Well... I look for an overall pattern of growth and don't get worried if my kids move ahead in different areas at different rates. I am way too lazy to set up detailed learning goals! My homeschool method is to support their passions and try to watch out for loose ends/holes/deficiencies as they reveal themselves. Then we work on those.

DS 11 who never took a science class before this year just scored a 35 (out of a possible 36) on the practice ACT science section, so the approach seems to work for him. DD 8 likes it too, though she'd prefer it if she never had to do any math.

That's very reassuring, Lorel. As always, thank you for your good advice!

I should really know better than to read/hear about what other people are doing and allow their way of homeschooling to make me feel like I'm doing it wrong. I'm afraid that's what I've been doing lately. But supporting passions and trying to plug any gaps worked nicely this past year, so I don't know why I need to be more official (and less lazy!) this year. I think my insecurity is just showing. I just have to stop speaking to and reading the blogs of people who plan a whole year in advance...It's not my style! Nor is it probably very responsive to my DS's needs.

Okay. I'm better now... Thanks for the sanity check!

A lot of states have their school achievement tests available to download. Texas has an on-line test & grading available. You could always find a state that has the full battery available for download, test your DS, and see if any area needs attention.

Oh, I gave DS7 the Iowa Test of Basic Skills in April, and he aced it.

I'm not worrying about DS's performance, just my own! I know he's learning. I'm just one of those people who is constantly experiencing a war between laziness and perfectionism.

Thanks though.

A wry LOL and wave from here - I just finished writing two pages of early morning thoughts on my frustration with these characteristics in myself and DD. I sometimes call myself a sloppy perfectionist.

I don't have anything useful to add to this discussion, but have been following it. At first I though, oh noes, perhaps I should start planning (for next spring)! But, it seems to me that your current approach is similar to what I've seen my DS5's teacher do in the classroom. She is very good at taking the kids' interests and building on them. I think that's a wonderful way to teach and your DS is fortunate that you can do that.

There's no one correct way to homeschool. I often tell prospective homeschool parents that they need to find a balance between what their kids want and what they (the parents) feel comfortable with in terms of structure. If the parent doesn't feel comfortable going all loosey goosey, it sure isn't going to be a positive experience for anyone. Conversely, I know a Mom who was all excited about unschooling, but her son begged for planned lessons. He ended up going to a boxed distance learning program eventually, and then on to fulltime college at 16.


Kriston, you know your son has learned a lot this year, right? I don't see any reason for you to change approach. If it ain't broke...

Man, I was sure I had already responded to this again! Maybe twice... lol...

Anyway the short version is we fluctuate between the "off-on-a-rabbit-trail" style and a very "textbook" style. Right now we're in a textbook phase... But when DS has enough interests to fill a day we go with rabbit trails. Science fair season is a LOT of that (LOL) and the books can catch up later.

If you're both enjoying it and he's getting somewhere, there's nothing wrong with following interests!

Thanks, friends. It does help to know that my "sloppy perfectionism" and the feeling that I'm fluctuating between more- and less-organized homeschool styles is pretty normal. Of course I know intellectually that there's no "right" way to homeschool, but then I have this friend who has her whole year researched and planned by the beginning of August, and I read this blog about planning the whole year in advance--complete with comprehension questions and science experiements...and I start to feel a little inadequate!

Too much time to think is obviously not a good thing for me. I am laughing at myself for being all insecure for my *2nd* year of homeschooling. I didn't worry at all about any of this last year. I had no time to plan and research, so I figured that if he learned anything, it was more than he'd have learned in public school. I felt comfortable setting the bar really low for myself, because even those low expectations were more than DS had been getting. But this summer, with the luxury of time, I was making myself a little crazy, I think.

Better now!

(BTW, I love your responses, Erica! Respond early and often, if you please! )

Kriston - do we have the same friend? My friend has everything planned down to books and discussion questions etc.. I'm like "Wow I'm so inadequate." LOL

Ha! Yes, it's very nice to get the reassurance and pats on the back here that, no, I'm not actually a bad mommy because I don't know what we'll be doing next April, like some people.

Crazy-making! Especially since I am something of a planner. But then that laziness creeps in...

So I've come to grips with the fact that I'm a lot more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my pants than those highly organized people when it comes to HSing, and that's okay.

I am going to try to plan a little bit of the year now, if only to make the start of school easier for me. But I'm easing up on my expectations. No more white knuckles!