I still consider myself to be a new home schooler even though
this will be our fourth year of schooling our child at home.
I have to admit that home schooling has been one of the most difficult
jobs I have ever had. I never thought about home schooling in
terms of being 'easy' and always gave a great deal of credit to
families that home schooled their children from the beginning.
However, I did head into home schooling with confidence, believing
that I could teach my child successfully at home. I just didn't
realize how many home schooling options were available nor did
I anticipate how much time would be involved in setting up our
home school and in creating a viable, workable plan for each school
year.
In some ways, parents who choose to educate their children in
Christian or public school, have it much easier. They do not need
to choose the best curriculum for their children or the method
of teaching, because the school principal or district has done
this for them. But having the freedom to choose how to teach your
children as well as the materials used is one of the biggest reasons
many families choose to home school.
I think part of the problem too is in the hundred's of curriculum
options available to home schoolers. While having a wide variety
of curriculum to choose from can be a blessing, it can also be
a curse, especially when your are just starting out. I know...I
have been in the position of having to choose the 'perfect' curriculum
for my child. Even though I consider myself to be pretty level-headed,
I believed some classic home schooling myths which I think make
easing into home schooling so much harder for me. Maybe you are
under these same assumptions...if so...here are some myths that
I found to be untrue!
1. Home schooling is easy
No way. It is incredibly time-consuming, difficult, challenging
and often at times frustrating. It is not easy. It requires commitment,
determination, compromise, and most of all lots of time to plan
and schedule and then teach your children at home. It is not for
the timid nor the undisciplined nor the faint-hearted.
2. Home schooling is Inexpensive
Not true. While there are economical ways to home school and
sure you can always find good deals through used curriculum sales,
libraries, the internet, and co-ops, the truth is that home schooling
curriculum is expensive. Now it is not comparable to sending your
child to a private school but it is not free nor is it inexpensive.
Remember, the Bible promise: you will reap what you sow. If you
sow sparingly, you will reap accordingly.
There are ways to conserve costs and ways to save $$$ by using
used curriculum or online programs such as Ambleside Online (our
choice). On average, we spend about $100 per child, per year.
This is relatively inexpensive compared to packaged out-of-the-box
curriculum or full-curriculum/grade programs that can run from
$400-600 per child, per year.
3. Children can teach themselves
There are many proponents of the 'self-teaching method' who believe
that children can teach themselves by simply giving them 'classic'
books. While this is true in part, many of our nations founders
did indeed teach themselves through reading good books. However,
practical experience has shown me that children need guidance
and direction when it comes to learning new things. Young children
need mom or dad to explain new concepts to them and to show them
how to add, read, draw, print, etc. Older children, age 10 and
up, do learn most new information through reading. However, I
do not know of very many 10 year olds that are responsible enough
to 'teach' themselves.
Moreover, home schooling is a family-oriented activity. The reason
why we choose to home school is because we desire to be home with
our children and we want to participate with them as they learn
new things.
4. If things don't work out as plan, I can always put my child
back in...
I think that this is one of the worst excuses for poor home schooling
I have ever heard. Children need consistency, not only in their
expectations but also in the school books and methods. Pulling
children out of public or Christian school and then putting them
back in just because 'things' didn't work out, tells your children
that schooling is not a priority to you. Remember that Bible promise:
You will reap what you sow. If you sow a poor home school that
is not consistently teaching nor expecting children to show up
and learn, then you will reap the same rewards.
5. I have to find the 'perfect' curriculum...
Unfortunately, this is something I seem to struggle with the
most. I have a desire in my heart for a curriculum that will perfectly
match my child's unique skills and abilities. I cannot seem to
find it and often I second-guess my choices, my arrangements,
and my time. The truth is that there is no perfect curriculum
and there is no perfect home school just like there is no perfect
child nor perfect parent.
I have come to the understanding that my goal is to provide the
'best possible' curriculum for my child. However, I now know that
this means that it is not going to be 100% on target all the time.
I need to find the methods and programs that work best for us
and then let God take care of the rest. You can become overly
fixated on trying to make everything perfect and often miss out
on the #1 reason we home school in the first place >> to
spend quality time with our children.
**Next: Getting Started
