For New Homeschoolers

Beginning homeschooling can be intimidating because of many insecurities. Military homeschoolers also face the possibility of moving to another state, or country, with different rules than those to which they're accustomed.  All this shows up on military discussion lists with messages titled, 'New to homeschooling  Help!!!'

One concern is scheduling.  Some vetan homeschoolers advocate daily schedules, others counsel more freedom.  Firm schedules work for some but not for others. When I began homeschooling I thought a specific schedule would ease getting through what I wanted the kids to learn. It didn't because it went against the grain of how my children and I normally 'worked.'  Of course I abided by 'large schedule items' such as seasons or the doing of household chores that only increase stress if they are not attended to. If no one goes grocery shopping sooner or later Someone is going to get cranky! There is form to our lives that we need to fit our activities into but new homeschoolers should give themselves enough room within that form so that they don't invent a corset for themselves. Unless, of courset, if it fits.

Our first homeschooling year was 'traditional' in that I used a boxed curriculum. I must thank that school because by using the program I learned what I didn't want to do plus I learned what the children didn't want to do.  Some people feel that through doing unwanted lessons children learn that life isn't Burger King and you don't get everything 'your way.' My specific conversation regarding life not being Burger King was at a picnic and the subject was whether or not diaper wipes should be 'warmed' or not.  I'm a diaper-wiper-warmer. The lady with whom I was talking wasn't. She was also a nurse which made me glad I was never on her ward when it was sponge-bath time, but then her kids were some tough cookies. Different strokes for different folks.  In my opinion there is enough grief in the world to go around without making small, fixable situations more pleasant.  Curriculum was, for me, a fixable situation.

In using the boxed curriculum I also found that my kids wanted to know 'background' before specifics. They also disliked writing for writing's sake and phonics.  To preclude my children's questions such as 'Well, why'd  THAT happen?' I reinvented our 'curriculum.'  The next year I started afresh at The Beginning of Everything.  I assumed that by beginning at the beginning and going on until the present that we'd hit the high points and have a comprehensive understanding of a good many things.  Over our remaining seven homeschooling years we worked through pre-history, then history, then current events.  My own 'textbook' was Asimov's Chronology of the World. Supplemental books (of which there were many) were whatever caught my eye in libraries, bookstores or catalogs. 

In order for us to 'cover all the subjects' each period of time had different elements brought in. The Beginning, for example, consisted of reading creation stories, finding out a little about each culture, watching a video on the Big Bang and each day drawing and captioning favorite parts of what we'd learned in blank art books using markers and colored pencils. This way we had literature, reading, science, spelling, art and writing. Math, indeed, was difficult to fit in this way so a math series filled the niche.  PE, usually a good long walk, was included on any lovely day.

I also like a goodly dollop of serendipity. My kids and I lived in a loose frame of getting up, staring blearily at each other over our oatmeal, schmoozing with the animals (two cats and a rabbit), tidying ourselves and part of the house (using the Sidetracked Home Executives system) and then slowly seeping down to the basement to continue reading our way through history. For 'lessons' history itself was my 'organization' because  it's already done, it's in order, and something's been written or recorded about most of it. There is enough variety so that if one aspect palls then another thread can be taken up.

Our biggest serendipitous experience was the weather. If the day was so much as dry and not freezingly windy, off we went on our bikes or our feet. Seize the day because the bad weather will return eventually, probably sooner than later. In fact, the kids and I all had a good laugh while I was reading aloud from van Loon's The Story of Mankind (a quick glance into the book tells me I'm not going to find the exact passage). Van Loon wrote something to the effect that as a child he had nothing better to do in northern Europe than to sit in the attic reading about times past while the rain drummed on the roof.  By this time in our homeschooling adventure we had PCSed and we were sitting in our Belgian attic instead of in our German basement. And it was raining. Siamese and Poodles, Persians and Schnauzers, Tabbies and Cocker Spaniels. Our skylight was awash with water.  The coincidence of what van Loon had written decades before and what the contemporary clouds were precipitating made it a delicious moment.  Because of European weather whenever we had a nice day, out we went.

For those beginning homeschooling, take it slowly and find what works for you. If it's a detailed schedule, great. If it's a looser invention, fine. Read widely to get ideas about how others have managed their time but in the end don't beat yourself up if what you thought would work didn't. Homeschooling isn't a contest or a marathon, it's living with your children and making the the best use of your time while maintaining the family relationship and not letting 'teacher said so' grit erode it.
 

Dear New Homeschooler

NHEN New Homeschooler Information

History of Homeschooling

Finding Other Homeschoolers

Homeschool Support:  online lists and local support groups