Break Out of the School Box

When I first felt that I was to homeschool my children, I did not know where to begin. To be honest, the only examples that I had were not very good ones.  Both my husband and I were raised in the school system, so there was really nothing to go on between the two of us.

So I began our journey.   I bought school desks and posters for the walls, making a little nook in our home to look exactly like a regular classroom. I thought the curriculum needed to be all from the same company and all on the same grade level for each child. I even went so far as to keep all the subjects on the same lesson that coordinated with the day of school we were on.

No, there is not anything wrong with any of those things, IF they work for you and your child. However, can I just be honest and admit this was pushing me straight into the loony bin! I was constantly feeling like a failure. The kids were frustrated and so was I. There was no joy in school in our home.

I quickly decided that wasn’t working for us. So I got on the internet and read every homeschooling blog there is. I found my favorite one and tried to copy their routine, to do the same curriculum, and have the same set up. Guess what? It was another epic fail in our home. So after more frustration I decided to get smart and pray about what our family was supposed to do. Which, by the way, I should have done from the very beginning. It would have saved me time, money, and my little ones lots of disappointment and frustration.

I came to realize I was putting myself in a box when it came to my thinking about school. Every child is different. Every child will need different things. I have found so much freedom in just letting them go at their own pace. Being free to excel in one subject if it is their niche. Feeling free to go over another subject longer if it isn’t.

My children are happy and enjoy school. Yes, we still have our schoolroom, but we have turned the space into a fun learning environment. We use all different resources based on the kids’ needs now, instead of basing it on my obsessive tendencies to be all matching.

Homeschooling should be fun; it should be an adventure that your children enjoy. Don’t get stuck inside the “school” box.  Take advantage of the ability to customize your child’s education. They are blessed to be able to learn on their level and in their own way. They don’t have to be a cookie cutter student forced to learn one specific way. Take full advantage of the freedoms you have and watch your child accelerate beyond what you thought was possible. Enjoy the journey!!

Heather has been married almost 11 years to her best friend, Matt. They have 4 very active and full-of-life children – Nolan (9), Kaitlyn (7), and identical twin boys Gavin and Gabriel (5). When Heather is not busy with homeschool activities, she enjoys blogging at Cook Family Chronicles, reading, and spending time outside with her children.  Find her on Facebook and Twitter.

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5 Comments

  1. I agree! Every homeschooler is unique. I am homeschooling my second year. My son is in first grade. I love to watch my son learn. It truly is a blessing!

  2. Wonderful post, I agree that every homeschool family is different, we all run our homeschool differently. This is my 5th year homeschooling and something I did with my one of my kids, might not work for the other one. I am now following your blog on twitter and through email!

  3. I began homeschooling my 7th grader full time this year. I work full time and haven’t found very many blogs with those who work full time. I am looking to gain a lot of ideas and support from gals like yourself! Thankful I found your blog. I hope to post every other week about what we are learning on this journey. Blessings!

  4. Homeschooling is just trial and error and sometimes things change every year but recognizing it and not feeling like a failure is HUGE!!! Thanks for you sharing

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