I’d like to tell you it was a perfectly smooth and wonderful experience right from the start, but that would be terribly far from the truth. The truth is - I hated it. I felt inexperienced and inadequate. Who was I kidding? I was no teacher. I was a fake, and I was going to fail my kids. To the rescue came a friend of mine who I affectionately dubbed, "The Queen of Home School." Free of charge, she had developed a well rounded curriculum for my kids using the same books and methods she had used with the many children she had home schooled for the last eight years. She held several advanced degrees in education and she was certainly very experienced, so what was wrong?
A month or so of teaching her curriculum left me and my kids bored and frustrated. I knew this wasn’t working, but I felt stuck. I had made the decision to teach them at home, and by God, I was sticking to it! I took a weekend to reassess my situation and refocus on what was important to me about home schooling my kids in the first place.
Then, like a ton of old textbooks, it hit me. This curriculum, as wonderful as it was, did not fit my teaching style. And since I couldn’t effectively teach it, I had no idea if it was even right for my kids. To solve the problem, I cast aside guilt and self-doubt, and pieced together my own curriculum. Not only was it working, it was actually fun. So, if you are deciding to home school, here are 5 things you should keep in mind:
- Stop doubting yourself! Hey, you do not have to be a PhD in order to teach your own kids. I know of several awesome home schooling moms who didn’t even finish college. Most of us don’t remember our grade school lessons well enough to teach them, but that’s why we rely on books and other resources. Like riding a bike, a short review of the concepts you’ll need to teach will have you armed and ready to face those lessons head on. Be confident in your abilities. If you encounter negative responses from your family or friends regarding your decision to home school, respectfully request that they be supportive, or be quiet. More than likely, they have no idea of what home schooling is all about, and they are not responsible for the core education of your children.
- Curriculum and Schedules are Flexible. There are innumerable choices for you and your kids when it comes to choosing a curriculum. You can purchase one ready made, complete with textbooks, workbooks, CD-ROMs, pens, paper, daily schedules, grade and attendance logs, etc. An example of this would be the Calvert curriculum (www.calvertschool.org), or Core Curriculum (www.core-curriculum.com). You can find affordable internet-based programs, like the ones at www.time4learning.com or www.brainpop.com, and you can visit free sites that help children work on certain skills like www.aaamath.com and www.aaaspell.com. Be sure to check your state's home school guidelines, and as long as you fulfill those requirements, the possibilities are endless. Also, remember your school hours do not have to fall between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. You can teach during evenings and even on weekends!
- Never feel stuck. One of the greatest benefits of home schooling is freedom of choice. After choosing a curriculum you may find that it simply doesn’t work with your teaching style or with your child’s learning style. It’s never too late to switch.
- Get Support. The road of home schooling is not without its road blocks, detours, and occasional bumpy rides. Unlike other jobs, many times we don’t get tangible incentives and bonuses that motivate us to keep going. It’s during these times that we need support and encouragement. Hook up with other local home schooling moms and dads in your area. Join an e-group or forum specifically for homeschoolers. These are venues to vent your frustrations as well as receive constructive solutions, advice, tips and ideas.
- Enlist Help. I know several home schooling parents that share teaching duties. Lisa taught her 4th and 6th graders the bulk of their subjects, while her husband Presley taught them math and science during evening hours and on the weekend. Arisa enlisted her sister to teach the kids social studies and art. Another way of getting help is enrolling your child in karate or gymnastics classes for physical education, or finding local community programs for art or foreign language classes. Enlisting help lightens your load a bit, gives you some free time, and gives the kids a welcomed break from the routine.
