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I never thought I would study my children at home. I have undoubtedly loved many of the concepts of homeschooling: the idea of having my kids at home with me. Less time on things like carpool lines. More time to let them explore nature and the world around them. But I never thought I Perfect for the role of a homeschooling mother.
But last year things changed dramatically for us with COVID and I found myself in this role in an unexpected way. So far I have never shared our homeschooling experience in detail. If you’ve ever wondered more about homeschooling or have had the idea swirling in your head, I hope this post was insightful and encouraging for you or someone in your circle!
Here are some lessons I learned from our homeschooling experience:
It doesn’t have to be forever.
I always thought you were a school family or a homeschooling family, but the decision to homeschool for a year doesn’t mean you’ll always be homeschooling. During my daughters’ years in private school, I have known many families who have homeschooled one or more of their children.
Here are a few common reasons families consider homeschooling for a season:
- If your child is struggling at school and spending a year at home one-on-one with you can improve skills like reading or math.
- If you are dissatisfied with your child’s school curriculum or certain protocols and want more control over their education and day.
- If your family wants the freedom to travel or accept unique job opportunities. Our family used our homeschooling experience to live in Colorado and Florida.
- If your child is being bullied, you may want to consider taking him out of school and homeschooling until a new school is found.
- If your family just needs to hit the reset button and step back from a fast-paced and high-pressure culture.
You don’t have to be a teacher to teach your kids.
Ah, how I appreciate all our school teachers after a year of homeschooling. This is not easy! But fortunately, most homeschooling materials and textbooks show you exactly how to teach something. Shurley Grammar is a great example.
I will note that I homeschool my second and fifth grade students. I didn’t homeschool my eighth grader – he did virtual learning. while to be able to Last year, with everything I went on (homeschooling two, plus one three years old at home!).
No need to stress about homeschooling materials.
There are so many resources and Instagram pages devoted to it, which can be overwhelming. I chose to stick with the Charlotte Mason method as my daughters always went to a school that used many of these principles, so I was really familiar with the methods already. As for the materials, a friend of mine is putting together the homeschool curriculum, so I trusted his guidance. We did not use a single curriculum company for materials, but instead a variable range of products, including Saxon Math and Shurley Grammar. Learn more about homeschooling resources Here.
My advice in this regard is not to get too hung up on the materials. Research, but don’t worry. It doesn’t have to be perfect right away; You can adjust as you go. For example, after a Latin semester, I felt my daughter needed more help, so I enrolled her in a weekly online class during the second semester. It helped a lot!
You don’t have to do it all yourself.
I mentioned the Latin class above, but see what else you can outsource. My mother-in-law is a retired former teacher. He taught my fifth grader Literature and my sophomore American History over FaceTime in an amazing way. They also tried to read aloud with books such as black stallion and Stuart Small. (I even ordered two books – one for her and one for my daughter). It was an invaluable blessing in these difficult times. Their relationship with Grandma deepened through their daily (and rich!) conversation.
Siblings can also help each other. I had my older sisters check out the younger sisters’ math work, which helped with their skills. I was so good at delegating!
Many cities have homeschooling groups and cooperatives that share responsibility for teaching. We didn’t do this because of COVID, but also because I really wanted to enjoy the freedom of being nowhere. If I were homeschooling a middle or high school student, I would definitely consider it.
You are free in your day and in your lessons.
As you can see from our Instagram photos last year, my girls spent a lot of time in nature and we adjusted our lessons according to the season and where we are. While at the beach, I collected a lot of books about the ocean and marine life. While in the mountains we read about the frontier and visited old mining villages. I really enjoyed this part of homeschooling.
I also liked the flexibility. There were days when we couldn’t move on to math or any other subject. For the rest of the week we just adjusted and made up.
It gives you more time to pour it on your kids.
Homeschooling gives you more time to pour truth and love into your children. During a normal year, my kids are at school all day and come home to do homework and dinner (and an activity some nights), so there’s limited time for moral education and deep discussion. It does, but homeschooling has given us no doubt more time to talk about important things, read the Bible, read aloud, and have wonderful family conversations. During a difficult year, this was even more important.
It keeps them young.
Many fifth graders in our area have cell phones and talk about very young stuff. But homeschooling allowed my fifth grader to stay a kid a little longer. He and his sisters have always had strong imaginations but during this time they have been soaring at home. Being at home and largely taking away the technology kept their innocence a little longer. I am very grateful for that!
It is binding.
COVID + homeschooling has slowed us down and brought us together. And it brought my children closer together. Yes, there have been difficult days. And tears. And disappointments on everyone’s part. (Many draws!) But it’s also refined. Children learn to be patient with each other. They learn to be helpful and responsible.
I enjoyed homeschooling and will look back on that time with love. I would even consider doing it again! Homeschooling may seem overwhelming, but as mothers and with so much resources and community out there, we can be well equipped to do it for our children if needed. So, if you are considering homeschooling for your family, I hope this will encourage you on your journey. But whether you’re a homeschooling family, your kids are in school full time, or you choose virtual learning, know that we all make the best decisions for our families!
lee
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