One of the questions that I am asked most frequently is "You've already got two children through college after being homeschooled - how did you do it so successfully?" This question always makes me smile - consider what each of these individuals consider to be the definition of "successful homeschooling." Think about it for a minute - what do YOU consider to be a "successful" homeschooler?
There is a simple verse that explains our goal in successfully educating our children:
Train up a child in the way he should go:
and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6
Notice that this includes no references to training them to be lawyers or doctors or veterinarians or athletes. :-) We do comply with the educational requirements for the state, but our emphasis is on helping them learn to lead godly lives and use their unique God-given gifts to follow His will. He is making their paths clear, and we are there to support and encourage them in these efforts.
Along the way, I have learned a few important things that have made homeschooling easier as we went along. In the weeks to come, I will be sharing some of these tips with you, with the hope that they might make your load easier - learn from my hard-headed lessons!
1. Accept the fact that your family is unique and different. Understand that your success and your homeschooling will look different from everyone else in the world! Your success will be different, and your children are uniquely different. What others in your homeschool co-op group do with their children is not necessarily going to be a success with your children. Make your OWN definition of success.
2. Things are much easier when you realize that there is no formula. Homeschooling and family life are much easier when you see that there is no formula to follow. Scary but true, as we learned in engineering school, homeschooling is an unsolvable equation - there are too many variables - too many unknowns! Chicken pox this week, garden planting next week - we are a constantly changing work in progress. This is true about parenting, too - there is no "easy" button or formula to follow. Get busy living and learning and quit stressing about copying what others do - find your family's own style and stay flexible.
3. Protect your time and your family's time with a passion - every day is a precious gift. I love the line from the Chris Rice song, Life Means So Much, "Teach us to count the days, teach us to make the days count... Life means so much..." Some things to try -- turn off or minimize all intrusions and any distractions that you can (telephones, cell phones, nosy neighbors, television and neighborhood kids pounding on the door). Learn to say NO when you would have to sacrifice "protected time" - family time, date night, etc.
Enough from me for now - more of the top ten tips to follow soon. I hope that you and your family have a meaningful Memorial Day - and thanks for joining me on this thrilling ride called homeschooling!
Blessings to you and yours,
Amanda B.
www.unitstudy.com
Your top three are the hardest lessons that I have had to learn and am still trying to keep in remembrance in the 4 years that we have been homeschooling. No two people are exactly alike so it make sense that no two families, whether homeschool or not, are alike. Look forward to more insight. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete