By Yvonna Graham, M.Ed. Ken Robinson Did a Wonderful TED Talk Whether you read this book or not, please watch the 20 minute TED talk: Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity? Twenty minutes feels like about 5 minutes. Sir Ken Robinson is a profoundly good speaker. He’s funny. He delivers on real information about improving […]
School and Education aren’t the Same Thing Unschooling doesn’t mean no education; it just means no school. The unschoolers I know put in significant time and effort providing education by asking and answering questions, finding resources, connecting kids with mentors, traveling, supporting passions, etc. Despite all this great parenting, it can be hard to justify […]
School Choices As a dyslexia tutor, parents often ask me what schools are best. It’s helpful to map out the choices. Depending on the community, choices might include public, private, parochial, specialty school for dyslexia, online school, free schools, home-school with various curriculums, unschooling, co-op or micro-school, or a combination. The first task: discuss what’s […]
Find out Why Public School is Attractive Home-educated children sometimes decide they want to try public school. This can cause a hard-working homeschooling parent to wonder why. In fact, that’s the first question to ask. The student has a reason, and that reason is the most important piece of the puzzle. It may take time […]
What’s the Best School Choice? As an educational consultant and tutor, I assist parents in deciding how to provide their children’s education. I ask questions that help the parents define their goals, the children’s goals, the specific needs of their children, and numerous other concerns. Then I help them review the options that are open […]
A Diagnosis Brings Relief and Panic Parents who consult with me following a dyslexia diagnosis report two emotions: relief that they know why the student is struggling to read, and panic about the resources needed. Both responses are realistic. Happily, the panic can be laid aside once the parent has more information. From my experience […]
Different Scheduling for Different Kids “What sort of scheduling did you follow when you were homeschooling?” asked my friend, Susan. “My boys drive me crazy arguing about when to do their school work, even though they enjoy it.” I surprised Susan by telling her that one daughter started her school day by 7:00 a.m. Furthermore, […]
Should I Homeschool My Dyslexic Child? Are you wondering if homeschooling your dyslexic child is a good idea or the worst idea you’ve had this decade? In this post, I cover four great reasons to consider homeschooling as an educational option, and one overpowering reason not to. Here’s what I cover in this post. Experts […]
More Parents Choose Home Education Many parents who would not have considered home education in the past do so now. Surprisingly, many parents indicate that time or scheduling informed their decision to homeschool. Students spend up to seven hours a day at school. Then they bring home one to two hours of homework. That leaves […]
Are students happy and excited about learning most of the time? Humans of all ages love to learn new things and master new skills. And yet, school choice remains daunting for many parents. If you seldom see the joy of learning on your student’s face, find out why. Start by spending time with the student, […]