If I were to sit down and write out ALL that I wish I knew, or would say to my younger pre-homeschooling self, we would be here for a very long time. But gosh, how do you take 7 years worth of experience and cram it into one tiny blog post that will keep your readers interested?
You can’t. The answer is, you simply can’t. It’s too much. So much of it is personal. A lot of what I’ve learned is on an emotional level, somewhere so deep that the words are hard to extract.
But you came here to find out what would be good to know before stepping aboard this homeschool mom ship, so I suppose I have to leave you with a few nuggets of wisdom. But even these points were hard to write, because there is so much more to say. Perhaps I’ll follow this up with part 2: “3 MORE things I wish I knew before becoming a homeschool mom”. Then “Another 3 more things I wish I knew…”. We’ll see where inspiration takes me! For today’s article, here are just 3 things I wish I knew before diving head first into homeschool.
How precious time with our children is
Obvious, I know. This is one of the major reasons we homeschool right? Well, honestly it’s taken me years to realize that this time with my babies just slips away like water through my fingers. For us moms in the trenches, it can be hard to embrace the day-to-day when it’s quite literally 24/7, and I’m desperate for a moment of quiet and alone. But gosh, the time we have with these little humans (or not so little if you have teens) is so fleeting. We only have 18 years to help direct and mold them into the wonderful men and women we hope for them to be. Their childhood innocence only lasts so long before the world is trying to steal it away.
Mama bear, your every moment with your children is sacred. You are their everything. Homeschool isn’t just for the better education you wish for them to have – it’s something that will completely change their lives. Embrace it. Train them up in the way they should go, so that when they are grown they won’t depart from it. Handing our children over to the state, or even private educators is giving our children over to someone else to raise. But in taking on home education, you are taking your children back. You are soaking up all of the moments that would have been experienced by someone else. Your children were given to YOU to raise – it is a large calling, but you were called, and God will equip you.
I don’t need to be doing half (or more) of what I think
When I first started homeschooling I was drowning in questions about what to do, where to find curriculum, what I needed to teach, when my child should start multiplication, how to teach spelling, and so on and so forth. I also recognized that there were questions that I didn’t even know to ask yet. I felt like I was trying to map out an entire castle while my only view was through the keyhole. How did anyone ever manage to cover it all?!
Years later, I’ve realized that I never needed to stress over any of that, at all. Actually I’d have been better off doing nothing at all that first year, and just enjoying my children, allowing natural discovery and curiosities to lead us. Perhaps I lean a little bit Unschooly*, but the further into this homeschool journey we go, the more I realize that the structured stuff, especially in the early years, is so unnecessary.
*You can read more about homeschool styles here.
I am not a teacher… I am Mom, and that is more important
It’s okay that I don’t have a teaching degree or know how to do calculus. Going into our first year of homeschool, my oldest kiddo was coming out of a year of public TK – I had relented to giving school a try out of desperation for a break and on the verge of an emotional breakdown. This Kindergarten year I went into homeschool with little faith in my abilities, and just grateful that I couldn’t possibly fail a year that he had practically already completed with an actual, trained teacher. But oh the things I’ve since learned.
Without going on a long rant about why you don’t need to be a teacher to teach, I’ll leave it at this: I am Mother, and I know my child best. You are Mother, and YOU know your child best. I am not a teacher, nor do I have to be. In homeschool, we can learn new subjects together. My role is to be a steady hand of love in my child’s life. The person who helps him discover new ideas and uncover nature’s mysteries. I can help him learn how to learn, equipping him with a knowledge that will serve him for a lifetime. What’s most important is cultivating a love of learning, emotional stability, and connection. No degree required.
You can do this
Mama, if you’re considering homeschool, are new to the game, or have been in it for years already… you are your child’s best chance. Being a homeschool mom is a beautiful journey that will transform the lives of your entire family. Even if you feel overwhelmed by all that you don’t know, just get started. The best way to learn is by doing and in time you’ll find answers, end up with even more questions, and eventually find your stride. You can do this, mama.
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