The idea of homeschooling is to teach the homeschool student at his own pace. Does that mean that you should never test the knowledge of the student? How about grading the assignments that they turn in based on what instructions have been given to them. Should you grade homeschool students or just let them run free and learn as they will?
Grade them, but with no judgement
Let your homeschool student receive feedback on what they have handed in using a grade. Just don’t make them feel bad for not getting a higher grade. The feedback should be given in a constructive manner and should make them motivated to return to the subject and work out the doubts and issues they have. The idea is to help them prepare better the next time by pointing out errors that they have made this time.
Clear and consistent marking
The criterion that you are using to grade them should be made clear to them before they hand in their assignments. Tell them that they need to write full sentences and not just one word answers. Let them know in advance that if they can draw a picture or diagram with the assignment, it will help earn them a higher grade. The rules of how you set their grades should be easily accessible to the homeschool students. Perhaps even posted on the notice board in the school room so that it is always available for reference.
Timed and untimed assignments
You do not have to hurry with your sessions in the school room when homeschooling and your student does not have to rush to hand in his homework within a specified time frame. While there is no real hurry for a child to finish their assignment in a homeschool setting, giving them an occasional assignment which comes with a deadline is a good idea. This will allow them to get a taste of how they should organize themselves in case of an actual real world activity. After all if they are going to work in the real world after they grow up they need to be able to handle getting and delivering deadlines.
