What a true statement that I am learning first hand! We have almost completed a year of homeschooling, and I have to be honest: It Has Been Challenging!
Homeschooling is definitely not something to be taken lightly. We had prayed for guidance regarding this decision, and I still believe this is where God had us for this school year. However, we are now re-evaluating and praying about what we will do for the next school year.
Homeschooling has had its great advantages for us. We have had a flexible schedule which has allowed us to travel to see our family more easily. I have also enjoyed having my son at home and not in a classroom all day long. It has been wonderful to see first hand the progress he is making when it comes to learning, especially with reading.
But, on the flip side, we have had many challenges! One of the greatest challenges has simply been the idea of me being the teacher. For some kids, it is “cool” or at least okay for their parent to be their teacher. This has not proved to be the case for my son. Don’t get me wrong, we do have our good days, but we have probably just as many bad ones. He has never done well with me as his teacher, even when I’ve been his teacher at church. Homeschooling hasn’t been any different. He really doesn’t see me as his teacher. He sees Mrs. B (at our supplemental school) as his teacher. Maybe this has worked to our disadvantage, although I don’t believe so. He excels on Tuesdays and Thursdays at our supplemental program. It’s almost always a fight on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to do school. Spankings, time-outs, giving or taking privileges – you name it and we’ve tried it this year when it comes to getting him interested and enjoying homeschooling. Nothing has seemed to work.
I must also speak to the fact that I am a very organized and detailed person. I am very time oriented, always sticking to a schedule and keeping things as organized as possible. Even with my Type A personality, homeschooling has been challenging. I say this as a warning to those who are considering homeschooling. IT IS HARD WORK – no matter what others may say. Don’t think that you can just get up every morning, sit with your child for a few hours, and school is complete. It takes planning, organization, and perseverance. It takes putting everything else on the backburner for those hours that school is in session. I don’t say these things to scare anyone away from homeschooling, only to point out the challenges. I think lots of people view homeschooling as “the easy way out,” that it’s for lazy parents and kids who don’t want to conform to the public education system. This is totally wrong. When done correctly, homeschooling is time consuming, takes much work and planning, yet is very rewarding.
If you are considering homeschooling, I suggest you talk with someone who has been homeschooling and get some feedback. Make sure you are ready to take on this huge responsibility of educating your child, because homeschooling is Not for the faint of heart!
It is ironic that I ran across this page today. I have been homeschooling my daughter (2nd grade) for well over a year and my son (5th grade) for just a few months. I do believe this is the direction God wants me to take with my children’s education. Yet, each day is a varying struggle with my daughter to the extent that today I thought to myself I might actually be damaging the relationship she and I have! What keeps me going? I do feel this is God’s plan, and I am afraid she would be lost in a public school setting. To those who find homeschooling is a breeze, go and hug your compliant, willing to learn child(ren). To those who struggle each day homeschooling their strong-willed child(ren), I join you in pray and tears!
We homeschool as well, and it does have its advantages, especially as we are in the process of moving to a very impoverished area in a school district that is known to have its problems.
I listed some advantages and disadvantages with schooling options here: http://differentway4kids.blogspot.com/2011/01/comparison-of-school-options.html.
Even more, you may want to check out the Related Links, as I “interviewed” 3 families that we know and respect, who each made different schooling decisions (public, private, home).
DON’T GIVE UP! AND DO NOT BE AFRAID! Homeschooling will be the best thing you can ever do for you and your kids. Talk to as many experienced homeschoolers you can find and be sure, once you begin, to meet with them regularly. In my 20 years of homeschooling I have come to feel that Type A’s have the hardest time relaxing and letting it flow. Once you do that, you will be able to see the blessings that result from homeschooling in the confidence, self-knowledge, and self-reliance your child develops.
If you really believe that God wanted you to homeschool, I hope you will not give up so easily. The first year can be tough. But you can try different ways until you find what works for you both. Maybe try dropping the supplemental school until you and your son learn to work together? Just a thought. I have homeschooled since 1996. I have tried many different things. The Sonlight method works best for me,but I am not Type A. I do it MY way, not with the Teacher’s Guide. There are so many options. Good luck and may you trust that God will equip you if that is His will for you. Oh, and for me, I do it because I believe God called me to do it, even thought it is sometimes difficult. I have wanted to quit many times, but God has not given me peace about that decision. This year has been my best year ever and I am teaching four of my six children. It can be done! I agree that homeschooling teaches the parent as much as it teaches the child!
brandi,
very true. this has been our first year homeschooling also. i’ve enjoyed following your posts on the subject. many times they have mirrored my own. homeschooling is harder than i ever thought it would be. however, it has been the best choice for our family for this year. i wonder if i’ve learned more than the kids? like about patience, grace, and discipline, about my children’s learning styles, their strengths and weaknesses (allowing them to make mistakes is hard, but essential), and about having fun. structuring much time for learning through play is something i have had to learn.
thanks again for sharing!
I homeschooled my son from K-12. He is in college and has had no problem, rather has been a head of the game. I am NOT a type A. We had a very laid back system, but got through our work every day. I don’t get a lot of phone calls on a normal day, so that really wasn’t an issue for me. The 1st year or 2 I tried coping school the way I learned it. He sat at a desk in what we designated as the school room. But we began to relax, we sat on the couch or the floor or even outside. Not only did school still get done, my son enjoyed it so much more- and so did I. I’m not a big planner. I worked through a system that selected books and kept records for me on tests and such. I had to keep attendance charts and that sort of thing, send in grades for daily work at the end of the year. So the work was basically set out for us, we just did it. After his Sr. year he even got a diploma. Honestly, I never found homeschooling all that difficult, but very rewarding. I was told a mediocre job at homeschooling would be better than public school. Once he got in college, I found out how true that was. Not only did he know how to learn, enjoyed learning, but he was able to relate so well to his teachers. He found his classmates somewhat immature. We were able to take many trips through the years that had he been in school he wouldn’t of been able to take. Learning from a book can’t come close to experiencing something.
All that being said, not everyone is going to homeschool. Each family has to decide what works for them. But when you’re thinking about it remember, it’s not just what they learn in school that matters, but what they don’t learn. If you’re sending your child to public school they will not learn how God is involved in history, science, and all areas of life, how music can glorify God, caring for your body is taking care of the temple of God. Parents need to keep a close eye on what their kids are being taught, what their kids are learning from their friends, and so many other things. No matter what, it takes lots of prayer and time with your kids to teach them the things of God. When we stand before the throne, God will want to know how we raised our kids, He won’t be asking the schools.
having homeschooled for the past 14 or so years, I agree, it is hard work. BUT it is SO rewarding in many ways.
I found that when I lightened up, and stopped trying to do school at home, we had a much better time with learning at home. It was the desks, the rigid schedule, etc that seemed to bring on the worst of the mom as teacher vs. child as student battle.
We’ve more to a Lifestyle of Learning approach (not exactly) and it has freed up our learning and made it more delightful :)