Joyfullyblessed Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Hello Everyone, I will be starting my homeschool adventure this Fall with my son, who turns five in August. We will be doing kindergarten using Heart of Dakota's Little Hearts for His Glory. I am very excited about doing this, but there are those questions that keep coming up like... will I be a good enough teacher for him, will he have enough social avenues, is this the best decision for him? Those type questions are in my mind daily. I also run an in-home childcare every day, M-F, so I am going to have to work my son's homeschool around that schedule as well. I think it will be fine though since I keep my kids on a very good routine. However, I know that I have to try and see if it works for us because I just feel that it is the best path to take right now for him and his education. I was just wondering if anyone would share their biggest joys that they have experienced while homeschooling AND some of the biggest challenges they have come across while homeschooling. Being new to all of this, I think it will be beneficial to me, as well as other new homeschooling moms/dads just to get an idea of what lies ahead, what things may happen that maybe we just haven't thought about, any great tips or advice. Things like that! : ) I hope that many of you will share your homeschool experiences with me. I am sooo very excited to begin and yet I want to calm some of those fears that lurk also. Thanks everyone and I hope each of you have a wonderful day! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 will I be a good enough teacher for him, A more dedicated and personally invested teacher would be hard to find ;) will he have enough social avenues, That will be up to you. is this the best decision for him? Only you can answer that I was just wondering if anyone would share their biggest joys that they have experienced while homeschooling Seeing him learn and grow... remember when your little guy went potty on the potty for the first time? Now you'll get to see him read his first book (if he hasn't already), write his name, finally 'get' a concept and ALL of those firsts will be just as personal and joyful (rather than getting them second hand from papers brought home from school). AND some of the biggest challenges they have come across while homeschooling. Well, it is all on you and there are days... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Biggest Joy: Seeing their relationships with each other and with dh & myself grow and develop. The older boys think their little brothers are pretty cool/fun, and I think that would be harder to maintain if they went to school. Biggest Challenges: Not getting much quiet/down time. Also, the days when no one wants to do school (including me). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Biggest joy...no more school lunchboxes. ;) No more homework! Challenges...my own expectations, you know, expecting the perfect homeschooled child, the one who plays 3 musical instruments, knows 5 languages by the age of 8, is always neat, tidy, obedient, respectful, gets up before 6am to start school, never complains, runs to his/her school books with gleeful cries...this one has never lived in my house, and is never going to! Actually my biggest joy is my friendship and close relationship with my now adult daughters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyJ Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 I didn't start homeschooling until my kids were in 2nd and 5th grade, but here was my experience: 1st year: Am I out of my mind? How is this legal? General disorganization and worrying. 2nd year: This is going pretty well. What a nice idea. I can't imagine sending my children away all day! (Great increase in patience.) 3rd year (currently preparing): Foregoing boxed curricula...confidence...I have curious, happy children who love to read and learn. Patience is no longer an issue. If you can get past the first year, with all of it's doubts and struggles, I promise you will enter into an amazing phase! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 I didn't start homeschooling until my kids were in 2nd and 5th grade, but here was my experience: 1st year: Am I out of my mind? How is this legal? General disorganization and worrying. 2nd year: This is going pretty well. What a nice idea. I can't imagine sending my children away all day! (Great increase in patience.) 3rd year (currently preparing): Foregoing boxed curricula...confidence...I have curious, happy children who love to read and learn. Patience is no longer an issue. If you can get past the first year, with all of it's doubts and struggles, I promise you will enter into an amazing phase! It's good to know that the worry will stop! I'm still in phase one, getting ready to send in my letter of intent (to renew) and stuff (eeeeeeeeee). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphabetika Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Biggest joy: Knowing my children for who they truly are Biggest challenge: Lack of alone time...but this challenge has gotten less and less over the years (we're beginning our 9th year) as God has shown me that my time is His, and He's allowing me to use it in the best way possible. Welcome, and please don't worry. It's so easy to get tied in knots before you begin. Once you begin, you'll learn the joys. And then, zip! It's 9 years later and you're thanking God for the joys AND the challenges!:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 (edited) Biggest Joys: pretending we live in Ancient Greece, debating different issues, and voting with rocks building London and burning it down rolling matchbox cars down an adjustable ramp into a line of banana slices to determine the force needed to smash the bananas lego men having a Boston tea party in our bathtub hearing him say 'this is the easiest thing I've ever learned' about division hearing him say I'm the best math teacher acting out the Civil war with blue and grey army men having him point out a comic strip to me that has puns on famous Shakespeare quotes overhearing him send his stuffed animals to the underworld noticing a lack of cruelty to others Hmm. With the exception of the last, this looks like little joys to me. What can I say? I tend to be detail oriented. ;) Biggest Challenges: spending too much time with a boy who has extremely different interests than me the overwhelming responsibility juggling everything (I also work from home) puberty (the newest challenge) what Willow wrote Edited July 16, 2009 by Sue in St Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Biggest joy of mine--raising a child who learned to love to read because she got so much time to practice, and because she didn't have to waste her time with twaddle. Biggest challenge--facing the fact that I don't like to teach what I haven't learned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Biggest Joys: -Watching my kids (6, 4, 3) play together! -My ds6's face the day he filled a ream of paper with the words "cat, hat, fat, sat,..............":D (he was sent to an OT at 4yo for fm delay...so writing was a huge hurdle for him...he was so stinkin' proud of himself!!!) -Snuggling on the couch to read! -Watching the school bus leave with my kids still in jammies. -Watching the school bus return with my kids having been outdoors romping for hours before the other kids begin (and having completed a full day of school work as well). Biggest Challenges: -Wearing too many "hats" and trying to juggle too much in one day! -Training good habits into myself and my children. It's MUCH more difficult than math and reading!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Biggest joy-- being with my kids, letting them learn at their speed, watching as their love for great literature slowly grows, being included as they explore the world through art, history, science, books, etc. Biggest challenge--finding out this year that all 3 of my kids are dyslexic. This sent me into a tizzy at first because I didn't think I would be able to teach them. It has been very difficult trying to find the right programs and teaching methods. Once I get this all ironed out, though, I think it is all going to work out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imprimis Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Biggest joys: *Being with my children every day. Childhood is all-too-fleeting, and I am SO grateful to have this time with them *Learning along with my children---I am getting an infinitely better education than I did the first time around :001_smile: *Being able to let my children focus and spend extra time in subjects/areas that are of special interest to them *Instilling a love for learning in my children and helping them become life-long learners Biggest challenge: *Getting my teen out of bed in the morning. I'm serious.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Biggest joys: Being so intimate with my kids, and able to bring them up my way, instead of handing them over to the institution of school. My kids have been to school and they told me that there, all the kids act like they hate their parents (this was elementary school!). It is uncool to openly love your parents. How sad- especially for parents who put so much into raising their kids. Having a good relationship with them in their teens (so far :) ) Having a close family life with plenty of time for whatever we want to do. Learning with the kids- especially history and literature. Reading aloud to them well into their teens. I love "planning school" for my kids. Biggest challenges: My biggest would have to be teaching and being around my son so much. He has always struggled- with his perfectionism, his dyslexia, with writing, and with me who tries to get him to overcome all these things! He has always argued and resisted me. Yet, if you asked him, he loves to homeschool. For me, I burn out rather easily, so a challenge has been to be able to be present for the kids enough (supervising their school day, being in the room to help when needed, and up until recently, sitting next to my son for a large part of his subjects), as well as being able to fulfill their social needs. They are both very social kids and it takes a lot to keep them happy in that area. To cope with burn out issues, I take an afternoon nap and quiet time every day. One challenge i dont acknowledge very often is giving up my own potential career for these years of homeschooling. HOmeschooling is my priority and I wouldnt have it any other way....yet, it is a sacrifice of whatever else I might be doing and as I move through my 40s, I am feeling it more and more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in MS Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Biggest Joys: ~~Watching our children's love for Christ grow. ~~Our family ties grow tighter ~~I love being with my kids ~~Read aloud time ~~Doing projects like Sue in St Pet listed Biggest challanges: ~~Keeping my youngest ds paying attention: he has an attention and short term memory problem. (Good thing I took him out of public school!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennefer@SSA Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I agree with one l michele that being with my kids all day is both my greatest joy and my greatest struggle. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1bassoon Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I love the advice you're looking for. . . . . . . Greatest Challenge: Trying to meet the individual needs of all of our children, while still maintaining the integrity of the family. Oh, and cleaning the house. But I don't like to clean, really, so it doesn't bother me too much! Greatest Joys: Watching my children interact with each other. Last night, I asked our 4 year-old if she wanted to have a friend over to play. She replied, "Momma, I don't NEED friends! I have," and then proceeded to list her siblings :) Being there when they have an "Aha!" moment. And, selfishly - I am the one who gets the spontaneous hugs, love notes, drawings, etc. That fuels my tank. Although I want to echo something Peela said. Just yesterday, I found a box of mementos from my early music-teaching days, and it was very sweet. Now that I'm -ahem- older, I do wonder about the career I might of had, or what I might do once the kids are grown. But I wouldn't change a thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 What a great question! I hope you have a wonderful year this year with your son! Biggest Joys: Developing a deeper relationship with my children over the years because we spend so much time together. Getting to be the one who sees my child learn how to read, conquer tough math problems etc... Learning and growing together. Opportunity to serve others and to worship God together as a family are easier because we dictate our schedule. Biggest Challenges: Self Doubt. When you hit those rough patches with teaching or behavior or maybe questions/challenges from others, it's easy to begin to doubt, to have fears of failure etc... I think if a person can overcome those, if you can give yourself the freedom to fail (because you WILL make mistakes and have to go back and fix them sometimes!), you will also have the freedom to succeed. Approach the negatives as a new opportunity to find a way to help your child, rather than failures--and you will both grow so much. Merry :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheila in OK Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 the biggest joy and biggest challenge. :D Couldn't have said it better myself! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melis108 Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Oh, boy! Well, I had the same concerns when we started homeschooling. You are well equipped to teach your child! The biggest joy for me has been to be able to raise my kids and really get to know them! I love being with them and learning with them. I would say the biggest challenge is being able to ignore what society considers the best way to educate, and go with your instincts about the best way to educate YOUR child. Good luck on this journey. I'm so glad I began. My life is so much richer as a result! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyfullyblessed Posted July 16, 2009 Author Share Posted July 16, 2009 Thank you so much for all of your replies! I have loved reading each and every one. Many of the "biggest joys" that were listed are definitely some that I am looking forward to in the years to come. I LOVE spending time with my son and he is just a joy to me. I also want to learn again too, so I consider this a learning journey for both of us. I know I have forgotten so much of what I learned in school years ago. Also, I agree with the challenges. I run an in-home childcare which can be very difficult at times. It is not my dream job or the area that I feel I am gifted in greatly, but I do a good job. I have questioned many times why I stay in something that is not truly my gift in life, why do I go through the "being home so much that I feel trapped at times" feeling, and a few other questions have come to mind. I am a creative person who loves to work with her hands.... I love photography, making floral arrangements, gift baskets, things like that. I love peace and quiet and just looking at and truly appreciating the beautiful things in life. I love organization (yet, I struggle to actually be that way every day). : ) So, why in the world do I choose to keep children??? They are loud, messy, and very unpredictable. No peace and quiet there. Hee-hee! They're cute though, and they do seem to love me! : ))) However, I now really feel that God has kept me home, provided me with a job where I can help my family out little financially, and allowed me to spend more time with my son (plus my daughter & husband) just so that I could have the privilege of homeschooling him. I think it is the path God is directing me towards and that it is a wonderful gift. I also have a sixteen year old daughter who attended public school for all her elementary years and a private Christian school since she began middle school. However, even though I think she has done excellent in her academics, she is so very distant from me and our family and I just hate it. It breaks my heart. I feel that I have missed so much with her and now I don't know how to get her to want to be close with the family until she feels the need to do so. My husband is not her real father (her dad passed away when she was only one year old), and they have a very strained relationship also. We pray that she will come around someday and know how much we love her and that we aren't the "evil, stupid and boring" people she thinks we are right now. All this to say that I really hope and pray that this is something that will bring not only me and my son, but our whole family closer together on all fronts. I see tons of benefits from homeschooling. I just pray that I am seeing many of them in the years to come and look back and know that I definitely made the right choice. Ok, I have gone on too long. Sorry, just so much on my mind. Thank you again sooooo much for all of your replies. Keep them coming! I am truly enjoying reading each and every one. Have a wonderful evening! : ))) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I also have a sixteen year old daughter who attended public school for all her elementary years and a private Christian school since she began middle school. However, even though I think she has done excellent in her academics, she is so very distant from me and our family and I just hate it. It breaks my heart. I really feel for you there. We felt our daughter might well become like that, and so at age 9 pulled her out to homeschool her against her wishes. What is wrong with a society that insists school is the best thing for all children and yet that very school estranges the kids from their parents ? Homeschooling is bucking the system. It's a rebellion. It takes courage to step out of the system that so many believe is the only way. It is SO worth it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phathui5 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I also run an in-home childcare and homeschool my children. I've been doing childcare for three years and homeschooling for five. My biggest joys have been having the flexibility and time with my children for them to be able to learn about things that they're interested in and for me to be able to be there to help them. Not to mention the wonderful freedom of not being stuck with the school year schedule. With homeschooling, they still get to see dh when he has to work from 2-9pm, because he has the morning with them. The way his schedule is now, he'd only see them on Sundays if they were in school. A big challenge for me has been getting my children's schoolwork done when we have the childcare kids here. Somehow we do, but there are weeks when I look in their logs and realize that I really do need to make a greater effort to purposefully have them working instead of playing all day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightMaiden Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I took my son out of public school when he was in second grade. For the first three months I thought I was CRAZY. He's a GREAT kid but didn't want to sit still...did want to watch tv..and didn't think of MOM as TEACHER. I was ready to pull my hair out. We are 8 years down the road now...he is almost 16 and going into 10th grade. My biggest joy is that I have had so many precious moments with him. We both love home schooling and if I ever ask if he wishes he was in school I get a determined NO. He has great manners and is a great big brother to his sister who will be in 4th grade this year and his brother who is only 4. They have developed relationships that would have been impossible if they were in school. It's a great ride! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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