Discover One Key to Embrace Your Homeschool With More Joy→

Many people have told me they homeschool because of something to do with fear. While fear of what might happen or not happen in school can be the catalyst for deciding to homeschool, we need to leave the fear behind and embrace a new attitude once we get started.

Bullying and Violence

It's not that there aren't things to fear about public education, or even private schools —absolutely there are. Bullying and violent crimes are a concern, with incidences happening more times than we have days in the year.

Sex and Drugs

Early exposure to sex and drugs is another problem in schools, especially the inappropriate classes in sex education, sexual preferences, and gender issues. 

Weaker Family Bonds

Schoolchildren tend to have weaker bonds with their families, and losing our children's loyalty to peers or values we don't espouse can be devastating and wreak havoc on the entire family. 

Too Much Technology

Excessive use of computers in the classroom, with the subsequent problem of addiction to technology, is another grave issue we face. Addiction centers are popping up more frequently and organizations to de-program our kids are becoming more popular.

Lack of Concern for Character Development

Because schools no longer uphold standards of behavior based on traditional values, good character development is something we must concern ourselves with.

How can we raise children of good character if they are in poor moral environments for a large number of hours per day? 

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

— Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

Substandard Education

And last, but not least, education. Putting a child through 12 years of school to find he doesn't enjoy reading, cannot write a persuasive essay, and is unable to think critically is a reality too many parents face today. 

While all of the above reasons may motivate us to keep our children out of school, we want to climb onto higher ground when we are homeschooling. 

Fear is an emotion that triggers feelings of isolation, disconnectedness, anxiety, apprehension, . and this is exactly how many homeschoolers say they feel. 

Fear, at times, is necessary. In this case, it served its purpose; it motivated us to homeschool. But now it’s time to shift our attitude.

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”

— Joseph Campbell

Another Perspective

Instead of fear, why not embrace the joy of homeschooling?

If we can discover a strong "why" for homeschooling, it will be easier to stay the course, put our hearts into our work, and enjoy teaching our own. 

We want to turn our backs on the "fear" motivator and embrace the "love" motivator. 

To do this, we need to discover a love for why we are homeschooling. Fortunately, there are many “loves” to choose from. They come in the form of your “why,” your primary reason for homeschooling; a reason which keeps you motivated even on days when you feel tired and overwhelmed.

Discovering Your "Why"

Discovering our "why" simply means reflecting on that which is most valuable to us as parents. What is it that we want most for our children and for our family? What is it that we would love the most if we were to see it happen?

Strong Family Bonds

Your "why" does not have to be the same as someone else's "why" either.  Nurturing a strong bond with your children, and therefore, building a stronger family might be what you care most about. 

Training of the Mind

For someone else, it might be the training of the mind and raising children who are not fooled by propaganda or misled by faulty thinking, but they can think critically and develop their own ideas and opinions. 

Nurturing Children’s Hearts

Maybe you want to protect your child's heart from the inappropriate things that are being taught in school today, such as sex-education, gender issues, and sexual preferences. There's also the issue of bullying and violence in schools today, and mass shootings which happen more frequently than we like to think. 

Integrity

Or maybe, like me, you are motivated by the simple desire to raise children who have integrity and are true to themselves. 

Whatever your "why" is, write it down and let it be your homeschooling mantra. On the days when you feel overwhelmed or out of patience with your children, remember your "why" and never look back.

Homeschooling is the best gift you can give your children; it is the gift of your time and the training of their minds and hearts. 

Don’t miss our free download, Ten Books Every Well-Educated Child Should Read.

When you join the Smart Homeschooler Academy online course for parents, Liz will share her 6-step framework, so you can raise children of higher intelligence, critical thinking, and of good character.

As a homeschooler, you will never have to worry about failing your children, because working with Liz, you will feel confident, calm, and motivated; as she guides you to train your children’s minds and nurture their characters.

Teach your child to read before sending him to school! Learn more about Elizabeth's unique course, How to Teach Your Child to Read and Raise a Child Who Loves to Read.

For parents of children under age seven who would like to prepare their child for social and academic success, please begin with Elizabeth’s singular online course, Raise Your Child to Thrive in Life and Excel in Learning.

Elizabeth Y. Hanson is a homeschooling thought-leader and the founder of Smart Homeschooler.

As an Educator, Homeschool Emerita, Writer, and Love and Leadership Certified Parenting Coach, she has 21+ years of experience working in education.

Developing a comprehensive understanding of how to raise and educate a child, based on tradition and modern research, and she devotes her time to helping parents to get it right.

Elizabeth is available for one-on-one consultations as needed.

"I know Elizabeth Y. Hanson as a remarkably intelligent, highly sensitive woman with a moral nature and deep insight into differences between schooling and education. Elizabeth's mastery of current educational difficulties is a testimony to her comprehensive understanding of the competing worlds of schooling and education. She has a good heart and a good head. What more can I say?”

—John Taylor Gatto Distinguished educator, public speaker, and best-selling author of Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling

What I Would Say if These Parents Had Called Me to Chat→

A friend sent me a telling article from the Guardian (UK newspaper) on home-education in the UK. Whether it's the UK, the USA, or Europe, it doesn't matter. Parents are parents and the concerns are similar.

I will say that while reading this article, I felt a little frustrated by what I was reading. With homeschooling, when it is thrust upon us from a lack of other options, it comes down to how we choose to look at it. Do we embrace the challenge or resist it?

So, here's what I'd say to the parents in this article if they had shared their concerns with me.

(The quotes are excerpted from the Guardian article.)

Julie

"My child had been struggling with the school environment from the start,” Julie said. “She’s autistic, has sensory difficulties, finds noise and lights difficult, but is academically clever. She found it so hard to navigate relationships with peers and her anxiety was so intense she was mostly mute at school.” —Julie

“Julie’s daughter, now nine, has been home educated since, an experience Julie describes as “distressing” due to her lack of knowledge about teaching and home learning, and a lack of support.” —Guardian

The Support I Offer Julie

Julie, why do you think you have no knowledge about teaching? You are your child's first teacher; you have been teaching her since the day she was born. All parents are teachers of their children.

While moving into academic teaching may seem daunting at first, there isn't anything during the elementary years that, with a few tools under our belts, we can't tackle. I agree that you need to know what you are doing, but there are resources available in the homeschooling community to give you the understanding and confidence to homeschool successfully.

An academically clever child is a joy to teach. If you have a child who is eager to learn, as you indicated your daughter is, then you are doing better than many parents whose children are plugged in and disengaged. Consider this a huge plus when homeschooling, because it makes your work so much easier.

As for support, if you join local homeschooling social groups for your children, you will also find companionship and support amongst the parents.

Mathew

“After the switch to secondary school he started having anxiety attacks that slowly escalated,” Matthew said. “They were mainly related to tests, homework demands, and managing expectations. The chaotic and uncertain environment of frequent supply teachers, constantly shifting timetables and bullying made it very difficult for him to cope.”

“Our son’s panic attacks have mostly disappeared, he’s gained confidence and has been making better progress academically, because we’ve been able to tailor the topics more closely to his interests and ability. But much of this success is down to the fact that we were both working as qualified teachers in the past. I worry about all the people in a similar situation who aren’t teachers, and don’t have understanding employers – mine has allowed me to work flexibly from home.”

Quelling Mathew’s Concerns

You did the right thing by removing your child from a distressing environment during the years when every experience is magnified and contributes to the formation of his character and personality. And I'm so happy to hear he is doing significantly better, though, I'm not surprised!

Mathew, while it's kind of you to be concerned about homeschooling parents who aren't certified as teachers, I would beg to disagree with you. Your success is not because you and your wife were former teachers; it’s because you are homeschooling.

Studies show that parents—whether professional teachers or not—are just as qualified to teach their children and do a very good job of it, and that children learn better at home. While being a professional teacher may give you a sense of confidence, initially, it really will make no difference in the long run.

Catherine

“Catherine, 50, a teacher from Brighton, who also said that she took her daughter, who has ASC [autism spectrum condition], out of school to avoid fines for poor attendance, is one of many parents who switched to online school.” —Guardian

“She started just on two subjects but now does a full eight and is choosing options for GCSEs. She’s engaged and enjoying her learning, it’s been wonderful.

It is a struggle financially, though. The online school costs £300 a month. I’m a single mum and had to give up working outside the home. I get by on whatever remote work I can find and benefits. I also worry that if my daughter wants to go to university or work in an office environment she will have had no exposure to that kind of thing.” —Catherine

Some Suggestions for Catherine

Catherine, your concerns are valid. Your daughter needs to be engaged in the real world with real people, so she can better develop the social and emotional aspects of her character and personality.

While sitting in front of a computer to learn may seem easier, it is not going to give her the tools she needs to function well in the world, especially if she is already struggling with an autism diagnosis.

It's much easier to homeschool using real books, it costs far less, and your daughter will have time for more social engagements, which will help her develop better social skills. As you said yourself, she needs to be engaged so when she is ready to go out on her own, she can manage.

The 300 sterling you save each month by getting her offline, you can put towards extra-curricular studies for your daughter, such as piano lessons, tennis lessons, or learning French.

Oh, one last thing, you mentioned you worked remotely. When you homeschool using real books, your daughter's homeschooling day is much shorter, too, so you will still have time to work. 

Liza

“While many parents praised the advantages of online schooling, some were less convinced, among them 46-year-old Liza, from Walsall, who said her daughter had struggled with online lessons after she left school at the end of year 10 due to bullying.” —Guardian

“I’ve spent over £2,000 on tutors since September, and £1,000 so she can sit exams. She’s better now, however socially it’s been very hard. She’s very isolated, my husband and I both work full-time.” —Liza

An Idea for Liza

Liza, kudos to you for removing your daughter from the world of screen learning and back into the world of books.

I’m sorry about the tutoring expense, as it is a lot, but one of the things you might consider doing is to hire an undergrad college student instead of paying full price for a professional tutor. Also, can your daughter join any extra-curricular clubs for social interaction?

She does need to socialize, especially at her tender age, as friends are very important for teenagers.

Anonymous

“One parent, who wanted to stay anonymous, said they had taken their child out of year 6 last September because of unmet needs in school, and desperately hoped they would be able to return as soon as possible.” — Guardian

“The experience [of home education] is not great, my child is now struggling to leave the house and is missing out on socializing with peers. She’s too anxious to attend home education meet-ups. We need the correct support so she can attend school. It’s so unfair.” — Anon

My advice to anonymous

(I have to assume the child is in front of the computer all day because of the socialization issue)

Naturally, she will long for her peers because she has already established a relationship with them. This is a good sign because we know she is capable of establishing good social relationships, but she's probably become socially anxious because of the excessive screen-time use and lack of social contact. 

My first plan would be to get her off the screens and get her learning with real books. You might consider starting a book club or some kind of a program in your home with other homeschooled children. 

Instead of having to go out and meet people, your daughter could meet them while feeling safe at home. Once she gets used to socializing again and has a few new friends, she'll be better able to venture into new social situations without panicking or refusing to leave the house.

My Thoughts on This Article

What is concering to me is that as parents, we want what is best for our children, and we will do whatever it takes to provide it; yet, too many parents feel dis-empowered when it comes to their child's education. 

After 22 years of working with parents of school-age children, I know that this mindset is not uncommon. 

We have to remember that our children’s education can make or break them. Not a single government in the entire world is providing a sound education for children. It's up to us to make sure it happens.

Together, we can do it.

Don’t miss our free download, Ten Books Every Well-Educated Child Should Read.

When you join the Smart Homeschooler Academy online course for parents, Liz will share her 6-step framework to raise children of higher intelligence, critical thinking, and of better character.

As a homeschooler, you will never have to worry about failing your children, because working with Liz, you will feel confident, calm, and motivated. She also provides you with the tools and support you need to homeschool successfully.

Teach your child to read before sending him to school! Learn more about Elizabeth's unique course, How to Teach Your Child to Read and Raise a Child Who Loves to Read.

For parents of children under age seven who would like to prepare their child for social and academic success, please begin with Elizabeth’s singular online course, Raise Your Child to Thrive in Life and Excel in Learning.

Elizabeth Y. Hanson is a homeschooling thought-leader and the founder of Smart Homeschooler.

As an Educator, Homeschool Emerita, Writer, and Love and Leadership Certified Parenting Coach, she has 21+ years of experience working in education.

Developing a comprehensive understanding of how to raise and educate a child, based on tradition and modern research, and she devotes her time to helping parents to get it right.

Elizabeth is available for one-on-one consultations as needed.

"I know Elizabeth Y. Hanson as a remarkably intelligent, highly sensitive woman with a moral nature and deep insight into differences between schooling and education. Elizabeth's mastery of current educational difficulties is a testimony to her comprehensive understanding of the competing worlds of schooling and education. She has a good heart and a good head. What more can I say?”

—John Taylor Gatto Distinguished educator, public speaker, and best-selling author of Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling

5 Ways Schools Kill Your Child's Love of Learning→

Children come into this world curious and ready to learn. They have just enough hearing and sight to kickstart the wiring of their brain. 

They are born to know. Literally.

It's a profound characteristic because it begs the question, know what? And in that lies the secret to life. 

If the desire to know is how we tackle the mysteries of life, including who we are, why we are here, and where we are going, then shouldn't we protect our children's desire to know at whatever cost?

Shouldn't it be our #1 priority? I take the position that it should be which begs another question: Well, how do we do that?

One of the ways we do it is by not putting our children into school because, ironically, schools will kill our children's curiosity and love of learning.

John Taylor Gatto, an award-winning teacher and author of the best seller, Dumbing Us Down,  said that schools are dangerous places for kids. That was his conclusion after teaching for 30 years.

And John was right. 

1.  The Confining of the Child's Mind

Children are taken out of the home and put into schools at far too early ages. Even Harvard studies show that children do not benefit from early education. 

Instead of feeling safe and loved while exploring, moving, and exercising their curiosity and desire to know, children are put into organized programs where they are confined to a classroom and told what to do and when to do it. 

The cuter the classroom, the more deceptive are the dangers of school.

What we know through research is that children enter preschool with their curiosity intact (as long as they are coming from the home and not from two or three years spent in daycare). 

Somewhere around kindergarten and first grade, their curiosity begins to wane. That little light in their mind begins to dim. 

The curious child learns that school is a place where you sit still and listen. Too many questions are not encouraged; and he learns to be quiet.

The more he suppresses his desire to know, the more dwarfed his curiosity becomes.

“The children are teach have almost no curiosity, and what little they do have is transitory. ”

— John Taylor Gatto, author of Dumbing Us Down

It's like a Bonsai plant. When you clip the child's curiosity, his mind is hindered from growing. 

As a school teacher has 30 other children to contend with, she can’t handle a lot of questions because  she  needs to stick to her schedule and get on with the day's lessons. 

While it isn’t the teachers’ fault, the child quickly learns that his desire to know is not socially acceptable in the classroom.

2. Failure to Read

Most children are taught to read before they are developmentally ready. While some kids can manage, some can't, and some will even fail.

The children who struggle will begin to think they are not very smart, and their self-esteem will decline and their confidence will grow weak. 

If school is where they go to learn things, then they conclude that they’d rather not learn anything. At least then they will not have to suffer through the frustration and embarrassment of not being able to keep up with the rest of the class. 

3. Textbooks that Kill

Have you ever read a real science or history book, one that wasn't a textbook? It's a totally different experience because science and history are fascinating subjects, and if the author is a good writer, you won't be able to put the book down. 

But we don't teach our children with well-written books in school. We bore them to death by imposing textbook learning on them, replete with the endless list of proscribed questions

I hated science and history in school. Juxtapose that to my  homeschooled children who read quality science and history books for fun, and you'll begin to see the problem. 

“The children I teach are ahistorical; they have no understanding of how the past has predestinated their own present, limits their choices, shapes their values and lives.”

— John Taylor Gatto, author of Dumbing Us Down

Put a child into school, hand him a textbook, and threaten him with a test; and you are about to destroy any interest he had in that subject. 

4. The Tricky Test

And let's not forget the exams. After reading the boring textbook, a child now has to have an exam on something he was completely uninterested in. 

Not only that, but he has to guess what questions the teacher might ask, so he can memorize the answers.

And how much information will a child retain? Probably not as much as he would have if he had been interested in the subject. And he will proceed to forget most of it once the exam is over.

5. The Reward and the Punishment

And then come the grades. It doesn't matter if a child does well or he does poorly because he has studied for an exam, not for the joy of learning.

Whether he is rewarded with an “A” or punished with a “D”, he still loses. 

Schools are dangerous places for kids because they destroy the one quality it takes to get a real education; the desire to know. 

The Crisis in Education

We are in a crisis in education, and we have been for a long time. There is nothing to reform, because the system never worked.

As long as education is in the hands of the government, an education will never be had. 

Children received a real education when the parents were in charge of the schools, prior to the 1850's and before the government introduced mass schooling. 

Before then, America's parents dictated what their children learned, how they learned, and when they learned. They even dictated who they would learn from. 

Fortunately, American’s have retained the right to educate their own and educating our own is exactly what we need to do. 

“That certified teaching experts like me are deemed necessary to make learning happen is a fraud and a scam.”

— John Taylor Gatto, author of Dumbing Us Down

Unless you want the government's dumbed down version of an education for your children, you will need to keep them out of school. 

At home,  you can preserve their love of learning and desire to know about the things that will matter to them in life. 

And, following sound principles and methods, you can give them a stellar education. 

Don’t miss our free download, Ten Books Every Well-Educated Child Should Read.

When you join the Smart Homeschooler Academy online course for parents, Liz will share her 6-step framework to raise children of higher intelligence, critical thinking, and of better character.

As a homeschooler, you will never have to worry about failing your children, because working with Liz, you will feel confident, calm, and motivated. She also provides you with the tools and support you need to homeschool successfully.

Teach your child to read before sending him to school! Learn more about Elizabeth's unique course, How to Teach Your Child to Read and Raise a Child Who Loves to Read.

For parents of children under age seven who would like to prepare their child for social and academic success, please begin with Elizabeth’s singular online course, Raise Your Child to Thrive in Life and Excel in Learning.

Elizabeth Y. Hanson is a homeschooling thought-leader and the founder of Smart Homeschooler.

As an Educator, Homeschool Emerita, Writer, and Love and Leadership Certified Parenting Coach, she has 21+ years of experience working in education.

Developing a comprehensive understanding of how to raise and educate a child, based on tradition and modern research, and she devotes her time to helping parents to get it right.

Elizabeth is available for one-on-one consultations as needed.

"I know Elizabeth Y. Hanson as a remarkably intelligent, highly sensitive woman with a moral nature and deep insight into differences between schooling and education. Elizabeth's mastery of current educational difficulties is a testimony to her comprehensive understanding of the competing worlds of schooling and education. She has a good heart and a good head. What more can I say?”

—John Taylor Gatto Distinguished educator, public speaker, and best-selling author of Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling

Don't Say the "B" Word!→

There's a word that should not be used by children. Instead of forbidding it, adults are indulging the “B” word, too, which is not helping matters.

For example. the other day a kindergarten teacher was boasting about having a  "boredom" hour for her students. It goes something like this: "Ok children, it's "Boredom" time!”

During "Boredom" time, the children need to figure out what to do with themselves. While this is all fine and dandy, it's also counterproductive. 

You see, the point to the use of the word "boredom" is that children should not be allowed to speak, think, or entertain the word under any circumstances. 

“It turns out that bliss — a second-by-second joy and gratitude at the gift of being alive, conscious — lies on the other side of crushing, crushing boredom.”

— David Foster Wallace

How did the boredom epidemic begin in the first place? First, children are being raised in ways that don't allow them the opportunity to self-direct their engagement in life. 

When they are young, instead of playing outdoors, they are put in front of screens. Instead of having a childhood, they start school too early. Instead of exploring their environment, they whine that they are bored and their parents scramble to find things for them to do.

But our job as parents is not to entertain our children or come up with ways to alleviate their perceived boredom. 

People who get easily bored tend to be boring people, at least that’s been my experience. They are people who lack hobbies and interests and need to be entertained much of the time.

In other words, they’re a little empty on the inside.

Waiting for the next Netflix series to hit the screen…

Who amongst us wants to raise boring children? There should be absolutely no room for the "B" word in the life of a child.

The world is too fascinating! To raise children who are engaged in the gift of life and the act of living, one cannot allow a word such as boredom into their vocabulary. 

It's that simple.

There will be transition times from one activity to another, this is normal. But to label this period as "boredom" and allow your child to complain about being bored should be avoided at all times.

“The two enemies of human happiness are pain and boredom.”

— Arthur Schopenhauer

Finding ways for your child to alleviate his “boredom” is limiting your child's ability to become resourceful in life only adds insult to injury.

Our job is to give our children the freedom to independently engage in their own lives from an early age. 

Children come into the world fascinated by life. It is we who interfere with this fascination by teaching our children to be dependent upon sources other than themselves for entertainment.

We do far too much for our children and the more we do for them, the less children learn to do for themselves.

“I’ve got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom.”

— Thomas Carlyle

Let them be is all we need to do when our children are young. Keep them off of the all-pervasive screens, and let them figure out what to do with their own time.

My children never once complained about being bored. At some point, the word was introduced by one of their friends, at which time I told them they were never to use it again. 

Do not tell your kids it is "Boredom" time now and then tell them to figure out what to do during "Boredom" time. Calling free time "boredom" time puts the thought of boredom in their minds.

Scourge the "B" word from your and your children's vocabularies and instead raise interesting children who are fully engaged in the experience of life.

Don’t miss our free download, Ten Books Every Well-Educated Child Should Read.

When you join the Smart Homeschooler Academy online course for parents, Liz will share her 6-step framework to raise children of higher intelligence, critical thinking, and of better character.

As a homeschooler, you will never have to worry about failing your children, because working with Liz, you will feel confident, calm, and motivated. She also provides you with the tools and support you need to homeschool successfully.

Teach your child to read before sending him to school! Learn more about Elizabeth's unique course, How to Teach Your Child to Read and Raise a Child Who Loves to Read.

For parents of children under age seven who would like to prepare their child for social and academic success, please begin with Elizabeth’s singular online course, Raise Your Child to Thrive in Life and Excel in Learning.

Elizabeth Y. Hanson is a homeschooling thought-leader and the founder of Smart Homeschooler.

As an Educator, Homeschool Emerita, Writer, and Love and Leadership Certified Parenting Coach, she has 21+ years of experience working in education.

Developing a comprehensive understanding of how to raise and educate a child, based on tradition and modern research, and she devotes her time to helping parents to get it right.

Elizabeth is available for one-on-one consultations as needed.

"I know Elizabeth Y. Hanson as a remarkably intelligent, highly sensitive woman with a moral nature and deep insight into differences between schooling and education. Elizabeth's mastery of current educational difficulties is a testimony to her comprehensive understanding of the competing worlds of schooling and education. She has a good heart and a good head. What more can I say?”

—John Taylor Gatto Distinguished educator, public speaker, and best-selling author of Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling

7 Reasons Homeschooling Kids Have More Opportunity→

According to the research on homeschooling, homeschooled children are ahead of their schooled peers intellectually and socially. They learn more and they engage in more social activities, which would presumably put them ahead emotionally too.

If you are homeschooling using sound methods, you know this is true because the proof is in the pudding - you can see it for yourself. 

But if you aren't homeschooling, here's 7 reasons to consider  the fastest growing educational option today.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

— Nelson Mandela

1. Share in the Habits of the Top 1%

People at the top of financial earnings have one thing in common, they read books. They usually write and sell their books too.

Yet, only 14 out of 100 children read for fun. 

Only 14!

By homeschooling, you can raise children who, like the top 1%, also enjoy reading books. Reading is the key to knowledge and regardless of what professional field  your child enters, reading will only improve his understanding. 

2. Personal Development

Homeschooling children have more time to develop skills and hobbies. A child who grows up to become a skilled ice skater,  musician, or writer can turn these hobbies into a profession either by performing or teaching. 

We never know what life might bring us, and raising our children to have a skill they can fall back on monetarily, whether it becomes their main profession or not, is always prudent. 

3. Intellectual Precocity

Children, who are homeschooled independently, surpass their schooled counterparts on exams. 

They also have a better chance of getting into more impressive colleges, if they should choose that route. However, some parents fear their children won't get into good colleges if they homeschool them.

This may be true if you put your kids into virtual schools or a public school homeschooling programs (a bit of an oxymoron, no?), but it isn't true if you homeschool independently using methods that are time-tested.

“You can never be overdressed or overeducated.”

— Oscar Wilde

If you are homeschooling independently, rest assured that your children's chances of getting into a good college should be higher, not lower.

It isn't just SAT scores colleges look for; they want people who are above average in their accomplishments too. It reflects well upon the schools and helps to maintain their prestigious reputations. 

4. More Socially Adept

Homeschooled children score above schoolchildren in social competency, which makes sense. Children who don't spend 8 hours in school will have a lot more time for socializing.

Practice makes perfect.

Eventually, with more practice, homeschoolers will exceed their schooled peers who spend their school days in classrooms. What little social interaction schoolchildren do have is usually with children their own age.

Spending the majority of time with one’s peers is limiting to their social skill development. and personally and professionally, good social skills will always be critical to one’s ability to get a long with others.

5. Makes for More Interesting People

With more time on their hands, homeschooled children are able to develop a stronger sense of self and engage in all sorts of learning adventures from family travel to starting home businesses. 

And this is on top of the hobbies and skills they are engaged in as well. 

People who have more interests and who have had more experiences in life, especially of the unusual sort, tend to be more interesting people. And like attracts like. 

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

— St. Augustine

The more interesting the people your children engage with, the more unusual the opportunities will be that come their way. 

6. Independent Minds

Homeschooled children, taught at home (not in co-ops or on computers) tend to have more  independent minds. An independent  mind is a quality of leadership, whether of self or others, and people who can think for themselves will always be of more value than those who can't. 

Independent minds are difficult to foster when children are taught in groups and expected to conform to the group thinking. Obviously, this isn't the case in a homeschool, where children are taught independently and encouraged to think more deeply. 

And independent thinkers are not a dime a dozen. Think supply and demand.

7. Creativity is the Seed of Genius

Children who are given wholesome childhoods and allowed to begin academic training when they are developmentally ready, and not a day sooner, will have the time in childhood to develop more creative minds.

Creativity is the seed of genius. All new ideas and inventions are born out of a mind who can think out of the box and imagine new possibilities. 

We suffer from a dearth of creativity today because children are not getting the kind of childhood’s they need to foster their creativity.

“Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.”

— Robert Frost

We want to raise creative children, so their minds are free to roam the heavens for new ideas and inventions. Why limit our children's intellectual capabilities when we can raise them to be and do so much more?

Therefore, if you want your children to live more fulfilling and interesting lives and with more opportunities awaiting them, the solution is to homeschool your children.

It's the fastest growing form of education today because it works. 

Don’t miss our free download, Ten Books Every Well-Educated Child Should Read.

When you join the Smart Homeschooler Academy online course for parents, Liz will share her 6-step framework to raise children of higher intelligence, critical thinking, and of better character.

As a homeschooler, you will never have to worry about failing your children, because working with Liz, you will feel confident, calm, and motivated. She also provides you with the tools and support you need to homeschool successfully.

Teach your child to read before sending him to school! Learn more about Elizabeth's unique course, How to Teach Your Child to Read and Raise a Child Who Loves to Read.

For parents of children under age seven who would like to prepare their child for social and academic success, please begin with Elizabeth’s singular online course, Raise Your Child to Thrive in Life and Excel in Learning.

Elizabeth Y. Hanson is a homeschooling thought-leader and the founder of Smart Homeschooler.

As an Educator, Homeschool Emerita, Writer, and Love and Leadership Certified Parenting Coach, she has 21+ years of experience working in education.

Developing a comprehensive understanding of how to raise and educate a child, based on tradition and modern research, and she devotes her time to helping parents to get it right.

Elizabeth is available for one-on-one consultations as needed.

"I know Elizabeth Y. Hanson as a remarkably intelligent, highly sensitive woman with a moral nature and deep insight into differences between schooling and education. Elizabeth's mastery of current educational difficulties is a testimony to her comprehensive understanding of the competing worlds of schooling and education. She has a good heart and a good head. What more can I say?”

—John Taylor Gatto Distinguished educator, public speaker, and best-selling author of Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling

Is Teaching Penmanship Still Necessary in the Computer Age?→

While some people may argue that good penmanship is no longer a necessary skill in the computer age, this position couldn't be further away from the truth. 

What a disservice we do to our children when we fail to ensure they learn proper penmanship skills! 

While good penmanship skills produce beautiful handwriting, it's benefits far outweigh its aesthetic value. 

Here's 6 reasons why you absolutely must make sure your children learn to write legibly and beautifully:

1. Develops Fine Motor Skills

The more children use their fine motor skills, the better this area of the brain develops, otherwise known as the cerebellum. Penmanship is one way in which children can put their fine motor skills to use.

 Well-developed fine motor skills are critical to a child's ability to become good at many things including, but not limited to,  drawing, painting, sculpting, woodwork, playing a musical instrument, and beading. 

2. Improves the Memory

We need fine motor skills for note-taking. Taking notes by hand helps us remember what we heard better, which, in turn, helps to develop our memories. The more we remember, the stronger our memories become.

“My spelling is Wobbly. It’s good spelling but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places.”

— A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

3. Fires up the Brain

According to Dr. Ryuta Kawashima, a neuroscientist, writing by hand is one of three activities that stimulates the brain more than any others.

The other two are doing simple math calculations and reading out loud. When children are young, they should write everything by hand so they optimize the use and development of their brains. 

4. Teaches Excellence

Learning to do anything well is critical to a child's understanding of excellence. Becoming good at a skill requires perseverance and diligence, two critical qualities that will help us excel at any skill we tackle.

 It's critical that we hold high standards for our children, so they learn to hold high standards for themselves. Having our children develop good penmanship skills is one of the ways we can help them become good at something and learn to hold a high standard for themselves.

5. More "Screen-free" Time

When children write by hand, they are not staring at a screen with all of the side effects that come from screen use, such as health problems, mental health issues, social awkwardness, and delayed brain development.

6. Improves Writing Skills

When we write by hand, we are forced to slow down which gives us time to be more thoughtful, choose more precise words, and better structure our sentences. 

According to a study in the British Journal of Psychology, students who write essays by hand were found to compose essays of better quality all around. Which also means that they'll do better in school.

“...the beauty and nobility, the august mission and destiny, of human handwriting.”

— George Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion

Final Thoughts

Failing to teach our children good penmanship skills is negligent of us, as children need to learn penmanship for all of the above mentioned reasons. 

Start them young, so they develop the proper hand muscles and are in the habit of writing by hand before it occurs to them that they could be writing on a computer.

When my children were young, they wrote everything by hand. When they reached their teens, they asked to use my computer, so I bought them their very own electric typewriter! 

They were thrilled. It makes me laugh now to think about it.

But, yes, they still sell electric typewriters, and I recommend you do the same. 

Don’t miss our free download, Ten Books Every Well-Educated Child Should Read.

When you join the Smart Homeschooler Academy online course for parents, Liz will share her 6-step framework to raise children of higher intelligence, critical thinking, and of better character.

As a homeschooler, you will never have to worry about failing your children, because working with Liz, you will feel confident, calm, and motivated. She also provides you with the tools and support you need to homeschool successfully.

Teach your child to read before sending him to school! Learn more about Elizabeth's unique course, How to Teach Your Child to Read and Raise a Child Who Loves to Read.

For parents of children under age seven who would like to prepare their child for social and academic success, please begin with Elizabeth’s singular online course, Raise Your Child to Thrive in Life and Excel in Learning.

Elizabeth Y. Hanson is a homeschooling thought-leader and the founder of Smart Homeschooler.

As an Educator, Homeschool Emerita, Writer, and Love and Leadership Certified Parenting Coach, she has 21+ years of experience working in education.

Developing a comprehensive understanding of how to raise and educate a child, based on tradition and modern research, and she devotes her time to helping parents to get it right.

Elizabeth is available for one-on-one consultations as needed.

"I know Elizabeth Y. Hanson as a remarkably intelligent, highly sensitive woman with a moral nature and deep insight into differences between schooling and education. Elizabeth's mastery of current educational difficulties is a testimony to her comprehensive understanding of the competing worlds of schooling and education. She has a good heart and a good head. What more can I say?”

—John Taylor Gatto Distinguished educator, public speaker, and best-selling author of Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling

4 Tips to Raise Honest Children in an Increasingly Dishonest Society→

A Dishonest Trend

Ninety-seven percent of schoolchildren cheat to pass exams, according to statistics gathered by Vickie Abeles, who produced the documentary, Race to Nowhere.

“I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.”

— Friedrich Nietzsche

When my son was an undergrad, he took a statistics exam online—during the Covid days—only to receive an email from the teacher the following day, announcing that some of the students had cheated on the exam.

Juxtapose this to pre-1950s when students were on the honor system and cheating was relatively unheard of.

When the lines between honesty and dishonesty become so blurred that cheating on exams becomes common, we have a problem.

When a grown child finishes school, if he’s learned to cheat in school, he suddenly won’t become someone who never cheats; that’s not how it works.

These children have learned to engage in dishonest behavior, because they were raised in a system that doesn't uphold the values of honesty. Now, if you are younger, the level of dishonesty might not be as obvious to you, but as someone who grew up in relatively honest times, I find it glaring.

And as someone who has lived in countries where cheating is common, I can also tell you that people lose the ability to discern truth from lies. They will cheat you and justify it, because they have lost the ability to discern a “white” lie from a lie.

It’s a fine line but I would say that a white lie is something you might tell someone in order not to hurt their feelings, but a lie is something you might tell someone to deceive them for your benefit.

It’s not as easy to raise a children in the post-modern climate—but there are strategies you can implement to ensure they grow up knowing the difference between right and wrong.

1. Role Models

Good role models in a child’s life are essential. If the parents treat each other courteously, if they are respectful to their family and friends, if they are honest and helpful with others, their children are more likely to follow suit.

“Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other.”

— Mark Twain

As far as honesty goes, this means we don’t skip paying for an item if the checker overlooked it, or we try to get a discounted price to a national park by lying about one of our children’s ages, or we tell someone we won’t be home when we will be home.

These are untruths that our children will take notice of and do as we do. We can’t model dishonesty and then fault our children when they aren’t honest with us.

2. Discipline

There is also a training through discipline that has to occur, too, as no child is born perfect no matter how good his or her parents may be.

“Good wombs have borne bad sons.”

— The Tempest, Shakespeare

You have a higher chance of having your children grow up to be civil people if you understand how to train them in the ways of good character. 

3. Public School

Public school can undo your hard work, though, because rudeness and crudeness are now more common, and teachers have little to no authority when it comes to correcting a child's behavior. 

Children sent to school for eight hours a day, where the teachers are not allowed to discipline them, are at an obvious disadvantage for developing healthy character traits.

On the contrary, children who spend their days in a homeschooled environment have a much greater advantage than schoolchildren. Guiding children in the ways of correct behavior is something any discerning homeschool parent can easily do.

Spare the rod, spoil the child, was an old adage that adults used to repeat before the 1960's cultural revolution when the time-tested principles of raising children were abandoned.

4. Modern Inconveniences

Today, we can add to the problem the modern inconvenience of vulgar films, ribald music; silly, literature; violent video games, rude social media behavior, and stupid television programs.

The environment a child grows up in will help to shape his character, which means that we want to be diligent with the kind of multimedia we expose our children to.

In a Nutshell

A child who grows up with the ability to discern truth from falsehood, beauty from ugliness, and good from bad is a child who was guided well in his youth.

Don’t miss our free download, Ten Books Every Well-Educated Child Should Read.

Teach your child to read before sending him to school! Learn more about Elizabeth's unique course, How to Teach Your Child to Read and Raise a Child Who Loves to Read.

For parents of children under age seven who would like to prepare their child for social and academic success, please begin with Elizabeth’s singular online course, Raise Your Child to Thrive in Life and Excel in Learning.

When you join the Smart Homeschooler Academy online course for parents, Elizabeth will make homeschooling manageable for you. She’ll guide you in helping your kids reach their intellectual potential and developing good character.

As a homeschooler, you will feel confident, calm, and motivated knowing you have the tools and support you need to homeschool successfully.

Elizabeth Y. Hanson is a homeschooling thought-leader and the founder of Smart Homeschooler.

As an Educator, Homeschool Emerita, Writer, and Love and Leadership Certified Parenting Coach, Elizabeth has 21+ years of experience working in education.

Developing a comprehensive understanding of how to raise and educate a child, she devotes her time to helping parents get it right.

Elizabeth is available for one-on-one consultations as needed.

"I know Elizabeth Y. Hanson as a remarkably intelligent, highly sensitive woman with a moral nature and deep insight into differences between schooling and education. Elizabeth's mastery of current educational difficulties is a testimony to her comprehensive understanding of the competing worlds of schooling and education. She has a good heart and a good head. What more can I say?”

—John Taylor Gatto Distinguished educator, public speaker, and best-selling author of Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling

5 Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Curiosity→

A friend showed me a clip of her nine-month-old baby.

I looked into the baby's eyes as I watched the video. The intense alertness that I witnessed, the acute observation of each facial move she saw in her mother's face, was fascinating.

The baby wanted to know how to make the same expressions her mother was making.

It's the intense desire to know that all healthy children possess, yet what happens to their curiosity as they grow a little older?

Why do so many children forsake that infinite sense of wonder that’s so innate to each of us? 

“No thief, however skillful, can rob one of knowledge, and that is why knowledge is the best and safest treasure to acquire.”

— L. Frank Baum

One of the reasons for this is because too many children start school at young ages. By the time they reach kindergarten or first grade, the light of curiosity begins to dim.

Think about it. If your child has a small shovel in his hand, but every time he tries to shovel something his teacher tells him to stop, he will eventually stop picking the shovel up.

When a child cannot follow the lead of his curiosity, or is not in an environment where he can exercise his desire to know, he will put his curiosity on the shelf.

Yet, the level of his curiosity is related to his intelligence. The more curious he is, the more he will exercise his mind to discover or learn something. To lose his curiosity would be a tragedy because it means he would never fully develop into all that he can be.

We cannot let this happen! Therefore, if you want to encourage your child’s natural curiosity, whether it has been dimmed or not, here are five things you can do:

1. If you have to put your child into an outside program, look for a daycare or preschool that is play-based and ideally held in the outdoors, such as a Forest School. Make sure they are operated by people who understand what children need at these tender ages.

2. Do not entertain your child! It is not that you don't ever play with your child, but only that you do not become his full-time playmate. Allow him to follow the dictates of his curiosity and figure things out for himself, so he develops his mind. Children are little scientists by nature. In the right environment, they will learn how to entertain themselves. 

3. Be curious yourself. Take your child into the outdoors and explore with him. Let him walk barefoot on fallen leaves and dip his feet into spring water to awaken his senses. Bring his attention to the songs of birds and the rustling of the trees as the wind blows through them. Collect a bug or two and read about them when you get home.

4. Immediately remove all screens from your child's life both inside and outside the home. Under no circumstances should you hand him your cell phone to quiet him because you are busy. Screens are a cause of a dimming curiosity; not only that but they will thwart your child's brain development. 

5. Lastly, if you can, don't put your child into any school programs until he is at least ten years old. Until then, teach him yourself because so many learning problems take root during those early years. The first few grades of elementary school are easy to teach when you know what you are doing. 

Here’s a thought: our ability to excel, to become the best version of ourselves, begins with our desire to know.

“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”

— Benjamin Franklin

Let’s work to keep our children’s curiosity alive—even if that means teaching them ourselves— so they can become all that they can be.

☞ Disclaimer: This is not a politically-correct blog.

Don’t miss our free download, Ten Books Every Well-Educated Child Should Read.

When you join the Smart Homeschooler Academy online course for parents, Elizabeth will guide you in homeschooling with the classics to raise brighter and more creative children.

Enroll using the link below and feel confident knowing you have the guidance and support you need to homeschool successfully.

For parents of children under age seven who would like to prepare their child for social and academic success, please begin with Elizabeth’s original online course, Raise Your Child to Thrive in Life and Excel in Learning.

Elizabeth Y. Hanson is a homeschooling thought-leader and the founder of Smart Homeschooler.

As an Educator, Homeschool Emerita, Writer, and Love and Leadership Certified Parenting Coach, Elizabeth has 21+ years of experience working in education.

She has developed a comprehensive understanding of how to raise and educate a child, and she devotes her time to helping parents to get it right.

Elizabeth is available for one-on-one consultations as needed.

*****

“Elizabeth has given us counseling and guidance to help us succeed with our home school planning. When I feel overwhelmed, scared, or lose my confidence, she offers words of wisdom and support.”

— Sherry B., Pittsburg, PA

4 Strategies to Raise Children of Good Character→

Societal influences can make it easier or more difficult to raise a decent child who is well-mannered, respectful, and obedient.

In today’s social and political climate it’s not always that easy, but there are some things you can do to ensure a better outcome for your family.

When our children are young, we want to train them to do the right thing, so they develop the right habits in childhood and learn to make the right choices.

“Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other.”

— Mark Twain

It begins with little things such as learning to pick up after themselves, doing chores before they play, being considerate of other people's needs, and having good manners.

Role Models

Good role models in a child’s life are essential. If the parents treat each other courteously, if they are respectful to their family and friends, if they are honest and helpful with others, their children are more likely to follow suit.

Discipline

There is also a training through discipline that has to occur, too, as no child is born perfect no matter how good his or her role models may be.

Good parents can produce bad children; there are no guarantees that children turn out well.

You have a higher chance of having them grow up to be good people, however, if you understand how to train them in the ways of respect and obedience. 

Public School

Public school can undo your hard work, though, because rudeness and crudeness are now the norms, and the teachers have very little authority when it comes to correcting a child's behavior. 

Children sent to school for eight hours a day where the teachers are not allowed to discipline them are at a disadvantage.

On the contrary, children who spend their days in a homeschooled environment are with adults who are able to put the time and effort into guiding the kids in the right ways.

In a home or private schools, adults have authority over the children and can discipline them as needed. The right training in childhood is essential to raising a well-mannered, happy child.

Spare the rod, spoil the child, was an old adage that adults used to repeat before the 60's cultural revolution when sound parenting principles were abandoned in favor of unproven, untested theories about how to raise a kid.

Modern Inconveniences

Today, we can add to the problem modern inconveniences such as vulgar films, ribald music, video games, social media, and inappropriate television programs.

Negative influences will unravel any good work you've done to raise your children well, which is why we need to be diligent with the environments we let influence our children.

The Ancient Greeks knew that negative influences in a child's life would help mold their character, and any educator since who has studied the classics or has an ounce of common sense will understand this too.

The rest of society has forgotten it, though, making us negligent in our duty to raise our children according to time-tested principles that work. 

A Dishonest Trend

Ninety-seven percent of schoolchildren are dishonest according to statistics gathered by Vickie Abeles, who produced the documentary, Race to Nowhere.

Even without the statistics, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that we are no longer an honest society. 

My son took a statistics exam online only to receive an email from the teacher the following day, announcing that some of the students had cheated on the exam.

My son said the exam was easy, too, making it an even more pathetic situation. College students cheating on an easy exam?

“I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.”

— Friedrich Nietzsche

What happened to the concept of hard work and honesty?

Cheating is a habit for many children today.

When the lines between honesty and dishonesty become so blurred that cheating on exams becomes all too common, we have a serious problem. Cheaters are cheaters. Liars are liars. School doesn't end and real life begin to find these students suddenly turn honest again. 

They have become dishonest people. Their characters have formed this way because they are raised in a system that doesn't uphold the values of truth, goodness, and beauty; once so honored in the West.

In a Nutshell

Raise your children well, keep them out of public school, screen multi-media use when they are young (or eliminate it!), avoid inappropriate music, and surround them with natural beauty and good people.

If you do, you'll have accomplished something that is becoming more and more uncommon today; you’ll have raised a decent child.

A child who grows up with the ability to discern truth from falsehood, beauty from ugliness, and good from bad is a child you can be proud to call your own.

Don’t miss our free download, Ten Books Every Well-Educated Child Should Read.

Become a Smart Homeschooler to raise smart, ethical, and critically-thinking children. Join the Smart Homeschooler Academy online course and feel secure knowing that you have what you need to homeschool successfully as well as live ongoing support from Elizabeth.

For parents of children under age seven who would like to prepare their child for social and academic success, please begin with our online course, Raise Your Child Well to Thrive in Life and Excel in Learning.

Elizabeth Y. Hanson is an Educator, Homeschool Emerita, Writer, and a Love and Leadership Certified Parenting Coach with 20 years of experience working in children’s education.

Utilizing her unusual skill set, coupled with her unique combination of mentors, Elizabeth has developed a comprehensive understanding of how to raise and educate a child. She devotes her time to helping parents get it right.

☞ Disclaimer: This is not a politically-correct blog.

5 Ways to Stimulate Your Child's Love of Learning

The other night a friend showed me a clip of her nine-month-old baby trying to imitate her mother's expressions. I looked into the baby's eyes as I watched the video and the intense alertness that I witnessed, the acute observation of each facial move in her mother's face, was fascinating.

The baby wanted to know how to make the same faces her mother was making, and she was trying to understand how to do this by conducting a scientific investigation.

It's the intense desire to know that all healthy children possess, yet what happens to their curiosity as they grow older? Why do so many children forsake that infinite sense of wonder that is so innate to each of us? 

“No thief, however skillful, can rob one of knowledge, and that is why knowledge is the best and safest treasure to acquire.”

— L. Frank Baum

One of the reasons this happens today is because too many children start school at young ages, and by the time they reach kindergarten, first grade, if they are lucky, the light within them begins to dim.

Consider this: if your child’s desire to explore and understand the world around him is constantly thwarted by a teacher’s dictates, he will begin to give up his investigative work, and his sense of curiosity will eventually wilt.

For example, if a child has a small shovel in his hand, but every time he tries to shovel something a teacher tells him to stop, he will eventually stop picking the shovel up.

When a child cannot follow the lead of his curiosity, or is not in an environment where he can exercise his desire to know, as children who are in daycare and preschools from early ages are, they begin to put their curiosity down. 

If you have a child whose curiosity is waning, or whose curiosity you want to stimulate, here are five things you can do:

1. If you have to put your child into an outside program, look for a daycare or preschool that is play-based and ideally held in the outdoors, such as a Forest School. Make sure they are operated by people who understand what children need at these tender ages. If you aren't sure what the philosophy for the school is, ask them. Please do not be shy about these matters; after all, this is your child, and you want to make sure he is under the best care.

2. Immediately remove all screens from your child's life both inside and outside the home. Under no circumstances should you hand him your cell phone to quiet him because you are busy. Screens are a cause of a dimming curiosity; not only that but they will thwart your child's brain development. 

3. Do not entertain your child! Let him entertain himself. It is not that you don't ever play with your child, but only that you do not become his full-time playmate. Allow him to follow the dictates of his curiosity and figure things out for himself. Children are little scientists; let him conduct his own experiments. 

4. Be curious yourself. Take your child into the outdoors and explore with him. Let him walk barefoot on fallen leaves and dip his feet into spring water to awaken his senses. Bring his attention to the songs of birds and the rustling of the trees as the wind blows through them. Collect a bug or two and read about them when you get home. Notice a particular bird sound (my favorite is the red-winged blackbird!) and look the bird up in a reference book or on the internet when you get home. Try to imitate the bird's song with your child. Ask him questions to stimulate a conversation and discover the answers together, such as how birds fly and what foods they eat. 

5. Lastly, if you can, don't put your child into any school programs until he is at least ten years old. Until then, teach him yourself because so many learning problems take root during those early years. The first few grades of elementary school are easy to teach when you know what you are doing. 

Remember that the desire to know is our natural state, but we have this yearning socialized out of us in various ways, the least not being school. Our innate desire to know, however, is still there within us.

“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”

— Benjamin Franklin

If your child's desire for knowledge has dimmed for any of the above reasons, understand that you can help him awaken it. It is something you must make the intention to do too because reaching his full potential in life begins with the desire to know.

Why should he become less than he could be when he can be so much more?

Don’t miss our free download, Ten Books Every Well-Educated Child Should Read.

Become a Smart Homeschooler, literally, and give your child a first-rate, screen-free education at home and enjoy doing it. Join the Smart Homeschooler Academy online course.

For parents of children under age seven, Raise Your Child Well to Live a Triumphant Life, course will be open again sometime in March, 2021.

Elizabeth Y. Hanson is an educator, veteran homeschooler, a lover of the classics, and a Love and Leadership certified parenting coach with 19 years of experience working in children’s education.

Utilizing her unusual skill set, coupled with the unique mentors she was fortunate to have, Elizabeth has developed a comprehensive understanding of how to raise and educate a child. She devotes her time to helping parents get it right.

☞ Disclaimer: This is not a politically-correct blog.

John Taylor Gatto: A Friend Remembered

“I’ve concluded that genius is as common as dirt. We suppress genius because we haven’t yet figured out how to manage a population of educated men and women. The solution, I think, is simple and glorious. Let them manage themselves.”

— John Taylor Gatto, Author, Distinguished Educator

John Taylor Gatto

This month marks two years since we lost our beloved John Taylor Gatto.

John was a man with a brave heart. 

As you probably know, he was named New York State Teacher of the Year one time and New Your City Teacher of the Year three times, and then he suddenly quit.

He quit the public school system for good. If you haven't read John's op-ed announcing his decision, it was published by the Wall Street Journal in 1991.

What struck me about that moment in John's life was that he was older and nearing the time when he could have retired with a comfortable pension for himself and his wife. Yet, he quit anyway.

Courage. To have the courage to live according to our principles, not too many of us can do that.

Why He Quit

Late into his career, John discovered that, in the name of education, public school was harming children, and that was why he quit.

“Children learn what they live. Put kids in a class and they will live out their lives in an invisible cage, isolated from their chance at community; interrupt kids with bells and horns all the time and they will learn that nothing is important or worth finishing; ridicule them and they will retreat from human association; shame them and they will find a hundred ways to get even. The habits taught in large-scale organizations are deadly.”

— John Taylor Gatto, Author, Distinguished Educator

Some of us work at professions that are harmful to others, and we learn how to justify what we do so living with ourselves is not too unbearable.

Rare is the person who will risk the security of his livelihood because of a principle he chooses to live by. Rare is the man who will leave a distinguished career for the sake of not harming others. John Taylor Gatto was a rare man.

Our First Meeting

When I met John for the first time in 2003, he greeted me with a huge, warm, Italian smile. He greeted everyone that way. I had invited him to be a guest speaker at an event on education that my organization was hosting. 

Allow me to share with you a reflection that weekend that has remained with me these past years. 

I picked John up the morning of the event to take him to the venue at UC Berkeley. After settling himself inside my car, he confessed that he'd been up until 3:00 a.m. rewriting his talk. He showed me his pages of lines drawn through sentences in black ink and tiny scribbles of notes piled upon one another in the margins.

The talk he was scheduled to give, however, was the same talk he is best known for, The History of Modern Education. I wondered what he meant when he said he had been awake half the night rewriting it? 

As he delivered his speech, I came to understand his meaning. He had been rewriting it because he gave the talk anew each time. He never delivered his speech the same way twice, as so many public speakers do. Taking the time to refresh his talk, John personalized it for each audience.

There is nothing worse than hearing someone deliver a lecture they've delivered a thousand times before so that even the jokes sound rehearsed. A good teacher knows this, and a great teacher practices it. John was a great teacher.

John refused to give us anything less than his very best each time he stood before us.

It was the ability to see life through fresh eyes even when the eyes were old, to learn as much as he could about many things, not even stopping for death, to experience the ordinary occurrences in life as if they were extraordinary, to encounter each human being as the most precious person he had ever met, and to believe in the magnificent potential of the human spirit that made John such a singular and sublime individual.

There was a vibrancy to John Taylor Gatto, and one felt more alive just from being in his presence. 

“Whatever an education is, it should make you a unique individual, not a conformist; it should furnish you with an original spirit with which to tackle the big challenges; it should allow you to find values which will be your roadmap through life; it should make you spiritually rich, a person who loves whatever you are doing, wherever you are, whomever you are with; it should teach you what is important, how to live and how to die.”

— John Taylor Gatto, Author, Distinguished Educator

October 25, 2020 was the exact day of the second year of his passing. Please take a moment to say a prayer not only for a truly great man but also for a man who affected so many of our lives in such profound ways.

We are people who refuse to accept the status quo for ourselves and for our children, as John inspired us to do. As we work hard to educate our children and to help them live more meaningful lives, let us not forget that we each carry a little of John Taylor Gatto with us.

May his spirit live on.

Don’t miss our free download, Ten Books Every Well-Educated Child Should Read.

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Elizabeth Y. Hanson is an educator, veteran homeschooler, and a Love and Leadership certified parenting coach with 19 years of experience working in children’s education. Using her unusual skill set, coupled with the unique mentors she was fortunate to have, Elizabeth has developed a comprehensive understanding of how to raise and educate a child. She devotes her time to helping parents get it right.

Disclaimer: This is not a politically-correct blog.

4 Keys to Raise a Decent Child in Indecent Times

Societal influences can make it easier or more difficult to raise a decent child. In today’s climate, it’s not always that easy, but there are some things you can do to ensure a better outcome.

When our children are young, we want to train them to do the right thing, so they develop the right habits in childhood and learn to make the right choices.

“Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other.”

— Mark Twain

It begins with little things such as learning to pick up after themselves, doing chores before they play, being considerate of other people's needs, and having good manners.

Role Models

Good role models in a child’s life are essential too. If the parents treat each other courteously, if they are respectful to their family and friends, if they are honest and helpful with others, their children are more likely to follow suit.

Discipline

There is also a training through discipline that has to occur, too, as no child is born perfect no matter how good his or her role models may be.

Good parents can produce bad children; there are no guarantees that children turn out well.

You have a higher chance of having them grow up to be good people, however, if you understand how to train them in the ways of respect and obedience. 

Public School

Public school can undo your hard work, though, because rudeness and crudeness are now the norms, and the teachers have very little authority when it comes to correcting the children's behavior. 

This is telling in and of itself. Children sent to school for eight hours a day where the teachers are not allowed to discipline them are at a disadvantage to children who aren't.

In a home or private schools, adults have authority over the children and can discipline them as needed. The right training in childhood is essential to raising a well-mannered, happy child.

Spare the rod, spoil the child, was an old adage that adults used to repeat before the 60's cultural revolution when sound parenting principles were abandoned in favor of unproven new theories.

Modern Inconveniences

Today, we can add to the problem modern inconveniences such as vulgar films, ribald music, video games, social media, and inappropriate television programs, and you have a recipe for disappointment with your children.

Negative influences will unravel any good work you've done to raise your children well, which is why we need to be diligent with the environments we let influence our children.

The Ancient Greeks knew that negative influences in a child's life would help mold their character, and any educator since who has studied the classics or has an ounce of common sense, understands this too.

The rest of society has forgotten it, though, making us negligent in our duty to raise our children according to time-tested principles that work. 

A Dishonest Trend

Ninety-seven percent of schoolchildren are dishonest according to statistics gathered by Vickie Abeles, who produced the documentary, Race to Nowhere.

Even without the statistics, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that we are no longer an honest society. 

My son recently took a statistics exam online only to receive an email from the teacher the following day, announcing that it was clear some of the students had cheated on the exam. The teacher had tracked their activity to see if they changed tabs to find the answers during the exam.

My son said the exam was easy, too, making it an even more pathetic situation. 

College students cheating on an easy exam?

“I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.”

— Friedrich Nietzsche

What happened to the concept of hard work and honesty? In this case, they didn't even have to study hard, but they still felt the need to cheat. 

Cheating is a habit for many children today.

When the lines between honesty and dishonesty become so blurred that cheating on exams becomes all too common, we have a serious problem. Cheaters are cheaters. Liars are liars. School doesn't end; real life begin, and these students suddenly turn honest again. 

They have become dishonest people. Their characters have formed this way because they are raised in a system that doesn't uphold the values of truth, goodness, and beauty; once so honored in the West.

In a Nutshell

Raise your children well, keep them out of public school, screen multi-media use when they are young (or eliminate it!), avoid inappropriate music, and surround them with natural beauty and good people.

If you do, you'll have accomplished something that is becoming more and more uncommon today; you’ll have raised decent children. That is, children who grow up with the ability to discern truth from falsehood, beauty from ugliness, and good from bad, and they’ll choose right more times than wrong.

Don’t miss our free download, Ten Books Every Well-Educated Child Should Read.

Raise an intelligent and decent child by joining the Smart Homeschooler Academy summer program and learn how to give your child an excellent education at home.

Join our waiting list for Elizabeth’s online course: Raise Your Child Well to Live a Life He Loves.

How to Raise a More Intelligent Child and an Excellent Reader—a free guide and book list with over 80+ carefully chosen titles.

Elizabeth Y. Hanson is an educator, veteran homeschooler and a Love and Leadership certified parenting coach with 17 years experience working in children’s education.

Using her unusual skill set, she has developed a comprehensive and unique understanding of how to raise and educate a child, and she devotes her time to help parents get it right.

Disclaimer: This is not a politically-correct blog.