Could I Really Do This Homeschool Thing?

Many of you have had the thought cross your mind... "Could I Really Do This Homeschool Thing?"
I want to talk to you about some of the common fears that you can overcome by realizing the freedom that comes with homeschooling both spiritually for you and your children and mentally for your child in the learning at home setting.

When I talk to moms about homeschooling their kids.  The most common responses are these.
1. "What if I get frustrated with my kids and my kids get frustrated with me?"
2. "What if I am inadequate to meet their learning needs?"
3. "I just don't think I will be consistent enough."
4. "Do your kids do things to stay social with other kids regularly?"
5. "What kind of curriculum do you use?"

All of these responses are generated from fear.  But our God is not a God of fear.  We have the power to overcome fear by the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus.  These are all really good, legitimate questions, however, for a mother who has never experienced the homeschool "lifestyle".

1. From the time that my mother pulled me out of school 13 years ago there have been times of frustration between my mother and I and my own children and I.  But there is also frustration in the public/private schools your child is attending. The difference between public school frustration and the "Mom-And-Me" frustration you may experience is that your frustration is generated out of love for your child and your desire to see him/her succeed.  Frustrating days are common in homeschooling, but it brings you closer as a family and your child is shown on a daily basis how much you care about what he puts into his heart and mind.  The most important thing to remember for me is that I, personally, am horrible at staying on an hour by hour schedule.  Kids are unpredictable and for my family its easier to take one day at a time than become frustrated about not starting school on time.

2. It's important to have goals and know where your child is headed during the school year in order to accomplish everything that has to be done.  There are limitless resources at our disposal to understand and know what is required for our child to be successful.  Placement tests are also available to make sure that your child is staying caught up or if he/she needs to advance.  My six year old is advanced in Math.  He is doing 2nd grade math.  He is also finishing up the first grade this year in the rest of his subjects.  This is because he is able to work at his own pace.  He does more school and learns more in two hours of learning at home than he would by being at school for 8 hours.  Each child is different.  My second child is more active and it is extremely hard to keep his attention.  This is another concern for parents.  This is when one-on-one time with them is important and makes a huge difference.  I wait for my oldest to get going on something and then I go to my second child and make sure he understands what he has to do and I stand over him until he completes the task.  I will be adding a third child to the mix in a few years.  But by then, my other two will be self-sufficient enough to get things done with less help.

3. Consistency is key.  Letting your children know which days are school days and when days are coming for them to be off helps them to understand what is ahead of them.  Some days you may not get as much done as you would like.  But setting goals and trying to push your kids ahead a little in their learning will ensure you that you are on target throughout the year.  Because Aiden is advancing... I know that we are on target and I don't stress when I have to let him take the morning off because I have things to take care of. We just take a couple of hours in the afternoon or evening to knock out some work.  It's your life and your child.  If your actions are driven by love and the desire to see him succeed and you do school everyday as your routine you will find it gets easier and easier to pick up this "lifestyle".

4. For our family, church activities and community sports is enough social involvement.  We plan to include private music lessons in the future as well.  We are very active in our church because my husband is on staff there.  Our kids love playing sports and being involved in everything our church has to offer.  I don't feel that we need anything else extra curricular.  There are Homeschool Co-Op Groups that you can get involved in within your area to keep you plugged in with other moms during your transition into the homeschool lifestyle to help you a long the way and provide you with a great support system.  You make your Home School what you want it to be to fit your family.

5. Our family has always used all kinds of different curriculum.  I use so many things that I'm not sure I could give you a list.  The library is my partner in learning.  The internet is my media and object lesson provider.  I use workbooks from Wal-Mart that you can purchase between $5-$10 each because my kids are younger.  I also have had A LOT of curriculum passed down to me from other homeschool moms and friends.  My mother had a library that consisted of every book you can imagine and I inherited many of them.  I have learned how to go online and find out what my child needs to know and then get creative about how I want to teach him those things.  The possibilities are endless.

For those of you that want it laid out plain and simple in an all-in-one package.  Curriculum packages can be purchased this way as well.  www.christianbook.com has everything you need for your at home learning classroom.  I definitely have some favorites...too many to list.  But I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.