I don’t know how many times I have mentioned that I homeschool my children and people say “That’s neat” followed by “I could never do that.” The reasons they think they could never do that seem to fall mostly into two categories:
1) I’m not patient enough.
2) I don’t know enough.
I take issue with both of those reasons (though I’m not sure #1 is an honest reason), but it’s #2 that I want to address.
Nobody knows enough! I personally have a good background in math, which is what most homeschool parents seem to worry about, but I had almost no background in social studies when I started. (I got perfect grades in history, but I promptly forgot any facts I had memorized because they weren’t relevant to my life.)
The great thing about homeschooling is that you get to learn right along with your kids. And it’s fun! For those who think you can’t learn this stuff as an adult, how can you require your children to do something that you’re not willing to do yourself? How can you convince them that it’s important for an adult to know something that you don’t know? What an opportunity you have to build relationships with your children as you discover new things together.
One of my greatest blessings from homeschooling is the chance I’ve had to become a history buff, to review calculus, to renew my art skills, to learn more biology than I ever got in high school. In the process, I hope that my kids have seen that learning never stops, that every kind of knowledge is relevant, and that education is a delight.
Don’t tell anyone, but the student who learns the most in our homeschool is…me.
Amen.
ReplyDeleteI, too, feel I learn the most in our homeschool. This is probably even ACTUALLY true because I feel I have to do all kinds of "off subject" reading to be a good Mom and Wife/homemaker... like educating myself on the different homeschool philosophies, discipline aids/ideas, reading ahead to guide my eldest's reading selections, learning about the things I need to do to be more self-reliant, etc, etc!
I get those two comments from almost everyone i talk to. The most popular comment I get is," You must have an amazing amount of discipline to homeschool."
ReplyDeleteWe are a young family with 2 kids, 3 and 1. I don't know what I'm doing, yet, but I know that it's more than just having discipline. I have this intense need to see them learn and develop in a safe and loving environment.
Thanks for this blog. I will read it!
I believe discipline is important, but probably not in the way people think it is! It's all about maintaining the rhythms of your day--your meals, your school, your work, your family activities. There are so many (good) things to distract us, but I've found that keeping that daily structure is vital.
ReplyDeleteAs I am thinking about homeschooling I love to hear that I don't have to know everything and that I can learn with my kids! Not knowing enough is my biggest fear. Thank you for such a beautiful blog.
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