My kids have been calling each other “noobs” for the past couple weeks. The other day I stopped them and asked if they even knew what a newb/noob was. Of course neither of them could give me an answer, so I explained to them that a newb was short for newbie, or someone who is new to something. Whereas a noob (the gamer version they were calling each other) is a person that doesn’t even try to get better at gaming, someone that uses cheats often and blames others for their mistakes.
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And that made me think of all the people I know that have decided to embark on homeschooling in lieu of distance learning or face-to-face public schooling this year.⠀
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Each and every one of them are newbs. They are worried about which curriculum to choose, scared that they are going to somehow ruin their kid’s lives, debating whether to create a schedule or to go along with the natural rhythm of the day, and wondering how they are going to add wonder and joy to homeschooling especially for those subjects that they are dreading having to teach. ⠀
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They deserve compassion and a helping hand, whether that be from a seasoned homeschooling guru, a newbie homeschooling blogger (cough, like me, cough), or a friend on Facebook.⠀
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Us folks in the #homeschoolcollective have a wide breadth of knowledge to share and I don’t think it matters how much experience we’ve had or how long we’ve been homeschooling or how established we are in the homeschooling community. What matters is that we support each other and share our wisdom with those that are new and perhaps struggling.
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How are you helping the newbs in your #homeschoolcommunity?⠀