Maybe you’re considering making the big move and actually pulling your children out of public school to homeschool them, or starting them at home rather than enrolling them in public school this September. The prospect of facing your first year of homeschooling can be daunting, but here are some tips to help you survive your first homeschool year.
Research Well in Advance
Before you begin to homeschool, make sure you spend some time and determine if it’s right for your family. Not all parents can homeschool, and not all children can be homeschooled. Your teaching style and your child’s learning style should be compatible, or you have to be ready for daily fights, crying fits, burned-out family members, and more. An older child can take responsibility for his own learning, but must be very self-motivated to do so if you go this route. You know the abilities of your children, so don’t go against your gut instinct if something strong tells you it won’t work out.
It Won’t Be Perfect
Look at homeschooling as an unfinished work of art or a learning process. Your first year of homeschooling won’t be perfect; in fact, many homeschooling parents say that the first year was the very hardest. It will probably be full of “oops” moments, a lot of self-doubt on your end, skepticism from your relatives, fights with your child, and more unpleasantness. Don’t dwell on each mistake, however. Once you have pushed through the first year, the second will become easier, the third even easier, and so on.
Stay Legal
Before you begin to homeschool, research the legality of homeschooling in your area. Different regions have different laws about whether you need to check in with the public school, register, or even follow a standard homeschool curriculum. Be sure you fill in paperwork necessary to avoid getting a surprise visit from officials determined to stop your homeschooling effort before it gets started.
Choose a Curriculum
There are many different curricula out there for homeschoolers, based on different education methods, religions, learning styles, and more. You may have to experiment with several before you discover the right one for you. It’s worth doing so, however. The right curriculum will make your life much easier.
Plan Carefully
Create lesson plans for at least each week, and set aside time each day (perhaps sometime in the early morning or evening) or week to review the upcoming lessons, along with what your child will be learning. It is much easier to teach if the material is fresh in your mind. You will also have to do some planning to make the household run smoothly outside lessons – chores, meals, etc can be an issue otherwise. Finally, remember to plan for time off, too! Downtime is necessary in every homeschooler’s schedule.
Your first year of homeschooling may be the most rocky time in your relationships with your children, spouse and relatives, but if you stick it out, you and your family can survive and thrive. Before you know it, you’ll be a proud homeschooling veteran advising new homeschoolers on how to succeed!