New to Homeschooling Do’s and Don’ts. New to Homeschooling Do’s and Don’ts
The Do’s DO take a breath. The transition from school to homeschooling is a difficult one for parent and child. Allow some time to collect yourself and give your child some time to adjust. Attempting to jump into a full-time homeschooling situation will be overwhelming for you all. Don't worry. Your child will NOT fall behind. Take a moment to enjoy each other and connect. DO be flexible. Digging your heels into a specific mode of learning will most likely end in tears; yours and/or theirs. This is a learning process for you both. There is no one right way to do this. If you are pushing your child to anger or frustration, just stop. Rethink and adjust. Talk to your child and get their input on what would work better for them. This is a time to build trust between you, and only in that way will you create a safe space in which to learn and grow. DO utilize your library. Depending on your county, you most likely have the option of getting an educator’s library card. This allows you an almost limitless number of books, extended checkouts, and no late fees. Your library will also have great FREE online resources. Many libraries also have a library of things! Instruments, sewing machines, tools, and lots of other interesting offerings. Libraries also have free passes for cultural field trips. Take time to make friends with your neighborhood branch Librarian. They will be an invaluable resource. DO take time for yourself. Homeschooling and parenting are jobs that never end. It’s so important to refuel yourself so you can be your best for your homeschooler. Read a trashy novel, chat with a friend on the phone (not about homeschooling), take a class just for you, learn a new skill. Remember not to lose yourself in this new lifestyle. One day your homeschooler will be off in the world and you might actually want to pursue your own goals. DO laugh! Everything is better when it’s fun. Trying to be a strict “teacher” to your child will end up hurting your relationship and stifle free exploration. So many parents think they are doing their child a favor by forcing them to sit and finish all their work through tears and tantrums. Why? Taking the stance of a co-learner opens the door to silly inside jokes, making mistakes together, and learning through spontaneity. The Don’ts DON’T rush out and spend hundreds of dollars on curriculum courses, materials, and equipment. When I first started homeschooling, I thought I really needed a top of the line iPad for my daughter to do online homeschooling. Well, it ended up online homeschooling was not the right fit for us. I’m so glad I waited on buying that computer. Turns out, my daughter can’t stand doing schoolwork on the computer. I had no idea! Really the piece of equipment that we have utilized the most is our microscope. It is a never-ending source of amazement. DON’T Google homeschooling. Trust me. Performing a search for “how do you homeschool” will send you into a blizzard of information. Since there is no one “right” way to homeschool there are thousands of opinions on what homeschooling is and how you should do it. Instead of diving into that sea of ideas, take some time to think about what kind of homeschool would work for your child and your family. Use your imagination to dream up what life would look like without the restrictions of traditional school. Then, get the advice of a trusted friend or experienced homeschooler to point you on some already trodden paths. DON’T fill your plate too fast. You don’t really know how your child learns until you start working together. So, starting with small tasks will help you gain some understanding on what will work and what won’t. Let’s say you begin with picking one book of high interest for you to read together. Reading that book can spark some great lessons, such as a small spelling or vocabulary exploration. Depending on the book, it could lead to some discussions of society, history, or culture. It may even introduce a new interest to follow. Starting small may not seem like a lot, but once you start down that path you’ll be amazed where it can lead. DON’T isolate. It’s easy to get caught up in doing hours of homeschooling a day and forget to be out in the world. Join a group through 4-H, or a Meet-up, or Facebook. Register for a class or two in your community. Remember to go on field trips or just do some schoolwork in a coffee shop instead of home. When you’re out and about, you never know who you’re going to meet. DON’T panic! I know what it feels like to wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat with your heart racing. How am I going to give my child everything they need to learn? How will they succeed in life? What if they fall behind their grade level? What if I’m not smart enough to teach them? Just take a breath and know that your child will learn what they need to know when they need to know it! School curriculum and grades are designed as a wide structure that is meant to house lots of different kinds of learners. Homeschooling allows your child to learn in whatever style suits them. It just looks different and that’s okay. All you can do is give your children learning opportunities and encourage curiosity. As my very wise homeschooler likes to tell me… Don’t school it up so much! P.S. for more homeschooling ideas, go to Blossom Learning.
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