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Did 2018 come and go as fast for you as it did for me!? I can't believe we've begun a new year already.

In looking back over 2018, I've pulled my top 10 pieces of advice from my articles and given them to you here. If you'd like to have all of the full articles in one place, please download my 2018 yearbook, Focus on the Future for free.

How to Write Perfect Course Descriptions

A student's high school record is the most important factor in college admission decisions. Grades and the academic rigor of classes are even more important than SAT or ACT scores. You see, studies show that the academic rigor of the high school curriculum is the single best predictor of success in college.

Your homeschool course descriptions provide proof that your curriculum is challenging. Course descriptions include details that show how your child succeeded with this challenging curriculum, and earned a solid GPA using rigorous material. This is why you create course descriptions.

The End of Homeschooling: When Did My Baby Grow Up?

Letting go is a season of life not without challenges. I can help you to understand the process, so you are prepared for what lies ahead. While homeschooling, you can ready your child for independent living and make plans for your empty nest. However, you also need to understand what happens when your child is almost an adult but still learning the ropes of independence.

When the kids are grown and gone, take a deep breath and relax. You have a wonderful, life-long friendship to look forward to. The key to enjoying this friendship is up to you. You need to stop homeschooling this child. Provide guidance and counsel when asked, but hold back on unsolicited advice. Enjoy their friendship. You deserve it.

Military Careers After Homeschool

Homeschoolers can successfully enter the military directly from a homeschool environment. They must possess a homeschool diploma and submit transcripts at the time of enlistment. Course work must involve parental supervision, the transcript must reflect credit hours per subject used in a traditional high school, and the diploma must be issued in compliance with applicable state laws.

9 Easy Steps: High School Graduation Checklist

Going the distance and homeschooling your child starts well before the graduation party planning begins! My checklist for going the distance in homeschooling includes these 9 steps:

• Aim for College
• Plan Courses
• Plan for Tests
• Encourage Activities
• Choose Colleges
• Consider College Finances
• Prepare High School Records
• Apply to College
• Be Confident in the Benefits of Homeschooling

College for Struggling Learners

Homeschooling works, because it can improve their academic performance level, even allowing children to achieve grade level in their most challenging subjects. Younger children thrive at home, without teachers labeling them or children teasing them. Parents can use a learning style that works for each child, and keep the repetitive work to the minimum their child needs in order to practice and learn. Older children can still learn high school subjects without relying on their weakest abilities to get the information.

Keep in mind your long-terms goals. You want your child to grow up and have their own home. You want them to succeed and thrive in anything they choose, whether it means college or career.

In a school setting, children are often given an accommodation for their learning challenges. In the adult world, people learn to compensate for their weaknesses all the time. If you have a child that struggles with writing, you can help them learn to compensate.

Taming Middle School Anxiety

Middle school....what an awkward age. But, it can be the sweetest, most rewarding time to homeschool!  Parents can gently guide their preteen through the physical, intellectual, and social changes that come with this age.

Whether your child is ahead of the curve, or struggling in one or more areas, you simply can't be "behind" in middle school. Educate your child to meet their current needs, whether they are remedial, on track, or advanced. In fact, the best thing that you can do in middle school is to instill of love of learning, so they look forward to high school. With hands-on learning fun sprinkled in, they'll hopefully be eager for the in-depth learning in years to come.

15 Point Senior Year Inspection Checklist

Senior year is complicated, but not difficult! Do a quick checkup to make sure you're prepared for the tasks of senior year. Let's do a quick checkup to make sure you are prepared for the tasks of senior year. Remember, the goal of senior year is completing college applications. The difficulty is that applying to college is a "process" and not a "moment." Applications are not difficult, but they are very time consuming. Letters of recommendation are not hard; they just take time to acquire. The whole process takes a lot of time to complete. Each university will have a unique process, unique forms, and unique requirements. It's complicated but not difficult.

Do a quick review today, using the simple checklist in my article, to make sure you aren't missing any key pieces. In case you are missing something, I've also given you a 12 Step emergency panic plan. 

Cooped Up in a Co-op?

Sometimes, co-op's aren't a good fit for families. Parents who come to me with concerns about academics, failure, or socialization problems tend to be using co-ops for core classes. In an effort to do things right, co-op classes may provide an assembly-line production of lessons much like a public school. Students become frustrated because they can't keep up, or bored because they are so far ahead.

Co-ops are a current homeschool fad. While they may be popular among your friends, you do not need to use a co-op to homeschool. A homeschool co-op is a tool you can choose to use, or not use, depending on your child's needs. You are capable of teaching your child at home the old-fashioned way, that has consistently worked in the modern age of homeschooling. You are responsible to educate your child, not the world.

How to Put Co-op Classes on Homeschool Records

You are responsible for making sure your comprehensive homeschool records accurately reflect what your student has learned. You need to include all classes on homeschool records. This includes co-op classes.

I can explain how to put co-op classes on your high school records with clear instructions. 

Needed: Homeschool Mom Decoder

Do you ever feel like you need a secret decoder chart to understand what other's say when they disagree with your choice to homeschool? What happens when it happens to be your spouse?

Men and women are gender aliens. Men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Pink talking and blue talking collide in waves of purplish conversations. How can we possibly cope when the two genders are so different? It's important, though, because our children are counting on us to communicate effectively. We need to talk about important things, such as education, family, and values, when it seems like we hardly speak the same language.

Whether it's your spouse that doesn't understand you or another relative or neighbor, you can trust that you know your child and what is best for them.  Based on this complete understanding of the issues, you have made this decision based on careful analysis of the facts. You are the ultimate authority on this decision, because you are the only one with full understanding of the situation. Trust your judgement in this.

I hope you've picked up a few tidbits of information here. Remember, go get all of the details from these articles in one place by downloading my free 2018 yearbook, Focus on the Future. You'll find help and encouragement to help you through the homeschooling high school days. They may seem long, but they are certainly short.

I'd love to hear from you in the comments. When the days get long, how do you find the encouragement to push through?

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