7 Personal Questions to Answer About Homeschooling
Homeschooling is an amazing call and privilege from God. Every homeschooling family is on their own homeschooling journey. Your adventure will be unlike anyone else’s trek! We can, however, encourage and learn from one another.
After years of answering questions at homeschool conferences, workshops, and support team meetings, I have realized that it’s important to ask the right questions. It is also helpful to answer these questions about your own homeschooling adventure.
Answer the Question: Why Are We Homeschooling?
Some families homeschool to spend more time with their children to strengthen the parent-child relationship.
Other families love providing quality private and individualized tutoring (education reserved for nobility in the past).
In many homes, there is a desire to pass on a Godly heritage. Because Jesus was the perfect teacher, homeschooling allows parents to imitate Him while teaching their children.
Many folks enjoy the good fruit that positive socialization in homeschooling brings.
Safety is a concern for a number of families that educate their children at home.
Answer the Question: What is Your Long-Term Goal?
I always keep the finished product (my children as adults) in view. With this picture in mind, I am very goal-oriented in my children’s education. I keep the end in view at all times—major on the majors, and minor on the minors. Each year and in each subject, goals are made and plans are created to reach these goals.[DEaEb1]
What do you want to see in your adult children?
What are you doing each year to see that happen?
Answer the Question: Is Your Home Set Up for Easy Educating?
The myth is that you need a pristine homeschool room. Even when I finally got a house with a homeschool room, my kids still liked to cuddle on the sofa to read and work on the dining room table. Home is a great place to learn!
Is your house organized to store the books and school supplies so that they are easy to get out and put away?
Do you have a place to plan lessons and grade schoolwork?
Answer the Question: Do You Have a Schedule That Works?
Many of us have an idealistic schedule that never works in real life. You see, real life is full of interruptions, lost books, sick family members, and doctor appointments.
One thing I recommend is laying everything you do out in a schedule so that you can see if your child has any time left to actually do schoolwork.
After a few years of homeschooling, I realized I needed to schedule in time to grade schoolwork and time to relax. So, I added it to my schedule!
Another recommendation is to use block scheduling. It’s perfect for all the chaos and interruptions that family life brings. I explain block scheduling in Flexible Scheduling Can Work for You!
Answer the Question: How is Your Relationship with Each Child?
Lives are changed in the context of relationships. Children learn best when they feel loved and are expected to respect their parents. Yes, it is loving to require respect and obedience.
We can communicate love to our children with our facial expressions, tone of voice, and the words we say. Focus on the positive in your children and correct with compassion and kindness. Affirm and encourage your children and remind them always of how much you love them. When our children are the most challenging is when they need our love the most.
Can loving our children be difficult? Yes! One day the Lord really ministered to me in my quiet time about this very issue. I was reading the Gospel of Luke, and the Lord taught me some valuable lessons about loving my children. You can read my blog post 6 Things I Learned about Parenting & Homeschooling from Jesus in Luke 8 & 9.
Answer the Question: Do Your Children Get Along?
I’m sure there are kids somewhere that don’t squabble, but most of our children—even the best-behaved—tend to argue when they are younger.
Did you know that children can learn to work through conflict Biblically? Matthew 18 has been an important chapter in our home for working through conflict, forgiving, and receiving forgiveness. I share all about this in my podcast Fight Fair!.
Another encouragement for this topic is my blog post Why Do Your Kids Always Fight and How to Stop It.
Answer the Question: Who is Your Support Team?
Your support team matters! They are the ones who cheer you on. They believe in you! You can rely on them to minimize your flaws and maximize your strengths. When you feel like stopping, they are the push to keep going.
Being able to identify your support team is important for your emotional well-being. And, believe me, your emotional well-being affects your ability to homeschool.
Sometimes we expect parents and spouses to be on our support team and they just aren’t. That’s sad, but we can still have a support team. Look around and identify who encourages you in your homeschool adventure and make sure you make time for those people in your life.
100 Homeschool Hacks is a free eBook that will expand your support system to include vintage homeschool moms, homeschool grads, and young homeschool moms. Grab your copy here.
These questions I bring up are personal ones. Only you can answer them. They are important questions with answers that will transform your homeschool. The answers to these questions will help you to become more and more effective and efficient in your home education journey. They will help you stay on track on the grand adventure of educating your children at home.
Until next time, happy homeschooling!
Warmly,
Meredith Curtis
Bio
Meredith Curtis, homeschooling mom, writer, speaker, and publisher, loves to encourage families in their homeschooling adventure. She is the author of Travel God’s World Geography, Travel God’s World Cookbook, and HIS Story of the 20th Century. You can check out her books, curricula, unit studies, and Bible studies at PowerlineProd.com. Read her blogs at PowerlineProd.com and listen to her at Finish Well Podcast
