My Biggest Homeschool Regrets/Mistakes

[@leslienoriega3410]

I appreciate you sharing that homeschooling can be fluid. and that it is perfectly acceptable to change things up if what you are doing is not helpful to your children.

[@amandab.6815]

I have a 6 and 4 year old and they have always loved doing school work. But for that reason I kept adding more and more stuff, thinking that if they enjoy school, then more school work must be better. Well, I started getting bad attitudes and complaining, and honestly, there were things everyday that I would dread doing too. So we have been "pushing through" since the beginning of this homeschooling year. Well, I recently started listening to The Smiling Homeschooler podcast from the beginning. One episode he said "If there is something in your homeschool that you are dreading, I give you permission to get rid of it!" And so I thought, why not! This week I put aside the formal science, social studies, and writing curriculums that we were doing and I were back to the basics. We have been reading more books that we are excited about and my kids are asking tons of questions about science and social studies concepts that they are interested in. It has been such a breath of fresh air!

[@BethPavlik]

Thanks for sharing that. I'm glad you are happier with your lifestyle now. :)

[@ulyc5320]

Montessori math approach is HANDsy 😂 and we had a fantastic transition to Miquon Math (for those who need some book work with manipulatives)…along with Montessori math and Miquon, I did fun math activity books on days we just wanted to vegetate…it was a series called mousematics…which actually were in a Russian language and got my oldest fired up about beast academy. Unconventional math journey but all worth it for an exceptional math lover/seeker and STEAM learner

[@bespoke4187]

Thanks for your content. We are in year four with our public charter homeschool. The funds are nice to have for buying curriculum and extracurricular activities like gymnastics, piano etc. However, I've finally reached my breaking point with it because my kids miserable and so am I. I'm incredibly bored like them. I'm finally listening to my kids and going the unschool route. The state of California education system and all their testing requirements have led us here. They are hurting kids and parents. I'm trusting my instincts. It helps that there is content online we can turn to that helps us transition well into this new frontier of learning.

[@BethPavlik]

Welcome to the club!

[@lorimiller7261]

I agree the workbooks take the fun out of learning ! Please share your new Math ideas when it’s put together !

[@BethPavlik]

I will definitely share!

[@micaj4437]

Great video! I have finally decided to homeschool for my son's 1st yr of school 🥳🎉🙌🏾. So, I've been experimenting to see what may work and may not work. And he hasn't liked workbooks either. And just like you, I was like, well you have to learn handwriting. But, I believe it is a good idea to listen to my little guy. And also, we start a co-op soon. But, I will not make us keep going back each yr if it does not work for us! Thank you so much for your videos. They are extremely helpful and encouraging!

[@BethPavlik]

I’m so excited for your first year, Mica! I’m so glad this was helpful for you. 💜

[@PollyPatriot]

Not sure if it’s my phone, but I’m not able to make a comment unless it’s a reply to another persons comment. ( Just in this video). I appreciate this video

[@BethPavlik]

Thank you, Linda. :)

[@loracorwyn3713]

Wow Beth what a big step. Great job over coming your previous mindset and doing what’s best for your kids

[@BethPavlik]

Thanks 😊

[@rlewis9562]

Fear! That's the thing that ends up spoiling things in our homeschools I think. Fear of our kids failing and (perhaps worse?) us failing because we took the road less traveled in HSing our children. Thanks for being so helpful and inspirational, and helping me be more brave and less fear driven. Will love to see what different maths options you find!

[@BethPavlik]

I agree with you about the fear. I’m so glad the video was helpful to you!

[@handmaiden4yah]

Thank you.

[@BethPavlik]

You're welcome!

[@loracorwyn3713]

I’m so flattered. Thank you for making this :)

[@BethPavlik]

Thanks for asking!

[@beheshtah.3091]

Love this! This is actually something I’ve been struggling with a bit with my five-year-old. I am usually told to just force her to comply, ect. But that never sat well with me. I think I’m currently really drawn to unschooling and seeing where this leads us 🙌🏼

[@BethPavlik]

Yes, at five years old they should still be having fun with learning! I’ve definitely changed my approach with my other kids when they were five.

[@jarianjones9551]

This is the direction I’m leaning towards. My daughter is in the 7th grade and she has high functioning autism and ADHD. I’ve been homeschooling for 3 years and this year I put her in public virtual school. It’s too hard, rigid, and demanding. I’d rather go back to homeschooling her my way. I’m 40 and a HRIS manager, have done payroll, finance, etc and never do the complicated math we had to struggle with in school. I don’t want her to continue to be tortured with subjects that won’t help her in her adult life.

[@BethPavlik]

I hear you!

[@jam123b]

This video was so so great. Thank you so much!

[@BethPavlik]

You’re welcome!

[@ArmorsArrows]

I agree with everything you’ve said!

[@BethPavlik]

Thanks :)

[@queeniebee237]

Montessori math and geometry are completely hands on.

[@BethPavlik]

That’s true, Montessori is hands-on. It’s just not exactly what I’m looking for.

[@graciouslygrowing9786]

This is such a great video!!! If I could give you 1,000 thumbs up I would!!

[@BethPavlik]

Thank you!!

[@ByHisGraceAlone_7]

So are you knowlonger doing the writing with ease workbooks?

[@BethPavlik]

No, we only used that for a few months a while ago. Wasn’t a good fit.

[@malloryanthony8921]

Did you and your boys have a hard time breaking away from being part of that co-op even though you maintained some of the friendships?

[@BethPavlik]

It’s interesting because we were a part of that co-op when the pandemic hit and everything shut down. So we finished out that year over zoom and then for the two years after that when we were trying to avoid crowds, we did an informal weekly get together with our closest homeschooling friends (just two other families) and we did Forest school where we did nature-themed activities outdoors. Those friendships were a life-saver for those two years. Starting in January of this year, we did join a different formal co-op that many of the families that were in our old co-op go to now, which was really fun. It’s been amazing being back in a larger co-op with old friends. We are all loving it.

[@naomicastillo5859]

You should try rightstartmath. It’s very hands on and you learn through playing games.

[@BethPavlik]

Right Start Math is great! It’s just not what I’m looking for.