Wanna Be a Steader!

Are You a Double-Minded Mom?

James 1:5-8 -- {Modified for homeschool moms}  If any of you lacks wisdom, (s)he should ask God, Who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to (her).  But when (s)he asks, (s)he must believe and not doubt, because (s)he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That (mom) should not think (s)he will receive anything from the Lord; (s)he is a double-minded (mom), unstable in all (s)he does.

Whether you're new to homeschooling or a veteran, complete with battle scars, one of our major concerns is choosing our curriculum and teaching tools.  Or course, we want the best for our children, that's one reason why we teach them at home.

Do I use textbooks?  Workbooks?  Unit Studies?  Unschool?  Charlotte Mason method?  Delight-Directed unit studies?  All library books and hands-on approaches?  Do I wait until my child shows an interest in a subject before I teach it?  All of the above????   Calgon, take me away!!!!

I have been a county homeschool coordinator in my area for many years, one of the things I try to stress to new homeschool moms is to NOT make things too hard on themselves, especially the first year.  The first year is a lot of trial and error and there's no big mystery about teaching that is learned at a teacher's college.  Besides, YOU have the teacher's manual!

We are so blessed and there is so much to choose from...almost too much.  My advice to anyone going to a state homeschool convention for the first time is to go with a shopping list.  Chances are that if something on your list is offered at more than one booth, the first booth you find it at will not be the lowest price.  You can really break the bank at a convention, or even shopping on-line...

A few years ago, I received a call from a new homeschool mom; she had just taken her daughter out of public school and was freaking out.  She called me and told that she had just spent several hundred dollars on e-bay buying school books for her daughter who was going into 4th grade.  "My goodness!  What did you get?!"  She said she had ordered so much that she had 3 Rubbermaid tubs FULL of all kinds of things and could I PLEASE come over and help her sort it all out.

When I arrived at her house, she was in such a tizzy that I told her she needed to "calm down and take a deep breath because, at this point, I'm more worried about you than I am about your daughter.  You are too tense and anxious and you're going to make your daughter tense and anxious and you're going to ruin the experience for the both of you!"

After we sorted through her tubs of books and learning aids, I handed her a neat little pile of about 5 books and said, "Here's next year's curriculum."  She nearly fainted!

A veteran homeschool parent told me that their rule of thumb is "pray and then proceed.  Trust that the Lord has answered your prayers and then step out in faith and decide on your curriculum."  Acting on your faith in God's leading takes away self-doubt and double-mindedness.

Here are some helpful hints:

1)  There is NO perfect curriculum or teaching style.  Give yourself and your child(ren), time to get used to your teaching style and new curriculum.  If you are new, you'll find in a month or so that you will find your "flow."  Be assured that if you apply yourself and take the time, you WILL succeed.  After all, no one knows or loves your child(ren) more than you do.

2)  "It may be 'home' but it's still school.'"  This is my standard come-back when people ask if my kids like being homeschooled.  For one thing, I am quite unashamed that they have known nothing else but homeschool.  BUT...being children, there are "those days."  We all have them.  When you were in school or in the workplace, didn't you have "those days."?

3)  Your curriculum is a guide, NOT a master.  YOU are the master of your curriculum.  If you've studied the weather cycle for the last 3 years and your child knows it...skip it!  There's no law that says you must complete every chapter, every page, every paragraph in every book.  Keep in mind that most textbooks/workbooks are made for classroom crowd control.  You know what your child needs to know and what they already do know.  If your child gets 10 math problems correct, is there really a need for them to do 50?

4)  Don't compare yourself to others!!  Do you raise your children and parent just like your parents?  Your neighbors?  Even your best friends?  Neither will your homeschool be like anyone else's.

5)  Join and use your local support group.  This is why we're here.  If you or your child should have trouble grasping a concept, SOMEONE in the group has "been there, done that."

I hope you enjoy your homeschool experience.  In the process of teaching our precious children, let's not forget to take the time to enjoy them.  After all, even though we are their teachers, we are still their parents.  Sometimes they need a hug more than the big red star on their completed paper.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><        

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11:20, 2008-Mar-25 .. Posted by gabbie427

Bless you! Thank you so much for posting this. We have a (almost) two year old and we are prayerfully considering homeschooling, but I just didn't know if I could handle it all. Reading this post definately helped me out!!!

God's Blessings,
Amy Jo

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06:43, 2008-Mar-26 .. Posted by gokings13

There needs to be more women out there willing to do what you have done. Bless your heart!!
Laura

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12:37, 2008-Mar-26 .. Posted by homesteadinthemaking

This is a great post!!!! I can not tell you how refreshing it is to hear and see so many of my thoughts in this post. It makes me feel like I may be doing some of this right.LOL
Blessings,
Trixi

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09:16, 2008-Apr-3 .. Posted by Isabella

I think this post will help new homeschool families. The first year can be rough. Thanks. I