Homeschooling (part 3)

Hello! This is a continuation of my past two blogs, so you may want to check them out first before reading today. In order to encourage you to homeschool (if that is your heart's desire) I am going to continue to bust some myths for you:

Myth: If you homeschool, your kids will turn out to be weird.

Truth: Ok, this could be true. But it could be true if you public school, too. After all, I went to public school. But, joking aside, there are many successful, amazing adults who grew up homeschooled. And home education has become so prevalent that there are so many options and it is not looked down on as much it used to be. Google "famous homeschoolers" sometime. The list may surprise you. 

Myth: You aren’t smart enough to homeschool your kids.

Truth: All you really need to know to homeschool your kids is how to read. The curriculum will teach you and them everything else. And, take it from me, you will learn SO MUCH from homeschooling your kids. I’ve really enjoyed learning alongside my kids, especially the science and history part. I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to that. 

Myth: Your kids fight with each other too much to homeschool.

Truth: If you have more than one kid, there are going to be sibling spats. That’s just the way it is. It’s true that they will have more time to fight together if you homeschool, but they will also have more time to bond and play together. Sibling rivalry is a good part of life. It gives children plenty of practice in conflict resolution and relating to people who have different personality types. 

A favorite from a few years ago.
My little boys love to sit in on the videos and
games that are a part of there big sisters' school.

Myth: Homeschooled kids are smarter than public school kids.

Truth: Kids are kids. They all have their own area of being “smart”. The nice thing about homeschooling is that you can customize the information you give them so it matches their learning styles and area of interests. 

Myth: You are doing a poor job of homeschooling if your child is “behind”.

Truth: They all learn at their own pace. I’ve never had my daughter tested, but I’m pretty sure she is dyslexic. Learning to read was really hard for her (and me, too!), and because we spent so much time and energy on learning to read, she is “behind” in her other subjects as well. On the other hand, her sister and brother are each at least ½ a year “ahead” on their subjects. The point of homeschooling is not to have your children perform to a certain standard. If they are learning, you are doing it well. If they (and you) are stuck and not making progress, ask for help. There are lots of resources out there. Or try it a different way. I had to switch to another reading program that finally helped reading “click” for my daughter. The nice thing about homeschooling is that there are so many options and you can tailor the teaching style to your child’s learning style. 

Myth: Homeschooling won’t allow you any time to yourself.

Truth: Finding time to yourself is hard no matter how you school your children, I’ll admit that. But that doesn’t mean that homeschooling mamas never get a break. I personally enforce a quiet time at my house. My younger kids play quietly in their bedroom and the older kids either work on school independently or stay in their rooms. It doesn’t happen every day and it doesn’t always go smoothly, but it gives me some time alone. Well, I have a newborn right now so I am never truly alone, but that is only a season. When my hubby is home from work I’ll often sneak away after dinner for a walk or a soak in the tub. I know you can find a way to make it work. 

Myth: Only Christians homeschool, and you won't find any support or friends for your kids if you aren't a Christian

Truth: Like I said before, home education is much more prevalent than it used to be, and most charter schools especially are not faith based.

I just wanted to share these with you because some of these myths were barriers for me, too. If you are on the fence about homeschooling, I just want to encourage you to have some faith in yourself and give it a try. I really think you could be awesome at it!Don't let your doubts keep you from doing something you really want to do.

Much love,

Lee