The fall weather hit today! We just had a cool front move through after a storm system.
Many homeschooling families are comfortable with elementary school because we can all handle elementary subjects.
But as the material levels up, people start to get worried. When will the material be over my head? What if I can’t help? How much should my student be doing on their own? Don’t they need a “real” teacher for this stuff?
Don’t panic! Homeschooling happens one day at a time. You are there for the entire journey.
Remember this: Your goal is to light a fire in your child. If you spark their love of learning, help them discover their passion, and provide opportunities, they will soar!
Unfortunately, many students in “real” or “traditional” school experience burn out by the time they are in high school. They haven’t been taught to love learning or to pursue a passion. They are only pressured to make good grades.
As a result, they hate school because they see no purpose to it. They only wish to leave the system. When they get to college, many don’t fare well because they are suddenly in charge of their own lives, rather than having teachers and parents hounding them constantly.
The progression of homeschooling can be quite different. When my middle schooler was bored with her 8th grade science a few weeks into the school year, we ditched it. Now she’s doing an oceanography study and loving it.
My eldest loved school and took all of his required classes willingly simply because he has a love of learning and structure. We did a ton of online classes with him. He learned how to manage his own education with me as more of a coach and consultant than a teacher.
My middle simply can’t stand sitting and watching a computer screen. He prefers books and pencil and paper and hands-on. I have done way more physical learning with him. As a 10th grader, we both read The Count of Monte Cristo (again for me) and discussed it as we read. I would sit with him for online classes and we learned together and looked up things we didn’t know.
Now as a senior, he is taking dual enrollment classes and is excelling. He is learning to take responsibility for his own education. He made an A on his first college English paper.
My youngest has had an extremely “loose” educational journey. After having two very different boys, I relaxed so much in my educational philosophies. I realized that loving to learn was the key.
My daughter has always been extremely active. She never slept well. She isn’t an avid reader, as both my boys are. I struggled with that until I realized that she simply couldn’t sit still to enjoy books. We found audiobooks were her answer. She can crochet, ride bikes, play outdoors, or jump on the trampoline while listening to books.
Her education has been very relaxed but also exactly what she needed. We found Writing & Rhetoric for her. She found a love of writing. She learned to do math with graph paper, glitter pens, and fun videos. She watched animated history stories. She grows a garden, shows cows, raises chickens, and rides horses. She loves to study the weather and can be found watching a weather channel documentary often.
Now how is she doing in 8th grade? Quite well. She is in Algebra, taking modern world history, studying Spanish, doing her oceanography unit study, and reading 8th grade Literature. Without argument.
Please don’t project your child’s weaknesses into their adolescent years, nor their college years. I see parent make excuses for their children’s idiosyncratic ways. But children learn to adapt to the environment. They grow out of a lot of weird ways. That’s normal. The problems you experience now will not be the same concerns you will have next year. And especially not in a few years.
My eldest is prelaw and will probably run for government office in the future. He was a shy and clingy toddler. At that time in life, I could have never predicted his current path.
Move forward with confidence that you can blaze the best trail of education for your child.
God has entrusted them to you because you can provide exactly what they need.
You are able!
Dr Vet Sonya 