HOMESCHOOLING MYTH BUSTERS

There are a few misconceptions, rumors and/or myths concerning homeschooling that need some "busting up" that I want to clear up in case you haven't heard.    

MYTH  BUSTER #1

Homeschoolers lack social skills. (This is the biggest and most absurd myth)

Social skills depend heavily upon the individual, regardless of whether or not they are surrounded by 100 people or 2 people.  If you are a parent who interacts with your child on a daily basis, are involved in community affairs or travels with your children, or spends time at the park in the company of other children, attend religious functions or family functions, that myth alone has been dispelled.   


MYTH #2

Homeschoolers do not learn as much as private or public schools nor have the appropriate curriculum or tools to become sufficiently competitive academically. 

Learning from home can provide(depending on the parent or caregiver) a very unique learning and forgiving environment like no other.  As a result of homeschooling I have had the opportunity to peruse the types of curriculum to suit each child's learning style.  They have enough time in their day and in their calendar year to grasp concepts and/or stay on a particular subject for as long as needed.  Learning has taken place in the halls of various types of museums such as the Natural Science Museum in Raleigh, N.C. http://naturalsciences.org which is open to the public for free.  Field trips are not far and few, it is apart of our curriculum as a whole.  Volunteerism and the experience of helping others is also apart of our curriculum, whether it occurs at our place of worship or with organizations like Hands On Atlanta http://www.handsonatlanta.org  which has especially been rewarding as a character-building tool.  

MYTH #3

Homeschoolers need an accredited High School Diploma in order to go to college or a university.

Simply not true. P.O.P (Pastures of Promise Home School Academy) has graduated 4 students from its corridors and will be graduating 4 more in the future.  Currently, we have one student scheduled to graduate from an online school in the Spring of 2015, who also is a student of P.O.P.  They were awarded a diploma from our program that we provided, nothing more or less.  My husband arranged their testing for the ACT at a testing site and their test score was sent to the college of their choice.

MYTH #4

Homeschoolers can't get academic or athletic scholarships because they are not accredited.

 My husband Gregory has been coaching our children in track ever since he met another young homeschooling father by the name of Robert Jenkins and his lovely Wife Donna Jenkins who were coaching their children the NewRoc Rockets.  Robert and Donna relocated to another town and it was hard to meet up with them being a lot farther than they once were.  My husband decided that he could train them, and he learned as much as he could from our friends, online and other coaches.  To date, our son Gregory R. Roachford, Jr. is proudly running track for Shorter University in his 3rd year and successfully has kept a GPA of 3.0 or better over the years.  Our program has been a success because we kept God first and kept ourselves encouraged with families who home schooled and were actively involved with their families. 

Sooooo, these are just a few of the many myths that needed some "busting up" that I wanted to address.  If you would like to share your experiences homeschooling or would like some answers to your homeschooling concerns, let me hear from you!

First Things First...How to Begin your Beginning

A very good friend and fellow "Homeschooling Lifeschooler" of mine suggested to me a long time ago that homeschooling can and should fit the dynamics and personality of your family.  We can have it as "structured" and "regimented" as we like or as "relaxed" as we would like, in the house or out of the house, teacher-led or student-directed, it's up to you and you're in charge.  The first thing you need to do though is to establish your intentions, so you would need to contact your Board of Education office and get the form "Declaration of Intent to Home Study Program".  Once you have gotten it, fill it out and establish a name to identify your home study program.  I chose "Pastures of Promise Home School Academy".  You can call your program whatever you want as long as it identifies your home study program or home school. Check with your local Board of Education on Home Schooling. There may also be an attendance form that you can retrieve online or through the Bd of Ed's office.  The attendance form is to be filled out at the end of the month and sent in if your local office requires it. 

One of the most valuable suggestions I can offer you is to "RELAX" and get acclimated to this new found freedom you have in educating your child. If you are tense and feel that you have to conduct learning as the "brick and mortar" (public and private) schools, you put undo stress on your learning environment. 

When I first started homeschooling it was with my eldest daughter. She was attending a new Magnet school that was an accelerated program.  I had a teacher conference scheduled several months into the school year with 4 of her teachers.  The teachers informed me that she failed 4 subjects, but they had not informed me initially of any difficulties she was having in their classes.  Of course I was upset with her, this was after all her education, but I was truly upset with these four teachers who failed to show due diligence in informing before it became an absolute failure.  I made up my mind and decided that I was not going to leave my daughter's education in someone else's hands.  The very next day I went to the school and informed them that she would be home schooled, and that is how our journey began.  

We started with Black History because I felt she needed to understand the people she came from, our history and what it took for us to have the education we now have.  The very first day I recall passing her room while she was sitting on her bed looking out the window.  I was on my way to the laundry room to wash clothes, and I paused to ask her what she was doing.  She said, "I'm thinking about my future".  I said, "good, it's not everyday that you get a chance to just "think", and I kept on with my mission to wash clothes. Eventually I bought all of my children home for those who were registered in public school at the time, in total there were 5.  Now you know how I started out, it would be nice to know how you started:)  Drop me a line or two!

Warm Fire, Deep Conversation and Studies

A warm fire, my children are doing course work and my son and I are discussing what it means to love based on how God loved the world, even enough to sacrifice His precious Son.  What does that love look like when we practice it?  Looking at our world today and all of the divisions in the world and amongst religions I understand the values and doctrines which separate us, but to love enough to share the gospel inspite of is huge. 

Dental Visits On Saturday Whoo-hoo!

Had a visit this morning with our favorite dentist Dr. Stephens!  She puts up with me and my finicky ways but what would a relationship be if we didn't have times when we had to work through differences:)  Appointments began at 10am and the drive was 45 minutes.  I normally leave open weekends for family and friend events but decided to take Jackie, our head office admin up on her invitation for dental cleaning.  Met a lovely mom with her two kids and another lady and just enjoyed their conversation.   Afterwards I'll take the kids for a bite to eat, and they can brush their teeth and floss with their new kit.  Happy trails today and hoping yours is happy too! ♡♥♡♥♡

Homeschooling, Lifeschooling it's all the same here!

Our Journey Lifeschooling!

Hey there!  

Welcome to "Thinking of Homeschooling" where home and education are forged together and end up looking a lot like "Lifeschooling"!  If you are a parent pondering the very real thought of educating your child from home like I did years ago, l would like to encourage you on that journey! 

Homeschooling from my personal experience of 17 years is not just educating my children from the comfort and security of my home. Homeschooling has become a way of life.  It’s what my husband and I do until the time is up and the children are on their way straight out of the nest! 

Homeschooling is not an endeavor to take lightly and I know full well that the struggle is real to home school or not.  Deciding whether to continue on in the traditional and/or private "brick and mortar" institutions or to bring em' all home to lay the kind of foundation you want to see in your children is huge!  You will probably be embarking on something that no one else in your family has dared to do.  Don't be afraid, you can do it. You will be laying the foundation and platform that will strengthen the fabric of your family and allow you the opportunity and privilege of educating your child in the things that matter the most.  

I understand why more and more parents are opting for an alternative to traditional “brick and mortar” education, and for solid verified, qualified reasons.   Many parents of all ethnic backgrounds and professions are concerned with what is going on in education today. School shootings are becoming increasingly more prevalent in our society, of which the likes we've never witnessed before in the short history of our country. 

Parents who place a high regard on their values and religion are keenly aware of the many attacks on freedom of religion, the acknowledgement of God and prayer in school, and a parent’s right to know what curriculum, program, and/or group formed is being established and taught to their children. Children must go through metal detectors and drills on what to do should there be any kind of terroristic threat, as if they themselves were criminals!  No longer can you just "do-drop-in" and sneak up on your child or for that matter the teacher, to see what's what. Over-crowded classrooms, children learning out of trailers, over-worked teachers and understaffed administrations, teachers cheating on standardized testing because the children can't make the grade or for fear of losing accreditation. Budget constraints or cutbacks, transportation issues. You can no longer breakup fights between students, you have to stand back and wait for the police.  Teachers having inappropriate relations with children, and even the most unheard of "sexual harassment and same sex harassment issues"  some even have been bullied into having these types of relationships.  It's a different kind of learning environment these days, and it's not so child-friendly and not so much about academia.  We are facing much more than not having enough books to go around.  

K

Once more it is becoming apparent to those of us who want change that change begins within our own households, and if we want that change “sacrifice” has to be made somewhere. I chose to sacrifice my career as a Paralegal and my ability to work outside the home to start a family while my husband made the income.  It wasn't easy, and I still say “it wasn't easy”, but it is “worth it”.  To be able to raise and train my children with the full acknowledgement of the Most High God in my home makes it truly “worth it”.  Seeing my husband leave out at 8:30 am to the local school's track to train the kids in track for an upcoming meet in another state makes it.... "worth it".  To witness 3 of my children graduate from our humble home school and know that it was God who made it all possible makes it.... "WORTH IT".  To hear my children acknowledge God, and pray together and share life's struggles makes it what???  WORTH IT!  

If this is the path you and your family want to follow, I created this blog with you in mind, to encourage you along the way.  Plenty of people have gone on before you, have no fear support is here!  It will be "WORTH IT"!  

Send me a “hello” if you've stopped by.  I would love to make your acquaintance and hopefully make a new friend!  

Be blessed my friend!