Having Homeschool Doubts?

Written By: The Good and the Beautiful Published On:

A Message from Jenny Phillips

As homeschool parents, we know how important our job is, and it's so common to worry that we will mess something up. Now that I have raised three of my children to adulthood, I can confidently say that although there will certainly be days that you worry or even do mess up, a loving and committed parent can and will raise wonderful children and can homeschool those wonderful children, too. The truth is, however, there are so many reasons why parents are qualified to teach their children.

Limiting Homeschool Beliefs

1. Am I qualified to teach my child?

There are limiting beliefs in homeschool that are incorrect. One of them is that you don’t know how to teach your child if you don't have a degree in education. Not only have studies proven this idea wrong, but just think about it. Ask yourself this: Have you mastered the skills that a fifth grader needs to know? I'm sure you have. So, if you arm yourself with an open-and-go curriculum that guides you every step of the way, do you know enough to facilitate your fifth grader's learning? That is an easy yes.

2. Do I need to have all the answers?

Homeschoolers have access to professional, well-designed curriculum in every subject— often with video support. Parents don't have to know it all; they can select the best materials and instructors for their kids. Also, you can’t beat the individual attention children get in homeschool. When you think about it, homeschooling is not just classroom teaching; it’s much closer to tutoring, and most caring people can tutor a child. A parent working individually or in a small group with their kids has a major advantage, even compared to a college-trained teacher handling a classroom of 25 or more kids all at varying levels of academics and behavior. 

Consider this: No one is more invested or personally interested in your child than you. That kind of care and motivation often creates a stronger learning environment—and it doesn’t involve things like cramming for a test. What about high school? When homeschoolers get to higher-level subjects like advanced math, science, or foreign languages, parents usually bring in extra support, like co-ops, online courses, community college classes, or tutors. 

Helpful Reminder: Homeschooling isn't about the parent standing in front of a whiteboard professing knowledge. It's about guiding the child through resources, discussions, books, and experiences.

3. Will public school fix everything?

Another limiting belief is that if your homeschool is lacking the structure and consistency that you desire, sending your kids back to public school will fix everything. You have to remember that public school isn’t a perfect environment either and has its challenges. So much time is spent moving large groups of students from one activity or space to another. Children are held to levels that may not be right for them. Things may be taught or read that don’t hold your values. And the ratio sometimes becomes 18 or 30 children to one teacher—compared to one-on-one in homeschooling. You also have to factor in the added demand of busy schedules, homework dictated to you, having to correct behaviors learned at school, and more.

And remember, many kids still struggle in public school. Or they don’t get what they need academically, let alone spiritually.

Keep this fact in mind: On average, homeschooled children tend to score higher on the ACT than students in public school.

If you have not truly given homeschooling consistent and genuine effort over a long period of time, you should not quit just yet—and this is why. You have to give yourself the opportunity to gain experience and to figure out your homeschooling. I like to compare it to gardening. There really is no such thing as people who just don't have a green thumb and other people who do. It’s about knowledge and experience. It’s about learning to become observant and sensitive. It’s about trial and even error. It’s about developing a relationship with your child in which the child will learn from you. Make sure to watch my video titled “How to Get Your Homeschooler to Listen and Learn From You.”

Just like most new homeschoolers, most gardeners do not experience a full, bountiful harvest their first year, although they do usually get some wonderful home-grown produce to enjoy.

Investing in the Future

You can’t get too stuck in the moment you are in right now. It’s all about investment over time. It’s about the long term. Each year, a dedicated gardener will find their garden growing more and more abundantly, even if their garden mainly failed the first year or two. And even some master gardeners have less productive years than others when they are in times of stress. In the end, even if you have had some years of difficulty and inconsistency, your harvest still has the likelihood to be SO very much greater than if you had quit homeschooling.

Persist and Pivot

What would you do if you wanted to become better at gardening?? You would study it, practice, watch videos to gain knowledge, and learn from experience. You can do all those things with homeschooling. The greatest blessings in life require persistence and effort.

If you feel like your homeschool is not working, get your journal out: Write down the benefits you are experiencing, and write down what you want to improve on. Take the feelings of doubt and failure as an opportunity to grow in some small ways this year, and you can grow even more next year.  

Did you know that one of the very best things you can do to improve your child’s academics is to have them read, read, read a ton of beautifully written books? This one simple habit will improve their writing skills, vocabulary, spelling skills, grammar skills, focus and attention, analytical and logical thinking skills, and the child’s knowledge of people, places, and history.With minimal work, you can procure many books from The Good and Beautiful Book List. Read to your children, and have them read all the time. It’s fun and easy.

  • The Good and the Beautiful Book List — A free searchable, downloadable list of book recommendations.

    Go to The Good and Beautiful Book List for a free searchable list of more than 1,000 books for children preschool through high school.

  • Shop at The Good and the Beautiful Bookshop to purchase parent approved books that are uplifting and character building.

Also, take a look at your expectations and make sure they are realistic. To have a successful homeschool, you actually can probably simplify way more than you think. Because you are one-on-one with your child and can place them in the correct level for language arts and math, they don't always need to finish a course book at the end of the school year and begin the next level the following year. It's OK if you take more than one day to complete a lesson or even complete more than one lesson in a day, if you and your children are feeling up to it. It’s OK if you cross out parts of the lessons and only have them do other parts, especially if your child is already grasping the material. As long as you have a strong and beautiful academic curriculum like The Good and the Beautiful, small, consistent steps will add up over time.

I love giving you confidence on your journey to educate the hearts and minds of your children in a way that keeps them close to you and close to God, while also creating strong academics.

“To bring the human race, family by family, child by child, out of the savage and inhuman desolation where He [God] is not, into the light and warmth and comfort of the presence of God, is, no doubt, the chief thing we have to do in the world.”

—Charlotte Mason

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