Five Areas Where Your Kids Could Use Some Home-Schooling

The American education system frequently gets criticized for being inadequate. But debates on how and where we should fix it go on and on, without visible improvements being made. Each administration tries their hand at fixing it; maybe they'll get that part right some day. In the mean time, you can help supplement your kid's public school education in key areas where the system leaves them lacking.

1. Computing - This is the gravest shortcoming of public schools. In reality, even though they have had computers for some time, public schools do not teach computers - they teach typing, using a computer instead of a typewriter! Help your kids by having computers and Internet at home, and encouraging them to explore on their own. Remember, they'll have to deal with these machines their whole lives, and almost certainly in every job they work at.

2. Math - You probably saw this coming! American public schools just seem to drop math half-way through, never getting to the interesting parts. Math classes revolve around rote calculation, doing pages and pages of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division - and nothing else! Even into senior high school, they barely get introduced to the higher math subjects before getting thrown into the world of college. You'll at least need to bring up basic algebra and calculus concepts. Take an opportunity to find the fun in math wherever you can - for instance, nature's beauty can lead to a love of fractals, and origami is a good way to learn some geometry.

3. History - This is a shocking deficit! Quiz your middle-schooler and you'll be appalled to discover that they have no idea who famous people are or what landmark events are about! American schools seem to have abandoned history as a concept, period. In its place are fuzzier subjects like "world studies." Take the time to explain historical references wherever they pop up, because if you aren't doing it, no one will.

4. Practical science - American schools are great for teaching you the typical broad encyclopedia subjects in science like biology and astronomy. But for some reason, kids always seem to miss out on day-to-day science applications, such as why your car has a hard time starting in sub-zero weather or why it's a bad idea to mix bleach and ammonia in an enclosed space. You'd be amazed at how many people reach adulthood without ever having found out that one bit of information that would have saved them trouble...

5. Life skills - American schools used to teach things like "home ec" and "consumer science," but now the education budgets just don't seem to allow for it. So it falls to you to prepare your teen for adult life. Teach them how to manage a bank account, pay bills, figure price-per-ounce at the grocery store, stay safe in a risky neighborhood, cook for themselves, and other sorts of mundane details. Probably the best way to handle this is to take them with you when you run errands.

How to Set Up a Home School Classroom For Middle Schoolers

Oh, the middle school years! What can you do with these active, restless young people?

Middle School, or Junior High, is the pre-adolescent time of life most parents dread. Your child is not yet an adult, but they are far past young child stage. If you're homeschooling, these middle school years can be some of the most challenging. You want them to keep learning, but you're not quite sure how to cope with their changing moods. Successfully navigating these next few years will require more than sound curriculum choices. It will require flexibility and creativity on the part of you, the homeschool parent.

Here are some techniques and tactics for how to set up a homeschool classroom for your middle schooler:

1) Give your student plenty of room to spread out. Young people at this age are spreading their wings in many ways. Giving them a workspace where they can sprawl out on their back or on their stomach to work may be just what he/she needs to feel "free". Resist the urge to nag about books spread out all over the floor. Agree on a room or area of the house or garage that they can call their own--at least during school hours.

2) Allow them to listen to good music. Many of us concentrate best with background sounds of some kind. When I am writing or making lesson plans, I always have music or television on in the background. My mind just works best that way. Whether it's classical, jazz, or rock, your student may actually need to have some extra input to really concentrate. For you parents who need absolute quiet when working, this advice is going to sound goofy. But remember, you're trying to make an environment in which your student can work best, and a little music may be just what he/she needs.

3) Stock your homeschool library with lots of good books. My kids rolled their eyes as I would periodically pick up "a classic" at the bookstore. But in time, they picked those books up off the shelf and read every one of them! One of the best learning tools we found as we tackled those classics was to read along in the paper book while listening to the audio book. Many students will really enjoy following along in the text while listening, especially if they struggle with reading. They can start and stop the tape when needed, and make notes according to your assignment. You don't even have to be there!

4) Give them anything that is hands-on. Learning with DIME blocks, Legos, electronic circuits, a handheld device of any kind, stimulates today's teens and pre-teens. We live in an information and technology age, so let them use technology in their learning. Many homeschool families find online learning to be a great choice for their middle school and high school students.

Be willing to change things up a bit in your homeschool. Your student is maturing, growing, and changing, so be willing to be flexible when setting up your homeschool classroom for the middle school years.