Developing confidence in your abilities as a teacher is one of the best gifts you can give yourself as a homeschool parent. It’s also a difficult stretch for many of us. Today, I want to talk about some methods you can use to make the leap to confident homeschool teacher.

Why Self-Confidence is Important for Teaching

I think we can all agree that self-confidence is a good thing. Not overconfidence. Just the feeling that you know what you’re doing, you have a plan, and you’re headed in the right direction. And that perhaps you’re flexible enough to make changes when you need to.

Self-confidence as a teacher will see you through the tough days and keep you and your children on track to meet whatever goals you set. Self-confidence feels good and comfortable. It imparts a sense of safety.

Where to Buy Self-Confidence

Ha! Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just purchase some self-confidence along with whatever curriculum you chose? Better yet, wouldn’t it be nice if you could just tell yourself to BE more confident?

Some people seem to have a greater propensity for self-confidence. Others, like me, have to work harder to achieve it. Either way, I think there are several ways to make the leap to confident homeschool teacher:

  • Don’t expect immediate mastery. Give yourself grace. You don’t expect your children to become fluent in a foreign language overnight. So, don’t expect yourself to be perfect right off the bat (or ever, really). And if you have a background in education, don’t expect perfection then either. Homeschooling is very different than public school.

  • Think about your homeschooling ‘why’. A lot. Really understand what motivates you to homeschool. It will help you believe in what you’re doing and who you are as a homeschool teacher.

  • Involve your children in the teaching process. Give them a partnership role in decision-making when possible. They’ll have more confidence in you, which in turn will boost your confidence.

  • Choose curriculum that suits you and your children. Make sure to give your curriculum choices a chance. But if your homeschooling feels like a tight and uncomfortable pair of jeans, then look for ways to do it that are a better fit. Trial and error are important elements in developing self-confidence.

  • Look at the teaching tools you use. This includes scheduling, feedback, activities, and all the individual aspects of your homeschool life. Assess whether they feed into the goals you and your children have.

When Your Confidence Wavers

Even as you develop confidence, you’ll still have moments of self-doubt. Times when your children are less than inspired by your superhuman efforts, when you forgot to have your child prepare for a speech, when you think your child might really not ‘get’ the math they’ve been doing for the last month, and on and on. Plus, those unavoidable times when you look at the awesome things another homeschooler is doing and you feel a little… lacking.

This is all normal. Most homeschool parents constantly evaluate themselves and their effectiveness. It’s part of what makes us good teachers. Perhaps a little neurotic at times. But still good. Because we’re responsive. We adapt and change and grow as we go along.

One technique I use is to put on ‘blinders’. Horses who are distracted and spooked by everything in their peripheral vision often wear blinders to stay focused on the path ahead. And that’s what you need to do. There’s no harm in occasional glances around. You may pick up some useful information. For the most part though, keep your eyes on the road ahead of you.

A Growth Mindset

I want to emphasize that you need to give yourself time. If you subscribe to the idea of the growth mindset for your child’s learning, apply it to yourself as a teacher. Be confident that while you don’t have it all figured out now, you can improve with effort. Be comfortable with the concept of ‘not yet’. You don’t have to be perfect to be self-confident in your abilities.

If you’re intentional about your homeschooling, you can have confidence. Your teaching won’t be exactly like what anyone else is doing and it may flex and change over time, but ultimately it will work for you and your children. Know this, make the leap to confident homeschool teacher, and enjoy the journey.