The Importance of Good Recordkeeping
By Kathy Green
Today, an increasing number of families are turning to homeschooling to better serve the needs of their children. Homeschooling offers parents the freedom to tailor education to their child’s unique learning style, abilities and interests — but with that freedom comes the responsibility of keeping accurate, organized records. While Maine law doesn’t list every detail you must track, good recordkeeping ensures you will meet state requirements, simplify the required annual assessment process, and create a strong academic history for your child. Thorough, organized recordkeeping is essential for compliance, your child’s transcript, and future educational or employment needs.
Reflecting on Our Homeschool Year
Recently, I finished putting together my children's year-end portfolios. This year there were five to be completed. This is an annual undertaking that I always look forward to with excitement and a fair amount of dread. It takes some time to gather everything together – my planbook and journals, each child's pile of notebooks, textbooks and books read, our completed projects and perhaps some incomplete ones as well. And there it is, all in one place, a representation of our whole homeschooling year spread across tables and couches, even the floor, and the time for reflection begins.
The Door to Faith is Open!
By Kathy Green
St. Ambrose, an early Church Father who lived in the 4th century, is believed to have said, “Our door is faith; if it is strong enough, the whole house is safe.” As homeschoolers, that quote embodies so much of what is at the heart of our desire to homeschool. We want our homes to be a place of security, love, learning, peace and spiritual growth. For most of us, that means our home must be a refuge where the presence of God is truly felt and faith is lived out.
Recognizing Burnout
By Sarah Buchwalder
Are you experiencing stress or anxiety in your homeschool?
You've probably heard the expression, “Get your own life jacket on first” or “You can’t pour from an empty cup” before, or have been told on an airplane to secure your own oxygen mask before helping another passenger. Is this selfish advice? Of course not! If you don't have your own flotation device on, two people could drown instead of one. If you do, you're in a much better position to save someone.