This guest post is part of our 30 Days of Homeschool: The Good, The Bad & The In-Between Blog Series
Feeling Like a Homeschool Failure
When you begin homeschooling, it can be a scary and daunting place to be and you wonder if you’ll feel like a homeschool failure. You see all these Pinterest-worthy, perfect homeschooling families, and you can’t even manage to pick a curriculum. You immediately go to the negative place in your mind when you think you are a homeschool failure. You begin spouting off things like: I‘m going to ruin my kids, they’ll never amount to anything, I’m so stupid for thinking I could do this, people are going to judge me. That last one is the number one reason I see people question their ability to educate their children at home.
Homeschooling is “Different”
“But it’s different” seems to be the go-to reason behind their fear. Why is being different such a bad thing? It’s better to be different. Who wants to be the same as everyone else? If you’re even thinking about homeschooling, one of those reasons is because something isn’t right with the public school system, and you feel that it would benefit your family to homeschool. You already thinking differently. If you’ve ever read my blog (The Balanced Living Mama) you know that I strongly disagree with public school, and all it stands for. I think that we homeschoolers should strive to be as different from the public schools as possible.
(I really feel that I should insert here that I don’t hate public schools, and I think the idea of public school is amazing, but it’s being executed in the wrong way, there are issues that need to be addressed, and there isn’t any change. Things are only getting worse and worse as time goes on. I strongly believe in educating your children at home because I believe in it. It’s not for everyone, but I do not judge you if you send your kids to public school.)
Now back on topic…
feeling like a homeschool failure and feeling that you can’t homeschool your own kids.
You can, though! I know the fear, and I understand the fear. I had that same fear when we decided to pull our oldest from kindergarten 2.5 years ago. The mindset we’ve grown up with is drilled into our heads; you go to school when you turn 5, you stay there until you graduate. No one else can teach you. if you get a bad grade, you’re a bad kid.
Its completely natural for us to feel the pull to the school system, and feel the fear when we decide to go against it in any way.
I can tell you this, though:
- You do not need an education degree to educate your kids.
- The public school system pushes too much information too fast, and doesn’t allow for mastery.
- They only teach to score high on tests, they don’t teach so the kids can learn.
- You can take the time to help your kids through each subject slowly so they master the lessons, and retain the information better. Here are some ways to get past the fear:
“Don’t let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”~~ Babe Ruth
^That is one of my favorite quotes and I feel it really applies to homeschooling. You know your kids better than everyone else out there, you know how they learn best, the times they learn best, what they need to learn. You don’t have to base their learning off of test scores. You can implement a program that works for each child to make them happy, content, and knowledgeable.
First Things First
Find your why. Why are you wanting to homeschool your kids? Write it down, and put it somewhere where you can see it everyday. This will help you on the days you feel like you’re failing.
We live in an amazing society filled with opportunity. The amount of information that is online to help you school your kids is simply amazing. There are online websites, videos, communities, and full grade level programs. There are free programs, monthly programs, expensive programs. Whichever you want for your kids, whatever will work for them, you can find online.
Take It Easy
Don’t be so hard on yourself. De-school for a bit. If you’re not sure what de-schooling is; it’s just a fancy saying for taking a break from all things school. Just live life, play, read books, or cook, and play outside. Just enjoy life while you get out of the public school mindset for both you and your kids.
Relax, breathe, and do some research. It’s not as scary as it seems. You can find a plethora of information out there on how to get started, what curriculums to use (based off what you want for your family).
You CAN Do This!
I really want to stress to you that you can do this, all you have to do is want it! Take deep breaths, and know that you know your child better than anyone else ever will. You know how your child learns the best, and what their favorite things are. Once you get past the fear that society has forced on us, amazing doors will open, and you’ll wonder why you ever thought you’d be a homeschool failure in the first place!
-Danielle✌?
Danielle is the writer behind The Balanced Living Mama She is a mom of three small girls. Danielle homeschools her three daughters and talks all things homeschooling and mom life in her blog. She has a passion for photography, writing, and creating new things. She loves to be outside with her kids as much as possible. Danielle’s mission is to better the world from her little corner of the world as much as she can, using small acts of kindness, and sharing her knowledge with the world.
Website: The Balanced Living Mama
Facebook: facebook.com/thebalancedlivingmama
Instagram: instagram.com/thebalancedlivingmama
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/
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Love your post Danielle and completely agree with the “it’s better to be different” sentiment; we’re all made differently, we should relish those differences. I never understood why there was such a need for everyone to be exactly the same when I was at school, and then when I got to university, when I’d (sadly) perfected the art of fitting in, it then became cool to be different! Let children be who they’re meant to be 🙂