Homeschool Fears

I started this blog for two reasons. One was to journal all my home schooling successes or failures and the other was journal things that I have learned in web design.

You see, I am a home school mom and I teach a 10 and a 12 year old… both are boys. This in itself is a challenge. You see, when it comes to planning school, I could use some pointers. You don’t realize how much a student has to learn in one year. It is mind boggling!

You have to plan for Math, Reading, Writing, History, Social Studies, Language Arts, Health, Arts, and so much more. I mean, you really want the best for your child. You want them to have good careers, good lives… right?

You figure that as a teacher, all you really need to do is to teach reading, math, and writing… for the most part this is correct. You really do want your student to have the ability to teach himself. No, I don’t mean that is really all you do, but that is the biggest responsibility you have as a teacher.

If you can teach your child to read, write, and do math, they CAN do the rest. All you would need to do is to plan what they are to learn. Like the old fashioned water pump, you need to prime them. However, that is not all I need to do. When you make their lessons completely out of a book though, you create a mental boredom. There is no interest in reading all the time. You have to put some action into their learning.  For instance, when we studied topography, we created a topographical map out of clay. When we studied the crossing of the Jordan River with Joshua leading them into the Promised Land, we took 12 stones and painted them and labeled them after each tribe. We stacked them as a memorial on our front porch. We were studying memorials and this was one that was a memorial to God.

So, now my 12 year old goes into Jr. High (a.k.a. Middle School) this next fall… I am petrified. I know he needs more Science and he’ll learn more Algebra… but am I teaching adequately? Do I spend quality time preparing lessons for him…? These are fears that I have.

The only way I, or any home school parent, can overcome these fears is to take it to the Lord in prayer. Only He can guide you and give you peace…

I have blogged before on how I ended up here, home schooling our children. I won’t go through that over again. You can read it on my Homeschool Journal.

Now, more than ever, I seem to be more anxious over this next year than I have been in a very long time.

In my next blog, I will discuss curriculum decisions.

Happy Schoolin!