HS Encouragement

"Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves on a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles- a delight in climbing rugged paths, which you would perhaps never know if you did not sometime slip backward-- if the road was always smooth and pleasant. Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost. Sometime, somewhere, somehow we shall find that which we seek. " Helen Keller (1)

Staying on track...

• Homeschooling Burdens -  Are you burdened, overwhelmed, or concerned if you're doing enough, or doing it "right"?  Read this excellent article by Jeannie Fulbright to help lighten your load.
• Teach the Child - Make sure your curriculum is serving you... not the other way around. If you're checking boxes and trudging along through a curriculum that's not a great fit, read this article from Sonya Shafer. 
• Curriculum Cage - This is a poem written by a home school mom that may help bring you back to sanity if you're overwhelmed with finding the perfect curriculum.

Answering the Nay-Sayers...

• Missing Out - Here are some "better" responses to common questions home schoolers receive.
• Socialization - It can actually be a benefit of home schooling! 
• Homeschooling Works - Check out the largest nation-wide study on home schoolers!
• Homeschool Graduates in College ~ From the Professors' Perspective - This blogger appealed to college professors to find out how homeschool graduates perform in college. 

You CAN do it!!!

• "I Can't Homeschool Because _______" - Think you can't do it for one reason or another? Here's an excellent linkup of bloggers discrediting the most commonly used reasons a mom can't homeschool. Check it out.
• On Inconveniences in Home Schooling: Meltdowns and Other Messes - Here's an excellent article answering the concerns over clashing with your kids, meltdowns over math and the other inevitable messiness of home schooling. 
• Life Happens... But So Does Home Schooling - Here's a post I wrote when we managed to home school during a busier-than-ever year. And I'm glad we did.