Homeschooling 101

If you had told me ten years ago that I would be a homeschool mom, I would probably have laughed in your face. I had been a tenured public school teacher & administrator and came from a family of educators. Due to my limited and misguided view of homeschooling, I frowned upon it. Homeschooling was not very popular in New York, at the time. In fact, it was viewed as weird, and relegated to socially awkward people. I couldn’t possibly be in the house all day singing, “Kum By Yah My Lord,” with my kids! I consider myself an extrovert, so homeschooling never appealed to me. 

My journey to homeschooling actually occurred unusually. I was at a Women’s Retreat in New Jersey in the fall of 2010. My friend Kim Hagans of Auburn, Alabama was actually the guest speaker that weekend. I was thrilled to be there to get away and fellowship with other women for the weekend. During one of the worship sessions, I felt as though someone whispered to me and said, “Look into homeschooling.” I looked around to see if someone was, in fact, speaking to me, but it was evident that everyone was either praying or singing. I dismissed the thought and hadn’t considered it again until I moved to Alabama the following year. Once I relocated to Alabama, as I contemplated the options for schooling my then two-year-old, one of the first people whom I met happened to be a seasoned homeschool mom of four children; as well as the Director of a local cover school. I saw this as a sign from God that I needed to at least “look into homeschooling.”

That was about seven years ago.  Since then, I have learned a few things that might be helpful to someone who is considering homeschooling.

 

1. Make It Your Own In the beginning, I tried to bring my experience as a classroom teacher in our home. I had a schoolroom decorated with posters, charts, and various learning centers. This worked for a little while, but soon I felt stifled and confined to that one room. I needed to be free to explore and learn in different environments. I adopted the philosophy that the world is my classroom. So, we take teaching and learning everywhere. We read signs on the highway and go on field trips (which can be as simple as visiting a local museum or the zoo). I incorporate my kids in as many unique experiences as possible. We visit local nursing homes and participate in service learning opportunities. Just as your home is a reflection of your personal style, the way you homeschool needs to be your own to make it authentic and enjoyable. Don’t be afraid to experiment with what other people are doing, but if it is not working for you, don’t force it.

2. Just Start In my mind, I envisioned days where everything would work like clockwork. We would all wake up refreshed, brush our teeth, make our beds, say our prayers, eat breakfast, clean up the kitchen, read the Bible, sing songs, and then delve into our school work for the day. That ideal may have happened once or twice in my years of homeschooling.  Maybe it occurs more often for other families, but unfortunately, that’s not the case in our household. Most mornings, I just have to start. I instruct the older two to start working on something independently while I cook breakfast, unload the dishwasher, or toss a load of laundry into the washing machine. We don’t have a rigid schedule. If we don’t finish everything, there is always another day. Life is not all about academics.

3. Find a Community As I mentioned earlier, I enjoy socializing with others. Once my oldest son turned four years old, we joined Classical Conversations (www.classicalconversations.com). It was a Godsend for me at the time because I thought I was going to lose my mind being in the house all day with two kids. I remember praying and telling God that if He didn’t send help, then I didn’t think I could do this homeschool thing after all. The best part about being in a community is that you and your children are able to meet friends and build relationships. It’s been one of the most fulfilling parts of our homeschool journey. Another helpful tip is to find a Facebook group for homeschoolers. You can post questions and learn from the experience of seasoned homeschool families.

4. You Can Do It Contrary to popular belief, you do not need a teaching degree to successfully homeschool your children. In fact, most of what I have learned about homeschooling has been “learning on the job.” Although I was a school teacher, my experience was in Secondary English Language Arts. I didn’t have to teach somehow how to read, handwriting, or math. There is a plethora of curriculum out there (if you choose to use one). If you love your child and want to see him/her succeed, you can homeschool. And by the way, you don’t have to do all the teaching. You can “outsource” some of the subjects. In addition to Classical Conversations, which we attend once a week, my children are also enrolled in other classes during the week. This breaks up the time from being at home, as well as gives the teaching parent a break. Although we have never participated in one, co-ops might be another helpful way to share the teaching responsibility, especially if each person has strengths in a different subject.

5. Take it Easy Be willing to just take a breather from “traditional school work.” You are the teacher. You don’t have to be a slave to a curriculum or your agenda. If things are not going smoothly, give yourself permission to stop and do something different. For example, today, I realized that we needed to do something fun. So, each child created their own “Vision Board” on large Post-It Sheets. We all enjoyed flipping through magazines to find the perfect picture to represent who we are and what we love.