Maybe you have been forced into the craziness of quarantine-schooling or perhaps you have made the decision to give this homeschool thing a try. Either way, I hope these tips will encourage you to take a deep breath in the midst of your journey. It will be a change from your normal, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep your sanity. After all, sometimes change can be a very good thing.
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Be confident~ Do you know any children who were taught at home and have grown up and done something good with their life? I hope you can answer yes. It isn’t surprising that many well-respected men and women of the past were homeschooled. Thomas Edison and Sandra Day O’Connor are just two of the many examples I could give. It was their mothers and fathers who did the educating. Don’t be fooled. Times haven’t changed that much. You are capable of educating your child. I will also add that homeschooled children become quite skilled at educating themselves and will learn even more than the parent knows to teach them.
Be teachable~ Admit that you don’t know it all and that is alright! One of my favorite aspects of teaching my children is how much I learn in the process. They will ask questions to which I won’t know the answer. But together we can find it! In this, you are teaching them the art of independent learning and how to gain knowledge by doing research. Also, let your children teach you what they know. Allow them to share their interests and knowledge with you. Encourage their love of learning (even when you must embarrassingly admit you didn’t know that fact before!).
Be patient~ This includes with yourself and your children. Do not expect to get it right all the time. You are human. You will grow and learn and grow some more. Please be patient with your kids as well. This is an adjustment for them. It can be a positive change or one that causes scars. You have a part in that. Your attitude sets the tone for the attitude of your children. Also, don’t be tempted to compare them to other kids their age or even their own siblings. Each student will learn at a different pace and will have areas of brilliance as well as subjects of struggle. This is normal and should be accepted as long as the child is putting forth effort. Do your best to encourage and build your child up rather than tearing him down.
Be flexible~ During this time of brand new, it is not a good idea to be strict with your time frame of school work each day. As a homeschool graduate and mother of 3 students, I can honestly say we love the flexibility of our homeschool routine! It does not need to mimic the normal school day you and your children are accustomed to. In reality (and for a number of different reasons), it will not take as much time at home as it did at school. Depending on your unique situation, you may need to work on the assignments in the evening or even throughout the day in chunks of time. We find that a routine is more helpful than a time-strict schedule.
Be creative~ Don’t feel guilty if you decide to step out of the box and do things differently. Your children don’t need more worksheets to complete or tests to study for. They need hands on learning and good books to read or study. You might be surprised by how much a child can learn through play too. School shouldn’t be boring. Don’t settle for someone else’s idea of a normal education.
Be realistic~ You cannot do all the teaching, cooking, cleaning, laundry, entertaining, and more all by yourself. Please don’t try. This is a great opportunity to introduce the idea of the family being a team. If your children don’t currently have some kind of responsibility in the home, then consider what you can expect them to accomplish. Or, if they currently have chores, evaluate whether they could take on some more tasks. They have more “free” time on their hands and you, quite possibly, have less. If your children are school-age, they are plenty old enough to help out. It will take some patience in the beginning to train and oversee, but the rewards you reap will be worth it in the end. Think of it as Home Economics!
Be connected~ Don’t isolate yourself from others! If at all possible, have meaningful conversations with other adults daily. Find people who support you in this endeavor. They don’t have to be homeschool mothers. Just seek people to keep you accountable and encouraged. Text, call, or visit face to face if possible. We all know what isolation can do to us mentally. It is not healthy.
Be thankful~ Having your children home is something for which to be thankful. Sure, the house is filled with noise and messes, but there is nothing more satisfying than having all my people under our roof at the same time. It can be easy to focus on the burden or inconvenience when days aren’t going as we planned. Even in these moments, choose to enjoy your kids. Be amazed at how their face lights up when they finally understand a difficult concept you have been trying to explain. Be thankful for this opportunity and the blessings you have been given in your children.
Be gospel-minded~ Parents have good intentions when choosing to educate a child at home. But all too often it is done for the wrong reasons. We should not decide to homeschool based on fear. Fear of what the public school system will teach, fear of missing important years of our child’s life, or fear of the social interaction they would have if sent to school. Fear-based schooling leads to a parent who worries, hovers and feels overwhelmed by their decision. Instead, we can have a gospel mindset that focuses on love. We love God. We love our children. Love spurs us on to what is best for them based on our Biblical mandate as parents. The only way to have a gospel mindset is by daily feeding our souls and minds with the truth found in God’s Word. Love-based homeschooling is freeing and grace-filled! Being gospel-minded will transform your homeschool in wonderful ways while fear will only cripple it.
Don’t misunderstand me here. There will be days of insanity! But the promise of our faithful God is that He Who began a good work in us, will see it through to completion. He will never leave us or forsake us. He will equip us so that we may abound in every good work.
Seeking Wisdom,
