The courage it takes to homeschool your child is profound. Successful homeschoolers kickstart their homeschool using the following 10 crucial steps. It’s time to squash those fears and dry those tears. Success is yours for the taking!
What is your Everest?
Sometimes the hardest step is the first one. What is your Everest? That insurmountable obstacle that strikes fear and anxiety in your heart? The feeling of flight or paralysis in your decision-making that is so overwhelming that it robs you of sleep each night?
I have good news about your Everest. The mountain hasn’t changed. It’s been around a while. This obstacle has some very common features experienced by most homeschoolers and no matter how alone you may feel, there are thousands of families that struggle to kickstart their homeschool. We will explore how successful homeschoolers face their Everest, chest out, chin up, and ready to reach the skies.
Here are 10 ways to help you reach the summit.
1. Choosing a homeschool curriculum
While we poke fun at the experience of choosing an effective and affordable curriculum. The experience is no laughing matter. There are programs and curricula that are cleverly marketed as an all-in-one solution. Don’t be quick to think this will cover all your needs in one neat and tidy package. Each of these suffers in one way or another. The Reading and Literacy portion may be well-presented and easy to teach, while the math or sciences might suffer from ambiguous instructions that only serve to stoke the ego of the Ivy League Ph.D. who thought little of the novice who has to present this to their children at home.
Solution:
Break it up. Your child will gravitate to certain styles of teaching and you won’t know this until you try a few. I’m not suggesting you mortgage the house and buy some of the more expensive curricula and do an A/B comparison.
You may start out with some inexpensive workbooks and by all means, visit your local library and bring a pad and paper with you. Why? You are going to observe and take notes as to what your child finds interesting, even down to the artwork. Yes, the artwork for some children is HUGE. Ugly worksheets are only good for one thing; lining a birdcage. There is some wonderful material out there and never before in human history has there been so much choice.
You may also wish to speak with other homeschooling parents in your community or join a Facebook Group that caters to homeschooling and homeschool curriculum
2. Time Management
My wife currently works at a school that offers, an amazing array of extracurricular activities such as golf, Tai Kwon Do, drama, archery, chess, swimming, and the list goes on. When you pull your child from school, you may feel that you need to include a host of similar extracurricular activities in your homeschool experience, thinking your child might be missing out. Time management alone can make or break your homeschool routine. With the very noble aim of socializing your child, you may feel it advantageous to join homeschool co-ops or field trip groups but before long, panic may set in, when you realize that these activities have crowed out essential academic instruction, causing your child to fall behind in critical core subjects.
Solution:
Choose your groups wisely. Ask yourself if driving your child to ballet, karate, soccer, and music lessons throughout the week is the best use of your time. Can you choose one of two activities and amerce yourself in those without spreading yourself too thin? Quality is always better than quantity.
3. Cloning Public School
You’ve pulled your child from formal school because something didn’t work. Whatever your reason was to homeschool your child, keep that reason close to your heart, especially when things may not be working as planned and you are tempted to structure a homeschool that mimics the public school you left behind.
Solution:
Forget the things behind and move forward. Reinvest your efforts in homeschooling. If your child fell behind in public school, the school has failed you both. Homeschoolers are very progressive people devoid of policy and red tape that chokes the life out of creativity and progress. Other homeschoolers will have their opinions and, in some forums, they may lack the social grace to speak to us as adults BUT, new and progressive information flows freely in these groups, and adapting to your child’s specific educational needs has never been more accessible. With that said, information overload can be exhausting. Choose a few Facebook Groups and try them out. Ask questions. Stick with the Group(s) that resonate with you. People are eager to help. You are not alone.
4. Same, Same but Different
For heaven’s sake, PLEASE do not compare yourself to others. Nothing will rob your joy faster than trying to measure up to the Joneses. Get what? The Joneses don’t exist. I remember teaching in a prestigious kindergarten in Shanghai and almost every parent was up in arms because their four-year-old child could not read as well one of the boys in my class. Granted, that boy could probably read the works of Shakespeare without skipping a beat BUT, he had this strange habit of licking each page after he read it. Every single page. Not only that, it took him a year to learn to tie his shoes and he ate bananas without peeling them first. No one’s perfect. Everyone was so focused on what this child could do and ignored the obvious things that most children his age had mastered already. Banana, remove the skin first. That sort of thing.
Homeschooling isn’t all about delivering academics. Your mindset has a huge impact on success. Yes, this is an emotional experience, and your perception is entirely in your court. What your neighbors think of you or your child matters diddly squat! NADA. So how do we stop comparing ourselves and our children to others?
Solution:
Remember what YOU bring to the table. You’ve navigated this strange and wonderful world for how many decades now? Your life experiences will always be different than others, even that of your mate. If fact, assuming I’m addressing moms at the moment, listen to how your husband or mate reads to your child. They will always bring something different into the mix. Compound this with the current relationship you already cherish with your child. These factors form a unique mosaic that no one else can truly experience. Find your strengths, leverage the skills you have and I guarantee that while you spend your time perfecting you’re A-game, you’ll have less time to think about what others are doing. Remember, your child can peel a banana just fine.
5. Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail
I’m not talking about lesson plans and gathering all the materials you need for the day’s lessons. That should be obvious. I’m talking about starting the day right. Growing up, my sister and I had polar opposite sleep patterns. She, aptly nick-named, The Princess, could sleep in until 11 am each day even with an open window and the sun’s rays tanning her eyelids. I was the early bird that got up at 5 am every single morning and continue to do so some 50 years later. It was probably a painful experience for my sister to adapt to school life when sleeping in and missing the school bus meant a twenty-minute walk in -40 Celsius with snow up to her hips. Without needing an alarm clock my whole life, you could argue that I lack the empathy to dictate a reasonable time to get up and start your day. Here I go. Mr. Insensitive. Stop being a princess and get up. Am I saying we go out and get that phone app that allows you to follow the Mark Wahlberg workout routine that begins at 3 am? The man sleeps at 8pm each night. No wonder he is up at that ungodly hour. Remember, there are reasons we don’t compare.
Solution:
It may be difficult for some, but make it your aim to start the day at a reasonable hour, say 9:00 or 9:30 am. When your household falls into the predictable pattern you set for when the day starts, you can effectively start planning your homeschool activities. Keep your morning routine simple, and uncluttered. Plan your lessons around times of the day when you and your household experience the least amount of interruptions.
6. You learn, THEN they learn.
Most of us have flown on commercial flights. The pre-flight safety announcement comes on. You know the one we all ignore because the last thing we want to think about is blowing up a lifejacket through that little tube while hurling nose-first into a mountain from 30 thousand feet. There IS a nugget of wisdom, however, to be gleaned. When they tell you that when the oxygen mask drops, place the mask on you first and then your child.
Solution:
You will need to educate yourself first so that you are in a better position to educate others. This is why we place the oxygen mask on first. We need to understand the process of learning and how to deliver effective lessons that educate and touch the heart. Do you need a teaching degree? No. Over 90% of my successes came from applying the methodologies and techniques I learned after university.
Here are a few free options to help you harness the inner teacher in you.
- Reading articles like the one you are reading now. Ones written by seasoned homeschool parents or teachers that are keen to share what they know with families.
- Attend homeschooling conventions and seminars in your area
- Read homeschooling how-to books. (Even a page a day makes a difference.)
- Social media groups specifically based on sharing ideas and encouraging homeschool parents can really help to bolster morale and push you through those frustrating moments.
7. They WILL talk.
Homeschooling has been around for millennia, yet someone always seems to have an opinion on the matter. Some may choose to bestow their unsolicited advice in an attempt to steer you away from this “radical and highly unconventional” idea that you can do better than a trained professional educator. Their comments may hit a few pain points. Your child will not be socialized or will never meet national standards and fail to get into a good college or university. These are your kids they are talking about! Seeds of doubt can never sprout on shallow ground. In other words, we need to develop thicker skin. These comments can leave you emotionally rattled and have you challenging your own decision to homeschool. It’s poison and we don’t need it. So how do we respond?
Solution:
We defuse, prepare and defend. How so?
The first thing we want to remember is to ask ourselves where these comments are coming from (defuse). Considering the source will have a huge impact on how we react or whether we react at all. If you have determined that these comments are indeed, coming from a place of genuine concern or curiosity, you may wish to prepare your answers in advance so that you are confident, composed, and able to give a gracious reply (defend). As a Canadian, sarcasm comes easily to me and I’ve had to tame this retched beast my whole life. If you are like me, your life will be a whole lot easier if, upon ascertaining a comment springing from jealousy, judgement, or naysaying, we take a deep breath and walk away. We are forward thinkers here and have no time to mingle amongst those who are content with their stagnant commentaries.
8. Goals that Promote WINNING!
Every decent program or curriculum will have a yearly scheme of work. An overview for the year. These are generally influenced and based on government standards. Basically, stating what your child should know and be able to do by a certain age. We can call this the “big picture”.
While keeping the big picture in mind, we can reverse engineer our planning to make sure we stay on track but who says we can’t have a few mini-goals in between? Let’s call these Mini Wins! A child bursting with self-confidence is eager to take on the next challenge over and over again. This springs from a track record of consistent winning throughout their homeschool journey. How do we do this?
Solution:
Set attainable, achievable, bite-size goals throughout their learning journey. Yes, there will be a need for correction and yes, they won’t always get it right the first, second, and maybe even the third time BUT, the winning has to outweigh correction. Each goal you set should be stacked upon previously mastered skills and abilities. We never make assumptions either. We test without them knowing it. We keenly observe. Once we feel they are ready, we present a challenge or activity we know they will get right the first time. Each child is different and some children will even set their own standards. We need to adapt to our high achievers and this might even include helping them lower their own unrealistic expectations. In other cases, you may need to help raise the bar for our complacent low achievers. Helping them win every day takes planning your part.
9. Keeping a Student Record of Progress
Much to my surprise, I can still access my high school transcripts stored securely for over three decades. Yes, schools keep records. Some of them were in a vault that would rival the likes of Iron Mountain. Tracking progress IS essential and there are many ways to go about it. You can follow your child around with a 5-inch-thick three-ring binder and video journal their every waking moment of homeschooling OR you can breathe a sigh of relief and take note of the things that matter most. How do we define what matters most and what system works best?
Solution:
This is an area where I would suggest you check with state or provincial policies to make sure you know what is expected of you and your child. Each state or province may require an official record or proof of structured learning in your home, while others seem to throw caution to the wind and only require that your child pass certain academic competency/equivalency tests to make sure you’re on track. If you are required to follow a specific guideline, you should ask for a testing kit or at least an official outline of what is expected in an academic year. This should come to you free of charge. That’s what taxes are for. A definable answer that covers every scenario is difficult to sum up, but knowing what is expected of you will give you that framework. Boxes to check off so to speak. Keeping track of progress, either in a simple notebook or electronic system of your choosing is VERY beneficial and will give you a clearer indication of how you are moving along and will alert you to areas of concern that need to be addressed immediately. Remember that early detection of any learning disability usually comes to light during testing or reviewing observations preserved in our child’s record of progress.
10. Relax!
Some of my earliest memories are when my mother read to me as a child. My mother and I own that experience together. No one can take that memory from us. These precious moments need to be cherished and viewed for what they are, a bonding experience that will last a lifetime. Will your child remember whether you went with curriculum A or B? Savor every moment. No one is perfect. Mistakes will be made. They will be made often. It’s how we react, adapt, and learn from our mistakes that define our character. You are homeschooling your child. You have faced your Everest and you are climbing. You CAN do this. Kickstart that homeschool the right way and you WILL find success!
