YOU CAN homeschool! That’s the first of many things you need to know about homeschooling! I have been homeschooling for ten formal years, but let’s be real! We are teaching our kids at home from birth, so that’s 15 years. During that time, I have received criticism (of homeschoolers in general), questions, encouragement, and the statement, “I’m so impressed! I could never homeschool!” But now, with all the regulations being put into place for public schools, many who thought they could never homeschool are considering it. Even people who have criticized homeschooling in the past are considering it!
Have you ever thought, “I could never homeschool?” When your children were working on distance learning, did you think, “This is TOO HARD!?” I need you to really focus on these words: “You can do it!” You are capable. You can homeschool like a pro this year! Keep reading for what you need to know about homeschooling!
There is no one who knows your child better than you do! That means that you probably already know, without even having to take a college course in it, how your child learns best. You can observe your child and know his or her learning style. Really, you are the one who can explain something to your child in his known terms, so he can understand better than anyone else! You have taught your child from day one. And if you’ve ever done homework with your child, you have essentially homeschooled. Except…harder.
Here’s the thing. When you do homework with a child, that child has already been in school for at least six hours! A kid’s brain is not wired to be in school for six hours and then come home to do more school. So, basically, you’re getting the irritable and exhausted version of your child’s brain! That is going to make homework difficult!
But what if you could do that same amount of work when your child’s brain is fresh? What if you didn’t have to rush out the door every morning, yelling at your kids because you’re going to be late? And what if your child could learn the way he learns best every day! What if you didn’t have to waste 15 minutes in the “time to get a drink line” every time your child needed a drink of water? If your child eats lunch in five minutes, imagine how much time you can save on your school day! And if your child needs discipline, she can actually get it.
The benefits of homeschooling are incredible! So, if you’re even considering it, a tiny bit, please keep reading as I tell you what you need to know about homeschooling.
- Stereotypes are Inaccurate—
No. We are not all raising toothless children wearing high-water pants who can barely read or write by the age of 14! I need you to know this about homeschooling!
No. We are not all teaching our kids how to read ONLY from the Bible; how to write only from copying Bible verses; and how to add and subtract all the tribes of Israel, including the fractions lesson on the half tribe of Manasseh!
People choose to homeschool for so many reasons. Personally, our faith is one of the most important reasons, and yes, we do teach our children from the Bible. But the stereotype that that is all they learn is untrue, noble as it does sound!
No. We are not unqualified morons trying to teach our children in order to guarantee they won’t be smarter than we are!
Homeschoolers do not appreciate stereotypes any more than public schoolers appreciate the stereotypes about them. (Yes! There are many!)
- Homeschooled Children Are Often More Confident—
I watched a demonstrative speech competition between adolescents once. The girls were between the ages of ten and twelve. Some went to public school and two were homeschooled. The homeschooled girls took first and second place. Why?
It wasn’t necessarily that their speeches were so amazing, but more because they had far more confidence than any of the other girls in the contest.
Of course, that doesn’t necessarily come from being homeschooled, but hear me out. Kids who go to public school are laughed at, teased, and taunted any time they make a mistake. Homeschooled kids are just…not. They aren’t afraid to ask a question because someone else might think it’s dumb. That doesn’t even occur to them because no one has ever told them their question is dumb. They’ve never been criticized for wearing the wrong color on the wrong day, not having the highest quality school supplies, or the latest fashions. Basically, the main source of criticism for them is their siblings, which they’re probably used to already.
- Homeschooled Children CAN Have Social Lives—
Oh, if I had a nickel for every time someone said, “Your children will not know how to socialize if they are homeschooled!” Seriously? Think.
At what point in the real world are people put into groups by age? When, in the real world, are you only socializing with people your own age? The truth is that public school is a social experiment with epic proportions of weirdness that do not, in any way, mimic real-life situations.
On top of that, your children can participate in all sorts of activities with peers their age! My kids have played sports, participated in band, art programs, dance, and a myriad of other activities.
There are also other homeschool families that you can form a co-op with, as well as homeschool sports teams. There is one caveat though, I HIGHLY recommend not socializing EXCLUSIVELY with other homeschooled children!
You might disagree and that’s okay, but I believe that it’s good, especially as Christian families, to not shelter-in-place, but instead, to expose your children to the world little by little. Instead of just throwing them into the storm as little seedlings, you can allow your children to grow strong roots in their faith at home, in a greenhouse, if you will. Eventually, though, the tree has to come out of the shelter, and it’s great to do that little by little as they grow. It gives them opportunities to be a light for Christ when they are with their peers too, which is kind of the point!
- Know Your Child’s Learning Style—
Learning styles matter! If you truly want to give your children the best education possible, it’s important to know and understand their learning styles. There are many resources that can give you an overview on learning styles and even some assessments your child can take. If you don’t already know your child’s learning style, do some quick research. Basically, they are Visual; Auditory; Reading/Writing; and Kinesthetic.
Most public school teachers try to incorporate teaching of each style in their classrooms; however, kinesthetic is trickier to incorporate and it is my opinion that the majority of kinesthetic learners will be more successfully educated at home…with the right parent teaching!
Kinesthetic learners are more hands-on and thus, take more effort to teach. You can’t just sit them in a chair with their work and expect them to get it done on their own. These are the tinkerers, the builders, the kids whose list of favorite books includes Backyard Balistics. They might need to be active while learning. They may learn best by forming letters with their entire bodies, or pedaling on a stationary bike while learning to count.
But imagine the possibilities. What would it look like for your kinesthetic learner who spends most of her energy trying to control her body in public school by sitting still, to just burst forth onto a learning scene that she GETS!?
I’m telling you, friend, it is rewarding! And you can do it! You need to know this about homeschooling!
- Resources Are Endless—
Today’s homeschoolers have a ridiculous number of resources. I thought I had a lot to choose from when I was just starting—now, quite honestly, there may be too many options! You can choose a pre-made curriculum that you just have to follow throughout the year, or you can be eclectic and make your own. There are free programs and paid programs online to support your child’s learning as well.
If you’re like me, and you live in an area where there are fewer options in the public school for things such as foreign languages, for example, you can find great programs online! There are so many options, resources, and support, you should never feel like you can’t find curriculum! Be patient though. It does take some time to figure out the right fit for each child, and that’s okay! It takes even the BEST public school teachers the better half of the year to figure out each child’s strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles in their classrooms. You already know those things!
So, is homeschooling the only way? No. Are you a bad mom if you send your kids to public school? No way! Are your children heathens that will corrupt my homeschooled children if they attend public school? Absolutely not. Remember those stereotypes?
No one knows your child better than you do. And God has trusted YOU to make the best decision you can when it comes to educating that child.
BUT…and it’s a big BUT…if you’ve ever thought you might like to homeschool, but you don’t think you can, that’s NOT TRUE! YOU CAN! And if you had to supervise and implement a distance-learning plan this Spring and you thought you wouldn’t survive so there’s no way on this Earth that you could ever homeschool…NOT TRUE! YOU CAN!
Implementing someone else’s lesson plans is far more difficult than doing it yourself. It’s like you’re in charge, but you’re not really in charge. That’s not what homeschooling is. Sure, there’s a lot of work to be done on your part. It’s A FULL-TIME COMMITMENT! But with the right resources, the right curriculum, and the right support, you absolutely can do it!
And one more imperative thing to know about homeschooling is that if you give it a try and it does not work well at all, it’s not permanent! You can most certainly change your mind!
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RElated: Engineering Projects for Kids
