So you want to home school hey? Think you have what it takes do you? Ahhh, here is the part where you scratch your head in confusion and wonder just what exactly this whole thing is about.
The first thing you must know is
THE QUALIFICATIONS!!!!
Must be patient- nobody ever said this would be easy. Just like parents, children have their days where when you say yellow, they are screaming from the roof tops GRRREEEENNNN!!!! Hey it happens. Sit back and relax, maybe the day began to early for them or perhaps the curriculum is a bit mundane. Homeschooling is far different than public school. We make our own hours while fulfilling state requirements of hours.
Must be fun- Depending on your reasoning for teaching your child, their needs may be different. Some children respond just fine to structure and pressure, some children just want to be free!!! Finding fun ways to teach them will not only make it easier on you, but it will also help them to retain information.
So now that you have the qualifications, do you really have what it takes?
In my experience, I have questioned so many factors before the straw that broke the camels back came tumbling down causing me to put on my big girl panties and JUST DO IT. One of the fears that I had before homeschooling was that I would not be able to homeschool them properly. My perception of homeschooling was that I had to be a teacher with a degree which was entirely not true. I thought that I would run out of patience or that perhaps I would miss them being in school and my free time while they were not home. The schedule that I had established while they were in school was pretty repetitive but it was mine, for my time. Because I was raised and socially conditioned to believe that public school was the best choice, making the decision to pull them from what they had been most familiar with was almost traumatic for both me and my boys. In pair with my research on homeschooling, my second intuition kicked in. The mother in me began to question how it was possible that I am able to teach them 24/7 365 without even noticing; and yet be so afraid of getting involved with their academics by teaching instead of being the briefed party. This notion came to me after watching Kamaliacademy.com webinar about the journey into homeschooling. Dr Samori talked about a hidden curriculum in which we begin our children at a very young age; from the moment they are born in fact. This hidden curriculum can be thought of as daily living lessons. Because children are constantly ingesting information from their surroundings, they also learn from the most influential [well a parent can only hope] people they are the closest to. So in literal, children learn by watching you. They see how to react when certain circumstances arrive at their doorsteps. Because we are the first teachers of our children, we should very well be their educators. Questioning the ability to educate our own children is almost like questioning our ability to parent them at all. If we can teach them how to brush their teeth, how to have good manners [and believe you me, with 5 boys that can be a challenge] teach them how to get along with others, and how to have good morals; what is so different from teaching academics? My take on homeschooling is that nobody will have your child's interest in mind like their own parents. And receiving that attention motivates a child to do their best.
Why does Curriculum Even Matter?
Curriculum is like those sexy new shoes you keep seeing on television. They advertise them so much, you have convinced yourself that the designers want YOU to have them. And so you go purchase the shoes only to be disappointed. Not only did the shoes cause you to have to hide the credit card statement from DH, but they are terribly uncomfortable and you curse the designer and any commercial he tries to throw your way for ever more.
Curriculum is only important if you desire it. Children go to school and are taught to learn certain things and certain times and certain ways. Stocking up or blowing a budget on curriculums is not necessary. Creating lesson plans around the subjects you plan to teach and those which are required by your state is very easy to do. Not only is it simple, you can do it for practically free.
Math
www.khanacademy.com
http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/math/donow/
Printable and create your own worksheets:
http://www.schoolexpress.com/
There are also hundreds if not thousands of websites available online for lessons in every subject. One beneficial learning experience would be to utilize your local library and or museum.
http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/math/donow/
Printable and create your own worksheets:
http://www.schoolexpress.com/
There are also hundreds if not thousands of websites available online for lessons in every subject. One beneficial learning experience would be to utilize your local library and or museum.
Organizational Skills:
Tell it my husband, I would be considered the most forgetful and unorganized individual he knows. But them again, this coming from my better half, so he forgets we often share some of the same qualities. I have seen many times the use of binders and color coded lesson plans. Personally, I have tried to be more organized because NY state can be very tedious when it comes to paper work. I have also started a binder; however, mine is not color coded. I have very simple and easy to remember sheets for filing just in case records. We keep attendance and I have printed out a few sheets for weekly planners by subject and by day. These I fill out by the day some times because I never know when these boys will request a topic for the day. The biggest thing that I have done for organization is to print out at the top of the week sheets and assignments they will be working on through the week. I have actually found this more helpful and so I intend on continuing this method until the boys start showing signs of boredom.
So! There you have it. The day in the life of homeschooling. While it does take some time to get used to, it is very rewarding. Homeschooling or unschooling groups can be very helpful during the school year and in the summer.
Until Next time!!!
