How Do I Begin With Homeschooling?
1 Write down your reason for homeschooling. This way, when you get immersed in the process, you can go back and review the reason why you decided to homeschool in the first place. Talk to your child, too, so that you are on the same page with the decision to homeschool, especially if the child is being pulled out of the traditional school system.
2 Take the steps one at a time. Do not concern yourself with the entire elementary or high school level. Use the first year as the determining year whether you will do homeschooling for the long haul or not.
3 Choose the curriculum. (Separate essay on that later.) I suggest you use one publisher for your first year so that you see the scope and coverage as a whole.
4 Contact your homeschool institutional covering. There are schools who accept homeschoolers. Bible-believing Christian churches will be able to point you to them. You may want to do this for record-keeping and official report cards.
5 Set-up your homeschool area at home. It can be as simple as the bedroom or the dining room or the living room. The important thing is to have some semblance of order so that the physical environment fosters learning.
6 Study the curriculum. There is no better way to prepare than this.
These steps are simplistic, of course. You will want to talk to homeschooling parents to glean from their experiences, too. However way you go, homeschool can be fun, fulfilling, and rewarding for those who brave the move. Happy homeschooling!
14 November 2009
08 November 2009
Why Every Mom Should be a Stage Mom
One of the toughest challenges an Artistic Director faces is handling stage mothers. Often, the most talented artists are those with the "most" stage moms. Understandably so. Stage moms gain their names because of their very high-level involvement in their children's artistic endeavors or careers. The connotation, however, has become sorely negative because many have overstepped the bounds. And the Artistic Director has no choice but to deal with them.
Despite the stigma to the name, there is merit to being a stage mom. In my ballet school, for example, the dancers who have made it to the international stage are those whose moms are very involved in their daughters' dance careers. They are there almost every class, every rehearsal, and certainly every performance. They do not only offer their physical presence; they also offer their two cents' worth on everything! Name the country's ballerinas, and you can be sure they have a stage mom right next to them.
Personally, I like stage moms. It makes it easier for me when the parent understands the dynamics and demands of our extremely competitive art. When parents have that kind of understanding, the terms become clearer and the procedure of rising to the top becomes defined. Oftentimes, I get parents who are highly involved with their kids when they are very young. Then, they start letting go when the children reach pre-teens, which is probably the most critical time when the parents are most needed.
My colleagues will agree that it is easy to promise the stars when the parents are right behind their children, especially in this art called ballet where costs are high and training/rehearsal schedules are painfully rigorous. Conversely, I have also seen much talent go to waste because parents let the reins go at some point.
As a Mom, I, too, am unashamedly a stage mom. Not to worry, I know the boundaries. But if this term means getting involved in my sons' lives as called for, whether they are 5 or 25, I will play the part.
And all the stage moms say, Amen!
Despite the stigma to the name, there is merit to being a stage mom. In my ballet school, for example, the dancers who have made it to the international stage are those whose moms are very involved in their daughters' dance careers. They are there almost every class, every rehearsal, and certainly every performance. They do not only offer their physical presence; they also offer their two cents' worth on everything! Name the country's ballerinas, and you can be sure they have a stage mom right next to them.
Personally, I like stage moms. It makes it easier for me when the parent understands the dynamics and demands of our extremely competitive art. When parents have that kind of understanding, the terms become clearer and the procedure of rising to the top becomes defined. Oftentimes, I get parents who are highly involved with their kids when they are very young. Then, they start letting go when the children reach pre-teens, which is probably the most critical time when the parents are most needed.
My colleagues will agree that it is easy to promise the stars when the parents are right behind their children, especially in this art called ballet where costs are high and training/rehearsal schedules are painfully rigorous. Conversely, I have also seen much talent go to waste because parents let the reins go at some point.
As a Mom, I, too, am unashamedly a stage mom. Not to worry, I know the boundaries. But if this term means getting involved in my sons' lives as called for, whether they are 5 or 25, I will play the part.
And all the stage moms say, Amen!
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