My advice here is simple… don’t have any expectations! 🙂
Let’s talk about it.
Beginning on the homeschooling journey is often accompanied by a number of expectations, mixed with a lot of excitement, anticipation, and intimidation. As parents, we will thoroughly plan, envisioning a beautiful day filled with structured lessons, exciting discoveries, and meaningful family moments. Yet, the reality of the homeschooling experience can sometimes unfold in unexpected ways, reshaping our perspectives and teach us valuable lessons along the way.
Entering our first year of homeschooling, I was filled with the anticipation, the excitement and the idea that we would have these seamless days of focused learning, motivated children and I honestly expected it to be great. I planned everything out. I had all of these ideas of things I wanted us to accomplish. I was sure that the curriculum I chose was perfect and that it would be enough to carry us through our first year. But what I had envisioned in my mind wasn’t realistic and although our first year was over all great, it fell short in a lot of ways. It wasn’t perfect, as nothing in life is. My kids didn’t cooperate every day. We struggled… a lot. Some of the curriculum I chose didn’t work well for us and it definitely didn’t last all year long. I ended up having to supplement more things or switch to something else entirely. It came with a lot of trial and error and a lot of lessons learned, for everyone.
Reality unfolded quickly, despite my best-laid plans. Our first year, and really every year since, has proven to be a mix of triumphs and trials.
Reflecting on our first year, I’m grateful for those early lessons that it taught me. We had to break free of our traditional idea of what “school” should look like. We learned very quickly that our school day doesn’t need to mirror the conventional six-hour model. We discovered that homeschooling could be just as effective in half the time. This was a hard one for me to wrap my head around. But now, 6 years later, I know better. I also needed to determine each of my children’s unique learning styles, their strengths and areas for growth. We navigated different curriculums until we found ones that fit their learning styles. I learned how to plan our assignments more productively, so that I didn’t get so overwhelmed. We began to focus on more than just those basic subjects, exploring other things that the kids were interested in too. Learning can be done from so much more than just textbooks.
*Note if you’re interested in which curriculum and resources that I recommend for homeschooling the elementary year, check out this blog post for more!
Let’s look at some common expectations you might have…
The Expectation – Picture-Perfect Learning Environments
In our minds, our homeschooling classroom is this beautiful, esthetically pleasing room with bright posters, shelves overflowing with books, and a perfectly organized desk where our children eagerly dive into their studies each day.
The Reality: Learning Happens Everywhere
In reality, our homeschooling environment can and should be anywhere. Learning goes far beyond our own designated space. It can happen on everyday routines/errands, exploring the outdoors, and impromptu kitchen experiments. Flexibility becomes our greatest weapon as we embrace all that learning can be.
The Expectation: Seamless Lesson Plans
After what seems like endless hours of planning, we envision smooth sailing through each subject, with highly engaged students taking in our every word and eagerly raising their hands to participate.
The Reality: Embracing the Unpredictable
Homeschooling teaches us to navigate the idea of unpredictability with grace. Some days will unfold effortlessly, while others are filled with distractions, tears, and frustration. We have to learn to overcome those hard days and take advantage of teachable moments wherever they may arise. Discover the beauty in the unplanned.
The Expectation: Unwavering Patience
As homeschooling parents, we aspire to model effortless patience, guiding our children through challenges with unwavering calmness and understanding.
The Reality: Growth Through Imperfection
In truth, our patience is tested, sometimes stretched to its limits. Yet, it is within these moments of frustration and struggle that we can discover the power of perseverance. We learn alongside our children, growing and learning from those imperfections to make the next day better.
The Expectation: Socialization Concerns
Questions about socialization often are some of the first concerns of homeschooling parents, and those around them. Fears of isolated and lonely children are far from what any parent wants.
The Reality: Building Meaningful Connections
However, homeschooling can allow much more freedom for socialization opportunities, from homeschool co-op’s, extracurricular activities and deep, meaningful connections formed within our own family unit. Our children’s social circles can extend far beyond the walls of a traditional classroom. We just may have to put in a little more effort in providing opportunity in those areas.
So, I guess what I’m trying to say is, don’t expect perfection in that first year, or even several years in honestly. Homeschooling keeps us all on our toes. Six years in, I am still learning every day. But I encourage you to embrace the challenges and the things that don’t work the first time around. Keep pushing forward and trying something different until you find what works for you and your family. Even more so, each year will be different as your children grow and learn. Homeschooling is not a cookie cutter lifestyle. It’s messy but it also allows you to be creative. Our children are all different learners, so aim to create a homeschool environment that feeds their learning style. That’s the beauty of this, we can make it our own.
Conclusion: Embracing the Journey
As we reflect on the differences between our expectations and the reality of homeschooling, we realize that the true beauty of this journey lies not in it being “perfect”, but in the perfectly imperfect. It is within the messy, unpredictable moments that we discover the joy of learning together, forming bonds that last. Homeschooling is not just about the education; it is a journey of growth, discovery, and endless possibilities.
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