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I am SO happy to have another post in my Why Homeschool series. These posts are some of my all time favorites! Today we are hearing from Annette who blogs at In All You Do. It is a great site- definitely stop by and follow along. If you haven’t had the chance to read some of the past posts in this series, you can see them all here.
Why we started homeschooling
When our oldest child, Mister Bull, was finishing his last year of preschool the Lord really started to work on my heart and open my eyes to the possibility of homeschooling. I began praying, researching and talking to friends who homeschooled their children. It quickly became evident that homeschooling was indeed the right option for not only Mister Bull, but our family. So, here are the main reasons homeschooling was right for our family.
1. Mister Bull was ahead of the learning curve. Many of the children entering kindergarten these days do not even know their last name! I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard that. He could write and spell his first and last name, count to 100, skip count by 2s to 50 and even do simple math in his head.
2. Mister Bull is smart. Now I know all parents think their kid is the smartest. I don’t know that he’s the smartest, but I do know that he has genius potential and I want to make sure he achieves it!!
3. He’s busy and active. Mister Bull may be smart, but he is always on the go. His brain goes 90-miles an hour and so do his feet and hands!!! We seriously would have been on the principle’s speed-dial by day 2!!
4. Large class sizes. In our school district, most of the kindergarten classes had an average of 30-32 kids. And there was no guarantee of a classroom aide. SERIOUSLY?! How in the world could one teacher take care, let alone give the necessary attention to 32 kindergarteners? I just couldn’t see him getting the quality education he (and every other child) deserved.
5. Too much time. At the time we made our official decision, I had a 4 month old nursing baby. Just 3 short months later we found out we were expecting baby #3. In my brain I could not figure out how to juggle a nursing baby and running him back and forth to school and naptime. It was a little overwhelming.
6. Loved having my kids home. Honestly, I loved having my kids home with me all the time. Even though some most days were hectic, wild and even insane…I couldn’t imagine my days without them!!
7. Instill our Christian values throughout our homeschooling. The Hubster and I grew up in public schools, so we are well aware of what goes on. We were/are both fortunate and blessed enough to have Christian parents who taught us Christian values. Unfortunately, most of what we knew in public schools is now gone. We want to make sure our children know that God is number one in our life. That anything and everything we do is centered around our faith and following the Lord’s will for our life. And we felt the best way to do so was through homeschooling.
So how can you know if homeschooling is right for your family?
PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!!!! Honestly, that is the most important – and first – thing you should do. Sometimes things may seem to fit together, but if they’re not in the Lord’s plan they won’t work. Make sure the Lord is leading you to this decision. If the Lord leads you down the path of homeschooling, then trust Him to lead you in it daily!! He
Make sure you and your spouse are in agreement. If your spouse is not “on-board” with homeschooling, it may not be the right time for your family. You need the support of your spouse. Sometimes even making a list of the pros and cons will help both of you in the decision process.
Here are some tips to make your first year the best it can be.
I recommend reading these books to help you during this first year.
1. The Five Love Languages of Children, by Gary Chapman
2. When You Rise Up, by R.C. Sproul Jr.
3. The Way They Learn, by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias
There are numerous books out there about homeschooling, these just happen to be three of my favorites.
Plans are merely “guidelines” – Know that just because you have a “plan” doesn’t mean homeschooling is going to run perfectly and smoothly everyday. There are many days we have to re-vamp our schedule or our schooling. Sometimes we even take the day off when it’s warranted. Life happens!! Embrace it and use it to your advantage. Don’t fight against it!!!!
Be flexible!! This was/is honestly the hardest part for me. I like to be scheduled and on-time. It makes my life run so much more smoothly! Haha! But, when I realized how distraught Mister Bull became that Math ran 5 minutes over or lunch wasn’t ready right at 11:30 I knew things needed to change. So I took down the hanging schedule and we did what we needed to do – no matter how long it took!!! From then on schooling has been so much more pleasant.
What are some tips and ideas you have for first time homeschoolers? I’d love to hear about them!!
Thank you so much for letting me share with you today. I look forward to “meeting” some of you over at my blog, In All You Do.
Blessings,
Annette
Annette has been married to her husband and best friend for 10 years. They are raising their four children to follow the Lord’s will, no matter what. Annette longs for the day when she will meet her 5 angel babies who have entered heaven before her. She enjoys creating UNIT STUDIES with FREE PRINTABLES (more coming soon) for homeschool families and she gets her scrapbooking fix in by making Subway Art for herself and her readers. You can follow her crazy life at In All You Do where she blogs about homeschooling, gluten- and grain-free recipes, homemaking, the occasional DIY projects and maintaining her sanity. You can also keep up with her via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
LaughingLioness says
The Way They Learn is one of the BEST books- I’ve recomended it for years! Tips and Ideas for first timers? I would say, plan and learn as much as you can /have time for before you “start” your formal school year and then go with the flow once you get started.
a49erfangirl says
That’s exactly what I want to homeschool my daughter. She is ahead of the game in some many ways and I am so afraid she is going to get bored. There is also to many kids in one class room even though they claim they have small class sizes. I worry about bullies as the school does have a few that they do nothing about. I love having my kids at home. I love teaching them. My kids enjoy it to and they can excel.
Yvana says
Great advice. I think I started praying about homeschooling years before I actually had children. Glad I did too because when our first born came around my husband was not in agreement, now he says he wouldn’t want it any other way. Blessings!
hey says
I am a classroom teacher who now homeschools. I love teaching and always knew I wanted to homeschool my own children. It is a blast, crazy and wonderful all at the same time!
Advise:
1. Read to your children EVERY day.
2. Follow your children’s interest. It will stimulate their interest in learning.
3. EVERY child is different and learns at a different pace. Don’t compare your children to others.
4. Look for ideas from others, but every homeschool setting will be different depending on the family and children.
5. Have fun!!!
jeannine: waddleeahchaa.com
Tara Mitchell says
Your list of reasons for homeschooling looks very similar to mine {minus the babies so close in age}. I had one who was ahead of the learning curve, and I had one who would have been handful in the classroom. Thankfully, I convinced my hubby to let me give it a try, and here I am 12 years later still on our homeschool journey with my last kiddo. I wouldn’t trade these years at home with them for all the money in the world!