The One Piece of Homeschool Advice You Might Not Agree With

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This past week, as I heard someone sharing homeschool advice with another mom, I was starting to feel a little bit inadequate. That maybe I was doing my kids some sort of disservice, or I was missing out on some kind of homeschool “secret”. That maybe I wasn’t really doing the whole “homeschool mom thing” to it’s full glory.

Why was I feeling this way? Because I realized that in this season, my homeschool looks an awful lot like school.

A few times recently, I’ve seen the same homeschool advice pop up; it’s often one of the first things I see suggested when a new homeschool mom asks for advice online.

Maybe you’ve been given this homeschool advice when you first started: homeschool is NOT school at home. There is sometimes a lot of negativity associated with this suggestion – that (whatever is meant by) “school at home” isn’t what homeschooling is supposed to be. That if your homeschool looks anything like “school”…you’re doing it wrong.

The advice is well-intentioned; people want to help take the pressure off and let parents know they don’t have to have a degree in education to homeschool their kids. Which is true. The advice is usually followed up with other suggestions like: Don’t be too formal; do school at the couch, lying on the floor, sitting outside…not at desks. Do less worksheets, less textbooks, and more hands-on experiments and manipulatives. Make your learning interest-led. Get outside as much as possible.

There is absolutely no problem with those suggestions in and of themselves; but it’s important to remember that they are subjective, depending on a family’s current season, and on their children’s learning styles.

Sometimes, recreating “school at home”, while still enjoying the benefits and blessings of homeschooling, is exactly what a family needs.

The Homeschool Comparison Trap

This week I definitely got sucked into the homeschool comparison trap, as we moms can so easily fall victim to in this day and age of social media.

It can be overwhelming seeing all of the wonderful homeschool resources available and believe we are failing if we aren’t trying all of the different curriculums, hands-on activities, field trips, art projects and science experiments you see on Pinterest.

I started to buy into the lie that I had to do all of these things I was seeing online – that there was an “ideal” homeschool mom stereotype that I was never going to fit into. That I needed to be taking a completely different approach to education than what I experienced growing up, that my “teacher brain” wouldn’t let me escape from.

I began questioning the curriculum we were using, our daily routines and methods, wondering if I needed to be doing more, doing something different, and if I was doing enough.

It sounds crazy just reading it, but maybe you’ve been there?

In reality, when I take a good hard look at things, what we have been doing this year has been working just fine. The old saying is so true – comparison really is the thief of joy.

A Typical Homeschool?

In some ways, our homeschool looks a lot like “school” in this season.

For starters, I am a former public school teacher. Structure, following a curriculum, benchmarks and assessments are in my blood. This year, I also have a two-year-old toddler to chase after, which definitely adds a new level of complexity to our homeschool day.

For those reasons, this year was the first year we chose an (prepare yourself!) all-in-one, boxed curriculum to use. I’m not supplementing (except for our Bible curriculum, which we do together) or trying a lot of different materials and resources.

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My kids have teachers through our online learning platform. We use textbooks and workbooks, and this is the first year they have had assessments so I can evaluate their learning. There is a scope and sequence we follow because let’s be honest…I’m not super spontaneous or flexible when it comes to our learning activities (please tell me I’m not alone!).

We often do school in our school-room (dining room), work on one subject at a time, and are loving it! And if this is your family this year, it’s ok if you are loving it too.

How Our Homeschool Differs from Public School

Walk into my dining room, and you might just think you stepped into a classroom. Computers, textbooks, bulletin boards, even a huge whiteboard on the wall (I told you, it’s in my blood).

Even though some aspects of our homeschool might “look like” public school, we enjoy so many benefits that homeschooling provides that public school would not.

As their mom, I get to teach them and guide them throughout the day, giving them individual attention when needed. We get to learn about life (and life skills!) together.

We still get to choose what we learn, even if how we learn it might be seen as too “school-y”. We have the privilege of using the Bible as our guidebook in all we do, and learn through the lens of a biblical worldview.

I can help my kids build on their strengths, build up their weaknesses, and take time during the day to explore other interests and just enjoy one another. We have the flexibility to put the books away if we need a break to focus on character training and heart issues.

So even though much of our homeschool “looks” like school, the heart behind it is so very different.

The Beauty of Homeschooling

My desire is not to draw a line with these thoughts and separate homeschool moms into categories. My desire is to let you know that whatever your season looks like, you are doing ok. Sometimes you have to go through trial and error to find out the best rhythm for your homeschool.

If you want to re-create school at home, and your kids learn and thrive in that environment? That’s a wonderful thing! Don’t feel bad because of it. If your kids crave a more relaxed approach and it suits your family, that’s wonderful too.

I don’t think I will ever break out of my “teacher tendencies”. And that’s ok because God created me with some great strengths that I can use to apply to our homeschool to teach and train our children.

It’s great to learn from others who have gone before us and share advice and wisdom. Never stop learning, never stop seeking new information and new strategies. But it’s ok to find something that works and stick with it. It’s ok to not try every new curriculum, worksheet, unit study that comes your way. There are absolutes in life, but homeschooling isn’t one of them.

The even better news? Our hope doesn’t need to be placed in what our homeschool looks like. The reminder I needed more than ever this week was that instead of worrying about my sufficiency as a homeschool mom, instead of comparing myself to others online, I need to keep my focus on pursuing God’s kingdom…and He will lead us on the path that accomplishes His purposes.

For My Fellow Type-A Homeschool Moms

I’ve got a freebie for you if you love to have a daily routine in your homeschool (like me!) and something to help keep you and your kids accountable and on-track during the day.

I created these checklists and we use them daily in our homeschool as we work through all of our tasks for the day (you can read my post about them here). Grab them for free below!

I would love to hear from you in the comments below: what is something you learned about yourself as you have begun homeschooling, and has your mindset or homeschool evolved over the years? What advice would YOU give to new homeschool moms?

Related Posts

• Win at Homeschooling This Year – Simple Advice to Follow
• Different Styles of Homeschooling: Which One is Your Best Match?
• Real-Life Skills to Teach Your Kids in Your Homeschool

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