Tell us about yourself.
James Tippins, from SE Georgia, Savannah, and we've homeschooled 5 children, one of which is still pending. I am an advocate, spiritual leader, and minister.
Can you share the reasons behind your decision to homeschool your children?
I had terrible experiences in school as a child: bullying, lack of empathy, and cruelty. Further, the exposure to violence, gratuitous sex, and bigotry caused us to contemplate alternative education.
What led to the decision of enrolling the older three children in private school for one year? How did that experience impact your overall homeschooling journey?
We attempted private and religious-based schools, but they still contained these experiences in equal proportion. Our motivation was fear that we were not providing the right social skills or preparation for learning.
How did the short period of attending a public elementary school in California in 2008 shape your perspective on homeschooling?
Our second child had difficulty reading and learning, we later discovered that she is dyslexic. We hoped that enrolling them in public school would provide the resources to assist her in this educational need. It did not help and the influences and horrors of behavioral violence and aggression in the classrooms made us realize that we would see the remaining years as home educators.
How did you ensure that your homeschooled children had ample opportunities for socialization with peers and the community?
Religious services, families, community events, and recreational sports provided socialization. However, despite these things, we are a very social family, doing everything together, thus our children were more adept at being around mixed ages. I will say that my children were more reserved in peer-related groups, but when they made friends, the relationships were very connected.
How did you manage to teach multiple children at different grade levels? What techniques or resources did you use to meet each child's needs?
We found that as the children aged that a literature-based curriculum was best for two reasons. First, it engaged a sense of learning by immersion, and second, it provided the opportunity for empathy toward people groups and encounters while introducing critical subject matter. The older students would participate in the learning through reading as well. As the children reached 8th grade, they could work asynchronously.
In the early years, homeschooling seems easy, but how does it become later on? How do you track progress?
That process was difficult and we approached it with much fear, regret, and anxiety about preparation. We discovered that our children were so apt to learn, that they would not remain ignorant for long and settled well in the college environment able to engage and invest in self-directed discovery. They were also very keen on asking for help and clarity that their non-home-educated counterparts seem to ignore. Moving toward objective-based learning helped us mold the academic model toward what the child enjoyed as well as grasping the foundation of subjects required for college entrance. Tracking progress was not as difficult in that completion and familiarity with a subject was the measurable outcome.
How did you approach standardized testing as a homeschooling family?
We utilized a recognized standardized test annually and approached deficiencies as needed. Thankfully, our children never really tested poorly in anything but certain areas of math where we had the testing year one ahead of their learning.
How did you navigate the adjustment to a more structured and formal educational environment in high school, both academically and socially?
We never moved toward a structured or formal environment. Honestly, it's not needed. When a child is 17-18 years old they know what it means to sit, listen, and follow directions. My oldest four children do well in college and have never had any issues at all acclimating to structure in either sphere. I believe while they entered with greater anxiety, they have all reached perfect marks and honors each semester since matriculation. Any perceived academic holes were quickly remedied within weeks. We allowed our high schoolers to select honors credit by reading books and interacting with the material. Much like a research student would do for a dissertation or thesis. However, we didn't assign a rubric but rather allowed them to digest and return the information based on their ideas. Without this structure, each of my older children produced a written standard that is far above the norm and they speak, write, and communicate with great precision.
What strategies or routines did you implement to effectively manage your time between work, household responsibilities, and homeschooling?
I would have loved to have a wonderful answer for this, but it is a tragic failure in many areas. It is so hard to manage, but we did it. My wife and I have different ideals in this area. I am a very, very laid back objective learner, while my wife would prefer weekly/daily deadlines. One particular thing is that we had scheduled times each day for instructing and learning, but then all 'work' was done at leisure around other things. As the children aged, even 3-4th grade, they could do practical assignments without direction as they could read instructions and follow the prompts. I am happy to give examples if necessary.
How did you foster a sense of self-confidence and resilience in your children to navigate any negative opinions or judgments they encountered?
This was hard. Even in our own circles we always had the bragging of "My child graduated at 13" or "My son just finished his 8th year of Latin." Others would frown at the fact that we homeschooled, especially family who were educators. We had to conclude that every family has their own reasons and methods for homeschooling and that we could not listen to or compare ourselves with others and their opinions. There were many times where we felt alone, but we endured.
What advice would you give to homeschooling parents who are facing judgment or criticism from others?
Your children are yours and how you educate them is no one's business. I believe that we need to communicate more clearly and not permit people to have opinions or indirectly insult us or others in any form.
A clear statement of, "I understand you have your opinion on the matter, but statements like these are damaging to our children and our own conscious at times. It would be best to be encouraging and not judgmental, lest we have to disassociate with you for your negativity." - Speaking the truth is the key.
However, do not READ INTO every comment. Show empathy for the fact that all homeschooling mothers (mainly) are emotionally spent most days and sometimes a crude smirk or rude comment is just a way of feeling validated.
So, another approach could be, "I know homeschooling is difficult and we all feel like throwing our hands up at times. So, let's focus on the fact that we are all doing our best and need to glean from each other."
An example would be where some mothers would boast on their structure, class times, and subject blocks and then ask, "What times do you do _____" -- Well, we don't. We have an objective by the end of the year and that works for our family, so we don't have formal school in the house, we just learn in blocks each day, no matter the time.
Some days we may even skip things that don't seem to be beneficial or if the children have a handle on a subject, we'll just move on."
How did you manage the costs associated with homeschooling, such as curriculum materials and resources?
Goodness... we financed a few years on no-interest payments and in other years we had the finances to afford large curriculum purchases. We found that we could also bundle certain science kits and find ways to make them work for multi-age learning. Reaching out to other families also helped at times to share resources and even share teaching times. ie. Chemistry, Physics... eBay is a good source for used books.
Could you provide some advice or tips for parents who may be considering homeschooling their children?
- Every child is different. Teach them differently.
- The outcome is an objective, not a subject matter or test score. You home educate, don't make it traditional school in the house.
- There is never a reason to be angry or make a child cry. There's always tomorrow. We are the teachers so we get to set the schedule.
- Get help and relax. Don't do it alone. Find people in life who can offer to teach certain subjects.
- It is not easy. Having your kids all day for 18 years is a hard investment. It's costly mentally, socially, and emotionally... and it requires discipline.
- Make sure you're IN for the count. Putting kids back and forth is damaging, just like not following through on the learning.
- MAKE IT FUN - this should be the highlight of the kid's day, and yours. I wish I could go back and just have fun more often.
- Don't worry about teaching everything. Until they get to the 5th or 6th grade, the basics of learning are the key.
- Use YOUTUBE and other great resources.