I made the decision to homeschool when my oldest was 4 years old. This decision did not come easily for me. Honestly I wrestled with feeling capable. How could I teach my child? I didn't have a degree in education? As I thought through it more, prayed about it, and pondered what to do....I started realizing who had taught my children everything they already knew....it was ME! I began to have confidence and a passion behind the thought of homeschooling. I would have time with my children that I could never get back, life wouldn't be a hustle and a bustle trying to get them on the bus every morning and then off to after school activities in the evening, my girls would grow up being playmates and close, I would have the freedom to pray in our school and to talk about & read about Jesus! I also thought about things like how we could have the flexibility to go on vacation or travel whenever we wanted and not be tied down to a schedule. I could tailor their academics to match their learning styles. There were so many thoughts like these that filled my head and helped seal my decision.
So are you considering homeschooling your child or children or planning to start in the coming school year? Does the thought of it overwhelm you? Do you think you are not capable or you are not sure you have what it takes? My heart and passion in starting this blog is to come alongside of YOU. To offer encouragement that YOU can do this! Start with prayer and go from there! Here is my advice and encouragement for you!
1) Remember every family/child is different, special, and unique. There are many ways to homeschool. What works for one family may not work for another. So don't feel like you have to mimic other homeschool families. Also what works for one child may not work for another.
2) Ease yourself and your children into homeschooling, especially if they have attended public school, you want to allow one month of adjustment time for each year they were in school. Don't put too much of a workload/pressure/expectation on you or your children in starting out. You don't want BURN-OUT.
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3) I have been so thankful for our local
homeschool co-op. It has allowed me and my children to build close friendships and provide support along the way! We look forward to Friday School!! So check and see if there is a local homeschool co-op in your area and...
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4) Know your "Why" for your decision to homeschool. This isn't so you can give an answer when some random stranger asks "Why in the world would you want to homeschool?" It's something for you to be reminded of, especially on those days when you see the school bus go by and wish your kids were on it! Having a vision of the bigger picture helps!
5) There most likely will be days when you feel like a big failure or when you question your decision to homeschool. Am I ruining my child? Are they learning everything they are suppose to be learning? There will be days when things come up and you don't fit any school into your day. Or even seasons of life such as when a baby is born, you are moving, sickness, etc...when you are not able to be in your regular routine. All of this is normal and OK! God has equipped YOU to teach your children. Learning does not just happen during formal school time....learning happens in the car, at the zoo, grocery store, bedtime, reading books with your kids, visiting with other people, or even making a garden!
6) I recommend also looking into becoming a member with the
Homeschool Legal Defense. There are many benefits to being a member but a huge one is that they
Protect your right to homeschool and a lawyer is on call 24/7 if ever something arises.
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7) Last but not least, RELAX, take a deep breath in, now let it out. Ok maybe that was more for me than for you...but seriously sometimes we get all stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, and allow the thought of homeschooling to seem bigger than life. The God who created the Heavens & the Earth loves you so much and He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is with you every minute of every day! He is at your side every step of this journey!
Homeschooling has been a wonderful experience so far but not perfect! It takes time to learn how your kid’s best learn and how you best teach and meshing the two together. What has been the most rewarding part is the relationship I have with my kids, the relationship they have with one another, the opportunity to disciple my kids daily, to address character issues as they arise, and to know the areas they are advanced or struggling in and be able to address them. (P.S God is constantly at work in me too with my own character issues!)
5) There most likely will be days when you feel like a big failure or when you question your decision to homeschool. Am I ruining my child? Are they learning everything they are suppose to be learning? There will be days when things come up and you don't fit any school into your day. Or even seasons of life such as when a baby is born, you are moving, sickness, etc...when you are not able to be in your regular routine. All of this is normal and OK! God has equipped YOU to teach your children. Learning does not just happen during formal school time....learning happens in the car, at the zoo, grocery store, bedtime, reading books with your kids, visiting with other people, or even making a garden!
It's good to see your gardening box with the green shoots starting. We just prepared a strawberry bed; We spent about an hour, this was for science today. We usually do a science study based on reading from a book and doing some artwork or misc. projects. So this was a little different than usual, but both kids really liked going outside, and they both helped to dig dirt (we needed to move "good, fertile soil" to another location) and spread it out in the new area. We also did some planting in a different garden-- snowpeas!
ReplyDeleteAndrea,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your helpful, sweet encouragement! I am a relatively new believer and decided to homeschool this year. I have a daughter who is 7 (she has attended public school P-1st), soon-to-be 4 year old son, and a 19 month old son. I often find myself overwhelmed and discouraged trying to figure out a routine, curriculum, etc. I have bookmarked your site and have already learned so much! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!
Wendi, thanks for your sweet comment. Congratulations on your decision first and foremost for the Lord and second with homeschooling. The whole reason I started this blog was for people just like yourself...new to homeschooling. If you ever have questions or need guidance feel free to post on my Facebook page or send an email: thehomeschoolingjourney@yahoo.com. I'd love to help in anyway I can!
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