Every now and then, I get an email in my inbox asking how I homeschool. While I am flattered to even be considered knowledgeable enough to dole out advice, everything I know is just particular for my own family. I know my kids, and I know what works for us. That being said, there are common traits that successful homeschooling families share.
I had come across a poem at a friend’s house one day, entitled, A Recipe For A Happy Home, which listed some characteristics of a well-adjusted household. Following the same metaphor, we can blend together certain traits to cook up our unique homeschooling experience.
Ingredients:
- Commitment
- Fun
- Encouragement
- Patience
- Forgiveness
- Respect
- Enthusiasm
- Spontaneity
Mix Commitment, Fun, and Encouragement. Stir in Patience, Forgiveness, and Respect. Bake with Enthusiasm. Sprinkle with Spontaneity and Serve.
Like any good recipe, you have to tweak it, test it, and adjust according to your diner. If he is “allergic” to math, then find a suitable substitute — for instance, stories reinforcing math concepts. If he is not a morning person, serve your lessons later in the day. And even if he loves pi, he’s probably not going to want it every single day.
The only thing you are committed to is your child — the fact that you are considering embarking on this homeschooling journey shows that you care how and what he learns and will do everything in your power to give him that education. You are not committed to any one method. My advise is to read up on different philosophies and methods, try them out, and see if it’s a good fit for your family. If not, no worries. Try something else, or better yet, pick and choose to customize that special mix that is perfect for just your family.
Just as cooking is a trial and error process — you perfect some, you burn some — so is homeschooling. Nobody whips up a seven-course gourmet meal their first day in the kitchen! Start with one component and slowly add another until you have developed your family’s homeschool. Before long, you’ll be cooking up some fantastic days together.
How about you? What is your recipe for a happy homeschool?
Amida has been tweaking her homeschool recipe for the past eight years. You can sample it at her blog, Journey Into Unschooling.
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Love this! I think sometimes as homeschooling moms we really beat ourselves up when things don’t go exactly as planned, or if something isn’t working perfectly. Thanks for the reminder that homeshooling, as well as so much in life is a learning process for all of us. We really just need to learn what really works for our own children and family.
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