Homeschooling with Dr. B
38 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsHi! I’m so glad you decided to stop by!
Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to become a teacher. And I did! Many years later, I got several degrees under my belt and became a college professor. I loved it, but I love my twin daughters even more! As an older mom, had my kids at 40, I felt time with my girls would run out too soon. In a blink of an eye, they would be off to college, married, with kids, and so much more. I wanted to treasure my time with them.
So when I had the opportunity to take early retirement, I took it! Not that I’m “really” retired. I help my husband with his online business, and as of four years ago, I homeschool my twin daughters. Then two years ago, my niece and my nephew came to live with us full time! Wow! I went from homeschooling one grade to homeschooling three!!! Yikes!
As Calvin Coolidge put it, “Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” So with a little structure and a lot of flexibility, we meet our challenges and celebrate our success!
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Episodes
037: The Holidays: Good Time to Relax at Home and Avoid Crowds
November 29, 2021 11:43 - 17 minutes - 14.6 MBThe holiday season is a wonderful time to relax at home and avoid the crowds because sometimes, you just need a low-key time. For a homeschooling family like us, having flexibility over our calendar allows us to try different stuff during this time of the year, such as playing tourist in our hometown, volunteering at the local charity, or just exploring the world from home. There are such a plethora of options! The holiday season doesn't have to be all hustle and bustle.
036: The Holidays: Enjoy Your Community Events
November 22, 2021 14:53 - 15 minutes - 16.5 MBWhether or not we choose to homeschool during the holidays, one of the things that we really enjoy is when we participate in community activities. We have participated in various holiday events such as costume parties, tree lighting ceremonies, theater, golf cart parades, and theme park festivities. Even during this pandemic, there are a plethora of events going on in your community. Just keep in mind that choosing what's interesting to your family is one of the benefits of homeschooling.
035: The Holidays: Don't Homeschool!
November 15, 2021 12:28 - 10 minutes - 9.49 MBSometimes my kids mentally check out during the holidays. At these times, we simply decide not to homeschool at all. What do we do then? Whatever we want to do! It's one of the benefits of homeschooling. Over the years, we have taken a Christmas Disney Cruise, participated in cultural celebrations, gone caroling from house to house, and even stayed at home. This year, we're going to Las Vegas! But whatever you do, don't take time off and feel guilty about it. Make it a time to reconnect and ...
034: The Holidays: Incorporate the Holidays into Your Plans
November 08, 2021 11:55 - 18 minutes - 16.1 MBThere are many options for homeschoolers during the holiday season. One option is to incorporate the holidays into our lessons. For example, at Christmas, I would look at where we were in our history book and talk about the holidays during that specific period. Science is an excellent subject for fun! Freeze bubbles! Make snow! The most important thing is to remember to use the flexibility of homeschooling during the holidays to your family's advantage.
033: The Holidays: Don’t Fall Into the Relative Trap!
November 02, 2021 12:44 - 15 minutes - 12.4 MBWhen the family comes together during the holiday season, the questions about homeschooling start! No one can ruin the holiday season for a homeschooler faster than family! So how do we handle this situation? The key is to be prepared for the questioning. What I've found is the faster you nip this in the bud, the faster you will be enjoying your holiday with your family—because that's what really matters!
032: Special Needs Children: A New Diagnosis, Tourettes!
October 25, 2021 14:11 - 15 minutes - 12.9 MBJust when we thought we had ADHD figured out, Tourettes emerged its ugly little head! How much of a challenge can this be when you can control so much of the homeschooling environment? Is this truly a challenge for a homeschooler? The answer is yes, it is! So what is a parent to do under these circumstances? How do we make our child feel that life can be absolutely beautiful despite the challenges? Here's how we accommodate our neurodivergent child.
031: Special Needs Children: The Queens of Anxiety
October 18, 2021 09:53 - 14 minutes - 12.6 MBAs an abused child, I suffer from from severe anxiety. So do my twin daughters because one has anaphylaxis to tree nuts and the other has ADHD. When the three of us have anxiety attacks, this is when the anxiety queens take over the homeschool room! How do we meet their educational goals when we're full of anxiety? The key for us is that we accept that we're gonna have bad days, and we accept that we have the skills to deal with those bad days. We can improvise and adapt to thrive!
030: Special Needs Children: ADHD Takes Over the Homeschool Room!
October 11, 2021 11:05 - 16 minutes - 14.2 MBMany times, my ADHD child has taken over our homeschool room and caused my other homeschoolers to lose it because she was just completely out of control. It's just overwhelming at times. I wish I could tell you that I have all the answers to make your life easier because I already know everything you should be doing. But the reality is, I don't. But here are some of the things that we've done that have worked for our family. Hopefully, they will work for you.
029: Special Needs Children: Things You Need to Know about Homeschooling Kids with Special Needs
October 04, 2021 12:07 - 18 minutes - 16.1 MBI was terrified of teaching my ADHD child. We had worked with teachers who had the knowledge and experience working with special needs kids and struggled to work with my child. If they had difficulties, how would I be able to handle the teaching? Would I be a good homeschooling mom? Would my daughter be a good homeschooler? While not everybody has the patience, time, and resources to homeschool, I firmly believe that the pros of homeschooling our special needs children outweigh the cons.
028: Here We Go: Improvise! Adapt! Thrive!
September 27, 2021 12:17 - 17 minutes - 14.7 MBAs a homeschooling mom, what does it mean when I say improvise, adapt, thrive? As we enter our seventh year of being a homeschooling family, I look back on our ups and our downs. We've been through a lot. But it has been in our ability to pivot that has been a significant benefit to us in homeschooling—to improvise, adapt, so we could thrive. I welcome the opportunity to explore and continue growing up and be part of my homeschoolers' developmental journey.
027: Here We Go: Willingness to Learn and Relearn to Teach
September 16, 2021 21:11 - 21 minutes - 18.1 MBAs a homeschooling teacher, it is important to unlearn the idea that learning should always be fun! Learning can be painful because it takes us out of our comfort zone. So we really need to teach our kids to embrace both the discomfort and excitement of learning. And as challenging as it is, we need to prepare our kids to pivot on a dime, to be able to change directions. The key here is to teach our kiddos to become lifetime learners.
026: Here We Go: Standards are Good
September 13, 2021 12:44 - 16 minutes - 13.6 MBAre educational standards good or bad? We know from countless studies that they are often not met successfully in conventional educational settings. Should we have standards in our homeschool room? I believe that homeschooling families should set standards for themselves. Ultimately, all that matters is that we prepare them for their future.
025: Here We Go: Don't Be Afraid to Start Small
September 06, 2021 12:17 - 15 minutes - 12.9 MBOne of the biggest challenges for homeschoolers is that we often want to start with a big vision of what homeschooling will be. But in reality, we shouldn't expect our vision to materialize instantly. You have to give both yourself and your children time to adjust. I have found that the slower we start, the better our year will be! So we take our time to settle into a routine. It set's us up for success!
024: Things I Wish I Knew: Repetition Creates Competence
August 30, 2021 12:21 - 15 minutes - 12.7 MBAs a homeschooling family, we firmly believe that practice makes perfect. While understanding a new skill is important, we have to practice to retain to keep all of our skills current. Practice is essential to the learning process because it can turn a skill into a habit. A good habit can prepare our kids to face any challenge. I really want to help my kids be the best version of themselves and to do that, I have to teach skills that will make their lives easier now and in the future.
023: Things I Wish I Knew: It's Good to Allow Our Children to Fail
August 23, 2021 12:37 - 20 minutes - 16.5 MBI recently read that the more we rescue our children, the more we make them feel helpless because they never learn from their failures by developing problem-solving skills. Our children should not fear failure because it teaches them what they're good at, not good at, and gives them ownership over their actions in their future. So don't be afraid to give your kiddo a bad grade if they earned it. But talk to them about how to improve it. Through this process, they will not only learn academic...
022: Things I Wish I Knew: To Test or Not to Test
August 16, 2021 13:02 - 18 minutes - 15.2 MBTesting is supposed to serve as a metric for learning to show us where the student is and where they need to be. However, the emphasis should be on learning, not teaching to a test. I never taught to the test and have kept testing to a minimum but have my children do formal year-end-testing. My kids test very well, year after year, typically above grade level. Ultimately the choice is yours and should be based on your family's goals!
021: Things I Wish I Knew: Commitment is the Key to Success
August 09, 2021 13:34 - 20 minutes - 16.3 MBOur family made the commitment to homeschool, and we made it work. How can you make it work for your family? First, don't obsess. If you want to homeschool, just do it. Don't waste your time doubting yourself. Second, be disciplined and focus on your homeschool choice. Other people don't get to criticize you. Third, encourage perseverance and turn your obstacles into opportunities. Lastly, you have to give it your best shot!
020: Things I Wish I Knew: Focus on Working on Strengths to Build the Confidence to Confront Weaknesses
August 02, 2021 13:29 - 16 minutes - 30.5 MBOne of the biggest challenges, when we're teaching our kiddos, is motivating them. As homeschooling families, we can choose the approach in which to teach our children. When we focus on their strengths rather than on their weaknesses, our homeschoolers feel more confident and have an easier time meeting their educational challenges. When we believe in them, they believe in themselves, and they can truly do anything.
019: The Homeschool Teacher: Organization is Key for a Homeschooling Parent
July 26, 2021 13:10 - 14 minutes - 12.1 MBA lot of moms struggle with organization, but it has never been a problem for me. During my high school years, I learned to organize myself and find it's key to staying on top of a homeschool mom's busy schedule. Additionally, as full-time moms, teachers, principals, janitors, wives, chauffeurs, we have a lot of stuff going on, we feel guilty about taking time off for ourselves. But it's also essential to recharge, embrace the chaos to find a way to stay on top of things.
018: The Homeschool Teacher: Parenting vs. Teaching
July 19, 2021 14:13 - 16 minutes - 14.5 MBFor most homeschooling parents, being a parent and a teacher is a real challenge. People say, “You're always a parent when you're homeschooling.” While there's no question about this, we also have to remember that just because you're a mom, doesn't mean that your kids get whatever they want. As parents, it's our responsibility to set boundaries for our children. Boundaries that will help keep us on track of our expectations that would, in turn, help them set up their goals and meet those goa...
017: The Homeschool Teacher: Don't Underestimate Your Children
July 12, 2021 11:08 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBAs parents, we have dreams for our children. But the problem with that is sometimes, out of our own fear, we often underestimate them. We should not put expectations on them based on our dreams or perceptions of them. Instead, we should help our children develop their own dreams and help them reach their goals.
016: The Homeschool Teacher: Impostor Syndrome!
July 05, 2021 17:36 - 14 minutes - 20.9 MBImpostor Syndrome is common amongst homeschool moms. We are constantly questioned about our ability to teach our children. Sadly, we sometimes internalize that criticism as insecurity. We begin to think or feel that we are not good enough to teach our children. Kids we have been teaching to be part of this world since their birth. When we overcome our fears, we begin to travel our individual journeys, thus creating a world of possibility for our children!
015: Curriculum: Curriculum Overbuy!
June 28, 2021 09:32 - 15 minutes - 13 MBMany homeschool moms are guilty of the curriculum overbuy, especially when we're just starting homeschooling. We tend to think that we're saving lots of money when we buy a curriculum on sale, and we just end up with a lot of curriculum that we never use. But there are many other ways to save money and still get the best curriculum that fits your family. Your local homeschool group or co-op are some of the most significant resources to help you through this journey.
014: Curriculum: Saxon Math
June 21, 2021 12:09 - 19 minutes - 17.2 MBAs a result of being unschooled by my parents, I missed out on some of the fundamentals, particularly math. So when we decided to homeschool our kids, I couldn't believe that I would have to teach math. I found out that this was a common problem among homeschool moms. Fortunately, I stumbled upon Saxon Math! The best thing about it is that you don't have to be good at math to become great at math! Why wasn't this around when I was a student?! I just love this program!
013: Curriculum: Online Education
June 14, 2021 11:16 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBThe diversity of options is one of the many benefits of homeschooling. Online education is one of these options. We did extensive research on some online high schools because our twins wanted to continue homeschooling. If you're considering an online program for your family, some of the things you need to look at are its affordability, format, accreditation, and student success. The combination of these issues can help you decide if online education is right for your family!
012: Curriculum: Selecting your Curriculum
June 07, 2021 13:14 - 21 minutes - 19.5 MBWhen we first started homeschooling, I didn't realize that there are many curriculum options like free curriculum, all-in-one curriculum, piece-it-together curriculum, or create-your-own. Each has its own negative and positive aspects. It's really all about what works best for your family!
011: Getting Started: Considering getting a Mentor
May 31, 2021 10:12 - 21 minutes - 28.5 MBIs a mentor right for you? When you're starting your homeschool journey, a mentor's a good idea because they can help you get through that hump. They will help you get connected to the community, share the resources that they have acquired over time, share what worked or didn't work for them, why it worked or didn't work. A mentor can help you decide on the things that may suit your family. But remember that this person is gifting you with some of their time. Be appreciative. Be respectful.
010: Getting Started: The Socialization Question
May 24, 2021 13:55 - 19 minutes - 26.3 MBIs socialization really a problem for homeschoolers? People think that kids need to go to a traditional school setting to develop their social skills. Research finds that many homeschooled children score higher than children who attend school on measurements of socialization. Through homeschool activities, the children can be exposed to a diversity of race, religion, age groups, political beliefs, among many other differences. Socialization, like learning and life, takes place every day!
009: Getting Started: IKEA! Your New Best Friend!
May 16, 2021 22:36 - 17 minutes - 24.8 MBI began using Ikea furniture almost as soon as we started homeschooling because they're versatile, inexpensive, and last for a long time. It's ideal for a constantly changing homeschool room setup. But do you really need to set up a classroom? Not really. If you're the kind of family that can work in the living room, good for you! That doesn't work for us. It really depends on your kids' specific needs, and Ikea has enabled us to have a setup that works for everyone in our family.
009: IKEA! Your New Best Friend!
May 16, 2021 22:36 - 17 minutes - 24.8 MBI began using Ikea furniture almost as soon as we started homeschooling because they're versatile, inexpensive, and last for a long time. It's ideal for a constantly changing homeschool room setup. But do you really need to set up a classroom? Not really. If you're the kind of family that can work in the living room, good for you! That doesn't work for us. It really depends on your kids' specific needs, and Ikea has enabled us to have a setup that works for everyone in our family.
008: Getting Started: Creating a Schedule
May 10, 2021 10:51 - 22 minutes - 30.1 MBWhen I started homeschooling, my kids were used to being in a traditional school system, so it took us a couple of weeks to break loose from it. One of the benefits of homeschooling is the flexibility to adjust your schedule based on your kids' goals and your family's needs. With a bit of patience and experimentation, you will find the schedule that works best for your family.
007: Getting Started: Exploring Homeschool Philosophies
May 03, 2021 13:43 - 16 minutes - 14.9 MBI am often asked, "which homeschool philosophy should I follow?" My answer is always the same—whichever fits your family. As you might have been able to tell by now, I'm an eclectic homeschooler. I look at all the philosophies or systems, and I take what I think is best for my family. The most critical components for me are to adapt, improvise, and thrive. Whatever helps my children advance and excel, that's what you go with. That's what this is all about.
006: 6 Years and No Regrets!
April 26, 2021 16:15 - 19 minutes - 26.2 MBPeople always ask me if I feel that I wasted the last six years homeschooling my kids. I love spending time with my kids, and I wanted them to enjoy their childhood. We got to do both with homeschooling! At the same time, they learned to get their work done before having fun. They're learning to be analytical and critical thinkers. They test in the 99th percentile every year. So no, I don't regret homeschooling. It's been a pleasant learning experience for us, and we're grateful for it.
Be Yourself! The Happy, Perky, Homeschool Mom Syndrome
April 19, 2021 13:20 - 16 minutes - 21.3 MBI used to think I was a terrible homeschool mom because I'm not like those moms who always seem happy and perky. So I tried faking it. It doesn't work! It's exhausting and just makes me a grumpy mom! And after spending time with perky moms, they can get just as frustrated with their kiddos as I do! Don't feel that you're required to be perky to be a successful homeschool! The only thing required is love.
004: You Don't Need to Justify Your Decision to Homeschool
April 12, 2021 17:12 - 15 minutes - 16.2 MBDuring our New Year's party, this woman reprimanded me when she learned I was homeschooling my children. She said I was an irresponsible, neglectful, and all-around terrible mother. The thing is, we don't need to justify our choice to anyone else! It's none of their business! It becomes more convoluted if you try to explain it. It is best to remember that while everyone has an opinion, the only opinion should matter is yours and your family's.
003: The Decision Catalyst: The Reasons We Homeschool!
April 12, 2021 17:12 - 27 minutes - 30.7 MBThe question you will most often be asked most is, "Why did you start homeschooling?" For most of us, something happened that caused us to make that decision. Our children's medical issues and an uncooperative teacher prompted us to start homeschooling. Despite all of the challenges we've faced, we still consider our homeschooling journey a success for our family.
002: Our Parental Experience Homeschooling
April 12, 2021 17:10 - 15 minutes - 16.3 MBWhile my husband doesn't consider his homeschooling experience to be positive, he has gone on to be a very successful entrepreneur. My experience, on the other hand, had a tremendously positive impact on my life. So whether homeschooling is a good experience or a bad experience is entirely up to you. Your commitment. Your dedication. Your goals. There are all kinds of different homeschooling approaches and homeschoolers.
001: Homeschooling with Dr. B: An Introduction
April 12, 2021 17:09 - 8 minutes - 9.51 MBHomeschooling is about individualizing the educational process for your family. Yet because it is so individualized, it can also be daunting to start and sometimes keep it going. I was lucky to find many homeschool moms who have been willing to help me with this exciting but sometimes challenging journey. So I'm doing this podcast to pay it forward. Here, you'll find tips, useful information, but most of all, encouragement and support to find your own way in your family's homeschool journey.