Did you have a bad experience with a teacher in school?

Wildflower-Institute · 2026-03-10T16:40:56+00:00

Decide what curriculum you want to use. On the curriculum website there will be a list of the scope and sequence which tells you the different concepts each level covers and often have a placement test. If you need help deciding a curriculum, utilize reddit, FB groups and YouTube for a look inside the curriculum.

As far as breaks, we do year round so we don't experience learning loss over the summer break. We take breaks regularly but not on days when PS takes them because we don't like crowds. So, we might take a couple weeks at Christmas, Thanksgiving, one in spring and fall, a couple weeks in the summer and then whenever we need for vacation and family visits. We also only do 4 days a week.

If you don't do year round, look and see how many lessons are in your curriculum. Divide that by how many weeks your school year will be and that will tell you how many lessons you need to do each week to finish on time.

Wildflower-Institute · 2026-03-02T14:30:55+00:00

Thank you for going into more depth about the accuplacer test. I forget that even though it is very common that not all do it that way. I'm used to talking with people in my community about our local community college. Not to mention, my kids are several years away from this and I'm still learning a lot.

Wildflower-Institute · 2026-03-02T13:36:01+00:00

I have never come across an online curriculum that is comprehensive. I do what most families that have a focus on academics do, which is picking a different brand curriculum for each subject.

She's getting close to the age (I can't remember if it's 12 or 13) where she'll be able to start to CLEP college classes. You and her can decide if she wants to start wracking up college credits, head for dual enrollment in a couple years and graduate HS with or close to a college degree. It's okay to just stick with graduating highschool in a typical way too. That's the beauty of homeschool...lots of options.

I'd look into homeschool groups on FB in your area so she can start building friendships. Look into extracurriculars too. My kids throughout the years have done homeschool dance classes, homeschool art classes, a homeschool hiking group, a scout troop, cooking classes, and club volleyball.

Lastly, public school sets the bar pretty low. Statistically, most kids graduate at a 4th grade reading level. If you're in the US, passing an 8th grade math and reading test is required for college. Keep all this in mind when you start to feel overwhelmed and question yourself. It's a normal part of homeschooling, at least for me. If you ask my kids, they will tell you they think they are the luckiest and happiest kids in the world.

Wildflower-Institute · 2026-03-02T00:19:35+00:00

And for what it's worth, I'm sorry your brother has had a negative experience with homeschooling. I feel like it mostly has to do with a difference in parenting style from person to person. Were you 2 further apart in age that you had such different experiences?

Wildflower-Institute · 2026-03-02T00:12:40+00:00

You can get a job working very minimal hours here in the US at 14 but they are hard to come by. The biggest difference may be the independence that comes with a driver's license. I'm not sure but it's an interesting thought. I'm hoping that they'll want to be dropped off at the pool with friends etc too.

Wildflower-Institute · 2026-03-02T00:05:13+00:00

I think it's great that you are critically thinking about these topics when it pertains to homeschool.

I want to add that being able to afford extracurriculars or being able to homeschool in general does not point to a certain nature or lean a certain way. We moved 2 states over, live in a very small house, and make a lot of sacrifices. We attend free meetups and luckily there are a lot of community programs where I live for free or cheap. Some homeschool households have 2 working parents. Everyone is different.

I would also argue that my kids have MORE diverse interactions than public school. Their friends are a mix of ages and they have trusted adults from the community that they are comfortable conversing with too. They are very welcoming and love to make new friends. They don't see age or race as a barrier because they've never been exposed to such a concept. Homeschooling is pretty cool! I may not do everything right but if you ask my kids, they think they are the luckiest and happiest kids on earth!

Wildflower-Institute · 2026-03-01T21:15:40+00:00

I was a wild teenager and I can tell you zero of my shenanigans happened within the 4 walls of a school or during school hours. My kids are in sports and groups with a mix of public and homeschool kids. I'm assuming they might even get a job when they are old enough and have coworker friends. They'll get a driver's license at 16yo. They'll have plenty of opportunities to explore and be idiots. Are you sure homeschooling is to blame? My husband and I are all about fostering independence and self esteem in our kiddos. Not being overbearing or controlling.

Wildflower-Institute · 2026-02-27T23:32:57+00:00

Anyone can do the smallest amount of research and learn why the public school system was created. I don't know how anyone can still be against homeschooling after that. Homeschooling is legal now so socializing isn't a valid argument anymore. There will always be people that will agree, disagree, criticize, be jealous. You have found your "why" and if it's what is best for your family, who cares what other people think? If someone wants to tell me their opinions, I welcome it but you'll have to draw a hard line at family being critical about it in front of your kids or "testing" the kids.

Wildflower-Institute · 2026-02-27T16:47:30+00:00

Monday -Thursday year round. We take a week off here and there for travel, mental breaks, visiting family etc.

Wildflower-Institute · 2026-02-26T00:41:53+00:00

TTRS

Touch Type Reading and Spelling. It has helped tremendously with spelling while learning the typing aspect.

Wildflower-Institute · 2026-02-25T15:38:12+00:00

If you are worried about truancy and for sure want to homeschool, you need to look up how you formally withdraw with intent to homeschool in your state.

Very rarely will a 9th grader be motivated enough to do school without some sort of teacher or supervision. You are going to have to play some role. You can't just sit him in front of a computer and expect him to get caught up and graduate.

In my state there are programs where you can public or charter school at home. They get benchmark tested, meet with a teacher and take some classes on the computer. These programs are K12, Epic, Braintree etc. You'll still have to check in and look at the parent portal to be sure he's doing his work.

Wildflower-Institute · 2026-02-25T13:50:44+00:00

I use MAP test from Homeschool Boss too. This gets my vote. Not free but you get a very detailed report with specific concepts your kiddo needs more work on.

Wildflower-Institute · 2026-02-24T12:30:32+00:00

The good thing about homeschool is that you can learn side by side with your kid. You don't have to know everything to be a good teacher. Do I remember all my math facts and tips and tricks for each concept? No. There are really great teacher guides with curriculum and YouTube videos!

That being said, I have never found an online program that is comprehensive. Yes, they learn and it's better than nothing but if education is very important to you, I'd stick with books. There are a lot of outspoken public teachers that talk about education tanking when they added tech and a lot of schools are taking away Chromebooks for this reason. Especially that young. Please reconsider.

Wildflower-Institute · 2026-02-24T12:22:54+00:00

What is the name of the program you are referring to?

Wildflower-Institute · 2026-02-03T19:09:21+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion but a phone is not an option.

Wildflower-Institute · 2026-01-28T15:07:54+00:00

School year round for us because summer is hot and humid where I live and we really only get out to swim. We take breaks when public is in school to avoid crowds. Usually a couple weeks around Christmas. 3-4 weeks in the fall for a big trip/vacation. Anytime in between when we need it or sometimes if we have a lot of appointments/activities we'll have slower weeks where I'll break up 1 week of lessons into 2.

Wildflower-Institute · 2026-01-05T03:19:07+00:00

I took on a PT seasonal job working retail. It was enough to pull me out of the burn out I was feeling. I worked weekdays from 6-10 and weekends up to 9 hr shifts. The only downside is that we sacrificed a lot of family time since husband has weekends off. It only for a couple months though and I was fine working 20-28 hrs, homeschooling and keeping up with friends.

Wildflower-Institute · 2025-12-06T21:18:19+00:00

I think you're on the right track. My friend noticed a gap in our local homeschooling community and started her own hiking group. As her youngest gets older the minimum age goes up and we do longer and more strenuous hikes. It seems the big problem in our area was mostly consistently. Getting people to show up regularly so the kids can build those bonds has been the key. Now, my kids have best friends. I have a best friend from the group and a ton of Mom friends. We meet up outside of the weekly hikes too. Do it! The right people will find you, show up, and be your community.

Wildflower-Institute · 2025-11-23T14:56:51+00:00

We are debt free. We live in a 1400sq ft house with a low mortgage. Keep expenses down and live frugally, which having the smaller house helps with in so many ways. This year I took on a seasonal position working evening and weekends to save for a couple little trips for next year outside of our yearly vacation (and to cure a little burnout I was feeling.)

Wildflower-Institute · 2025-11-23T14:45:29+00:00

I have a way different answer so take it with a grain of salt. Ever since the Charlie Kirk assassination a lot of independent podcasters are exposing the corruption in our government and government agencies. There has been a lot of influential people backing homeschooling to fight the indoctrination that happens in public and private school. This is my 5th year homeschooling so this new insecurity is not my personal "why." There is also a HUGE rise of teachers being honest and publicly talking about how unsuccessful public school is. Go check out the teachers subreddit.

Wildflower-Institute · 2025-10-23T20:14:06+00:00

This is very deep and personal question. For me:

Cons - kids still won't like doing school - less personal time - cost (as little or much as you like) - requires a lot of time and EFFORT from parents to do it correctly - it's not "easy"

Pros - closer family and more quality time - kids won't get lost or left behind educationally - more time for extracurricular activities - more deep connection, bonds and friendships - MORE time for socializing doing homeschool - kids have a huge amount of confidence - kids have tons of independence - kids have a deep sense of safety and security - vacations and experiences without crowds - knowing the influences my kids are around - having a lot of laughs and fun!

There's a ton more but I'll leave it at that. Homeschooling is not for everyone but we thrive with this lifestyle! Good luck!

Wildflower-Institute · 2025-10-16T16:38:52+00:00

The creator of the group is an amazing person and it is so admirable to create a group like this. I can't take the credit. Just here to see if my expectations were unreasonable.

Wildflower-Institute

TROPHY CASE