3 Lessons Every Homeschooler Needs to Learn
When I first began homeschooling, my oldest child was only 4 years old. Initially, we tried Islamic school for him, but after months of not adjusting to the environment, we chose to pull him out and pursue home education instead.
Fast forward 10 years later, and our homeschooling journey continues (with 4 more children in the mix).
While I'm still learning all that this adventure has to teach me, when I look back at our years so far, a few important lessons stand out.
1. Know Your WHY
Educating your children at home is no easy feat. And it's vital that you know why you've chosen this path.
Your WHY will become the foundation that forms your purpose and approach to educating your children.
It will be what helps ground you and your family when the homeschooling noise gets too loud.
And it will be the compass that guides you back to the right course when you see that you've veered off.
Everyone's WHY will be different of course.
Mine was to give my children the time and freedom they needed to thrive. I wanted them to learn in ways they enjoyed, and learn through topics that interested them.
Some choose this path to get away from the pressures and stress of modern-day school systems. Others, because of an urgent or unexpected life change that required it. Others, because they saw their child falling through the cracks and wanted to give them more personal attention.
Whatever your WHY, by naming it and understanding it deeply, you help root yourself and your children in a sense of purpose behind the learning, rather than burning yourselves out bouncing around from trend to trend.
2. Be An Active Participant
Homeschooling is not a passive process.
If you're expecting your children to sit by themselves, learn without guidance or support, and magically produce mastery over every subject under the sun, you will be sorely disappointed.
Your children need your active involvement in their educational journey.
As a homeschooling parent, the burden of educating your child falls on you. This means that you are essentially responsible for what they learn, when they learn it, and how well they learn it. A key part of being successful in that role is knowing where your child is at, what they need, and working towards facilitating that.
"So, are you saying that I have to teach my child everything myself?" 😱
Nope.
What I am saying is that whether you choose to teach your child everything yourself, sign them up for a class, hire a specialized tutor, or join a homeschool cooperative, you need to remain intimately aware of your child and do your diligence in making sure their educational needs are being met.
If you sign your child up for a class, staying involved may look like communicating with the teacher about their progress, and helping your child build systems to stay on top of any homework that's assigned.
If you're using a tutor, playing an active role might include knowing, before you hire someone, exactly what struggles your child has and discussing with the tutor which strategies they plan to use to help your child improve, and how you can support that growth outside of the tutoring sessions.
If you're teaching your children at home, being active looks like selecting curricula that are engaging for your child and having a solid plan of how much you will cover and when. It also looks like learning to explain concepts in multiple ways for your child. It can also look like allowing your child to pursue their interests and locating resources, materials, and groups that can help them bring their ideas to life.
In all of these situations, and more, when parents take responsibility and play an active role in the learning process, children and homeschooling thrive.
3. Never Stop Learning
You don't need to be a teacher to home-educate your children. But it helps to be a great student!
It's challenging to find comfort and confidence as a homeschooler without knowing what you're getting into, and what possibilities and resources are out there to help. So start learning.
Learn about your state's homeschool laws and your rights and responsibilities as a home educator.
Learn about the various homeschool methodologies and how you can leverage them to benefit your child.
Learn about what interests, hobbies, and passions your children have and how you can help fuel them.
Learn about the different homeschool groups in your area, what their values and approaches are, and which ones align with your family's educational goals.
And after you've learned all of that, and as you grow into your homeschool journey, keep on learning new things.
Learn about parenting and emotional intelligence so you can better support your children as they grow.
Learn about the transitions that happen between ages and stages.
Learn more about the subjects you're not great at so you can better help your child when they get to them.
Learn about yourself, how to meet your needs, fill your gaps, and follow your own interests, passions, and hobbies. Your children need to see you thrive, too.