Guest Writer

As a homeschool parent or teacher, you may be wondering how to create a positive learning environment for your students. Take a moment to think back on your childhood educational experience and recall your favorite teacher or what you loved about being a homeschool student. Why was he or she was your favorite? Was it their tough but fair grading? An inviting learning environment full of well-organized materials? Or was it simply that you knew the teacher cared about you and your success? It can be difficult to understand exactly what about your favorite teacher or homeschool experience appealed to you, but ultimately, the positive learning environment he or she created made your experience enjoyable. We’ll help you understand what a positive learning environment is and give you tips on how to make your classroom or homeschool an effective place for learning.

[Read more…] about 10 Ways to Create a Positive Learning Environment

College may be right around the corner for your homeschooler and, as a homeschool parent, you want to prepare your student well. Or you may be wondering whether you should send your homeschooler to school to prep them for future studies or if homeschooling will adversely affect their chances of getting into college. You may be encouraged to know research shows that homeschooling does not negatively impact college admission and, in some cases, may even provide special opportunities for your kids. If your children have expressed interest in college, you should know the requirements for acceptance and scholarships needed to enhance their ability to succeed in college.

Learn how to prepare your homeschooler for college!

Adult life is full of assessments. An assessment is a judgment or evaluation. Whenever I interview for a job, the employer judges whether I have the right skills. Each year, my manager does a performance evaluation. Colleges and graduate schools expect a certain score on an entrance exam. Most schools use midterm and final exams to measure student learning over the course of a semester or year. Many students also participate in standardized testing each year.

As a homeschool parent, what is your measuring stick to gauge learning? How do you evaluate your child’s progress and adapt your teaching to maximize your effectiveness? Do you have a formal review of your child’s learning that has to be reported to your state?

Keep reading about assessments…