Sonlight offers a 5-day program and a 4-day program. Because the 4-day program has 36 fewer scheduled days in the Instructor's Guide, there are fewer books overall. But what if you want to follow the 4-day homeschool schedule while reading the 5-day books and the notes? In that case, you have two options.
Continue readingTen years ago, when the Hayes family started their Sonlight journey, they didn't know what kind of adventures their lives would bring. But they knew that it would involve Sonlight in some way or another. And they were right. Discover why parents stick with Sonlight for their educational needs.
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Grading is a topic that generates a whole range of emotions among homeschoolers.
Homeschooling allows us the freedom to ensure mastery. In other words, there is never a reason for a homeschool student to fail a subject. You simply move at your child’s pace and help them reach their best potential. Thus, if one of my children does not meet the expectation I've set for a particular assignment, she has the privilege of working on it again until the assignment is mastered.
Although the pass/fail concept is good, for many students, when they reach high school and are thinking about college you may need to create an official transcript. At that point more detailed or specific grading becomes necessary.
We recommend ordering Cafi Cohen's book Homeschooler's College Admissions Handbook while your children are in middle school or as soon as you can when they have entered high school. This is one of the most practical and easy to read resources on the whole topic of homeschooling high school, writing transcripts, and preparing for post-high school options. You might also find our high school webinar (embedded below) to be a good resource. And we also have a free guide if you prefer a print format.
Each time I began a new college class, the professor handed out a syllabus on the first day. It listed the titles of the books required for the course, an outline of what to expect during the course, and what it would take to pass the course. I have found it helpful to provide the same details for my high school students.
A possible syllabus for Sonlight Level 400 - American Government / Civics and Economics might look something like this:
[I am not saying that a student should not read all the books in 400, or that these titles are better than those not listed. This outline is purely for the sake of demonstrating a possible syllabus.]
A similar approach can be taken with math, science, or any other subject assigned for a given high school year.
Though it will take you some time at the beginning of the year, there's a huge value in creating a written syllabus. All players are aware of the rules and expectations from the start. You as the parent are not stuck making up requirements as the year progresses, and the student begins the course with a thorough understanding of what is expected.
Determine ahead of time what level of work earns what grade and how that will ultimately translate to a high school transcript. Cohen's book is a good resource for how to grade and determine grade point equivalents for a transcript. Here's a suggested grading chart:
98-100% (A)
Transcript Credit Equivalent: 4.0
90-98% (A-)
Transcript Credit Equivalent: 3.7
85-90% (B+)
Transcript Credit Equivalent: 3.3
80-85% (B)
Transcript Credit Equivalent: 3.0
75-80% (C+)
Transcript Credit Equivalent: 2.3
70-75% (C)
Transcript Credit Equivalent: 2.0
It will be up to you as the parent/teacher to define exemplary output or with a struggle, but once you have that foundation, your grade equivalency chart will save you much time and effort.
The bottom line is you as the parent will determine what grading you will use for your high school students. You determine the standard by which your student is evaluated. And the amazing blessing of homeschooling is that you can set that standard based on what you know about your student. The trick is to spend some time well before the school year begins to establish expectations for every course, create a grade equivalency chart, and communicate these with your teens.
This level of grading detail is far less necessary (if at all) in the lower grades where there is no need for creating a transcript. Creating a much simpler pass/fail scale or grade range expectation works just fine.
Homeschooling high school is an exciting challenge. You will encounter all sorts of life-changing experiences with your students and build memories that will last a lifetime. Don't let grading become a roadblock to your high school journey.
Educating high schoolers? Get your free guide for Homeschool High School Transcripts.
Judy: Today I've asked Kelly and Jill to sit down with me once again and talk over the topics of goal setting, organization, and time management. I don't know about you, but this is an area in which I sometimes struggle greatly. Yet other times I find that I conquer it, and things run smoothly.
So how about you guys? Is time management something that just comes naturally, or do you find that you struggle with it as a homeschool mom?
Listen to this audio chat with three homeschool moms, Judy, Kelly, and Jill, or continue reading below.
Audio length: 10 minutes
Jill: I think at some stages of my life, it came naturally, and then at some stages of my life it was like, "Oh my gosh! How am I ever going to organize the crew in this house?!" I think it really changes through time.
Kelly: It's a seasonal thing.
Jill: I think it's a seasonal thing; you are right.
Judy: It's funny. I was talking with a young homeschool mom last night, and she was saying how she really thought she had everything all set to go this year. She has one in school and two toddlers. She said, "My whole plan for organization has just fallen apart. As much as I try to get things done on time and get school started for my daughter, for whatever reason, things seem to be conspiring against me to make that happen."
Probably about a week ago I got up on a Monday morning, ready to start the day, and you know if anything could go wrong that day, it did. We ended up with a car trouble, and somebody in our household got sick. Things just seemed to fall apart right and left. About halfway through the day, I decided to stop fighting and give up on the schedule. I figured we'd try again on Tuesday morning.
Jill: I can remember when we lived in Florida, our laundry was in the unattached garage. At times, I would feel like I was on top of things, and then I would just happen to go into the garage and see the laundry was enormous! I mean the laundry was starting to eat the lawnmower! Oh man, it seems like when you get one thing under control, something else rears its ugly head, and you feel out of control again.
Kelly: And there's always the phone.
Judy: The phone is probably the greatest time management killer that exists.
Jill: Except with an answering machine! If you're strict, you really can get that monster under control too.
Kelly: That's true, I think in the early years of homeschooling, the phone was like the recess bell. When it rang if, I moved toward it, the boys immediately thought, "Oh! Recess!" And they hit the floor or whatever.
Jill: Yeah I never thought of that, but you're right. That's kind of what it seemed like in our house too.
[Editor's Note: This interview was recorded before mobile phones were as pervasive as they are today. The principles are the same. Our devices can be a distraction unless we are deliberate with boundaries.]
Judy: Well I think we can all agree that sticking to a schedule and managing our time well is a challenge for any homeschool mom even if you tend to be organized by nature or if you struggle with organization.
Why are organization and goal setting so important? What's the point of setting goals?
Jill: Well if you don’t set any kind of goal, you have no idea what direction you're going. I think you have to have an overall idea of why you're homeschooling.
There will be days—there might be weeks—when you'll think, "Why am I doing this?" And it's really nice to go back and remember your reason, refocus, and re-gauge. It helps to have your goals written down and to have something to aim for.
Kelly: Without that target, you've got no opportunity of going in a more direct direction. Have you ever taken your children outside and told them to walk across the field while looking down at their feet? I did this to teach my kids about goals. It took them forever on their circular path! They stopped along the way to check out this or that. When we started again, and I said, "Okay, now look at that tree over there and walk to it." In timing it, of course, they were much faster. But if you're only looking at what's immediately in front of you—what step you're taking now—you're going to get nowhere.
Jill: And you can't really see if you're making any progress if you don’t know what you're aiming for. So if you know what you are aiming for, then you can see you can look back after a year or six months or whatever and say, "Oh gosh, we have made progress towards that goal!" To see that you're making progress means a lot to keep you at a task for any amount of time.
Judy: I think one thing that you said just a moment ago, Jill, is the key for me when it comes to setting goals and that is write them down. In my homeschooling experience, February is always the worst time of the year. I don't know why it's that month, but for me February is exactly when I start asking myself what you said—"Why am I doing this?"
Jill: If you look back in your notes from October for instance. You can look back and think, "Oh my gosh! Look at how much we've learned since then! Look at how much we are going toward that goal!" Whereas if you didn't jot things down along the way, you would sometimes feel like a failure.
Judy: I agree. So I think we can say that it's a really good idea for our sanity as a homeschooling mom to figure out why it is we're doing this homeschooling thing. Sit down with your spouse and talk through what we hope to accomplish. When we're all done, then write it down.
Jill: And the goal can be big. It could be something like I want to raise well equipped adults who'll be able to take their place in society, to be able to do the job that they need to do, whatever that is. Whether they're going to go to college, whether they can get married, whether they're going to have a career—whatever. It could be as big as that at the very top, and then you could gear it down.
Judy: I think that's actually the next step in setting goals—make this nice, big, overarching mission for your homeschool and your parenting. But then you have to start setting very specific, measurable goals because if you only have this big, overarching thing, you can see the tree across the meadow like Kelly said. But then you still have to figure out the most direct path to get there.
Jill: Right. I know when we sat down to figure out why we were homeschooling, I mean beside the immediate thing—my child is in a horrible school, and I've got to pull him out before he gets beaten to a pulp—after you do that, we took the verse from the Bible (Luke 2:52), "Jesus grew and wisdom and stature and in the favor with God and man." And we said that is a good list of goals for us to accomplish with our children.
Judy: That's an excellent place to start, I think, and it's very similar to what we've done in our homeschool when you think about growing in wisdom. We set academic goals for our kids each year. My husband and I would take an afternoon or an evening about a month or two before school was set to start to go for a walk in a park or go out to dinner—someplace where we knew we could talk uninterrupted. We would review the past year and set a couple of goals in each category for each child for the coming year:
That gave me, as the teacher, very clear direction so when February rolled around, I could remember why I was doing what I was doing. When it seemed as though Johnny just couldn't get the math concepts down, I would go back and look at those goals and think, "Well, Johnny still needs to work on those math problems. But you know what, that's not one of our overriding academic goals this year. This year our biggest goal for him is to learn to read well. So maybe math, although it's important, is not the goal we set for this year."
Jill: Or maybe even if they're growing somewhat academically, it may not be as fast as you want. But maybe their spiritual life is really growing, or maybe they're developing so many large motor and small motor coordination things. So sometimes they don't need to necessarily excel in all of these areas. I think it evens over a period of time, but in the short term—six months or a year—grown can heavily lean toward one area or the other. I think that's okay.
If you are considering a new direction for your children’s education, and could use an empathetic ear, we have experienced homeschooling moms who would love to talk to you. Click here to connect with your homeschool consultant.
This situation, in one form or another, happens to all of us homeschoolers. We are out in public during the week at a time when other kids are in school. We are spotted by a stranger—a stranger who loves to ask questions. So, there we are, maybe in the frozen pizza aisle, when a complete stranger asks, “No school today?”
It has happened to you, right?
My seven year old gets a thrill out of telling people that we homeschool, so she shouts it out for all to hear. I am glad she is proud of the fact that we homeschool, but I brace myself for the inevitable responses that we get from these strangers. These are the top four rejoinders we hear when strangers find out we educate at home.
Has anyone ever asked a public school kid how long they plan to stay in the system? I would love to ask that question and see the response. If the tables were turned, then the question would seem as odd as it is.
I can understand the question—sort of. I think what they really mean is, “You won’t be teaching them in high school, right?” I don’t feel the need to explain to strangers how long we plan to homeschool, so I typically answer by saying, “We take it year by year.”
While that is true, we also plan to continue until the Lord tells us to change what He called us to do back when we made this leap. This is our third year homeschooling, and we have been using Sonlight since the beginning. We love this curriculum so much that if we ever stopped homeschooling, I think I would still buy the books and read them to my children. The homeschool lifestyle has forever changed me for the better.
This question is usually asked in ignorance because not everyone knows a homeschooler personally. These strangers honestly have no idea that the homeschooling world has activities galore:
Sure, homeschoolers can miss out on things if parents are not proactively looking for these things. But parents who care about their children are going to search high and low for the perfect fit for extracurriculars and socialization opportunities.
This tendency towards a full schedule is precisely why strangers see us out and about during the week! We tend to arrange our piano lessons, sports practices, swim meets, and co-ops during the times when everyone else is at work or in school. After all, those extra things are learning. Plus we like to keep the majority of our outside pursuits scheduled during the weekday to keep weekends free for family time when Daddy is home.
This response is actually quite comical to most homeschool moms. We do not boast in having a special dose of patience. Sonlight doesn't ship out a mega pack of patience with the catalogs or each History / Bible / Literature program on Box Day. And God doesn't magically bestow it on the first day of homeschool lessons. On the contrary, patience is something we learn, frustrating moment by distraction-filled moment.
Homeschooling reveals a lot about us as parents. It shows us where we are lacking—whether that be in patience, homemaking skills, compassion, gentleness, or temperance (self-control).
All parents need to work on character issues. Homeschooling is just another vehicle by which our character flaws are made evident. Being home with your kids all day and serving as both teacher and mom has a way of squeezing sin from the inside to the outside where it is plainly on display. The upside is that we can mature into patience (and other virtues) if we are willing to look in the mirror of the word of God, see our flaws, repent, and commit to walking in grace.
I hear this claim from so many people, and I understand the sentiment! We homeschool moms sometimes do think we can't make it through another day. But be assured public school teachers feel this too! I know since my husband teaches 24 kindergarteners every day.
What most people mean when they say "I could never do that!" is that they can’t handle the thought of being with their kids all day, every day. I have those days too, but the benefits and joys we experience are so far beyond what any bad day can bring.
Some people reveal to me that their kids don’t listen well enough to be taught by their own parents. I think this is true in some cases; homeschooling isn’t for everyone. I do think this is sometimes a cop-out, though. We would like for someone else to discipline and correct our kids because we either do not know how or we lack the backbone to do it ourselves. My husband and I chose to homeschool, in large part, because we do want to be with our kids and we feel that it’s our responsibility to teach them—not someone else's.
These four responses will, no doubt, be asked of us for years to come, but for those who may be new to homeschooling, you have been warned! Prepare your patient smile and kind responses now so you can do your part to educate the world about this great journey of family life that we call homeschooling.
To find out more about Sonlight's unmatched Read-Alouds, and our complete book-based homeschool programs, order a complimentary copy of your catalog today.
Many families homeschool year-round, going straight through the summer, taking breaks only when needed. But for the rest of us, a long summer break is a great way to rejuvenate. This summer as you are relaxing quietly in the air-conditioning on those days when it is too hot to go outside, think about your summer bucket list. What can you do now to make the transition back to daily homeschool lessons in the fall a bit easier? Here are eight things I plan on doing this summer to make for a smooth new school year.
It’s so easy to let self-care slide while we are taking care of little ones, but summer is a great time to commit to taking care of yourself. If you’ve always wanted to try a new craft or sport, community education classes are an affordable option. So, while your children are at Bible camp or swimming lessons, you might be able to sneak in some time for painting, yoga, pottery, or tennis.
While your children are busy at day camp, invest big chunks of time to relax on your own, doing what builds your spiritual, emotional, and mental reserves:
You’ll be thankful when things get hectic again in the fall that you took time in the summer to put yourself first.
Use this summer to get back into the habit of eating healthy. Try new recipes and practice them so that, come fall, your children are used to the new flavors and the recipes are easy to throw together at a moment’s notice. Maybe you want to try your hand at fermenting foods for the healthy probiotics or you want to experiment with a more radical way of eating such as low-carb. Summer is the perfect time to test these new ventures in the kitchen.
Perhaps even go so far as to create a few sample meal plans with ingredient lists, so when things are busy, you have something to fall back on to maintain the healthy habits you started.
If you’re like me and find less and less time to exercise outdoors as the school year progresses, grab the summer as an opportunity to get back into your routine. The more exercise and fresh air you get now, the easier it will be to keep in the habit during the school year. Your body—and mind—will thank you for it.
Don't procrastinate; order early. When your packages come, get familiar with the resources you bought and get them organized on your shelves. If you feel confused, call publishers for advice or make an appointment with the Sonlight advisors to get your questions answered.
After Box Day, I love looking through my new Sonlight History / Bible / Literature and Science programs. Handling the books builds an excitement to get started again. I page through my Instructor's Guides and start making lists on index cards or sticky notes:
It's also during the summer that I take advantage of the back-to-school sales not only to stock up on crayons and notebooks, but also to treat myself to fresh teacher supplies that make organization easier and prettier.
Try to get rid of clutter during the summer months so that your house is easier to keep clean and your supplies are easier to find. Go through cupboards to find items to discard, donate, or declutter. The fewer toys you have, the less time it takes to organize them. When everything has a place, it makes clean-up much easier and allows you to move on faster. Bonus points if you get the kids involved in the purging process!
If you're someone who tends to get behind easily, you can use the summer to get ahead for next school year. Take 20 minutes a day to work on a school subject. For example, if you listen to an audiobook in the car to and from swimming lessons each day, you could knock out a read-aloud or two before school even starts. Being ahead by a couple of novels will give you wiggle room in your schedule.
You can also do a few minutes of math and language arts or even work through a few of those science experiments you never seem to have enough time for. Find the subjects that are the hardest for you to work into your day and get a head start on those. You will start the school year with a sense of being on top of your game.
If your goal for older children is for more independent learning, use the summer to preview their books so you are aware of sensitive content before it comes up. You may decide there is a book or two that your child isn't ready for, and you will have plenty of time to find replacements or ask for advice in the Sonlight forums.
Use the lighter schedule of the summer to take more time to pray, read devotions, and meditate. Your prayer time will provide a bit of calm as you head into a new school year; you will have assurance that you are on the path God wants for you.
Summer will be gone before you’re ready for it to be, and your mind, body, and soul will thank you for taking better care of it. Likewise, your children will be appreciative of smoother days. Take the time now to take care of yourself and prepare for an amazing back to school in the fall.
Need more help with a smooth back to school transition? Go to SmoothCourse to explore your options.
Some days I get discouraged and fear that I'm failing my children by teaching them at home.
It's on those days that I have daydreams of chasing the yellow bus and begging the driver to take my children, too. Let the experts in the public school take this burden from me. Surely they are more equipped than I am to educate my kids.
And then I come to my senses by reminding myself of these truths.
Half of all Americans can't read above a fifth grade level. I got this statistic from my nursing textbook. It explained why medical pamphlets should have lower vocabulary to reach the most people even when writing with a higher reading level would provide better information.
If I can get my children to fifth grade reading level by the time they graduate high school, they'll be doing better than half the country. Of course, I want my child to do even better than that, but the point is that the bar is very low in our country. I am not failing my children.
Math can seem overwhelming. It's one of the 3Rs that you don't want to skip even for a single day. Surely it's worth getting antsy and insecure over, right?
No. It's not as scary as you think. To get your kids set for pre-algebra, they need to master this short list of topics:
No one in college cares whether your child at age seven was reading at a Kindergarten level, first grade level, or a tenth grade level. Really. No one.
All that matters is how well they can read (or do whatever subject) in college. Honestly.
When you stop to think about it, what is the difference between eleventh grade reading level and twelfth grade? Is there a difference at all? What's the difference between seventh grade grammar and eighth grade grammar? These levels are all arbitrary. And any actual deficits can easily be overcome when the need arises, when children are developmentally ready, or when teens are motivated to do so.
As an example, consider this situation: Malnourished children in Africa are given no education until they start school around 10 years old. They immigrate to the US at around 12-16 and then proceed to get college degrees that would make most of us exhausted. If children aren't reading by age 10, it's not over.
In any given second grade classroom, there is a broad mix of reading proficiency:
So, if your second grader is reading at a first or third grade level, they’d be perfectly fine in a second grade classroom. There would be no reason to move them to first or third grade.
Homeschoolers beat themselves up a lot. If your child were in public school and brought home a report card with a B math, you would be perfectly happy. But as homeschoolers, when they get three questions wrong on their math test, you think you're falling them.
Really, a B means a student can answer two out of every ten problems incorrectly. On a 30-problem page, they can get 6 wrong and still get a B. Twelve wrong is still passing. And half the time, the grade on that page wouldn't have been counted anyway.
F is usually below 60%, not counting bonus points and extra credit. And not every assignment is graded. Honestly, what you consider failing as a homeschool parent, schools usually consider passing.
Sonlight sets children up for success, even if you use don’t use it exactly as written. The books will teach your children to think about life and evaluate opposing viewpoints. The characters in the books become their friends who bring the world alive for them and make remembering history easy. Can’t remember Napoleon was like? Read Betsy and the Emperor, and you’ll never forget. Read Red Sails to Capri, and learn about overcoming superstition and the beautiful island of Capri.
Learning by doing is the best way to learn. But, because we can’t do everything and go everywhere with our children, reading about fictional friends doing these things is almost as good.
Children don't need to be homeschooled to be behind. The whole premise of No Child Left Behind was too many children were being left behind. Note, the program is generally considered a failure—hence the Common Core debacle. The bottom line is that our schools are full of children who are behind. I am not failing my children because I homeschool. The schools are already failing plenty of children.
Children this age actually learn better through play than seatwork. If they want to spend most of their day playing, give them educational toys and have at it. You’ll be doing them (and yourself) a favor.
Public school is good and useful at times, but it really does a poor job with the very best of students and the worst of students.
My brother failed at school, and graduated high school (yes, diploma and all) reading and doing math at no higher than a second-grade level. (Yes, they will graduate you even then.)
He went on to college and got a degree in pipe welding because he knew his trade and could pass exams based on skill. He never purchased a single textbook or passed a single written test. Yes, he has a degree in pipe welding from college. He still can't read above a second grade level, and thanks to practical use, his math skills are about at a third grade level now.
My brother who can't read has won awards for his welding skill. If he had been homeschooled where special considerations for his dyslexia and ADHD were allowed, he could have gone much higher. But, in second grade, he labeled himself stupid and has essentially never tried since.
Public school standards are far lower than you think they are. You are not failing your children by homeschooling.
The biggest goal you can have for your children is to teach them to love to learn. If they know how to learn and loving doing so, then they can do anything, go anywhere, and be anyone. If they are super bright and hate learning, well, good luck.
I was that child who barely paid attention in high school, made good enough grades to pass, aced my ACTs and then decided that was enough. No more school. Ever. A few years later, I took one college course and was hooked. I feel in love with learning and went so much further. That passion for learning is what I want for my children. And it's precisely what I can offer them through homeschooling.
To ease your fears about failing your children, pair these nine reminders with a time-tested homeschool curriculum. Go to SmoothCourse to explore your options.
