 |
This week we welcome Crystal from The Freckled Homeschooler to {Raising Tots} Mom to Mom Parenting Series. She shares her experiences with homeschooling and how to overcome fear about homeschooling.
****************************************************
Why You Shouldn’t be Afraid to Homeschool
Over the last few years I have encountered many people who said that they wanted to homeschool but had something holding them back. It’s a scary concept to take on your children’s educational career (to read more about why I choose to homeschool check out this blog post). While homeschooling is becoming more and more popular it is still unknown and potentially scary territory for a lot of people. I am here to tell you, based on my experience, why you shouldn’t be afraid to homeschool.
I think one of the biggest fears that I have encountered is the fear that you may not know all of the material that you need to teach. This really becomes a fear for parents who’s children are reaching the secondary level. There is no need to worry. You don’t have to know everything about every subject! I will let you in on a little secret as an ex-public school teacher… Even professional instructors don’t know everything about their subject, especially when they are starting out. You learn as you go. You make a plan of what you want to teach and then learn everything you can about that subject. As long as you love learning yourself you should be fine. If there is something that you truly are not comfortable teaching then there are tutors. It’s also good to know the “specialties” of the other parents in your co-op. They may be able to help you find a way to teach subjects that you are not very familiar/comfortable with.
People also seem to be concerned with the amount of work that goes into preparing your child’s school year. I will admit that this does take some planning, but you can purchase your curriculum and make things a lot easier on yourself. Ready made curriculums come with all the instructional materials you need. You can just spend time finding fun activities to supplement the material that your curriculum covers (which is where Pinterest comes in handy). Right now we are designing our own curriculum for our children. This may change as they reach the higher grade levels. If you are worried about knowing what you need to teach to keep your child on track with his/her grade level the ready made curriculum or books like the “What your ____ should know” series can help. You can also check what your state’s standards of learning are for each grade level and base your curriculum around that.
Finally, I want to tell you that you aren’t alone. I think this is the scariest thing for prospective homeschooling parent’s. Who is going to help you when you are stuck or need advice? Where are you going to find other children who will interact with your kids? Who will you vent to on those hard days? There was a time when homeschoolers were few and far between but now they are everywhere. There are online forums, local groups and co-ops. For “socialization” there are local sports groups, co-ops, classes at museums and parks, and clubs. Overall, homeschools are a welcoming and helpful group and in my experience most are now secular.
If there is something holding you back in your decision to homeschool I suggest that you research. Talk to other homeschoolers (in and out of your area), read books and articles. There is a wealth of information out there. Don’t let something small hold you back if you are truly interested in homeschooling.
Crystal taught at the high school level for four years until her second child was born, when she decided to stay home and homeschool her children. Now she just focuses on her kids, photography career, diary goat farm and blog (The Freckled Homeschooler). The Freckled Homeschooler is a blog that follows along in the homeschooling journey of Crystal’s young rural family. It features many activities they do and talks about the educational experiences that they encounter.
*******************************************************
A big thanks to Crystal from The Freckled Homeschooler. Be sure to check out her blog and Facebook page for more great posts about homeschooling! For advice, tips, activities and more on raising toddlers head over to our {Raising Tots} page.
[...] Tot’s Series. The article is about why you shouldn’t be afraid to homeschool. Go check it out! Share this:EmailPrintDiggFacebookTwitterPinterestStumbleUponMoreRedditLinkedInTumblr Categories: [...]