Getting Ready to Homeschool

Before you even start browsing the catalog, deciding what curriculum to use, write out your mission. What is your why? Religion? Cultural influence? Family dynamics? Whatever your reason is, write it down. Commit it to memory and put it somewhere that you can see it often. This will become your true north when things get rough, because they will. One day you will look outside and see that yellow bus and wonder why your kids are not in it. You will need your mission to keep you going.

One of the most important things to remember as you start your homeschool journey is first and foremost, you are your children’s mom. The teacher thing comes later. God brought them to the world through you. He will equip and help you bring them up to what His purpose is in their lives.  So, relax and enjoy the opportunity. Homeschooling is a journey and not a race. In the end, it will become a lifestyle.

The second note to take into consideration is that all children learn differently. Some are kinesthetic learners and some are auditory learners. Knowing this and adjusting your curriculum to reflect the same will make your life so much easier. Doing so will promote mastery of the subjects, and hence the joy of learning.

Homeschooling is not school at home. Remember you have full responsibility when it comes to your children’s learning. Trying to duplicate the nuances of a regular school will rob you of the joy and elevate the stress at home. Remember, you are not restricted to timelines and schedules. For instance, if you pick to do math facts before spelling, that is ok. It is ok to do school at the park when it is nice outside.

As women, we tend to compare ourselves with others and that is no exception to homeschooling. Avoid falling into this trap. Homeschooling is different for every family. Remember, there are as many schools of thought when it comes to homeschooling as there are many homeschoolers. It would be overwhelming especially if this is your first year homeschooling.

One advantage of homeschooling is a flexible lifestyle. Life happens. It is ok to skip school and go on a trip with daddy on his business trip. Switch a lesson plan to learn about an eclipse that is happening tomorrow. Because homeschool is a lifestyle, make every opportunity a learning experience. From taking care of a newborn to grocery store trips in the middle of the day. View every day as a mystery to solve. Learning opportunities are all around us.

There will be times when you will not have an answer to their question. That is when you say, “let’s figure it out”. This will inspire them to have a love for learning. This is a skill that will help them tremendously in the future. When you show your vulnerability, you are also teaching them courage.

All being told, the key to a successful journey is consistency.

God is good.

Cleave to What is Good!