Often times the number one question I get about homeschooling is, “how do you manage 3 homeschoolers?” This question used to be bothersome, but now I am accustomed to it. Let me be frank, homeschooling different grade levels requires a tad bit more time, but it is easily manageable. Managing is my forte. I usually pick the a topic for the week/month and create developmentally appropriate activities for each level surrounding that one specific topic. Sometimes this get’s tricky. Sometimes what we “think” is developmentally appropriate may not always be. Let me elaborate on that a bit, (while you’re thinking, “how doesn’t she know what is developmentally appropriate for her own children) sometimes, I assume, that an activity may or may not be too hard or too easy for my homeschooler, often times I am right, but other times, when I am wrong, I have noticed that it is helpful to let them be challenged or to help their fellow classmates with an activity that they think is less of a challenge.
Let’s talk about this managing business… managing, although my forte, does get tedious, and can be annoying. I have been homeschooling for roughly five years and have found that while following the state standards as a guideline is appropriate, I let it consume my goals & aspirations for MY process. So, I have let that go. I glance at the state standards and I line my own goals, activities, and yearly plans up with where my children are developmentally and where they want to go, specific to their individualities. It also helps to let them be the guide as to what they want to learn, you would be surprised how many times we dove into a topic far deeper than I would have planned based on their own curiosities! Even on their own free time! I also use many websites, (pre-screening required), libraries, and even apps! We live in a technological age that we need to embrace, doing so allows us to multi-task and develops our children’s skills while doing so.
Another given is to change your mentality. Learning is simple. Teaching is simple. Often times the overwhelming sensations we feel as homeschooling moms are that we need to hit each guideline, fit in all these activities, and have an enormous collection of worksheets completed. Please. Stop. Printing. Worksheets! Not only are you harming the environment, but they are not required for learning. Documentation? Yes, perhaps, but so are online logs of activities. Breath and remind yourself that learning is not about the quantity, but the quality! I have to remind myself this all the time.
New homeschooling moms, I know you have had panic attacks about if your child is “as smart as” public school children. You probably wonder how they would do on all the state assessment tests. Some of you may have your child assessed, just to make sure. Let me re-assure you, your child, has one-on-one, undivided attention with you during schooling. Your child is not sitting in a noisy classroom of 24+ other children. They have you and you will be able to answer their questions first hand, guide them, and in doing so you will do better than what the public school system can give them. I promise.
I will not go on a tangent about how I think homeschooling rocks and public school is mediocre, because I am sure that you are aware of where I stand on that topic. I will let you know that if you are even thinking about doing it, you can shoot me a message any time and I will help guide you into the right direction of getting started.
Just be aware that by taking that leap, you will feel utter freedom. This freedom is amazing. Your child will not be sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day, 1/2 for lunch, and a 1/2 for recess. Your child will not bring home a pound of homework. You will not have to feel the late evening time crunch for dinners, homework, baths, and bed times. What you will feel is schooling on your time, vacationing on your time, flexibility, no notes to sign, no paperwork, nada. You will thoroughly enjoy it. Some days may be tougher than others, but you will realize how much your child will blossom!
Let’s talk about my library, because it rocks! Some libraries will allow homeschooling families to utilize their “teacher” programs. I do not accumulate late fees, A-MA-ZING! I also can email my library a topic, specific grade levels, what materials I want and they will gather them and have them available for me to pick up on the dates that I requested them. How convenient is that? I sometimes will plan months in ahead, requesting everything I need. ( I do want to add that I do not use any store-bought curriculum. I have a hard time getting trust worthy text books and feel the internet offers all the research we need. We will use some biographies and other knowledgeable books from the library. I have never bought any curriculum, nor do I ever plan too.)
My heart LOVES homeschooling. Going to school for teaching helped, but I have had a “teacher” mentality ever since I was young. I enjoy explaining things to people, I love leading, and if you were to talk to my family they will tell you I get out my “teacher voice.” The boys also know that I tap into this different personality while I am leading them. LOL! It’s that management piece coming out in me. At this point in time my oldest homeschooler is in 8th grade and is so accustomed to our homeschooling process, he does things without hesitation. I never really have to micromanage them. My 4th grader also is aware of what our daily process entails and will jump right in without being told to do so. My 1st grader on the other hand is still in the “acquaintance” period. He has to be told what we are doing and sometimes would rather be doing something else. These are the battles that are difficult for me because… let’s say our topic of reading was a book that he didn’t necessarily WANT to read, at this stage, I don’t really care what book it is as long as he is reading and WANTS to read. So on instances like that, I let it go. You don’t want to read that one, let’s pick something you do want to read. There are other situations when this happens that I know he needs to learn it, but he doesn’t like how I am teaching it. I will have to change my perspective on the lesson and switch it up for him. (There are 10,000 ways to skin a cat and this is most applicable to teaching)
He will get the hang of it. This frustration he feels is the frustration I had felt when I first took on homeschooling. I knew what I wanted to do, but felt that I just didn’t know how to get from point A to point Z. Over time you get the your rhythm and your children will get on that same rhythm. While I choose a more laid back, self-guided, homeschooling process. You and your homeschoolers may like a stricter process. That’s the joy of this. You can customize the schooling for your own children, for your family, and for yourselves.
If you have any questions or suggestions please leave them in the comments.
Thanks!
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