It’s that time of year! Homeschool courses have been carefully chosen, books purchased, and field trips planned. It’s almost October, and we are off and running!

And then.

What if one or more of the courses is flat? The kids aren’t interested, the website is too complicated, or the material is not resonating. Now what?

Encountering some glitches in homeschooling is common and completely normal. The good news is that these challenges are fixable. One of the most empowering aspects of homeschooling is the ability to pivot when things aren’t going as planned. As the head teachers, lead learners, and administrators of our homeschools, we can make some necessary adjustments.

Be prepared that you might not get it all right the first time. If this happens in your school, cut your losses, make a swift change, and move on.

Reading: What if the recommended free-style reading list is just… “okay?” Change it. Find something that still meets the course requirement but will pique your child’s curiosity and fulfill their love of learning.

One year, I thought we would read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer with my (then) tweens. While it is a classic piece of literature, we were all so sad reading it. At the time, racial injustice was dominating the news, which added to our awareness and discontent with the book. We were deeply uncomfortable with some of the outdated and inappropriate language. Since we read together out loud, this made it all the more uncomfortable.

A few chapters in, I stopped and looked up at my weary kids. I asked, “Are you enjoying this book?” To which they shook their heads vigorously: no.

You know when it’s time to pivot.

We still spent the afternoon discussing what we had read, why this novel was important, and how language is fluid and changes over time. We discussed what was once acceptable, no longer appropriate, and why. We looked up details about Mark Twain and talked about his life as a writer and what would have compelled him to write this story and others. The lesson was newly fascinating, and my kids were engaged. We never finished Tom Sawyer (although we did read Huckleberry Finn), but we still learned a lot. We didn’t abandon the lesson but pivoted with strength and creativity, teaching the importance of flexibility while still committing to understanding a topic.

The next day, we started a new book, Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes, which we all loved.

Make it interesting! Another thing I love about homeschooling is the ability to juice up or max out a course—especially on a topic where a student is either deeply interested or could use more context.

One way to add interest to a straight-line course is to shuffle in extra time on the subject with IXL supplemental lessons or watch a film that gives context to the learning. Math, science, or history movies can accelerate a lesson by providing inspiration or another perspective.

Round out the learning by including outdoor activities, reading, movies, field trips, games, travel, and art. Add Mel Science experiments to any K-8 science class.

If your English Grammar course is dull, add a 1/4-credit writing course from BraveWriter on a subject of your choice.

Are your kids interested in Shakespeare? Read a play together, but then see the same play at a local theatre or playhouse. Read Bill Bryson’s book about Shakespeare’s life (and all we do not know about him) or act out a scene after a family dinner one night. Are you a travel or world-school family? Add a detour to Stratford-Upon-Avon to walk the streets of maybe where Shakespeare lived and visit the Bard’s possible gravesite. Look at all the ways to learn about a subject, the smallest amount of which are in a textbook or on a screen. Live the subject.

Adjust Course Descriptions. The next step –and I cannot emphasize this enough– is to write every “add-on” down and include these as if it was always part of the course. If you add a documentary on Math to break up the monotony of Algebra 1, then add the film to your course description as “Required documentary film: “The Great Math Mystery (NR) Produced by NOVA/PBS.” (example)

A field trip to a museum to learn more about American Indigenous history would look like this:
“Required Field Study: Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center, CT” (example)

Failed or boring courses can be a blessing in disguise.

It’s our job to create interest; course descriptions will become more dynamic when you, as a homeschool administrator, make them so. Casting a wider net on a subject provides an opportunity for agency and intrigue. Adding alternative ways to learn every subject will enhance them, and you and your homeschooler will benefit from an exciting day at school!

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Sources and Suggestions:

The World’s a Stage by Bill Bryson

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

IXL Learning – supplement to core courses K-12; (= truly enjoyable and include Math, English/Grammar, Social Studies, Science, and Spanish)

Brave Writer – wonderful, short writing courses (usually 4-6 weeks in length)

Curiosity Stream Documentaries – (a homeschool staple)

Home Science Experiments (so fun and another homeschool staple)

See more math movies here: https://mvcortado.com/2019/04/25/movies-that-inspire-math/)

Add games! Here are some ideas: https://mvcortado.com/2020/09/10/board-games-for-the-win/

Travel. Just go.

©2024 Lynne Rey
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