Homeschooling is a Bad Name
I don't like telling people we homeschool.
Huh? Yes, you heard me correctly. A veteran, die-hard, you'd-have-to-pry-the-kids-from-my-cold-dead-hands kind of homeschooler just said that.
I just don't like the name. I love what I do, but the name? Well, it turns me off. And I bet it turns a lot of others off too. Folks who might consider it, but are put off by the name. Parents who want something better than what the public school can offer, but can't afford a private school, might do it, but the name scares them off.
Parents of pre-school age kids, especially, are pressured to make a decision. Everyone is looking at pre-schools for juuuust the right one. But some moms are not really feeling it, and would love to carry on without interrupting things with pre-school, but worry about their little one missing out or falling behind or not having friends. As if mom isn't enough.
So let me put to rest some concerns.
If you think your life will change the moment your child is "ready" for school, you are wrong. Nothing changes. Not your child. Not you. But our culture has most of us convinced that at the magic age of, say, 3-4, our kids suddenly need to be put in a classroom. And this is to ensure that at the next magic age of 5, they will be trained to be in a classroom already. And THAT is to ensure that at the really magic age of 6, they will be thoroughly conditioned for spending the next 12 years in a classroom.
That's just depressing.
But still, nothing has really changed with you or your child, except you have lost your courage.
So, take heart, homeschooling is really just continuing on your parenting journey without the interruptions of compulsory schooling. Homeschooling is just parenting. That's all!
Think you can't teach your child? Please. Think the brick and mortar schools have something you don't? I'll tell you the truth- it's YOU who have a lot more to offer.
People think that homeschooling must copy what goes on in a school. I'll tell you another truth- that kind of model only works in a factory. Not in the home. Try to copy a school environment in your home, and you will burn out, be discouraged, and likely feel like a failure, if not actually fail. Homeschooling and school are two entirely different things, and that is why I really dislike the word "school" in the word that is supposed to describe what kind of life I live.
But, because we live in a world so conditioned to compulsory education, I feel I have to use the word "homeschool" so that people won't be confused when I tell them where my kids "go to school." I'd rather just say they don't and leave it at that. Or say that I am their mom, and let folks figure it out. Because that's all I'm doing.
And that's all you have to do. Be a mom. Use common sense. Learn alongside your child and see the world through their eyes. Teach them how to read and tie their shoes. Teach them how to write and how to skip. Teach them some math and how to clean up their toys. Love them. Read to them. Hold their hand.
Mom, you are enough. Take courage.
Huh? Yes, you heard me correctly. A veteran, die-hard, you'd-have-to-pry-the-kids-from-my-cold-dead-hands kind of homeschooler just said that.
I just don't like the name. I love what I do, but the name? Well, it turns me off. And I bet it turns a lot of others off too. Folks who might consider it, but are put off by the name. Parents who want something better than what the public school can offer, but can't afford a private school, might do it, but the name scares them off.
Parents of pre-school age kids, especially, are pressured to make a decision. Everyone is looking at pre-schools for juuuust the right one. But some moms are not really feeling it, and would love to carry on without interrupting things with pre-school, but worry about their little one missing out or falling behind or not having friends. As if mom isn't enough.
So let me put to rest some concerns.
If you think your life will change the moment your child is "ready" for school, you are wrong. Nothing changes. Not your child. Not you. But our culture has most of us convinced that at the magic age of, say, 3-4, our kids suddenly need to be put in a classroom. And this is to ensure that at the next magic age of 5, they will be trained to be in a classroom already. And THAT is to ensure that at the really magic age of 6, they will be thoroughly conditioned for spending the next 12 years in a classroom.
That's just depressing.
But still, nothing has really changed with you or your child, except you have lost your courage.
So, take heart, homeschooling is really just continuing on your parenting journey without the interruptions of compulsory schooling. Homeschooling is just parenting. That's all!
Think you can't teach your child? Please. Think the brick and mortar schools have something you don't? I'll tell you the truth- it's YOU who have a lot more to offer.
People think that homeschooling must copy what goes on in a school. I'll tell you another truth- that kind of model only works in a factory. Not in the home. Try to copy a school environment in your home, and you will burn out, be discouraged, and likely feel like a failure, if not actually fail. Homeschooling and school are two entirely different things, and that is why I really dislike the word "school" in the word that is supposed to describe what kind of life I live.
But, because we live in a world so conditioned to compulsory education, I feel I have to use the word "homeschool" so that people won't be confused when I tell them where my kids "go to school." I'd rather just say they don't and leave it at that. Or say that I am their mom, and let folks figure it out. Because that's all I'm doing.
And that's all you have to do. Be a mom. Use common sense. Learn alongside your child and see the world through their eyes. Teach them how to read and tie their shoes. Teach them how to write and how to skip. Teach them some math and how to clean up their toys. Love them. Read to them. Hold their hand.
Mom, you are enough. Take courage.
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