HELP, I’m Homeschooling…Now What?

Posted by Jamerrill | 0 comments

Congratulations! You’ve taken the big step—homeschooling! You bought your curriculum and no doubt have a closet full of school supplies. Your dreams are big for your family’s educational lifestyle, but for many, those pesky fears of self-doubt and second-guessing may be raising their ugly head. Have no fear you’re not alone. All of us homeschooling moms started exactly where you are now.

Can I do this?

What was I thinking?

Why won’t this child sit?

Maybe my mother-in-law was right?!

We were all once starting out with nothing more than a whisper from God in our heart and a box of curriculum in the mail, left only with our quiet fears of…now what.

Here are a few tidbits I’ve picked up along the way:

Take it day by day. It’s easy to find yourself caught up in worrying about the next level in math or how you’re ever going to teach your child ____________ (fill in the blank).  All you can do is what needs done today.  You can’t live tomorrow.  You can’t live yesterday.  Make this day the very best.

*You are not a public school classroom and your “school” doesn’t have to look like one. Set up a learning area for the kids to spread out their materials. However, never underestimate the simple kitchen table, couches or a blanket spread outside. Our family has a schoolroom only because we have so many books now we needed a space for bookshelves.

*Snuggle, A LOT! Enjoy those babes and snuggle together on the couch while reading great books. Enjoy these years and don’t pressure yourself. Remember, one of the many gifts of homeschooling is the gift of time.

*Have your “school time,” but also keep learning fun and light. Keep lessons short and sweet to make school fun! There are plenty of years of “formal” education.  Little fingers can only hold a pencil for so long and then it’s time to run, jump and play!

*Don’t compare your homeschool with others. God created your family uniquely. Your children are His special creation. No one knows what they need more than He does. Remember, you only want His very best.

*If you have an infant, or will be having a baby during your school year, I suggest investing in a good baby carrier. I use Moby Wrap and Ergo Carrier. I wear the baby throughout the day. This helps a lot during school time in my world.

*Be creative for quiet time. If you need quiet 1:1 time with a child, work that around the nap times of younger children or when your hubby is home. It doesn’t have to all be completed during “school hours.” For a season, I had one child that I helped with math at 8 p.m. every night.  This is when the child worked best and had the quiet time he needed.

*Allow for a learning curve. It’s going to take time to learn this lifestyle called homeschooling. I tell new homeschoolers all the time that their homeschool will look like what daily life in their family looks like. What style, method, mode and structure, you will utilize will come in time. It took me a good three years to feel like we were actually homeschooling. Come to find out, we had been all along!

*Limit outside commitments. During different seasons, I have found our family with many outside commitments. We have found ourselves just running from thing to thing, in the name of “enrichment,” “extracurricular,” or “interest.” I feel that our family actually being at home together is a gift. Now we carefully weigh whether the activity is in our family’s best interest.  We don’t want to live on the run.

*Go with God. If an aspect of your school isn’t working, stop and pray. If a child is having trouble, stop and pray. If you feel discouraged, stop and pray.  Know from the get-go that you CAN’T homeschool successfully without God’s direction.

May your homeschool, children and learning overflow with God’s richest blessings!

Jamerrill Stewart is the daughter of the King, and wife to Travis of 13 years. They have five beautiful children so far, ages 6 months, 2, 5, 8, & 11. By dawn of the morning, she works out the joys, struggles, blessings and challenges while authoring Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling. When she’s not lost in a wonderful book with her children, taking them on a travel adventure or catching frogs by their pond, she likes to garden, write and collect stained glass windows.