Unschooling Your Teens - FB Resource!

Have you ever noticed how great information simply scrolls off the bottom of a Facebook page?  That may change with the new Timeline format that's coming, but for now, I lose things all the time! I think something sounds worthwhile to read and plan to come back to it later when the house is quieter, or I'm just less distracted.  But then, I find that I a) don't remember where I saw it, or b) that particular wall has now been engulfed with 6 more hours of worldwide comments. I simply cannot find it.

So last fall, I started a Facebook page and simply started posting the interesting articles, videos, blogposts that pertained to families with teenagers learning at home.  I didn't make it public, I just stored articles there.  Eventually, I realized that others might benefit from this resource and even be capable of sharing articles that they find out on the internet. I wrote to a few friends and flipped the switch to "Public."

Someone asked if this is a Discussion forum. The answer is Yes and No. Yes, in that we can discuss whatever the article, video, blogpost that's up on the wall. But no, in that I'd prefer questions that don't pertain to the uploaded links be handled on the many lists that exist out on Facebook and the web that handle this. I agree that there are very few places that parents of teens can share specifically to that age range. But, perhaps something will come. If you are interested in the materials, or have something to share that is specific for parents of teens, please join the page.

In the meantime, here's my new Facebook Page: 

Homeschooling/Unschooling Your Teen 

If you go to this link, "like" the page,  any updates will be automatically sent to your Facebook newsfeed.

Please share this link! 

thanks!

A Hands-On Approach to Parenting

For years, we've heard other parents say, "A house full of teens? Good luck!" And they wander away shaking their head, as if you've already lost some battle. True, the teenage years are full of heightened emotions, raging hormones, self-esteem issues, and basically trying to figure out who they are in this world. These are tough issues! So, why, as a society, would we think we need to take a more hands-off approach to raising teens? These years seem to be much more difficult to figure out than those pre-school years, when we were so incredibly involved. But we try to deal with it in all black or white. Either we look away and hope for the best. Or we tighten the screws to keep them safe. 

Neither really work.

Sometimes, a lot of times really, parents are simply too tired to go head-to-head with our teen in angst. And, it's true that if you come back to it in a day or so, lots of the emotion will have blown away and it's easier to get through the day. But the issues are still just under the surface. This is a missed opportunity on so many levels.


Your teen could learn to face their problems head on. They could see that you are not afraid to go into these treacherous waters WITH them.  They could see you're not afraid to stand by them and face the scary stuff that they are facing each day. You could show them that you think their problems are important, even if they seem petty and small to you. They are obviously causing your teen some difficulties. You can let them know that they are important to you and helping them solve problems is part of the job of parenting.

You might have to bite your tongue. Teens want to be heard - who doesn't? They really want to come to the conclusion on their own. So asking questions is better than telling them what should be done. Even if you think you know. Helping them learn to problem-solve is the key. Not doing it for them.

Relating stories from when you had similar situations as a teen might help. Watch their expressions though. You might be really "getting into" your story of your own teen years, and they are tuning out. Not because your story is dull (I'm sure it's not!) but because the shift of the focus went from them to you. They are the one who is in the middle of a struggle. Keep your story brief. ;-)

So often, they think we cannot relate. Or they're afraid we're going to judge them. Or point out their mistakes. These are the pitfalls to avoid in these parent-teen interactions. While it may sound hokey, they need to know that you are coming from a place of love not worry - because worry implies you think they cannot handle themselves. But from love. You want them to be happy. You want to be their safe place they can run to when their friends stab them in the back. You want to be the one who will not betray them. They will come to trust you, share more with you, and value your input. Win-win.

Homeschooled Voices: Listening to the Teens

I'm working on a book!

Homeschooled Voices: 

Listening to the Teens

And I need your help!

 

Everyone's aware that homeschooling gains popularity each year. Still many parents have questions about whether it's the right choice for their teenager. For some reason, when children reach adolescence, even parents who were happily homeschooling younger children, begin to have doubts about their ability to provide the right educational environment for their older child. Additionally, families who haven't considered homeschooling before are looking at options for their children who are unhappy and withering in high schools around the country.

The good news is that homeschooling is no longer a new phenomenon.  And parents who have been unsure about what to do with the infamous "high school years" now will have the opportunity to hear from the ones who know best - those young adults that homeschooled through their teen years. Some may have dabbled in high school. Others may have never set foot there.

As a homeschooling mom, I sat at many a park day listening to the teenagers quell the other parents' fears about their kid getting into college, meeting other teens, having a full, rich life.  Then I went to several homeschool conferences that had panels of teens fielding questions and sharing their experiences. It was wonderful!  But so many people won't have access to these panels of young adults and many of the local homeschool park days are only filled with the younger crowd of homeschooled kids.  It's sometimes difficult to hear directly from the homeschooled and unschooled teens.

This was the catalyst for the book, Homeschooled Voices: Listening to Homeschooled Teens.   It's time for people to hear from the young adults who were homeschooled as teenagers - there are a lot of them out there now!   Once parents see the how these young adults are thriving, they will be reassured about their decision to homeschool through the teenage years.

But we need a few more voices for the book. We want to hear from these older teens and young adults who are busy living their lives - it just happened that they were homeschooled during their teenage years.  If you are a young adult who was homeschooled through your teen years, or if you know of one, please consider going to the website and filling out the questionnaire.  The book is set up similarly to those panels at homeschool conferences, lots of questions and lots of answers.  Readers will be able to see what the teens/young adults have to say on various aspects of homeschooling.  Because everyone's experience has been different, they'll be able to show how creating an individualized approach to learning has worked for theml! 

Feel free to share the link, since we're trying to include as many homeschooled teens as possible! 

HomeschooledVoices: Listening to the Teens

http://sitekreator.com/teenbook/main.html

Or send any questions to me at SuePatterson5@yahoo.com