For many kids, ‘back to school’ has always been a fun day full of anticipation, curiosity and excitement. Some want to show off their new look or see how others have grown and matured during the summer. However, due to the current economy, many children will be starting their first day of school wearing the same clothes that they wore on the last day of school this past year. They might be living at a different address, because their parents might not have been able to keep up with the expenses of their former home. Their family structure might have changed. Now they may live with only one parent due to a divorce, maybe they have to live with relatives because of finances or maybe even they’re now in foster care.

For the past 14 years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with children from K to12 in a variety of subjects, but primarily in English, Language Arts and Humanities. I’ve been both a classroom teacher and a tutor lending academic support to children in the regular school system and those who are homeschooled. To that end, I’d like to broach a topic I know will be sensitive to many parents - falling into the trap of being your child’s secretary. Unsure what I’m talking about?

There are many ways for your child to learn at home. It’s important for parents to decide if their homeschooling style is a good fit with their parenting style as both have to align in philosophy, methods and goals.