I’ve been homeschooling for a long time
I began homeschooling in 1996 when I had an 8-year-old, a 5-year-old, and an almost 2-year-old. My oldest was in third grade, the next one was in Kindergarten, and the youngest was into everything.
A few years have passed since those days. And I have learned a whole lot of lessons in those years.
In this episode of the podcast, I am sharing those lessons with you, and why I’m glad I learned them. I hope they will encourage you and help you to believe that you can do this homeschool thing if you choose to.
25 Lessons from 25 years of homeschooling
- You can do more than you think you can. Yes, Mama, you can do really hard things.
- Children are naturally-born learners.
- Children are natural-born sinners.
- So am I.
- You can break the dysfunctional cycles that were your inheritance.
- You are qualified to teach your children. Period.
- Spending more time with your children is almost always a good thing.
- Homeschooling will teach you how much you don’t know.
- Reading aloud needs to be a priority.
- Field trips are just as important, if not more so than textbook learning.
- You may have to push your children.
- You will have to push yourself.
- You may have to give some things up. Do it gladly.
- You are capable of making good and wise decisions for your children.
- You may need to develop some new habits. (Coffee, anyone?)
- You might have to let go of some expectations or lower your standards.
- Elderly people will be some of your biggest supporters.
- Your parents, in-laws, siblings, and friends might not. And that is okay. (More than okay. See lessons 6 and 14.)
- Letting your children pursue a passion is always a good idea. (Pyromania not recommended.)
- Pursuing your own passions is also a very good idea. (Hello, this podcast!)
- Spiral notebooks are your best friend. (Grab them for less than a quarter each at back-to-school sales.)
- Every year is like a mini-start over.
- You don’t have to follow anybody else’s rules for your homeschool. (I don’t get up at 6 a.m.)
- You can change things whenever you or the children need a change.
- This journey will be one of the most fulfilling things you ever do.
I added a bonus lesson in the episode so be sure to tune in to hear that one. It’s a good one.