Giveaway Closed Congratulations to April L. and Abby S. Winners will be contacted via email.
How is it possible that it is already the last week of February? It’s time for my annual Homeschool Assessment Giveaway. I will be giving away two assessments this year to two different entrants. If you’d like to have a chance to win one of them, please email me at schoolmarmohio@me.com and write Giveaway in the subject line. For an extra entry, refer a friend and have them tell me of your referral. Each referral is an extra entry for you.
The Giveaway begins today and will end on Sunday, March 3 at midnight. I will announce the winner here as well as notify you by email if you win. Those who won last year will not be eligible to participate this year.
As of the 2023-2024 school year, homeschool families are no longer required by law to submit any type of assessment to the superintendent to continue to homeschooling. Having been an assessor for 25+ years, I will continue to offer this service if you would like to have me review your student’s work. Since this is now optional, I am in the unique position to offer other additional services which I have not had the time for in the past. I am very excited to be able to help additionally with your home schooling. Do you need advice with scheduling; choosing curricula; need some guidance with high school? I’m here for you. I am not limited to just Ohio but can help any homeschool family.
Here is a brief description of some of the services I am offering via Zoom, email, or in person if you live locally. You can sign up for a single 30 minute time slot or back-to-back appointments if you need more time for any of my educational services. The fee is $45.00 (for 30 minute time slot) and can be paid electronically or via personal check prior to or at the time of service. To schedule, go to: www.calendly.com/schoolmarmohio Please tell me what service you would like in the notes you would like when you sign up.
Homeschool Assessments- I will continue to offer homeschool assessments in which I will review academic samples of your student’s work. The prices are discounted if you have more than one student and are listed on the scheduling app.
Getting Started- So, you are going to homeschool. Congratulations! Now, where do you begin? I’ll be happy to help. We will discuss the age of your student, paperwork you need to submit, and any general homeschool questions you have.
Scheduling- How do I set up a school day with my student? I’ll be glad to help you determine what would work best for your own homeschool and family dynamics.
Choosing Curricula- There are so many options from which to choose that it can be overwhelming. I’m here to help you narrow the field and lead you towards what would help your student(s) thrive.
Coaching- We will discuss questions you have and look for ways to make your school year successful. I’ll be there to help along the way. You can sign up for as many times as you wish. It can be one time, once a semester, weekly, or something else.
Consulting- Do you just want to make sure you are on the right track and not missing anything? Do you have a child who is struggling? Other questions you’d like help with in your schooling? We can discuss whatever concerns you have.
Homeschooling High School- It’s not as difficult as it may seem! I have graduated both of my sons and have helped many families with course choices, issuing credits. creating transcripts, etc.
Hybrid- You may want to meet with me to discuss a variety of topics (scheduling, curricula, how to homeschool multiple children, etc.) Just indicate in hte notes when you schedule what you’d like to discuss.
Feel free to email me (www.schoolmarmohio@me.com) if you have questions.
I apologize that I have not been posting to my blog. But, I have had not one, but two knee surgeries this year. So, my time has been taken up with more attention to my knee than I ever wanted to do. What about you? I hope your school year has been filled with lots of days filled with learning and discovery of who your child(ren) is both as student and your precious gift.
You may know that beginning this academic school year (2023-24) that you are no longer required to submit an assessment to the superintendent. I have been asked what I think about this since I have been an assessor for over 20 years. Here are my thoughts after many months of consideration. I think it is wise to continue to have an assessment for your student. Why you ask?
1. It’s all on you- You are now solely responsible for the documentation of your child’s work. In the past, I have maintained student’s academic samples for two years in the event that someone would question whether you, as the homeschool teacher, provided an education for your child. and that they made progress in accordance with their abilities
2. Evaluating the school year- I believe it is wise to evaluate the progress that your child has made the past year. It’s going to be very easy to close the books and just order the next year’s curricula. But, looking back and evaluating what worked, what has been mastered, and what needs to be studied next year is important.
3. Spotting learning issues- As a teacher, I can spot difficulties such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, trouble in writing, etc. I can help you to investigate getting further diagnostic avenues should you wish to pursue that for your student.
4. Receiving encouragement- I hope and pray above all , that I as an assessor, would encourage you. My wish is to let you know all the great things you have done for your student. You work hard and so does your student. I want to be your homeschool’s biggest supporter and cheerleader.
So, if you would like to have me review your student(s)’s work, I am available any time. You can schedule your assessment at: www.calendly.com/schoolmarmohio I will send you an email with a Google Drive link to upload your student’s academic samples.
I haveexciting news to share with you next week as I am adding to my homeschool business.
I tell families whose children’s work I have assessed to send their notification paperwork to do three things:
Make copies of all of your paperwork.
Send your paperwork via certified mail.
Pay the extra and ask for a return receipt.
You have just finished all of your paperwork and you certainly don’t want to lose
“Why can’t you just drop it off at the superintendent’s office?” you ask. The postal worker has to deliver it to someone, who in turn must sign that they received your paperwork. This guarantees that they received it and you have proof should you not receive your exemption from public education from the office. The likelihood of your paperwork is greater then you think, especially if you turn things in when things get busy. Another option would be to hand deliver your paperwork and create your own receipt for an office worker to sign. But, I’d rather it be the post office delivering it.
Have a great week! If I can be of assistance in helping you with this process, please contact me. I charge a reasonable hourly fee and will be happy to help this be as easy and stress-free as possible.
Whether you are a veteran or brand new to homeschooling, everyone has to start their school year. Here are some things that I have found helpful when beginning.
If you have homeschooled for the 2022-2023, you will also need to have done some type of assessment for your student. This can be a nationally normed test or an assessment by an Ohio licensed teacher such as myself. You will need to submit either the composite score of the test or the written narrative from the assessor. The deadline for you to turn in paperwork is the first week of your child’s school. If you are unsure of when it begins check your school district’s calendar.
Have a plan
What will your school look like? Will it be unschooling, traditional, unit study based, or something else?
What curriculum will you be using? Not sure? Here are some resources to investigate: Rainbow Resource, Cathy Duffy Reviews, Timberdoodle, ChristianBook, and BookShark.
What date will you begin? Will you need to plan breaks this year for a new baby, holidays, etc?
Where will you teach? A separate room, the kitchen table? Wherever it is, have a dedicated spot so your child knows this is where school will be each day.
What hours will you be in school? A word to the wise: let everyone know your school hours and be disciplined enough to not take calls. ( I’ve had first hand experience!)
Organize
Whether you are super or loosely organized , you will want somewhere to keep supplies. I have used all kinds of things to organize our school. Some have worked well, and others not so much. This is likely to evolve over the course of the year for what works best in your school.
Organize yourself- Do you work well with a lesson plan or do you just need to look over things before you teach? Being organized sets your mind at ease and makes things more peaceful, I think. I will confess that I have always had some amount of clutter when I teach. I can’t help it! I get out supplies, books, maps, teacher’s guides, etc. I just didn’t want to leave you with the impression that I (and every homeschool mom) is a super tidy person. lol
Organize your children’s things. One of the best things I found to work for us was each child had a certain color. Everything they had was that particular color: green binder, notebooks, pencil case, etc. And… there was a dedicated area for school books to go each day. Otherwise, things get scattered and lost.
Be Okay with Mess
With your child(ren) being home all day with you, your house will be messier than if they went to school. Let.It.Go. You and your child(ren) can clean up when you finish the lesson or at the end of the school day. You will need to determine what level is okay for you to feel that the clutter is manageable. Remember, you are creating an atmosphere of learning and that can be noisy, messy, but also fun and educational.
Well, I think I have given you enough to ponder and process. If you have questions, please leave a comment. I’ll be glad to help.
Schoolmarm Ohio 