Homeschooling: You Are an Amazing Teacher
I asked a young mother I recently met, “Are you thinking of homeschooling?” Without hesitation, she said, “No! I don’t want to mess up my kids!” She is not alone. I have had the same conversation with many parents some who already homeschool and some who do not. I had observed this same mother with her two daughters earlier. She was patient, encouraging, and she easily got her girls excited about what they were looking at. I thought to myself, “She loves her children, knows her kids the best, and obviously wants them to succeed; she makes the perfect teacher!”
It’s easy to forget, as parents, that we have a unique position in our children’s lives. A starting point that gives us a leg up on educating our children in any subject. Whether you are the most creative, crafty mom or a math wizard, you can offer your children an environment where it is safe to make mistakes and try new things.
But I know what you’re thinking... “I can’t even get my child to listen to me!” I’ve never met a child who is a perfect listener and always obeys on command, except for perhaps Little Lord Fauntleroy! Learning the habit of listening the first time is just that; a habit that must be learned and practiced daily. We forget that we are educating a whole person for life. Remember every day is another opportunity to learn a new skill, a new habit, build vocabulary, and grow a hunger for learning and discovering new things. No parent is perfect, no child is perfect, and no day is perfect. Homeschooling can be messy and that’s ok!
Work from your strengths. Think through the subjects that you are most passionate about and work from there. Your kids will get excited about what you are excited about. Are there subjects that scare you? Identify them and find a great curriculum to be your support and then learn together. I am constantly re-learning with my nine-and four-year-old. We recently memorized the cube song, and I must admit, I understood cubes for the first time. I was so excited it got my kids excited. We built cubes and sang our cube song together, “1, 8, 27, 64, 125, 216, 343 ... 3,375.” I would never have ventured into this had I not found a great math curriculum.
The point is, homeschooling is about being together, learning together, and having fun together, and you are the perfect teacher for your kids. So, be encouraged whether you’ve been home educating for years, you just started, are thinking of starting, or you just love teaching your kids outside of their “formal” schooling; you’ve got this! Just be you and remember despite what you might believe, your kids really do want to spend time with you. You are an amazing teacher!
Written and photography by Olivia Assaf