Blog | Essentials of Homeschooling

Swimming forward: How to stick with homeschooling after you've begun

Jan 13, 20193 min read

Swimming forward: How to stick with homeschooling after you've begun

Jot down the progress your child makes, the accomplishments in each school area, no matter how small. I suggest keeping a notebook rather...

The Myth of the Perfect Homeschool Parent: Unwinding Anxiety for a Smoother Journey

Sharon Hancock

Nov 223 min read

The Myth of the Perfect Homeschool Parent: Unwinding Anxiety for a Smoother Journey

By Sharon Hancock Image by John Hain at Pixabay.com "Homeschooling is fulfilling, but also overwhelming. Does it have to be this way?"...

Unlock Better Conversations: 4 Steps to Becoming a Supercommunicator with Your Child

Sharon Hancock

Sep 125 min read

Unlock Better Conversations: 4 Steps to Becoming a Supercommunicator with Your Child

The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion it has taken place. ~ George Bernard Shaw We’ve all been there: In...

Empower Your Child from the Inside Out: Dispel the LIES of Learning

Sharon Hancock

Oct 17, 20233 min read

Empower Your Child from the Inside Out: Dispel the LIES of Learning

If an egg is broken by an outside force, life ends. If broken by an inside force, life begins. Great things always begin from the inside....

The Tie That Rocked Women’s Sports: Riley Gaines Speaks in Loudoun County About Transgender Athletes

Sharon Hancock

Jul 10, 20235 min read

The Tie That Rocked Women’s Sports: Riley Gaines Speaks in Loudoun County About Transgender Athletes

Riley Gaines Barker and Pastor Gary Hamrick at Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Virginia LEESBURG, VIRGINIA—When Riley Gaines’s hand hit...

Emotional Intelligence: Reach Your Child's Heart and Communicate More Effectively with Everyone

Sharon Hancock

Jun 27, 20235 min read

Emotional Intelligence: Reach Your Child's Heart and Communicate More Effectively with Everyone

Don’t let emotions cloud your judgment. Let reason be your guide. Take a step back and assess the situation objectively. More than likely...

Record Crowd Attends Kirk Cameron Story Hour at Loudoun County Public Library

Sharon Hancock

Jun 15, 20234 min read

Record Crowd Attends Kirk Cameron Story Hour at Loudoun County Public Library

Kirk Cameron speaking at Gum Spring Library/Photo by Kate Foelsch STONE RIDGE, VA—Actor, author, and director Kirk Cameron attracted a...

Me! Me! Me! The Impact of Interrupting Your Child and How to Bite Your Tongue

Sharon Hancock

May 30, 20233 min read

Me! Me! Me! The Impact of Interrupting Your Child and How to Bite Your Tongue

“Don’t you think the city council ought to expand Maple Street to alleviate the rush hour traffic?” demanded a booming voice a few yards...

You Got This: Steering Straight in Your Homeschool Journey

Sharon Hancock

May 30, 20233 min read

You Got This: Steering Straight in Your Homeschool Journey

I fondly remember canoeing at the nearby Tomoka State Park, where my family often spent Saturdays when I was a girl. Exploring the shaded...

The Impossible, Made Possible: Uplifting Life Lessons from an Astronaut's Perspective

Sharon Hancock

Jan 30, 20235 min read

The Impossible, Made Possible: Uplifting Life Lessons from an Astronaut's Perspective

Chris Hadfield remembers the night his family and most everyone on Stag Island, Ontario, Canada, crowded around a neighbor’s TV. It was...

Hoodwinked: Avoiding Common Misconceptions About Homeschool

Sharon Hancock

Nov 30, 20223 min read

Hoodwinked: Avoiding Common Misconceptions About Homeschool

Hoodwink: [verb] to deceive or trick; synonyms: dupe, fool, delude, misguide When it comes to homeschooling, you may have been hoodwinked...

Spock vs. McCoy: Handling Emotions Before They Dominate You

Sharon Hancock

Nov 9, 20224 min read

Spock vs. McCoy: Handling Emotions Before They Dominate You

“You’re so stupid. You can’t do anything right. Things work for everyone else, but not you. You may as well give up. You’ll never...

Get Your ACBs Straight: How to Belay Negative Responses When Bad Things Happen

Sharon Hancock

Oct 17, 20223 min read

Get Your ACBs Straight: How to Belay Negative Responses When Bad Things Happen

If you’re like many people, you’ve got your ABCs all out of whack and don’t even realize it. People tend to think that when bad things...

It's Not the End of the World: How to Help Your Child Overcome Learned Helplessness

Sharon Hancock

Sep 12, 20224 min read

It's Not the End of the World: How to Help Your Child Overcome Learned Helplessness

“I’ll never be good at math.” “Writing is too hard. I give up.” “People always let me down. Why should I bother trying to make friends?”...

Getting It All Done: How to Streamline Homeschool Lessons

Sharon Hancock

Jan 5, 20224 min read

Getting It All Done: How to Streamline Homeschool Lessons

“I hate Tuesdays.” Irene sighed and slumped in her chair, a downcast look on her face, completely out of character for this normally prim...

How to Talk to Your Teen Like an FBI Negotiator

Sharon Hancock

Oct 24, 20206 min read

How to Talk to Your Teen Like an FBI Negotiator

End the battles with your teen by using FBI negotiation techniques

Harmony with Homophones: Fun ways to keep your spellings untangled

Sharon Hancock

Sep 23, 20203 min read

Harmony with Homophones: Fun ways to keep your spellings untangled

To remember which "wood" has to do with trees, think of Red Riding Hood. She might have said, "I stood among the wood in my good hood."

The Jailbird's New Wings: How prodding my daughter led to new possibilities

Sharon Hancock

Sep 2, 20205 min read

The Jailbird's New Wings: How prodding my daughter led to new possibilities

After serving her "sentence" of running all summer, Autumn improved in soccer and discovered she could do more than she'd ever imagined.

The Positives of Negatives: When not to step in

Sharon Hancock

Aug 19, 20203 min read

The Positives of Negatives: When not to step in

A parent who rescues her child from experiencing negative emotions cripples the child's ability to mature.

The Computation Conundrum and how to fix it

Sharon Hancock

Jul 29, 20202 min read

The Computation Conundrum and how to fix it

Students often score low on math computation sections of standardized tests. Here's why and how to help your child fix the problem.

Some Unseen Factors Behind Every Decision, Including Homeschool

Sharon Hancock

Jul 15, 20204 min read

Some Unseen Factors Behind Every Decision, Including Homeschool

Acknowledge any sense of loss. Move past your lack of training as a teacher. Use the 10/10/10 principle to gain perspective.

Self-Esteem: The damaging effects of overemphasis

Sharon Hancock

Jul 1, 20203 min read

Self-Esteem: The damaging effects of overemphasis

The way self-esteem is reinforced "often erodes children's self-worth," said Dr. Martin Seligman, author of The Optimistic Child.

Is Your Self-Identity Sabotaging Your Habits?

Sharon Hancock

Jun 24, 20202 min read

Is Your Self-Identity Sabotaging Your Habits?

Who are you? Or better yet, who do you want to become? An organized mom? A woman of grace? A generous friend? An excellent homeschooler?...

Different: The Story of an Outside-the-Box Kid and the Mom Who Loved Him

Sharon Hancock

Jun 17, 20203 min read

Different: The Story of an Outside-the-Box Kid and the Mom Who Loved Him

Crowds & colors overwhelmed Nathan. Meltdowns came without warning. His unpredictable behavior made life exhausting for his family.

The Nines Finger Trick: A shortcut in multiplication

Sharon Hancock

Jun 10, 20202 min read

The Nines Finger Trick: A shortcut in multiplication

Is your homeschooler having a tough time with multiplication? Skip the frustration with this shortcut for multiplying numbers by 9.

Zip Your Lips: Commonsense strategies to get your kids to listen

Sharon Hancock

Jun 2, 20204 min read

Zip Your Lips: Commonsense strategies to get your kids to listen

Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue & let anger straggle along in the rear. Listening to your kids takes conscientious effort.

From "Me" to "We": 5 steps to building empathy

Sharon Hancock

May 27, 20204 min read

From "Me" to "We": 5 steps to building empathy

As the story goes, a man and his four children boarded a subway car. The unruly kids ran up and down the aisle, shouting, throwing...

The Gift of Gratitude: Finding more satisfaction in life

Sharon Hancock

May 20, 20203 min read

The Gift of Gratitude: Finding more satisfaction in life

Gratitude is one of the top three traits that predict a person's well-being and satisfaction in life. And gratitude can be taught.

Turning Tornadoes into Blue Skies: How to dissipate temper tantrums

Sharon Hancock

May 7, 20204 min read

Turning Tornadoes into Blue Skies: How to dissipate temper tantrums

Managing anger is a life skill. Teach it by taking advantage of your blue sky moments, those times with no tornado on the horizon...

Homeschoolers Still Required to Submit Assessments Despite Coronavirus Shutdown

Sharon Hancock

May 6, 20202 min read

Homeschoolers Still Required to Submit Assessments Despite Coronavirus Shutdown

Homeschoolers in some states may still have to take standardized tests even though public schoolers don't.

Sharon Hancock

Apr 28, 20203 min read

How to Get Going by Getting Going

Many people think you need motivation before moving toward a goal. And yet the opposite true: Your actions spawn motivation.

Sharon Hancock

Apr 21, 20202 min read

Quick Tips to Stay On Track

Some quick tips to help your homeschool succeed include consistency, stopping interruptions, managing 1-on-1 time, and watching your words.

Hackers Target Homeschoolers Amid Coronavirus Pandemic: The keys to prevent cyberattacks at home

Sharon Hancock

Apr 7, 20203 min read

Hackers Target Homeschoolers Amid Coronavirus Pandemic: The keys to prevent cyberattacks at home

Have you inadvertantly set out a welcome mat for hackers? Cyberattackers seek to steal students' personal data during the COVID-19 shutdown.

SUCCESS for Teens: Real Teens Talk about Using the Slight Edge

Sharon Hancock

Mar 28, 20202 min read

SUCCESS for Teens: Real Teens Talk about Using the Slight Edge

SUCCESS for Teens helps students take steps today to accomplish their future goals.

The 5 Love Languages of Children: The Secret to Loving Children Effectively

Sharon Hancock

Mar 9, 20203 min read

The 5 Love Languages of Children: The Secret to Loving Children Effectively

A love language is the way a person best understands and receives love from others. Speaking your child’s preferred love language builds his

Sharon Hancock

Feb 16, 20202 min read

Bounce Back: How to Be a Resilient Kid

Bounce Back was written to teach students how to grow in resiliency so they can face life’s difficulties without becoming overwhelmed

Sharon Hancock

Nov 11, 20191 min read

Belay the breakfast battle

Years ago I had a friend with six children who fought every morning over what should be for breakfast. “I want cereal!” said one. “No, I...

The emotions behind procrastination: Seven ways to help kids avoid it

Sharon Hancock

Oct 8, 20193 min read

The emotions behind procrastination: Seven ways to help kids avoid it

Picture it: A task looms in front of you. You want to do it. You know all the reasons why you should do it. And you have good...

Shed that nagging mental weight, Part 3: Conquer fears and overcome procrastination

Sharon Hancock

Jul 30, 20192 min read

Shed that nagging mental weight, Part 3: Conquer fears and overcome procrastination

People procrastinate for all kinds of reasons. Little things, big things, never-before-tried things. They don’t want to do whatever...

Entertaining flies for lunch: The consequences of our words

Sharon Hancock

Feb 27, 20193 min read

Entertaining flies for lunch: The consequences of our words

Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz. The fly flitted around the dining room chairs, looking for a place to land. Bzzz, bzzz. It finally settled on the wall...

All the dirt on grit and why your homeschool student needs more of it

Sharon Hancock

Feb 4, 20193 min read

All the dirt on grit and why your homeschool student needs more of it

Kids with grit embrace a “can do” attitude. Instead of complacency, they exude excitement that propels them toward success.

Shed that nagging mental weight, Part 2: Deter distractions to stay on track

Sharon Hancock

Jan 13, 20193 min read

Shed that nagging mental weight, Part 2: Deter distractions to stay on track

If we as adults have so easily succumb to distraction, how can we expect to keep our kids from doing the same? Especially when they’re not

Shed that nagging mental weight, Part 1: How to conquer your to-do list and find peace

Sharon Hancock

Jan 13, 20193 min read

Shed that nagging mental weight, Part 1: How to conquer your to-do list and find peace

Your daily tasks demand attention. They interrupt your day. They continually fight for space in your brain, jostling with your thoughts and

How to spell the most commonly used word in the English language

Sharon Hancock

Jan 13, 20193 min read

How to spell the most commonly used word in the English language

In the realm of reading, English can be tough! The language is full of exceptions. Just when you think you’ve got a rule down pat...

An encouraging word--Not! Be a good role model for your kids

Sharon Hancock

Jan 13, 20192 min read

An encouraging word--Not! Be a good role model for your kids

It had been one of those days. You know the kind: Everything seems to go wrong. I’d been in a sour mood, which only exacerbated the...

The four-letter word: A simple tweak reaps surprising results

Sharon Hancock

Jan 12, 20192 min read

The four-letter word: A simple tweak reaps surprising results

“Just.” It seems like a simple word, a nice adverb to qualify our actions. It’s such a wallflower in the scope of language that we...

Sharon Hancock

Jan 9, 20191 min read

Time savers: Sticky no more

Ever get stuck scraping honey out of a measuring cup? It's a gooey mess. Fortunately, there's an easy solution. For recipes that call for...

Essentials of Homeschooling

Learning Styles
How to Boost Learning by Reinforcing
Your Child's Strengths

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