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Homeschooling 101: A guide to getting started

July 20, 2015 By Christine Field

This post may contain affiliate links.

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We began homeschooling a few decades ago, flying by the seat of our pants.  Yes, we winged it.  After talking it over with a few friends and drooling over their stash of product catalogs, we made some quick decisions and just dived in.  Of course, it’s only preschool, we told ourselves. It’s hard to go wrong when you’re reading books aloud, working with Play-Doh, and taking nature walks.

Yet, we always wished we’d had a mentor in those early days of homeschooling.  We fantasized about taking a continuing education class in “How to Homeschool.”  We knew very little about what the job of homeschooling parent actually entailed. Why did we really want to homeschool in the first place?  What should we expect of ourselves and the children?  What was our goal?  Did we have one?  To whom, if anyone, were we accountable?  These were fundamental questions we asked ourselves.

There were many things we didn’t know about homeschooling; in fact, there were many things we didn’t know about children!  It would have been valuable to know how children learn and that each child can differ.  And we would have saved ourselves much trial and error if we had known what was developmentally appropriate for each age.  We thought there was one way to teach, and we had no idea how to find material suited to our child or our family circumstances.  And what a blessing it would have been to know how to organize, memorialize, and simply keep track of all the above.

 

Homeschooling 101: The essential handbook

Instead, our self-education in home education was haphazard. One week we would read a book about teaching reading.  Then we would get distracted by the published research on learning styles.  For a season we went nutty over teaching history with “living books.”  Our children’s heads were spinning as we rode each wave of interest and chased each rabbit that crossed our path, only to grow weary of the pursuit by the next season.  We longed to make our lives and our teaching express the ideals and values we had come to cherish as a family.  We rarely succeeded for any length of time, flitting from one curriculum to another and trying to heed the counsel of countless experts who each promised us the keys to effective homeschooling.

How much more effective we would have been right from the beginning if we had spent a season in preparation – a time immersed in Homeschooling 101.

What do you need to know to homeschool? First of all, you don’t need a degree in education.  Education majors learn how to function in the public school system – and you don’t need that.  You do need to know your vision, your goals, yourself, your children, and your family dynamic. Once you put together the pieces of your unique design, your path will unfold and you can step out in faith.

Have confidence!

 

Until next time, you can read more about Homeschooling 101 here: Homeschooling 101: The Essential Handbook

Filed Under: Homeschooling, Parenting, Relationships Tagged With: beginning homeschooling, can i homeschool, can i homeschool my child, getting started homeschooling, getting started with homeschooling, homeschool 101, homeschool advice, homeschooling 101, homeschooling 101 a guide to getting started, homeschooling where to start, i want to homeschool my child, start homeschooling, starting homeschool, starting to homeschool, what do i need to homeschool my child, where to start homeschooling

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Hi, I’m Christine

Have you been a wholehearted mother, but time, toddlers and teenagers have moved on? If you are wondering what comes next for you, you’ll feel right at home here.

Or, are you a mom for whom family life has been non-Pinworthy and parenting has been downright painful? I hear ya. There are many of us around.

Are you looking for a life full of exploration and adventure after the nest empties, but maybe you have no idea how to go about doing that? Stick around! We’ll explore adventures together to help you gain more clarity for your own path.

After a couple decades of writing books and articles about parenting, homeschooling and adoption, speaking to homeschoolers and other parent groups, and reaching out to the mom in the trenches who was trying to make the best of it - my kids grew up. Some grew up and grew away. I was determined to find a way out of the pain, emptiness and lack of direction.

For many of us, the journey starts with something we moms are not accustomed to. After years of caring for and serving others, sometimes we forget the beauty and wonder of US. We need to spend some time getting to know the parts of ourselves that have lain dormant, and take the time to explore interests and passions that we set aside.

I’d like to invite you to get the “What’s Next for Mom” workbook and jump into this growing tribe of Moms who are emptying the nest and filling the life! Let’s reignite your Mojo after Mothering!
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About Christine

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At Real Mom Life, my passion is to provide resources and reassurances for moms facing the surprising challenges of family life. In my writing and speaking, I explore solutions to unexpected issues in adoption, homeschooling, special needs, and more while encouraging moms to extract the maximum joy out of each day. Read More…

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