So glad this was helpful for you! I'd love to hear how things shift as you change the way you give feedback. 😊 You know what? There IS a homeschool teaching community! It's called Teaching Inspired. There are monthly teaching themes full of strategies plus weekly Q&A calls where I personally support you. You can learn more about it here: homeschoolteachingsimplified.com/teachinginspired

That's right, isolating children is harmful and abusive. Isolation is not the opposite of becoming who everyone else wants you to be and it is not synonymous with homeschooling. We can encourage children toward finding confidence in their unique identity without pressuring them to conform to society's standards of learning in a classroom.

So glad you enjoyed it! Yes, some of my favourite skills 😊

So glad this video highlighted some new ideas and strategies to try! Yes, mystery science, tutors, and grandparents are such great resources - you have such a supportive community 😊

I'm glad this was encouraging for you!

I'm curious, what is it that you disagree with?

haha, I hear you! In this case, many misunderstand how the discipline he talks about here extends to older children and "socialization"

Ooooh, I really like the implications around aiming to be "civilized". That's a much more powerful desire than socializing!

Yes, there are so many unknowns we are preparing our children for! Even with a secure plan in place, teaching them that relaxed flexibility will help with resiliency when something unexpected pops up. 😊

So glad to hear that 😊

Oh that's so interesting about shopping versus business tasks! You know you're in the right field when what most consider work is play for you!!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. As I mentioned in the video, learning gaps are going to be defined differently depending on who is setting the expectation of what "should" be learned at a certain time. While the examples you mentioned are considered by most people to be less than ideal, they do not actually show that there were gaps, but rather expose a need for what can be focused on next. So with the college student, it's likely they learned essay writing when they needed to. What you mentioned about the struggling reader, that raises a great point that when our children bump up against challenges and aren't improving when changing up our personal teaching approach, getting a second opinion can be so helpful! This video isn't about encouraging negligence (my whole channel is about supporting with how to teach), but rather, how to settle in to what learning needs to be focused on right now, maybe in a new way, without the pressure band of shame.

Thank you so much for your kind words, I appreciate your encouragement!

I agree with you about taking the time to master those skills so that gaps don't actually happen! Isn't is wild how blazing through things quickly to stay on a timeline is actually what causes those gaps? Yes, I was sharing that layer of deschooling for myself to model what that might look like for others. I'm okay with holding both confidence in my teaching abilities and the humility of constant deschooling because I see this as a life-long sanctification process. Right when we master one area, the next area to explore and work on pops up! I'm not sure that we can use deschooling of our mindsets or even number of years as a measuring stick for who's figured out what home educating is.

I’m so glad you’re now embracing deschooling for yourself. I don’t think anyone ever figures out what educating is because it’s a constantly evolving endeavor that depends so heavily upon the child(ren) and circumstances within your homeschool. It isn’t something to be defined; it is something to experience.

I am totally with you on giving teens the respect and credit that you deserve for what you are capable of! I'm not speaking from a maturity perspective here, but rather from a psychological perspective that using "don't" isn't actually interpreted well by anyone (even adults) and isn't the best way to get our point across.

⁠@@homeschoolteachingsimplifiedbut while “just avoiding the word don’t” might make the message easier to understand (and in high-stress situations that might actually be necessary to prevent people from misunderstanding/mishearing), isn’t it more likely that if your teen just ignores your instructions, they don’t understand the consequences and don’t see why they shouldn’t do something. The most teenagers also just get teenage rebellion

Yes, it takes quite a bit of navigating to analyze the root issues of a situation! Instead of "just", I could've said "try". Thanks for being gracious with the fact that this isn't a full video explanation of every nuance, but a quick hook style short. Based on your critical thinking, you might like my full videos!

I'm so glad you found this valuable! Thank you for sharing your recommendation and encouragement 😄

That first sentence is quite a bold statement! Sometimes fears pop up where you least expect. Let's encourage and empower one another to overcome those fears rather than dismiss potential for growth.

@@homeschoolteachingsimplified You're right, that IS overly aggressive. I'm Sorry. I am just someone who is very skeptical of home-schooling. I think someone being afraid of being out-smarted in the moment is totally fine and normal. But the goal in life for our children should be for them to become smarter and better than the generation before. So Parents should ultimately WANT their children to out think them. It seams that many parents who home-school want to control their children's education so that they will behave the way the parents want instead of Giving the children all of the knowledge and letting them figure the world out for themselves. The way it was phrased in the end "If you want to teach your kids critical thinking skills," That shouldn't be an option. You NEED to teach that to them if you insist on removing them form the giant racecourses of people who have trained for years to become effective educators for growing children. Giving birth doesnt make you qualified to educate a child. I dont know your story and you personally may be very well trained and have gotten schooling on this matter, but the majority of Home-school parents dont, and they are the crowd I'm referring too above

Thanks for sharing your perspective! I'm a certified teacher for over 12 years now and used to teach public high school biology before deciding to homeschool my children. Now I'm supporting homeschooling families to do exactly what you're talking about - changing perspectives about what homeschooling means! It's not about controlling our children to become mini versions of us (which can happen even for children that go to a classroom), but it's about allowing children to grow and learn without limitations so they can flourish in who they are. I appreciate your care and concern for children and that we can come together to encourage and create healthier ways of teaching for those that choose to homeschool!

That's awesome! Thankfully the 3 day challenge is an on-demand recording so check back at your favourite time for the next listing 😊

Those sound like great opportunities for them to express themselves while interacting with a variety of others! I love how you recognize the natural inward characteristics of your children and are maturing them into the best version of themselves, rather than the natural tendency to "socialize" as a way to condition children for how we want them to act. Social anxiety can have a lot to do with what expectations we're picking up on!

My kids are 6 and almost 5 and your experience is similar to ours 😂. Eldest is outgoing, youngest is shy and both have always been.

I think we are “behind” in some areas because of a lot of traumatic events. My dad was killed in a wreck in May of 2018. So then I had to take care of my mom, and all that had to do with his death. Plus she was getting feeble (I’m an older mom with two adopted grandkids) and I needed to run her to Dr appts all the time or she was getting put in the hospital. So we began trying to find a house nearby so I could hav where closer to me or to find somewhere she could live with us. (Think mother-in-law quarters). So we were out running around all the time. Then Mama passed away November 2020 after having some surgery and losing her ability to walk. Of course, then I had to deal with my wicked step sister and all the stress she caused me and trying to grieve at the same time. I lost a lot of my focus that should have been on my kids. I’ve just now begun to feel like “me” again. So we are sort of playing catch up on some things and trying to find curriculum that works for us. I’m going to try Time4Learning and see if that takes a little of the load off of me. I know where my kids have “gaps” and plan to focus on those areas. Hoping to start school back in a couple of weeks. But even with all of the extra stuff going on, I still think it’s easier than planning my life around a public school calendar.

@@ritadyer9295 I’m so sorry to hear about all that you and your family went through. Life throws curveballs and all we can do is our best. We are doing catch up as well now but I’m trying to keep in mind that how fast we move through curriculum matters less than my son retaining the information being taught to him.

@autumnrose_noseinabook thanks. And I totally agree about retention. I’m going to try Time4Learning this year. At least we will try in the beginning. That way I can set the scores for what I consider acceptable for passing and they can’t move on without passing that. They will be answering to someone besides me. (At least in a way) I am hoping they will try harder in the subjects they don’t like. My 11 year old daughter is using an app on her Troomi phone (I think it’s just the calculator) to practice multiplication. So that’s good.

@@ritadyer9295 One of the most powerful teaching tools you have with your children is modelling how you deal with real life! You know what it's like to grieve, process through trauma, take leadership over a hard situation, and acknowledge great loss while moving forward with purpose. Your children have been growing in psychological and emotional ways that many don't experience at a young age and these are important coping skills you're teaching them. Sure, you may have paused on some other subject content, but they're now way ahead with understanding these other areas of learning. Keep moving forward at a reasonable and comfortable pace, and you'll see that content learning pick up again as you all find a new rhythm. ❤

@@autumnrose_noseinabook 100%

Exactly! I'm glad you were able to take away from this video that the focus is on completing those foundational aspects rather than progressing forward anyway so that there aren't any gaps.

Rather than thinking about this from a a controlling viewpoint, it is possible to help children find a healthy template for how they view themselves so they do not need to be negatively affected by unhealthy interactions with others. It sounds like you agree with the video about that. Thankfully, many experience homeschooling without also experiencing any sort of isolation.

I'm so sorry to hear that this was your experience, thank you for sharing your story. I suppose I see the solution differently - rather than making it illegal, I'm here to equip a new generation to homeschool with openness and confidence in how to teach children differing perspectives. All the best to you.

@@homeschoolteachingsimplified Everyone I know that was ever homeschooled was homeschooled to religiously indoctrinated, about 50 of them.

So great to connect here! I'm glad this was helpful for you 😊

Fantastic! I'm so glad to connect and that you've found value here 😄

Yes, that's the mama heart! You can hold onto that tenderness while gradually releasing them, nice and slowly. You can step in before they reach the point of failure if you know that will be discouraging. Your quote is very true!

Yes, it's not about feeling the need to "catch up" because of gaps, but rather, recognizing what areas need to be addressed and working on those to lay a foundation for the next steps. Isn't it wild how what actually caused those missed items was rushing through the levels? Slowing down and re-enforcing old material is going to be exactly what your daughter needs. I'm glad she has you advocating for her learning!

I have an 11 year old struggling with multiplication. Math isn’t her “thing.” She will get it. Eventually. I’m not moving her on until she learns it. We will keep repeating it until she gets it. She will. Eventually.

@@ritadyer9295 Thanks for sharing how you're avoiding gaps! I agree with your approach to be more relaxed about it as a mom rather than pushing her towards a future, idealistic version of herself. Keep bringing up how far she's progressed as a way to inspire her to keep moving forward 😊

So great to connect here! I emailed you 😄

Thank you! 🤗

That's amazing to hear, Tanya! Thank you for sharing this picture of success with your daughters. You must feel so proud to see all of your time and energy showing such abundant fruit! ❤

Yes, the freedom is tangible. Such a stark contrast to the group mentality of "hurry up, we're moving on to the next thing!"

Such a great question - I have added this to my list to do a full video or podcast about! The quick reply answer is that you do NOT have to teach spelling in a certain way. If you go with reading/writing, then you will want to highlight and point out spelling so that they notice it because assuming they'll just pick it up does not always naturally happen. Something simple could be to choose their top 3 favourite new words from what they read in that chapter and to practice writing those out like a spelling list, or creating a spelling dance (think YMCA), or even to write a paragraph or story with those new words in a different context.

@@homeschoolteachingsimplified that’s awesome! Thank u for ur reply :)