Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Have your relatives ever questioned the effectiveness of your home school? Michael Farris explores peacemaking within the extended family on today's Home School Heartbeat.

Michael Farris:


Have your extended family members ever had concerns about your home schooling? Recently, an HSLDA member family faced a lawsuit filed by the Christian sister of the home schooling mom, accusing her of being an ineffective educator. Effective communication might have eliminated this severe result.


If you have skeptical relatives, try these suggestions:


First, relatives should be reminded that a snapshot of any school day or week cannot show an entire year of progress. Home schoolers should not be subject to unrealistic standards set by well meaning, but uninformed relatives. All children learn in stages, and sometimes appear to go backwards before assimilating everything into a cohesive whole. Remind your relative that home schooling moms and their counterparts in traditional schools evaluate progress over time.


Secondly, as home educators, we need to set high standards and make sure we meet them. Standardized testing is not perfect, but it can do wonders to satisfy a skeptical relative. Be careful to avoid reporting struggles without reporting some victories, too.


If you hit a brick wall with one of your students, get help, and let the relative know you are working on this weakness. Communication might have resolved this case long before it came across my desk. I'm Mike Farris.