Homeschooling - Your Inadequacy Is a Myth
Do you sometimes wake up in the morning second guessing yourself about your qualifications to homeschool your own children? Do your thoughts run away with you wondering if you’re making them “dumb?” I’m here to put your mind at ease.
First of all, even PRIOR to the start of the academic years (Kindergarten), you WERE teaching your children. You taught them how to smile, how to talk, how to sing, how to eat… how to walk, and more. You taught them these skills without even realizing that you WERE homeschooling them! Did you ever feel inadequate about giving birth and changing diapers? Of course you did. It’s the SAME with homeschooling. You love them and you want the best for them, so questioning yourself is part of the equation.
Even if you sometimes think you’re not cutting the mustard, I’m here to testify that you are doing just great! My oldest child was homeschooled 3rd through 11th grade. At that point, he talked me into allowing him to enroll in the local technical school (operated by the public school system). Looking back, I clearly should have stood my ground with a solid, “No”. However, against my better judgment, I allowed him to enroll.
A few months into the school year, I realized what a wonderful job I had done teaching him! My standards for his education were miles higher than what was expected of him at the tech school, and I’m not just talking about homeschool curriculum choices either. For example, I distinctly recall my Algebra II problems taking 2 to 3 pages of writing paper to solve when I was getting my own high-school diploma. I also remember my teacher giving us several of them as homework EVERY night. My son, also taking Algebra II at the public school establishment, came home with ZERO homework the ENTIRE school year. It wasn’t because he was finishing anything in class either! It was the fact there was NO homework assigned! I kid you not — they gave the students ONE problem to solve TOGETHER during class. What? I was floored at the lack of challenge and learning offered in this tax funded building.
Home school curriculum teaching isn’t just about the academics, though. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a thought process. It’s a confidence you gain when you reach that “aha” moment that you ARE already teaching them! So, why not teach them the book work, too?
Christee Brauckmann is the Director of Supplier Services at Homeschool Buyers Co-op and a 10-year veteran homeschool mom. The Co-op provides free membership for homeschooling families and offers exclusive group discounts on homeschool curriculum, as well as homeschooling resources.