TTT So how's it going?

Is your school year starting to wind down?
Or are you in the middle of a huge project?

Are you beginning to think about next year?
Or are you ready to put this year behind you?

Where ever you are, now is a good time to evaluate how your child is doing academically. It can be difficult to see the progress your child has made if you don't look at the whole picture. Start by looking back at your child's work from the beginning of the year. Then ask yourself these questions.

1. Can you see a difference in his handwriting?If you began cursive this year, is your child now able to recognize & write letters he couldn't at the beginning of the year. Is his handwriting smaller and are the letters more distinct?
2. If you did a placement test at the beginning of the year, have your child take it again. How did she do? Are there areas which need addressed before the year ends? If so, now if the time to work on those items.
3. Math is one of the easiest areas to see progress. Look at the math skills your child was learning in September. Now look carefully at the skills he is working on today. Most likely, he would not be able to complete today's work if he wasn't making progress.
4. Pull out one of the reading books you were using in September. Have your child read it to you today. Is her reading smoother? Can she speed through the pages? If so, that is progress!
5. Create a grammar review quiz for your child. How well did your child do? Does he remember the main parts of speech you've been covering? Does he remember how to address an envelope or type a business letter? Is his grammar more fluent?
6. Did you work on geography earlier in the year? If so, quiz your child again. How did she do? If you aren't satisfied with the results, a review might be in order before the year ends.
   
7. Now is a good time to evaluate your material as well. Is your child using material which complements his learning style? It is important to remember, what works for one child might frustrate another. As a homeschooling parent, you have the privilege of choosing what material works best for each of your children. Use that privilege!
   
8. Finally, review the goals you made for each of your children before the year began. What would you add to those goals, what can you check off?
   

Don't get discouraged, there is time before the year ends to improve on areas which need help. However, if you don't know what those area's are, you won't know where to start.

I'm guessing, you'll be amazed how far each of your children have come this year. Why not take today and look back, then at dinner, celebrate the progress each child has made this year.