A Heart For All Students

Moms everywhere are contemplating homeschooling for the very first time.

Here are 7 tips to encourage any mom considering homeschooling this fall.

Pandemic schooling is not even close to homeschooling.

Homeschooling at it’s finest is not based on a one-size-fits-all approach. 

When a supportive adult is there to offer insight, check for understanding and ultimately to encourage, children thrive.

Can you read?  Then you can learn and facilitate learning.

Look for programs that are made for homeschool parent teachers.

Partner with your child.  Dig in to topics of interest.

Just a few minutes of focused one-on-one teaching at home can equal an entire class period.

When homeschooling, you create the plan.

Always think:  What’s the goal?  Learning.

For more information, post transcript and time stamps visit:  https://aheartforallstudents.com/aheart-18/

During a meltdown, do you know how to calm your child?

Raising a higher-needs child can be exhausting.

For the mom in the trenches, finding a way to calm her child during a meltdown can feel impossible.

Girl, I know this because I’ve lived it.

All of the parenting strategies I knew to use were absolutely useless.

Everything I depended on to anchor my identity as a good Christian mom dissipated.

In hindsight, I can see that my perspective on parenting was pretty skewed from the beginning.

There are millions of adoptive, foster and special needs families in our country living this life of chaos, fear and shame.

Historically, I viewed childhood behaviors as do most in our culture: through the lens of all behavior is willful.

My heart hurts for all of the kids who grow up believing that they are “inherently bad” because they can’t seem to get it together.

It’s ok to parent our kids differently, Sweet Momma.   We can do this together.

For more information, post transcript and time stamps visit:  https://aheartforallstudents.com/aheart-17/

In today's episode, I am answering a question from one of the sweet mama's.

“Hey, does anybody know how to use unit studies?” & “How do we incorporate them into our homeschool”?

So here's my answer: “Unit studies can be used as the basis of your homeschool”.
It often takes homeschool moms that come in with a teaching background a few years before they finally get it: that the traditional system does not equal true learning and education,

So going back to unit studies, the first thing I'm gonna say it again: “homeschooling is not school at home.”

So all that to say unit studies can be the basis of your education.

Unit studies can incorporate tons and tons of topics. You do not have to add a unit study to a traditional workbook style subject, ever.

Focus on your math, focus on your language arts. You want your child to be reading.

All that to say use it as a tool to increase learning, but do not add it as an extra if it's gonna burden your child.

Remember if you're, just starting a home school. This is a new experience. Start small, start with math, start reading really good books. Use your child's interest, brainstorming your child.

For more information, post transcript and time stamps visit:  https://aheartforallstudents.com/aheart-16/

This is part one of a two part series focused on how to choose the best homeschool math curriculum for struggling students.

Diversity of learning styles, cognitive differences, and specific life circumstances impact the learning experience of each student.

It is crucial for parents to understand that every child is truly unique. Every person learns best when equipped based on his or her own unique wiring.

There are two different approaches to math curricula out there: Spiral-based and Mastery-based.

For our kids who struggle to learn new math concepts, a mastery-based homeschool math curriculum may serve them well.

Spiral-based curricula offer more variety in that they tend to introduce a new topic each week.

Interestingly, neither Mastery-based nor Spiral-based homeschool math is better than the other.

What works best will be completely dependent upon your unique child.

Whether your child does well with one or the other will be based on a number of variables: frustration tolerance, aptitude for math, need for variety, etc.

Like everything else, it all depends on the learner.

For more information, post transcript and time stamps visit:  https://aheartforallstudents.com/aheart-15/

Every momma wants to know the #1 parenting and discipline strategy for her kids.

The world tells us that it is all up to us. 

Being a mom is a wonderful experience.  It grows us in so many ways.  But it is in no way easy or simple.

When our children are “disobedient,” often our first instinct is to use our default parenting and discipline strategy.

But what about our kids who are wired-differently?

While I was a very loving, highly-engaged, and super fun mom, I was also parenting my kid from a place of fear.

But is the ultimate goal of our parenting to simply stop bad behavior in the moment?

Let’s set our kids up for a healthy future by teaching them that outward behavior is not the be all end all.

It’s their hearts that we must be after.

The greatest parenting and discipline strategy is for the adults in this world.  We need to train ourselves to see behind the behavior and seek our kids’ hearts.

For more information, post transcript and time stamps visit:  https://aheartforallstudents.com/aheart-14/

Are you looking for effective teaching strategies for you struggling readers?

For many children, traditional reading instruction strategies are effective.  Unfortunately, however, those same strategies are also just as ineffective for others.

One of the side-effects of unrealistic and inappropriate benchmarks is anxiety-ridden parents scrambling to make their child to read just like everyone else.

These children struggle even more when pushed to read using a strategy that inherently conflicts with the way they learn.

Forcing children to push through advanced reading material based on grade level benchmarks without equipping them with foundational reading skills is dangerous in more ways than one.   

Ultimately, the goal of education should be to equip our kids with what they need based on their own unique wiring so that thrive as a whole person throughout adulthood.

For more information, post transcript and time stamps visit:  https://aheartforallstudents.com/aheart-13/

As homeschool moms know, when our children show symptoms of ADHD while we are teaching them, it can be challenging for mom and child alike.

So what does the homeschool mom do to more effectively teach her child with ADHD?

When teaching a child with an ADHD brain, any learning that requires a child to sit and pay attention can be extremely tough.  These kids have been wired to need physical movement to thrive.

Occupational Therapy is not a new area of intervention.  However, more and more parents are just now learning of its effectiveness in addressing ADHD symptoms in children.

If you think your child may have ADHD and is struggling with learning and schoolwork, I cannot more highly recommend an OT evaluation.  An occupational therapist can provide you with so much insight and clues to how to best teach your child with ADHD.

For more information, post transcript and time stamps visit:  https://aheartforallstudents.com/aheart-12/

Homeschool math planning and instruction does not have to be scary or intimidating.

Many children have the notion that they are inherently bad at math.  This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Tears, meltdowns and any form of resistance to math is your clue that something is going on behind the scenes.

If you notice your child struggling with math, I encourage you to use this behavior to your advantage. 

This behavior is information.  Your child’s frustration is the symptom of a problem.

Take hold of your child’s hand, and co-learn with your child. Let your child know that you are in this together.

For more information, post transcript and time stamps visit:  https://aheartforallstudents.com/aheart-8/

We are all, in some form or fashion, “homeschool” families now, and homeschool math activities are top priority.

And if your children are struggling with the assignments that are being sent home, and if they’re crying, and if they are acting out of frustration…THERE’S A REASON.

This season can be an absolute blessing.  It can be the best situation that could ever happen in your child’s educational journey.  Now you can focus on what your child needs in order to progress educationally.

First, it is important to find out where your child stands in math.  Because when it comes to homeschool math activities, your child needs a solid foundation.  Without that, your child will continue to struggle as the concepts continue to build.

Set a homeschool math goal and take one step at a time.

Finally, remember that you are the primary teacher both now and quite frankly, you have always been.   

For more information, post transcript and time stamps visit:  https://aheartforallstudents.com/aheart-7/

Parents have been navigating teen mood swings since the creation of man.  Generations of moms and dads have been plagued by the hormonal roller coaster of their teens’ mood swings and attitudes. No fun.

I am no exception.

Like generations of girls before her, my oldest daughter eventually morphed into a young lady.  Hormones come with the territory.  We adult women suffer from the occasional hormonal rage.

The reality is that we all have meltdowns… ALL.OF.US.  Adults and children alike.  Adults lose it all the time.

There is no judgement in this.  We are all just human beings living in a broken world.

For more information, post transcript and time stamps visit:  https://aheartforallstudents.com/aheart-6/