Hey Friends! Today we are going to chat about homeschool! There is so much noise on this topic, that I was afraid to add to it. However, I think it’s ok to have different perspectives, so we can learn from one another! If I’m being honest, I never thought I would be a homeschooling mom. We tried in person school, but I have a child that requires special attention and school was really hard for him. I also had a husband that wasn’t really for it. After a lot of tears and prayers, Jesus paved the way to keep my babies’ home. I hear a lot of mommas tell me they couldn’t do it, or they don’t know how I do. For me I felt the matter pressed on my heart, and I believe with my whole heart Jesus is allowing me to homeschool not only to teach my children, but also providing an opportunity to teach me.
I have three children and currently teach third, Kinder, and pre-school as a single parent. There are great days, some OK days, and some really hard days. I always joke that if we learned anything the first year, it was how to pray. Homeschooling is such a blessing for our family, but just because something is a blessing doesn’t mean it’s always easy. I’m learning that most of the struggles are a result of things not going exactly how I want them to go. When I started homeschooling, I saw social media’s representation. As soon as it went astray, the list making, overachieving, more selfish than I thought Whitney came about. I realized this is hard, and maybe I shouldn’t do it. But friends, hard isn’t bad. If we stay in our comfort zone, how do we grow? If you are new around here, you will find out quickly that if you ask me anything, I will bring Jesus into it. We read about our trials and suffering in many places in the bible, but specifically I love Romans 5: 3-5. That verse helps us to see that whatever we are going through, God is going to use it for good. Even if that “good” is not what you thought it may be. As Christians these hard times are used for growth and maturity! Jesus knows best and I like to think he has a sense of humor… Because I prayed for patience and he has me teaching to, too, and two!
While it’s my opinion (and my blog lol)… homeschooling should foster a love for learning. If you are yelling all the time or stressed out, what do we really think our kids are going to remember? I’m speaking to myself here! I take being their teacher very serious and want to make sure they are prepared if our current situation had to change. However, I found myself trying to replicate the school day that I grew up in, and honestly, I wouldn’t like the teacher I was becoming. I learned that for my family following a daily rhythm and blocking out our day works really well to balance being a homemaker and teacher. It helps us to know what we should be doing during that time, and helps our day flow. This also helps my mom brain focus on one task at a time.
A Couple tips:
- Pray over it. If you have any want to homeschool, run to him. If you are already homeschooling, pray that your heart is changed. Not that your son or daughter will change, but that you will be the mom or dad you need to be to teach them.
- Figure out YOUR families why. On the really hard days, you may need to recite it to yourself while taking a few deep breaths! Your season of life, ages of kids, home life, employment, all can impact the way you educate.
- Don’t fall for the social media comparison trap! Social media isn’t all bad and can really provide some insight. When you are new at something, it can be great to look for inspiration. We have to remember though; social media provides a glimpse and sometimes an edited version of life. Most of my comparison came from looking at others homeschool days, and realizing ours looked drastically different. Some of that came from looking at families in Florida while I was schooling in the middle of a blizzard! I had to really stop and remember the days I prayed to be able to school my children, and how my children’s father and I are making it happen. So, search YouTube and social media accounts cautiously. Seeking inspiration instead of duplicating that person’s life.
- Homeschool year round! When I say year-round, we just work on a curriculum until it’s finished. We usually work for 10 weeks and then I take a week off. We also don’t do much around holidays. But school is a part of our life, so most of the time we are itching to get back into it. Or maybe that is just me because I actually love routine. We currently use CLE as our main curriculum and love it! I plan to talk a little more on that later!
- Put your phone away. Like many, my cellphone became a problem. I have been working on putting my phone down, setting quiet times, and deleting apps. However, I find it best to put my phone away completely during school hours. I’m sure it is case to case, but I know when I worked outside of the home, I wasn’t supposed to be on my phone scrolling on social media. While that was not all I was doing, a simple text message or email could take my focus away from the lesson I was teaching!
- Figure out what YOU can teach. The curriculum is not always the problem. Sometimes just sometimes we are the problem. We started with one curriculum but it became too much when I started to school my other children. Honestly speaking though, I looked way more into what was “popular” than what my teaching style was. Now I feel like we found our groove. CLE has allowed me to feel confident that they are learning what they need, while also allowing me to put my own spin on how we learn in other areas like science, history, and Christian Studies!
We all have different situations, and home lives. If you follow me, you know I live somewhat of a different life. I am a single mom, but my children’s father and I still thought homeschooling was the best option for our family. So, while it’s something I never thought I would say, I am a single mom and some days are really hard. But I am choosing to trust God on this. If you feel called to homeschool pray about it. Figure out why you want to homeschool your kids and remember that “why” when times get tough. I think we are totally equipped and called to teach our children. Things we lack, our Heavenly Father can fill in the gaps. That may even come in the form of a co-op or fellow mom friend. Homeschool is hard, and that’s ok. It is also a great opportunity to be less like you and more like Jesus. I hope this helped someone, and remember social media isn’t always real! Until next time…
Keep Growing,
Whit