Homeschool Jewels

Posted by Belinda | 0 comments

I once read a great article by Diane Flynn Keith entitled “7 Dumb Mistakes Smart People Make When They Homeschool and How to Avoid Them.”  The article really struck home with me in areas where I’ve been, and some areas in which I insist on returning, despite my best efforts. For copyright’s sake, I won’t post the entire article here, but I will share her list of mistakes:

1. Unrealistic expectations (or no expectations) regarding yearly or daily goals
2. Over-scheduling & under-scheduling
3. Ignoring child feedback
4. Overspending
5. Isolation
6. Thinking you can do it all
7. Striving to convince everyone else that they, too, should homeschool

Like I said, I could preach a sermon on all but #4, and I’m good enough to even get an offering on #s 2 and 6. The reason that I’ve not been guilty of overspending, at least not yet, is more of a function of the method I chose for homeschooling than any well thought-out savings strategy. One great benefit I’ve always enjoyed about Charlotte Mason’s principles is that there isn’t a lot of curriculum to buy if you play your cards right. I have used as a mantra that quote I heard early in my journey about ‘all you need to homeschool is a Bible, a math book, and a library card.’

As a curriculum developer and self-publisher, I am not condemning the idea of packaged curriculum. To be clear, bought curriculum is the unofficial, yet official mark of a homeschooler. Think about it: how wealthy would you be if you had a dollar for each time another homeschooling parent stopped and asked you, “So, what curriculum do you use?” Moreover, there are wonderful homeschool-friendly products available from parents who have traveled the same path and appreciate the roses, and thorns, along the journey. Where would the homeschooling movement be without this type of ingenuity?

For me personally, as I pray and do the homework regarding what to buy, I have a couple of homeschooling jewels that I often refer back to, especially at the year’s end when I’m beginning to think about the years to come.

Jewel #1 on buying curriculum: consider the following questions:

• Is this something I can teach without a curriculum?
• Am I attracted to the content, or the packaging and promotion?
• What do the reviews say about it?
• Finally, this one is my favorite: buy books instead of buying “stuff ”.

Jewel #2: get stuck in a rut.

Yes, that’s right. I said do get stuck in a rut. Although our routine has had some variance over the years—an extra workbook here or different teaching element there—we have stuck, pretty much, to the same schedule and basic subjects each year. So, without additional prep work (besides my own), our children know what is expected of them each day of the week. Unless we have an interruption (a field trip, travel, or unplanned event), they can sit and complete their work whether I’m around or not. Only once in our time at home was I too sick to get out of bed, but I was astonished and thrilled that the kids came downstairs and did everything they were supposed to do, only consulting me if they had questions.

Routines are just what the name suggests—routine, boring, and monotonous. I can, however, offer the carrot in front of this ho-hum horse. As a college instructor, I reach out to students each day who are having a less-than successful start in post-secondary studies. In some cases, they are simply not college material. However, in many cases, they are bright learners who could have an academically successful experience, but they lack the skills to be good students—discipline, time management, and concentration. As much as we hate to admit it, these are the roles we often play as parents in the homeschool.

So the question becomes, how do we help our kids transition to do these things themselves? Cutting them off cold turkey after 12th grade doesn’t work in many cases, so we have to create an environment for certain habits to form. Moreover, those habits must form in us first. We can’t lead where we aren’t willing to go; how dare we expect children who can manage themselves when we present ourselves as flighty and undisciplined. School can still be filled with love and laughter, but think about and certainly pray about making it boring enough for your children to learn to discipline and manage their lives.

Again, these nuggets have been invaluable for me as we progress through the years. Prayerfully, they will bless you, too.

Belinda Bullard is a wife and homeschooling mother of three, Belinda is an author and the owner of A Blessed Heritage Educational Resources, a literature-based history curriculum featuring African-American presence in history, as well as the contributions of other races to American history. A chemical engineer by formal education, she also serves as adjunct faculty for college distance learning programs.