The Blessings and Challenges of Homeschooling

When I first thought of homeschooling, my attitude was sort of a mix between Joan of Arc (“I will conquer all for God and country”) and Mother Theresa (“Through the grace of God, I will help those less fortunate than I”), topped with a bit of Little Miss Homemaker (“Won't it be fun to be home all day with my children”). My idealism came crashing around me as soon as we began. My star pupil, who happens to be my only pupil at the moment, is no Pollyanna, unless you know her as starry-eyed, distracted, and mischievous. Then, you would have my daughter. Mixed with a bit of whiny and lazy. It's a good mix, I tell you. (Please note the sarcasm in my typing.)

But through it all, I still think it is a good idea for us to homeschool… mostly… on good days. 🙂

Regardless, here are my lists of blessings and challenges of homeschooling.

The top blessings of homeschooling…

1. I get to see my daughter learn. I don't just see worksheets at the end of the week. I know firsthand what she is struggling with and where she excels.

2. I get to be with her every day! This might not always feel like a blessing, because my baby is a pain in the you-know-what sometimes, but on the whole, she has become a very integral part of my day and my life. And for that, I am thankful. Without homeschooling and our being together daily, I know we wouldn't be as close.

3. I am the lead educator and influence in her life. Not her teacher at school, nor her peers. Her mommy and daddy have the biggest say in her day-to-day, not the world at large.

4. We choose her curriculum. We can work together to design the curriculum that will interest and challenge her at the level that she is ready for. That means that she can do first grade work even if she is socially/emotionally a kindergartner. (I'm not saying that there aren't schools and teachers who would not challenge her. It just enables us to confirm it happens.) At the same time, we do look at the requirements of the state to ensure that she is not lacking in an area of study or skill set.

5. We can design our days. School doesn't need to last from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. when we do school at home. Most everything we need to accomplish can be done before noon, leaving our afternoons open for other adventures.

6. My toddler is learning beyond her years. Just because my youngest is two does not mean that she is just learning to talk and we ignore her come school time. She is listening in on many lessons and joins us on activities, too. She is getting the advantages of kindergarten while staying home with Mama and Sister.

The biggest challenges of homeschooling…

1. I have to be with my daughter every day. Ironic, curse and a blessing. There are days that I am ready to enroll her in public school just to get her out of my hair and out of my nerves. And because I can't deny my role as mom, there are days where I'd like to at least give up the teacher part.

2. It's a lot of work. At least for me it is. Now, there are curricula available that have it all laid out for you on every subject for a grade level. My husband and I want to adjust the curriculum to her needs and interests, as stated in blessings #4, though, so we haven't ventured into the ready-made curriculum… yet. 🙂

3. My daughter would really prefer to be in public school. I know that sounds like, Then why aren't you putting her there!? Mostly, she just wants to be around more kids, which I understand, being a social monster myself. That's why we try to plan as many playdates with neighborhood children in the afternoons or with other homeschool families as possible. There are homeschool communities out there with opportunities to be social and learn together, but until lately, I have had an in-home daycare and haven't been able to take advantage of those opportunities. We will soon be moving, due to my husband's work, and will be able to participate in more homeschooling activities.

4. My two-year-old doesn't always cooperate. As much as I'd like her to be a part of our learning community, she's two and the attention span can only hold on for so long. So, it can be challenging keeping her occupied while her sister is “in school.” It can be tricky, too, since big sis has attention issues and is easily distracted by little sister's play, wondering why she can't just play with dolls, too.

On the whole, the blessings outweigh the curses. And we are thankful that we have the chance.