Do you have questions you’ve always wanted to ask a veteran homeschool mom?
I’ve been homeschooling and homeschool mentoring long enough I think I’ve heard every question that can be asked. Maybe.
Here’s some I’ve gleaned from around social media along with my opinion answers.
Q: What is the best form of homeschooling?
A: Whatever brings your children home. Seriously. For Christians, providing a Christian education for our children isn’t an option or even a calling. It’s a mandate given by God throughout Scripture. That being said, you want a method of education that does several things. One thing would be to uphold the authority of Scripture. Another would be to allow you to disciple your kids. If you get these two things done, you’ve done a lot. I personally used the Principle Approach method.
Q: How did you trust that in the end your child would be smarter, better off, and not held back?
A: It was really a journey. So much was riding on the oldest doing well. I mean, everyone was watching and waiting for me to mess up or throw in the towel. I had to place faith in the fact that I was doing what the Lord wanted me to do (conviction), and that my method supported that. After that, what good is comparing? Each child’s an individual anyway and God had a plan and purpose for each of them- regardless.
Q: How do you balance housework, meals, laundry…etc, when your kids are young and need more direct instruction and attention?
A: Honestly? Sometimes, barely. Things like a laundromat, crockpot, and tidying as we went along helped. But, we had a lot of cereal for dinner (my husband worked nights), and held sock-mating parties for fun. You do the best you can do. Ask for help if it’s available. I promise it passes.
Q: How did you handle the high school years to make sure they would be accepted into a college?
A: By keeping on track in middle school. We looked at what they thought they wanted to do and what college they wanted to attend (if they wanted to attend college) and had a gap year to focus on any academic weak areas.
Q: What would you do differently if you had to do it all over again?
A: If do-overs were a real thing, I’d not listen to what other people thought so much and focus on a strong understanding of the application of Scriptural principles. I’d have tackled more philosophy. Mainly, I’d have spent less time on things that distracted me. And I didn’t have social media to intrude! I’d pointed them to Jesus a lot more!
Q: How do you stay motivated?
A: One day at a time. Write out your philosophy of education, you’re “why” you homeschool. Remind yourself of the blessings.
Q: How do you know if you are doing too much or not enough? In kindergarten when they are starting to learn the foundation of everything how do you know you are teaching enough?
A: The best meter I’ve found for knowing this is by monitoring the stress level in the home. I had one child that hid from me when I brought out the phonograms. Turns out she had a vision issue. If I’d have insisted on her doing them, we may have harmed her love of learning.
Also, gaining consent from the child to be taught. If you have this (through relationship building), you’ll be able to accomplish a lot more schooling. This will also cover the motivation of the child.
Q: How do you shut up your negative thoughts, mommy guilt during these rough high school years?
A: Give yourself grace. Pray. Ask forgiveness when necessary. Don’t give up. God is a parent and look at Adam. It’ll be okay.
Q: How do you plan your homeschool?
A: Pinterest. Just kidding. Kinda. Seriously, though- plan with the end in mind. Think big picture to particulars. Whole to part. There are a bazillion planners for just getting the what you do on what day down. Beyond that- I always journaled my planning.
Q: What about socialization?
A: Fooled ya! You know I’m not going to answer that one!
I hope this has proven helpful to you. If you have a question I’ve not answered, drop me a comment and I’ll try to help!
_____________
Gina Glenn is a veteran homeschool mom to four {nearly all} grown children and author of the Principle Approach Primer. You can find Gina at GinaGlenn.com
Speak Your Mind