Beat Homeschool Spring Fever with These Tips

April! The month that good homeschool intentions clash wildly with reality! Is it due to a malady unique to homeschoolers or might it be an old-fashioned case of Spring Fever?

When my children were still at home, early April was the time that I took a good, hard look at the calendar and then our curriculum. If we weren’t on track to where I wanted to be at the end of the school year, I’d draft a catch up plan — increasing our daily workload to make that happen.

But while I was adding to our regular lessons, my students were dreaming of how to finish the year early, and their plans definitely did not include working longer and harder! They were suffering from a disease that “attacks the boy, causes him to skip school, or shirk work,” which was how Common Sense Health Notes described Spring Fever in 1893.

In fact, after a few weeks of my heavier workload interfering with their daydreams, it was difficult to tell who was the most ready to quit the school year – them or ME!

Just Leave us Homeschoolers Alone!

Do you remember 2008 when homeschooling was ruled illegal by the California Court of Appeal unless the parent/s held a valid teaching credential (see https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/home-school-panic)? Probably not! That fearful court case was 17 years ago – long before the current crop of homeschool students entered the educational world! In fact, it was before many of them had been born!

In 2018 there was another challenge when a California Assembly Bill was proposed that would have required homeschooling families to submit to an annual home inspection by the fire marshal (see https://gvwire.com/2018/02/21/proposed-home-school-law-puts-fire-inspectors-in-charge/).

Thankfully the court case was overturned, and the proposed bill never passed. The ensuing years have been relatively peaceful for California homeschooling parents, most of whom simply want to be left alone to raise and educate their children.

However, these years of calm have made California’s homeschool parents complacent. While they are consumed with the day-to-day tasks of homeschooling and parenting, they underestimate the vigilance required for homeschool freedom since they personally have not experienced any threats.

Student Cumulative Records

Did you know that schools in California maintain a cumulative record for each and every student enrolled? Maintained by the schools themselves, these permanent pupil records often go unnoticed by students and parents. Governed by the CA Education Code and CCR Title 5, these records (often called the cum file) follow a student from school to school in a similar manner to your health records following you from one medical provider to another.

Items usually included in this file are

Debunking Myths about Homeschooling High School

I was filled with fear and trepidation as the high school years approached! Though I loved homeschooling and it was working well for our family, I was not at all sure I could pull off high school. I worried that I could exterminate my children’s college admission plans and ruin their futures. Is this you?

As if your own fears are not enough, well-meaning family and friends often add to your anguish with thoughts of their own. However not all of your worries are legitimate! CHEA (Christian Home Educators Association of California) recently asked me to bust and debunk some of the common myths about homeschooling high school.

You can access my article at https://www.cheaofca.org/2023/11/06/homeschool-myth-busting-high-school-edition/.

The Next Step

On March 26, 2014, I published a blog post entitled “A Homeschool Business? Is It Possible?” in which I articulated my dream and plan for a Homeschool Resource Center and Consulting Business. I rented a small office in south Torrance and opened Tools for the Home Educator, selling gently-used curriculum, providing in-person workshops, and offering consultations in June 2014. In October 2018, I was able to move to slightly larger office space that was more centrally located, near the 405 freeway in north Torrance. As that lease neared its expiration and due to the declining profitability and numbers of in-person shoppers for used curriculum, I have spent the last few months selling off and then giving away the last of my inventory of teaching materials. But Tools for the Home Educator is still very much alive and now operating from my home.

So 9+ years later (October 2023), what is next for Penny Ross and Tools for the Home Educator with the time I used to devote to moving, pricing, and selling books?

• More consulting with an increased emphasis on homeschool coaching
• More training for homeschool parents through webinars, workshops, speaking gigs, and developing a digital course or two
• More writing for her blog and other sources

I’ve now homeschooled my own 3 children from kindergarten through high school graduation (18 years total), run a homeschool program at my church (11 years), and been an independent homeschool consultant (9 years) for over 35 years total experience in the world of home education. I’ve worked with hundreds, if not thousands, of homeschool families, encouraging them toward educational success with their own children. Dissatisfaction with the public school system seems to be at an all-time high, and different means of alternative education are rapidly evolving.

As I enter into the next phase of development for Tools for the Home Educator, let me know how I can help you!

But I’m Not a Teacher!

“But I’m just a mom! I’m not a teacher! Won’t I fail my child?” This is one of the most common fears I hear voiced by parents considering homeschooling. We are accustomed to the world of campus-based education, with “paid experts” filling the role of teacher. 

By default, we assume that a mere mom can not teach as well as someone with professional training. And this may very well be true in a classroom setting! But a typical homeschool environment is quite different from a classroom.

Is This Program/Class a Good Fit For Us?

Before you enroll in a group-type class or program for your homeschooled student, here are some issues to consider and questions to ask.

1. Why did you begin homeschooling in the first place? Does this class fit in with that objective?
2. Does the TOTAL NUMBER of classes planned for this particular student meet their individual needs and still fall within your reasons for homeschooling?
3. How much homework is required? If the class requires a lot of outside work, most students will focus on the work for the class rather than what they are doing for you at home.
4. What is the total cost? Is curriculum included? What other fees are required or costs will be incurred?
5. What is the worldview of the teacher? Does it agree with your family’s values? If not, is your student mature enough to handle differing options and viewpoints?
6. What curriculum is the teacher planning to use? Does your student’s learning style fit in with the planned teaching style? If not, are you prepared to supplement at home?
7. What is the role of the parent in this program or class? Can you sit in? Are you considered a partner or an intruder if you want to be involved? Are there volunteer requirements for parents?
8. How are student-to-student problems handled? Are parents involved or informed?

You don’t just want to evaluate the quality of the class. You want to investigate its rightness for your student at this particular time.

             

When is a Homeschool NOT a Homeschool?

As parents become more and more dissatisfied with the public schools, alternative educational options are proliferating.  I am really excited to see what new creative ideas and programs will be invented in the next few months and years!

However, I am seeing confusing posts on social media such as this one: “Seeking low-cost office space to rent for like-minded parents wanting to homeschool.  Cost of rent, classroom equipment, and teacher salary will be shared.”  While there is no legal definition for homeschooling in the State of California, this post seems far outside the traditional idea of a parent doing much of the teaching of his or her own children in their own home.

Education: Does One-Size Fit All?

During this past year of pandemic, much has been written about the inadequacies of distance learning. Criticisms have included that it doesn’t work well for younger learners, for special needs students, for children without access to quiet areas or a suitable Internet connection, and so on.

But parents who have been working closely with their children this year at home are discovering another issue: pacing. As an independent homeschool consultant, I have been hearing comments like this:

A Risky Business

During these days of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve been encouraged to support small and shop local. You can’t get much smaller or more local than Tools for the Home Educator! I’m a one-girl shop, centrally located to much of the South Bay in Torrance, CA.

I very much appreciate the recent online article “Meet Penny Ross: Homeschool Consultant” posted by ShoutOut LA. This organization’s mission is to help people spend more of their money with mom-and-pops, small businesses, independent artists, and creatives.

I was featured as part of their Risk, Reward, and Life conversation. Although I do not consider myself a risk-taker, as I was thinking through the questions for this interview I began to consider how unusual my path in life has been. I began homeschooling before it was widely popular (and definitely before distance learning became the norm!) and I started my own business at a time when many my age were retiring.

I invite you to take a few minutes to enjoy this article and learn more about me and my business, Tools for the Home Educator. And then I hope you’ll check out some of the other businesses featured by ShoutOut LA.