for the rest of the day. Continue reading »


Back to Homeschool, 2 of 3

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Last week, we analyzed your homeschool’s performance in the previous school year and planned for the next school year. This week, we will spend some time cleaning the school room.

Boy hides behind cape at hairdresser's.

My son hid behind the cape at the hairdresser’s when I took his picture.

Do you have a school room? If you do, chances are you could spend at least one hour organizing its contents. If you do not, you probably have some book shelves and drawers or cabinets for your supplies. It will help you to go through your inventory and determine if you need any school supplies. Soon, stores will be dropping prices on school-related items and you can go there with a clear list of what your need.

Amazon, Rainbow Resource, or other online retailers offer great deals this time of the year, as well. If your children attend a co-op, they probably need a lunch box and a backpack. What about other gear? Special shoes or sports clothing your children have outgrown?

Yesterday, I noticed that my son has grown even more, to make his black dress pants too short for the next school year. He wears them for concerts with the youth symphony or other formal occasions. So I added “black trousers, size 14” to the list of things I need to get for the next year. What about haircuts? Why not get them out of the way now?

In conclusion, don’t think of cleaning the school room as drudgery. Think of it as an invitation to make a shopping list. Shopping for our homeschool has got to be my favorite activity, but I like to know that I have a plan of action and a reason for spending money.


Back to Homeschool, 1 of 3

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For the next three weeks, I will be blogging about going back to homeschool. Research indicates that writing goals down dramatically increases your chance of reaching them, so all of us need to spend some time planning for success.  If you prefer to fly by the seat of your pants, you go right ahead. We will not judge. However, the rest of us must organize our chaos at least a little bit.

Color-coded schedules help moms.

You are a professional. Plan accordingly. Color code your planner if you prefer.

In this first post, we will focus on looking back at this past year. First, what has worked for you? Secondly, what has not worked? Thirdly, how could you improve? Above all, did you experience burnout? Do you know how that happened? We all know our strengths and growth areas. If we do not, this is the time to sit down and spend five minutes writing down what comes to mind, under two columns called Strengths and Growth Areas. Continue reading »


Back to Homeschool 2017

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August remains a strange month for me to think about going back to homeschool. I grew up in a country where school always started on September 15. August – all of August – was a part of the time we called “summer holidays.”

Boy and girl going back to homeschool

The last year I have both of them in primary school

In fact, the summer holidays lasted for exactly three months: from June the 15th through September the 15th. When you do this for thirteen years during your most impressionable life stage, it is rather hard to think of August as the month when school starts and May as the month when school ends. But, I live in the US now and have to get over myself. Continue reading »


2016-2017 School Year

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Ready or not, we commence another school year this coming week. I have changed a few things compared to last year. The biggest change is that we will school five days a week. Last year I did six days a week because I wanted to try it.

It was tiring but I just could not let go. I had to take the experiment all the way to the end of the school year.

Father, son and daughter picking up fireworks for July 4th

Picking up some fireworks for the 4th – one of the memories of the summer which is coming to a close slowly but surely

This year, we are going back to schooling Monday-Friday and taking the weekend off. I am hoping this will relieve some of the pressure I felt last year. It will give me a full day to catch up on my writing deadlines and housework. And the kids get a full day to free play. Knowing them, they will spend some of that free time coding on ScratchContinue reading »