We’re kicking off a new series here at Vintage Kids | Modern World for those of you just wondering about homeschooling! Maybe you’re wondering if it’s right for you? There are a lot of factors that go into the decision to homeschool, and we want to give you some information to make that decision a little easier! We have an amazing team of guest bloggers that will be popping in now and then to give you their unique perspectives and to answer some of your most curious and pressing questions about that weird sub-culture that homeschools their children…
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I’m pretty sure that I’ve written this post in my head 10 different times in 20 different ways.
This is by far the most common question or concern that comes up from other parents when I talk to them about the possibility of homeschooling their children.
“I would love to, but I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“I want to homeschool my kids, but I don’t know how to teach…I’m just not good at it.”
These are completely valid concerns; of course we want the best education possible for our children.
So here it is:
Friends, you can homeschool your children, and with diligence, discipline and an overabundant amount of love and grace, YOU can be the best possible educational choice for your children.
Notice I didn’t say “As long as you have a degree in education”, or “As long as you are a gifted teacher”. Here is where I walk the fine line of not offending any of you out there that have a degree in education or that currently teach a classroom of students in a traditional school setting. I am in NO WAY down playing the sacrifice and talent of some of our public and private school teachers. However, comparing the teacher of a classroom of students to a homeschool mom is comparing the proverbial apples to oranges. Some of the content may overlap, but all other dynamics are completely different.
Unfortunately, as parents, we have been told that someone else is better equipped to take care of our children.
As American culture has evolved throughout our short history, but especially since the Industrial Revolution, we have been bombarded with the message that trained professionals (teachers, pediatricians, and the government) are better qualified to take care of and meet the needs of our children. We’ve been lead to believe that we can handle them (just barely) until they turn 4 or 5 years old, then they need a “real” teacher to educate them.
Generation by generation, we have come to believe that what someone else said was best for our child must obviously be the best thing and we need to stand back and allow them to reach their highest potential. The message of today is that as parents, we would only hinder them from succeeding if we got too involved or questioned the system. Just let the school take care of them.
My friends, it’s time to question the system and ask yourself what is truly best for your child.
Over the next few weeks in our series, we’ll be looking at some curriculum options and where to get started if you are ready to take the next step and begin homeschooling your child. We’ll cover the ins and outs of teaching and what it actually looks like to homeschool your child.
Scared of actually teaching? We’ll look at many curriculum choices that spell everything out like the script to a play (“teacher says:…., student replies:…”) (yes, it really is that easy to walk through many of the lessons, especially at the younger grade levels)
Have a highschooler but you failed algebra and can’t remember the difference between a quotient and a quotation? That’s ok! There’s curriculum out there for you! You’re not the only parent that has never formally taught. The writers and publishers of homeschool curriculum operate under the assumption that you do not have a degree in education, so everything is explained and formatted in such a way that no degree or prior teaching experience s necessary!
Afraid that you’ll mess up and ruin your child for life? Messing things up is a given! You’re not perfect and there will be a lot of kinks to work out as you brave uncharted territory, but ruin them for life? No. As long as you are consistent, caring and take the initiative, then you will be able to find the resources and supplements necessary to not only educate your child, but to instill in them wisdom and knowledge.
As a parent, you are given the unique ability to know and sympathize with your child’s every strength and fear, with every interest and passion. You have a window into their heart and mind like no one else on the planet. YOU are more than able to nurture them, protect them, and yes, teach them.
I purposefully want to keep this post short and sweet (partly because I feel like I could write a novel on it, and for my own sake -and yours – I want to keep it brief.) I don’t want to trivialize the enormous decision of how and where to educate your child. I simply want to get to the crux of this particular concern, so…
Simply ask yourself: WHO told you that you couldn’t teach?
get the word out:
