Homeschooling - Why, How & Tips for Success

A peek into this unique life-style that has defined most of my adult life. How I started homeschooling, the benefits I have seen, and how I keep going.

Sep 10, 2024

I have been Homeschooling and Home Educating for over 15 years. This career has defined most of my adult life.

It began when my oldest was 4 and we couldn’t afford the Montessori preschool that I wanted to enroll her in. I figured that I’d put my Elementary Ed BA and public school teacher experience to good use. I read stacks of books from the library on early Elementary Education, teaching a child how to read, and living teaching methods. Then I gathered the courage and began our “learning experiment”.

What started as a educational decision became a life-style that has put our family on a different path.

Homeschooling has given us the option of doing things differently than the norm of the overscheduled and stressed-out families around us. It has been an anchor when the world becomes unpredictable and a constant in times of change.

Some benefits of our homeschool life-style:

my kids are friends
- They enjoy spending time together (but they still occasionally bicker and argue).
they can learn each subject at their own pace
- Grade levels become a suggestion and they can work ahead or take more time depending on the subject.
they have time for other opportunities during school day hours
- My older teens have done internships, morning work shifts, special classes, and volunteer work. (and then the finish school work in the afternoons or evenings)
we get to decide our schedule: daily, weekly, and yearly
- My kids have the option of sleeping in, we can adjust for travel or work schedules, and we have enjoyed vacations in the off seasons.
deep dives in learning subjects of interest
- Especially when my kids were little we would focus on one topic and learn about it in a comprehensive way.
- Examples: Historical time periods, science topics, painters, nature study, types of art, composers, types of animals, and geography.
my kids are highly social - they have a large variety of friendships and relationships with others outside our home
- Because the social aspect is separated from their learning, when they attend social events they can focus completely on friendships and connection.
- My kids have friends in a variety of ages and life-styles. They can connect with adults, toddlers, kids, and teens. As they get older they often step into leadership roles in large group and small group settings.
they learn life skills - all my kids and teens can cook, clean, and care for our home
- Because we spend most days at home, they are more invested in our environment.
- We start our day with morning chores to care for our home and our animals. They want their desks to be clean so they can do a project or work on schoolwork without distraction. My kids help in the kitchen so they can decide what’s for dinner.

a notebook with glasses and a book on it — Photo by Taylor Heery on Unsplash

Each year as I take a few weeks to plan for our next year of homeschooling, I am profoundly thankful for experiences we have had. As I look back over my teaching materials and planning notebooks, I am amazed at how much we have done. I always plan ambitiously but don’t give myself credit for the variety of learning and the amount of work that gets completed.

So, this week I wanted to share with you a peek into my homeschool journey. As I am looking back and beginning my planning for the next year, I can easily see how far we have come.

It has not been an easy road.

(But, honestly, is there an easy way to raise and educate kids?)

There have also been very difficult seasons of pregnancy, toddlers who demand attention, moving, and caring for family. There have been years when my role as a homeschool teacher has expanded to help other families when our world (or their world) was falling apart.

We have made countless sacrifices to homeschool and live debt free with one income in a two-income world. My husband has always been very encouraging and supportive of homeschooling and he skillfully carries the financial weight of our family. I am seriously grateful and I know that a most people do not have that kind of support.

But for us the benefits outweigh the frustrations and difficulty of this unique life-style. Home educating our kids has been a huge blessing.

Each year I learn new skills (along with my kids) and I grow in my teaching capacity. I have stepped into this teaching role with confidence and clarity. I have some tried and true tips that I use to keep homeschooling with confidence.

Homeschooling Tips:

Take control of your schedule -
- There is so much freedom in deciding how you will plan out your days, weeks, and year.
- Map out your schedule for the needs of your family, work demands, vacations, and typical seasonal rhythms for your family.
- Homeschool Planning 101 – 3 Tips for Your Schedule
Make curriculum work for you -
- Check your state/government requirements, and then choose curriculum that works for your personality, your teaching style, and the needs of your students.
- Check out this Podcast from Pam Barnhill: Simplify Your Homeschool Options With These Five Curriculum Types
Gather community -
- Join homeschool groups, find online communities, and participate in teacher skills classes. Learning and growth happen in relationships.
- By using the community that I have gathered around me I have solved road blocks and found my way.
Organize your home for education and life -
- There is a lot of supplies and books needed to homeschool well. Make space for all the stuff and keep it well organized.
- Decluttering My Home School Space
Don’t get discouraged when it is hard -
- Some days it’s easy and fun. But most days are hard and require a big dose of self-control to get to the end.
Real work is defined by so much more than a paycheck -
- What we do is so much more than what money we make. Our worth is not tied up in financial success. If you have been called to teach your kids then I know you have a solid reason why. Lean into that.
- Homeschooling is a Job