Today’s newsletter asked an important question: is there a right way to homeschool or parent your children? The only right way is the way that works for your individual children and family. We get in trouble when we try copying other people or compromising what we know to be best.
What do you think? What are the most difficult challenges you face as a homeschooling parent or parent in general? Post below. We’ll be answering these questions through our blog, newsletter and CPU classes.
3 comments
For me, it is the constant pressure of “mommy guilt”. For whatever reason, I find myself frequently wondering whether or not I am truly doing “all that I can”. Then, this leads to greater stress on my mind, heart and soul. It can be a vicious cycle. I have found that having a core group of online friends has truly helped. A person CANNOT homeschool without having a very supportive group behind them. This is especially true when they are homeschooling children with challenges.
One thing I CAN say is that a homeschooling parent has to do exactly what you mentioned in the first paragraph. “The only right way is the way that works for your individual children and family. We get in trouble when we try copying other people or compromising what we know to be best.”
I spent the first 3 years of my homeschooling attempting to educate my energetic/sensory sensitive kids just like “all my friends” educated their children. We tried following a strict routine, sitting at a table. We tried sitting at desks. We tried ALL sorts of things that other moms I respected did successfully with their kids. The only problem was, my kids ALL struggle GREATLY with any work that includes hand-writing excessively and workbooks and textbooks. We have since found an online program that has nearly eliminated the tears. I still sometimes watch wistfully as other parents are “able” to sit with their large families, around the same table, and all learn out of a book. I learned that is MY learning style and I had to find what works for my 3 kids.
It is VERY difficult sometimes to break free from others’ expectations of me, but I have been learning that is the ONLY way we will survive as a family. We now have our OWN routine – which means – when the kids are emotionally in an unstable place, we wait an hour. Maybe we’ll go outside and play. Maybe the kids will all go back to their rooms and we’ll start the day over. Sometimes, we all just scream (not AT each other – just scream to get the agitation out). It probably sounds TERRIBLE, but it helps all of us feel better. Then, we go on with the day.
Hi Kirk!
As a square among circles, here is my greatest home schooling challenge:
I’m a planner by nature. Each year, I sit down with all of my carefully chosen curricula, and create lesson plans. I build in a certain amount of flexibility, and try to set realistic goals for what can be accomplished in 36 weeks.
This year, I’m trying to turn more of the responsibility for school work over to the kids; we’re also incorporating a lot of great tools from your Brain Boosters CDs. Inevitably, however, there are still days when they take forever to do their schoolwork.
When they don’t complete their work, it’s meaningless to assign a lower grade – I don’t give them grades. The goal at our house is for them to complete their work. When they have “home work,” it means I have home work; if they have to finish their work during the summer, I’m in summer school too.
I’m finding it hard to resolve this conundrum. I’m looking forward to reading your suggestions!
My personal struggle- caring for my elderly in-the-beginning-stages-of-Alzheimers mother (who lives with us) while being an attentive wife and homeschooling three kids. At times someone has to go on the back burner, and those occasions when I feel like I’m choosing between my mom, husband, and kids are very uncomfortable.
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