A Homeschoolers Words of Encouragement

As parents, we have moments when we question our abilities or doubt ourselves. So, it’s only normal to question our abilities when it comes to being our child’s educator.  One of the major aspects to being a parent is TEACHING! As parents, we are our children’s first teacher, as homeschoolers we just extend our time in this role. 

Homeschooling is an intensely scary, frustrating, difficult, and amazingly gratifying journey. Seeing a concept finally click after days or weeks of struggle. Or watching them fly through lessons and eagerly gobble up information and crave more gives us an empowering sense of accomplishment. This comes from the knowledge that we, as teachers, played a big part in their success. At the same time, it is the most difficult and terrifying thing I have ever attempted. Knowing if they fail that, that too rests on my shoulders. 

There are as many reasons to homeschool as there are homeschoolers.  In the year of Covid, many have been thrown into it who never wanted or considered the option. The why is extremely important and for us, is a mission statement of sorts.  To provide an educational atmosphere that continuously unlocks the natural curiosity in us all. By doing this each individual is able to flourish. 

Part of nourishing that natural curiosity is to be FLEXIBLE! It’s one of the best features of being a homeschooler. Spend a few weeks, or even months discovering your child’s learning style, especially if you decide to work with a prepared curriculum. Many are box sets that don’t allow for refunds.  There are a few however, like the Ron Paul Curriculum that we use, that have a money back guarantee. For us, this was a huge positive as we school multiple children with different learning styles. With so much one on one instruction you’ll quickly discover if your current approach will fit your child’s learning style.

Another aspect of being flexible is in what learning and school looks like.  Homeschool is NOT public school at home. Rid yourself of the notion that learning is hours of bookwork, reading, essays and pages of arithmetic. Everyday life provides an abundance of opportunities for learning. For example; here on the homestead spring planting through fall harvest provides us weeks of math and science classes. From planting nine bean plants per one square foot how many beans will fit in a forty square foot row? To the life cycle of all the garden plants and the science of food preservation, and anatomy classes on butcher days. A good metric to use as a guide is one to four hours of structured lesson plans depending on age and “grade.” k-4 being approximately one to one and a half hours, grades 5-8 approximately two to three hours, and grades 9-12 approximately three to four hours. Keep in mind this is a guide; the rest of schooling and learning is unstructured play and child led interests.  

Whether your homeschool journey is temporary or you want to try for the long haul, bottom line is don’t stress, you’ve got this! These will be some of the most memorable and cherished days if you stay flexible and rest when you need it. 

Added bonus! I just came across a great pagan studies curriculum for kids, it’s definitely worth checking out! http://www.littlepaganacorns.com/?fbclid=IwAR1vT4KvZiXmwPoVc-dTXat1OXEBoZQEoXsqFVaM1NuAw2Y9isbWs5h9o84