You ask if you have the skills necessary to teach your own children. You want to know if you possess the inner resources to do it. In short, you’re not quite sure if you’re ‘qualified’ to homeschool.
Assuming you can meet the legal requirements in your state, then yes, you CAN homeschool. Should you? I’ve written before about the overwhelming choices available to educate your child. If you’ve waded through that whole swamp of possibilities and are taking a closer look at homeschooling, here are my thoughts on how to determine if it’s a good option for you.
I think the most important question to ask yourself is why? Why do you want to homeschool? There is no right answer. You may have one compelling reason or a mix of several. You might be looking for the freedom for your child to learn at their own pace, to focus on what engages them, or to travel while homeschooling. You may seek homeschooling based on your beliefs, the fact that you have a child with special needs, or because your local public school system doesn’t measure up.
(also pictured at the top of this post).
As you look at your why – your purpose for homeschooling – you may find many others who homeschool for the same reasons. Or, you may find that you’re unique. Just remember that you don’t have to have the same reasons as other homeschoolers to hang out with them.
Once you determine your ‘why’, take a long hard look at it. It needs to be compelling enough to sustain you more than a few months. You want to establish a sense of purpose and direction based on your ‘why’ that is sustainable for the long haul. Look at what values you have that will keep you on track and moving along the homeschool path you want to pursue.
A book that I found helpful early on was The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families. It’s not centered around homeschooling, but the principles can easily be adapted to looking at your homeschool vision. In this book, Stephen Covey encourages families to develop a mission statement. Even if you don’t organize family meetings to define a formal mission, I think considering the points in this book can help you define your ‘why’.
“I don’t know,” you say. “Could you just tell me that I’m an amazing parent and you think I’ll be great at homeschooling?”
Yeah, that’s sort of what I wanted someone to tell me when we were first thinking about homeschooling. I remember seeing some lists that detailed what different authors thought were ‘requirements’ for the successful homeschool parent. Somewhere I read that one necessary quality was self-confidence. That had me a little worried. 🙂
Over time though I’ve come to realize that no parent, whether they homeschool or not, is confident they’re always doing it right. At least, nobody I know. But okay, some confidence in your decisions is good. And I’ve discovered that I have more confidence than I once thought. Other items that I think are helpful are:
- A bit of a maverick spirit. The desire to choose a different path.
- Perseverance. The ability to see things through when your homeschool world is occasionally less than wonderful.
- Financial Stability. You don’t need gobs of money, just the ability to survive without a second income. I homeschool very inexpensively (although you can certainly spend tons of money on curriculum.) Side note – I suppose financial stability is optional, but I still think it’s helpful.
There. That’s what I think you need. A little bit of confidence, a pioneering attitude, determination, and some financial stability. You can figure out all the other stuff – curriculum, helping your kids learn stuff that’s hard for you (math, grammar, etc), social groups, sports, and all the rest as you go along. That ‘stuff’ can be challenging itself, but it’s a lot easier to tackle if you have an underlying sense of purpose.
Go back to your ‘why’. Is it compelling? It doesn’t need to be compelling for anyone else. Just you and your family. Your ‘why’ – your one or more reasons to homeschool – are what will drive your success. You may change or modify those reasons as you go along but setting up your initial mission statement, no matter how formal or informal you make it, will ensure that you CAN homeschool if you choose that path.
