If you've been homeschooling a while...

[razorbackmama]

What sort of things do you wish you'd done differently in the beginning, now that you're more experienced?

 

A friend and I were talking about this the other day, and we actually had very similar answers. I'd love to hear y'all's thoughts as well.:001_smile:

[Ritsumei]

:lurk5:

[....]

I'm getting ready to start the new school year with our 3rd 1st grader. What I'm going to do differently this time:

 

LESS language arts (I did way too much grammar with the other two)

more of a Charlotte Mason approach to teaching

an art program (I did not do this with the older two, either)

[razorbackmama]

I forgot to tell my answers LOL!

 

1) While I know K needs to be relaxed, I think I was TOO relaxed in the early grades. This has led my kids to think that school is an option that they actually have a choice over.

 

2) I was definitely too relaxed when it came to reading. When it didn't click at 5, or 6, or 7, I took the approach of "Oh well, some kids just read later." At the time Little Bear Wheeler (who learned to read at 11) was my hero. Now I know that I should have been intervening MUCH earlier when they just weren't getting reading, and we now have a lot of lost time to make up for.

[Mandy in TN]

What sort of things do you wish you'd done differently in the beginning, now that you're more experienced?

 

A friend and I were talking about this the other day, and we actually had very similar answers. I'd love to hear y'all's thoughts as well.:001_smile:

 

If I had it to do over, I have decided that without a doubt Robinson is correct. I wouldn't bother buying a math program before Saxon 54. If I didn't already have them, I would purchase a bunch of manipulatives. Then, I would make my own memory work and daily work. I also wouldn't bother with any sort of schoolish, scheduled curriculum for science and history before 4th grade level. The only classroom-type curriculum I would purchase at the preK-3rd level is CLE LTR and LA1.

 

All that this means is that at this point I am confident that I can do just as well with my home library on my own. I suppose this is different than what do I wish I had done differently. When I first began homeschooling, I felt like I needed more stuff, because I was less confident and more prone to compare what I was doing with what someone else was doing. So, I guess what I wish I had done differently is that I wish I had spent less time comparing what we were doing to the Joneses.

 

HTH-

Mandy

Edited April 6, 2011 by Mandy in TN

[Hillary in KS]

We're finishing up our 10th year of homeschooling, and have 3 kids in total.

 

Just off the top of my head, I would:

 

1) Focus more on handwriting. I have 3 boys, and backed off the handwriting in the early years. I've been trying to catch up ever since. They all have great spelling and grammar, but 2 out of the 3 of them look like whatever was written was written by an advanced 1st grader. :glare: (I finally caught on and worked more on handwriting with the third child.:tongue_smilie:) It's hard to take an essay on Augustine's Confessions when it looks like it might have been written in crayon. :D

 

2) Not let myself get so distracted during the day. When the boys were little, it was too easy for me to be distracted by the phone, or a friend's impromptu picnic, etc. While the interaction with friends was fun and definitely had a place, I could have scaled back a bit and been more firm with my school hours.

 

3) Spent more time reading aloud. :) When they were little. I would've carried it on later too, I think.

 

I hope that helps!

[nukeswife]

We're in our 5th year and one thing I definitely would have done different it get my dd evaluated earlier for speech therapy. We waited until she was 8 because we were told "she'll grow out of it" by many of her peds. She didn't and it wasn't easy to change after all those years of just letting it go. She still has trouble with R at times, but we work with her at home now and it's getting much better. I also would have stood up for myself more when the PS system we had to use for her therapy was giving us a hard time about not enrolling her in their school, which is why we're doing any remaining therapy at home with the help of a friend who's now an SLP. I also wouldn't have let her reading slide because "she'll learn in her own time" Yes she did, but would have been served better had I pushed just a little bit.

 

I'm sure there are more things but that's all that comes to mind right now.

[Homeschooling6]

Just be more relaxed. I was so rigid and worried about doing enough. I look back at my old blog post and yes, we did enough :).

 

Trust myself with the programs I chose (all were pretty good actually ;)) but because I didn't, I curriculum hopped.

[lcelmer]

I was too relaxed about writing & grammar... I wish that I had found WWE & FLL when my first kiddo was in kindergarten.

[Tsutsie]

I love hearing from experienced homeschoolers. Please keep it coming!

[Cleopatra]

I've been homeschooling for 6 years.

 

If I had to do it over, I wouldn't school formally until grade 2 or 3. Before then I would read (LOTS!), do some phonics and informal math. I would have dropped some of the workbooks we used (Spelling Workout, Wordly Wise); they take up too much time for the benefit you receive. Spelling can be done more efficiently by choosing the words that you actually see the child spelling incorrectly in his/her writing and working on those (we eventually did this).

 

Otherwise, most of the curriculum I've chosen is working well. I was happy we began grammar early, especially since we added Latin. I'm also glad that I began a good writing program in grade 4. I've noticed that writing can be a weakness with homeschoolers and the skills take time to acquire, unless there is a natural talent. All in all, I'm very pleased with our choices which, since I only have one, is a relief. If I'd messed it all up the first time, I'd have no second chance to redeem myself. ;)

[patchfire]

This is our sixth year.

 

• My oldest did narration, copywork, and dictation, but I wish we had done far more.

• I wish I had realized her spelling was vastly not-normal. I read a lot about how sometimes kids need more time to develop spelling skills, but I didn't realize that the huge discrepancy between her reading level and her spelling ability was a huge, huge red flag. Now that ds is learning both to read and spell, I can immediately see the difference. Ouch!

• In general, I wish we had been more systematic at first. During dd's kindergarten year, ds was an infant; during first grade, ds was one; and during second grade, ds was a two year old toddler terror. I let that be too much of an excuse for not getting school done systematically.

• I wish we had started getting up early, earlier. Dd gets up at 6:45 and starts schoolwork by 7. My alarm is set for 6:30. Breakfast is at 7:45; ds starts school at 8:15. We can get so much more done with this schedule than when we routinely slept until 8 or 8:30. I'm not saying it's true for everyone, but for us, it absolutely is.

[RahRah]

Although I haven't been doing this for long, there are already things I know I should have done differently...

 

1. I would have taken more time to teach handwriting - DS has been writing for a couple of years and I hadn't been paying attention to his formation of letters....I am now finding I have to go back and teach him how to form letters because he's not doing them correctly.

 

2. I would have started a more structured approach to phonics earlier than I did - we worked on letters and sounds and DS had them down cold early....I didn't start with blending and CVC words and such though, I should have. I also would have been a lot more picky with the phonics program we used to start...quality does make a difference!

 

3. I would have taken a closer look at science curicculum before buying and then realizing that DS already knew the vast majority of the information laid out for a first-to-third grader.

 

4. I wouldn't have purchased curriculum for years to come from the start of this all - I've had to switch math (from Saxon to Singapore) and own Saxon through 4th grade (need to sell it now); switched phonics and have the complete sets for more than I want to say; and have science stuff all over the place, much of which we can't use because it's too basic, so now I'm working out what will work for us for next year by piecing together things I think are going to work.

[elegantlion]

We're finishing our 7th year of homeschooling this year.

 

Wish I had done differently:

 

read more real books, tossed the basal readers away

more nature study, get out and enjoy the day, put your hands on the green grass type of stuff

started copywork, narration, and dictation before 5th grade (we were traditional box homeschoolers before that)

took more field trips when he was younger. Middle school is harder time to sneak those in.

kept doing reading and math every summer in some form

NOT made a big deal about school, non-school activities. I created a line because we had to keep track of hours for our state. It created an unhealthy mindset for ds. Learning is learning.

spent less money on some curriculum and saved it for middle school & high school

read more about homeschooling methods AFTER one year of homeschooling (this is a biggie for me. I might have chosen a different path after the first year, not the 3rd)

 

Things I WOULDN'T change:

 

taking off time to stay with sick family members

taking off time to spend with dh when he was off work

finishing school and then going to play with friends

being wise enough to finally realize something wasn't working and change

being goofy and following tangents

listening to my ds when he was old enough to have an opinion on what we studied

choosing to homeschool in the first place :D

[oliveview]

We're in our 5th year and one thing I definitely would have done different it get my dd evaluated earlier for speech therapy. We waited until she was 8 because we were told "she'll grow out of it" by many of her peds. She didn't and it wasn't easy to change after all those years of just letting it go. She still has trouble with R at times, but we work with her at home now and it's getting much better. I also would have stood up for myself more when the PS system we had to use for her therapy was giving us a hard time about not enrolling her in their school, which is why we're doing any remaining therapy at home with the help of a friend who's now an SLP. I also wouldn't have let her reading slide because "she'll learn in her own time" Yes she did, but would have been served better had I pushed just a little bit.

 

 

:iagree:

 

This is what I am struggling to come to terms with right now. I wish I had gone with my "gut" and listened less to others.

 

Given the problems that we have had, I wish I had found AAS sooner.

 

I wish we had been more consistent but even more, I wish I had seen our lack of consistency and our frustration (both mine and theirs) as a sign that we needed help.

 

At least, those are my thoughts today :001_smile:

[Just Robyn]

I would have used Oak Meadow, or something similar, with all of my children for pre-K and K.

[Holly]

I'm in the "wish I'd done more early on" group. Everyone kept saying to relax for the early years, but I've come to realize little kids are capable of so much. I'm not saying tons of seatwork, but there is so much we could have been doing. My oldest should be farther along than she is. More time training to help around the house would have been great. Now I'm trying to get all 4 of them jobs to help out...it would have been easier to start when I only had 1 or 2. We did a bit of this, but not consistently. Now I'm overwhelmed with everything and need them to help out a bit.

 

I also wish I'd never let them start watching TV! :tongue_smilie:

[Melanie]

We're in our 9th year of homeschooling.

 

I wish we had spent more time outside.

 

I wish we had been able to scrape up the money for drawing lessons.

 

I wish I had spent the early years preparing for high school. I should have put the mop down and learned calculus while the kids were playing.

 

I wish I'd started formal academics earlier with my son.

 

I wish I had insisted on proper pencil grip and letter formation.

 

I wish I had started with Latin right away, instead of trying to appeal to them with sign language, Japanese, and Spanish.

 

The last three wishes are related to my biggest wish: that I hadn't listened to the people who said, "Relax or you'll kill their love of learning!"

 

Otherwise, I'd probably do everything exactly the same. :)

[mothergooseof4]

I am finishing up my tenth year of hsing. I hsed my step-dd before I started with my three listed in my siggy.

 

I am right there with the "wish I had done more" group, as well. I was widowed the spring before I started K with my oldest ds. For the first three years, I was just getting the necessary stuff done. I had a very relaxed attitude towards school. It didn't help that ds had taught himself to sight read at four. So, I just relaxed and made sure we were getting some stuff done here and there. It was later before I realzied that he needed reading instruction and now, even after years of OG programs, he still tries to sight read.

 

When my second ds started K, reading was had for him. I let him stay with cvc words way too long because I didn't know how to get him past them. I waited until he actually got frustrated with his reading skills before I actually did something about it.

 

Now, I have dd in 1st. I do things completely different with her than I did with her brothers. She does phonics, spelling, reading, writing, and math EVERY school day. I am way more consistent and my sons are having to remediate a lot of ground. We no longer skip school for the day just because mom isn't into it.

 

So, what I do differently....work on skills, read, and be CONSISTENT! I am not saying overload them. I do believe in a light load for younger kids. But, I make sure that the light load gets done most days. We do still enjoy other stuff, too.

[angela in ohio]

I would have spent more time and effort on handwriting.

 

That's pretty much it.

 

I have used the classical method since the beginning. I focused on the basics when dc were young, I took a very hands-on and rigorous approach to those, and we enjoyed many interests and experiences. I wouldn't change a thing in that.

[ChrissySC]

What do I do differently the second time?

 

Want I want. :) Don't forget that ultimately we know whether or not they are learning. I create lessons for 190 days and bump and move as needed. Also, if we deviate I bump and write what we did that day. (Excel workbook ;) ) I adopted the philosophy that reading leads to knowledge. If nothing else, get them to read.

[redsquirrel]

I am learning to be a little more relaxed. My youngest has a birthday in January. That means I had to make a decision about his being a 'kindy' or a first grader. Should I start FLL or wait until next year? Should I rush through earlybird math and leap into first grade math?

 

Other people wouldn't even consider this a 'problem' to be solved. I do and I need to relax about it.

 

This time around, I am waiting. It's not a race. The world will NOT end if we start FLL next year and he almost 7. We finished earlybird math last month..well.. I am doing MEP year 1 for the remainder of the year and holding off on Singapore 1st grade.

 

That said, I am trying to review algebra before we get there.

[razorbackmama]

I also wish I'd never let them start watching TV! :tongue_smilie:

Boy, you're not kidding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:tongue_smilie:

 

The last three wishes are related to my biggest wish: that I hadn't listened to the people who said, "Relax or you'll kill their love of learning!"

:iagree:

[rootsong]

HSing 11 yrs this month. One of my biggest regrets in life actually, is having "unschooled" my 1st child. She entered young adulthood totally unprepared academically, has very little follow through, & generally has a tough time with structure & motivation.

 

I wish I would have started out with structure, schedules, curriculum, and follow through.

 

My now-7th grader did have all those things from the beginning, and I am so, so much more pleased. I do however wish I'd pushed more handwriting with him sooner. :001_smile:

[titianmom]

That's what I did with my girl. She's in 9th, now. I used the library and created my own stuff up to about 3rd grade and mine thrived.

 

You really don't need anything formal until about 3rdish IMHO.

 

We used a kid's easel to learn to write and practice her language arts skills. I did use 100 easy lessons and she was reading in a couple of months at age 4. I purchased Core Knowledge What Your __ needs to know books for scope and sequence and the library and mom's own created lined paper for everything else, including math and science.

 

We loved it.

 

Kim

 

If I had it to do over, I have decided that without a doubt Robinson is correct. I wouldn't bother buying a math program before Saxon 54. If I didn't already have them, I would purchase a bunch of manipulatives. Then, I would make my own memory work and daily work. I also wouldn't bother with any sort of schoolish, scheduled curriculum for science and history before 4th grade level. The only classroom-type curriculum I would purchase at the preK-3rd level is CLE LTR and LA1.

 

All that this means is that at this point I am confident that I can do just as well with my home library on my own. I suppose this is different than what do I wish I had done differently. When I first began homeschooling, I felt like I needed more stuff, because I was less confident and more prone to compare what I was doing with what someone else was doing. So, I guess what I wish I had done differently is that I wish I had spent less time comparing what we were doing to the Joneses.

 

HTH-

Mandy

[TheAutumnOak]

Great topic!

 

I have been homeschooling for 4 years this year, and this is what I would have done differently...

 

- I would not have been so relaxed with my oldest during his younger years...I tend to be lazier verses the type A "get everything done now" type of person and I should have done more...

 

- We would have had a more consistent schedule instead of being distracted by so many things...We should have spent more time schooling verses being "out and about"...This is the first year I feel like we haven't been all over the place...

 

- I wish I had spent more time reading out loud, and getting the boys use to speaking in complete sentences...

 

- All of this could be summed up by saying I wish I had read and followed Well Trained Mind before...Much could have been avoided by just following the instructions there...

 

 

* As a side note, I must mention that I LOVE Paula's (Elegant Lion) new avatar!...I am glad you post often :tongue_smilie:

[Joyofsixreboot]

I've only been homeschooling 3 years so I've got lots more mistakes to make but....

I wish I had listened to my gut and red shirted ds.

I wish we had started the process for testing him for LD's earlier.

I wish I had known about homeschooling and WTM particularly before being thrown into this.

I wish I'd stuck with WWE the first time for him.

 

Things I've done right. SOTW! DS likes history.

Keeping dd home too. She is the opposite of her brother and I can accelerate with her as needed.

Finding this board has been hugely helpful.

Following my inclinations to be consistent has produced results. Slow and steady, etc.

[justamouse]

I wish I had chilled the hell out. (Complete Type A control freak here. I bought everything, we did everything, we crashed and burned)

 

And, after 8or 9 years doing this, I think I may, *just* have a handle on it all. Kinda like parenting. By the last one you think you could, perhaps, be qualified to be a parent.

Edited April 8, 2011 by justamouse

[Violet Crown]

Ten years of homeschooling now.

 

I wish I'd quit earlier in each subject. Oldest dd caught on to things so fast, and would beg to do more, and so I (and dh, when he did lessons with her) would just keep going ... until she was tired, and started making mistakes, and ended up in tears. Every lesson ended in tears. Until I learned to stop while it was still fun.

 

I wish I hadn't let my face, voice, or manner betray disappointment when a child didn't grasp something that seemed obvious, or forgot something for the nth time, or otherwise performed poorly. I wish I had said "No problem, lots of people find this tricky. 'There's no royal road to learning!'" (which is what I say now, and it makes them laugh, and then everything is good). Aagh. If I had a time machine I would go slap my former self. A lot.

 

In general I wish I had been kinder, yelled less, not thought of their performance as a reflection on me me me, and enjoyed more of our life at home together.

Edited April 8, 2011 by Sharon in Austin

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

Enjoying this thread.

[Roxy Roller]

2) I was definitely too relaxed when it came to reading. When it didn't click at 5, or 6, or 7, I took the approach of "Oh well, some kids just read later." At the time Little Bear Wheeler (who learned to read at 11) was my hero. Now I know that I should have been intervening MUCH earlier when they just weren't getting reading, and we now have a lot of lost time to make up for.

 

:iagree: I could have written this post.

 

All of my children have been homeschooled. I wish I would have read TWTM back in the beginning. I started with a boxed Christian curriculum. I remember talking to a friend at a homeschool conference, back before I had even started schooling, and she said that if she was to homeschool she would do it classically. I guess I thought that I was not qualified to have a classical homeschool, as I had had a sub-par public school education myself. I read TWTM last year and at first I felt that I had blown it. Then I gradually realized that I need to start again, where we were. This year has been a heavy year of remediation for all of my children. It has meant long school days and a few tears. We are a few weeks from the end and I am happy to say that we are seeing huge improvements in all areas. I am looking forward to the years to come with anticipation, not dread.

Edited April 8, 2011 by Roxy Roller
spelling

[Sara in AZ]

Ten years of homeschooling now.

 

 

I wish I hadn't let my face, voice, or manner betray disappointment when a child didn't grasp something that seemed obvious, or forgot something for the nth time, or otherwise performed poorly. I wish I had said "No problem, lots of people find this tricky. 'There's no royal road to learning!'" (which is what I say now, and it makes them laugh, and then everything is good). Aagh. If I had a time machine I would go slap my former self. A lot.

 

In general I wish I had been kinder, yelled less, not thought of their performance as a reflection on me me me, and enjoyed more of our life at home together.

 

I so need to work on this stuff! Thank you for posting.

[kwg]

This is our sixth year.

 

• My oldest did narration, copywork, and dictation, but I wish we had done far more.

• I wish I had realized her spelling was vastly not-normal. I read a lot about how sometimes kids need more time to develop spelling skills, but I didn't realize that the huge discrepancy between her reading level and her spelling ability was a huge, huge red flag. Now that ds is learning both to read and spell, I can immediately see the difference. Ouch!

 

Red flag for what? Ds is an advanced reader and below average speller.

[Veritaserum]

We are nearly done with year 6. I wish I had read The Well-Trained Mind sooner. I also wish I'd done more structure from the beginning. I wish I'd focused more on skills. I do those things now. :)

[Cornerstone Classical]

We've been homeschooling for 5 years now. If I had it to do all over again I would:

 

1. Not have pushed my son in Pre-K and K with rigorous Classical Ed.

 

2. Not gotten stressed out when my daughter was not reading on grade level until this year. I worried so much, but last month her brain turned on and can read on grade level, go figure...

 

3. I would have used all MFW products, and used each program to a tee, 100% from Pre-K on. We didn't get the honor to do Pre-K, K, and my son didn't do MFW1st.

[usetoschool]

I wouldn't have been so stressed out over what looked like mistakes and failures. I know now that if we just keep working at it with a good program and consistency, that it will come. And I would have been more consistent with daily school work and routine and not let other things get in the way.

 

I probably would have followed my original instincts about curriculum styles. I end up coming back to the same things I started with after trying the latest and greatest method. But, after 19 years I am still trying to perfect my "school". My youngest will graduate and I will be looking around for more students because I finally figured out some subject or other. :001_smile:

[rainforest mama]

I definitely would have worked on DD's handwriting more. What horrible chicken scratching. Thankfully she can type, so at least that's a saving grace.

 

We have been HSing 7 years now. Looking back, I don't think I would have changed too much. WTM was published the year DD was born, so there weren't all the classical materials that are available now. I'm looking forward to using WWE from the start with my younger ones, as well as R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey.

 

I'm just glad to have the chance to do this two more times. :) Hopefully, by the time I'm done with my kids I'll be able to start teaching the grandkids. ;)

[rafiki]

.

[Mommyfaithe]

I have been homeschooling 16 years now and my biggest regrets have been

1. I should not have vacillated so much between rigidity and loosy goosey. I prefer structure and schedule, but for some reason my life refuses to be on board. I think the fluctuation confused my kids. I know it confuses me.

 

2. I wish I would have had my younger kiddies school daily, just to get in that routine. Somehow my kids think school is optional, and I spend far too much time reminding the that it is not.

 

3. I wish I did not allow my older kids to be involved in highly competitive sports. Recreational would have been enough.....but we sacrificed way too much for the payoff they received. That time and money would have Been better used for family pursuits.

 

4. I wish I would have had my school plans written out before each year, rather than my usual fly by the seat of my pants. I do not like commercial plans....yet I have such a hard time writing my own out....sigh....

 

5. I wish I would have learned to be a better math teacher years ago. I am pretty good at it now, but that will not benefit my older kids.

 

6. I should have insisted on continuing latin.

 

7 I wish I had my paradigms a little less mixed up :D

 

8. I would not have let

What I have done right:

 

1. Read aloud time. I have made this an integral part of our life. We have read every single day for at least and hour....all kinds of books. My kids love books. My kids love to read.

 

2. I taught my kids to write and communicate well.

 

3. I taught my kids to be self-learners....and they love to learn.

 

4. My kids learned to love one another deeply.

 

5. When I knew I couldn't teach a subject, I found a way to farm it out.

 

6. I never let myself think I have it all together...lol. That way I keep learning and growing too.

 

Faith

[mytwomonkeys]

i would have used a stronger program to teach phonics. my daughter can read wonderfully, but i feel a stronger program in phonics would have aided in her spelling issues. it's taken a while to overcome those. she's doing much better now.

[Satori]

Thanks everyone for your valuable insights! This thread has been enlightening and motivating.

 

Keep it coming!

[Aquinas Academy]

This is my 10th year. Things I wish I'd done differently from the beginning:

 

1.Used more CM ideas, especially in the younger years.

2.Made sure we go outside every single day, no matter what the weather.

3.Relaxed more. Just because I have some very academically advanced 4.kids doesn't mean they should be pushed to the limit.

5.Not let nature study, art, science, and logic get pushed aside.

6.Trusted my curriculum choices more. Even if a curriculum isn't absolutely perfect it's better to use it than constantly switch.

 

Things I'm very glad we did from the beginning:

 

1.Read aloud as a family everyday.

2.Begin each day with Bible and catechism study.

3.Follow the 4-year history cycle.

4.Do lots of copywork, narration, and dictation in English, French, Latin, and Greek.

5.Make time for my children's passions.

6.Not do too many extra-curricular activites. Children don't need to have every moment of their lives structured.

7. Place a high emphasis on writing and grammar.

I'm so glad I have more kids. Hopefully by the last one I'll have things mostly right.:D

[Capt_Uhura]

 

4. I wish I would have had my school plans written out before each year, rather than my usual fly by the seat of my pants. I do not like commercial plans....yet I have such a hard time writing my own out....sigh....

 

Faith

 

What she said! :001_smile: I know I keep saying this and perhaps one day it will sink into my head..... I recall a post by 8FilltheHeart that by the time she had 5th-6th graders, she really needed to plan. I planned on doing that last summer but we sold a house and built a new one and didn't move until 2 weeks before school started and had spent a week in a hotel. I've felt discombobulated all year. This summer will be spent planning. I'm getting curriculum now so I can spend the summer with it. The kids will go to their grandparents and I will spend the time planning. Swimmermom sent me beautiful plans matching K12HO and HO Ancients. If I had that at the beginning of the year, we'd be a lot further along! I just can't hold it all in my head w/ HSing a 5th grader and a 2nd grader along w/ a 4yr old.

[Mercy_Me]

Ten years of homeschooling now.

 

I wish I'd quit earlier in each subject. Oldest dd caught on to things so fast, and would beg to do more, and so I (and dh, when he did lessons with her) would just keep going ... until she was tired, and started making mistakes, and ended up in tears. Every lesson ended in tears. Until I learned to stop while it was still fun.

 

I wish I hadn't let my face, voice, or manner betray disappointment when a child didn't grasp something that seemed obvious, or forgot something for the nth time, or otherwise performed poorly. I wish I had said "No problem, lots of people find this tricky. 'There's no royal road to learning!'" (which is what I say now, and it makes them laugh, and then everything is good). Aagh. If I had a time machine I would go slap my former self. A lot.

 

In general I wish I had been kinder, yelled less, not thought of their performance as a reflection on me me me, and enjoyed more of our life at home together.

This! I am in my first year of homeschooling DD11 and DD8. I constantly feel if they don't "get it" it is going to reflect on me and I get frustrated. I am working on that really really hard.

[cjbeach]

We're only in year 4 but already I look back on my oldest and regret we did not spend more time reading together on the sofa, exploring, baking bread, nature study, going on field trips, and anything more HANDS on.

Secretly I wish I had started piano and foreign language with him, as early as I started phonics.

[tuzor]

Thank you all for this thread. I am happy to encouter this early in my homeschooling journey.

[mom2att]

I wish getting help for these children wasn't so doggone expensive. Special curriculum or therapy cost big bucks, factor in multiple children and ouch!

 

Amen to that! For my middle one this is so true, and I do wish that we had started trying to overcome his learning difficulties sooner. We started therapy only this year, in 4th grade, and while it is going well we have A LOT of territory to catch up on. I wish we had started when he was 6 or 7, because it was painfully obvious he needed help even then.

 

With my oldest, who is now a 9th grader, I did everything the old WTM way (before FLL, SOTW, and the like). We spent a great deal of time on narrations from the Usborne book--I have pages and pages of work she did . . . that she doesn't remember at all now. I don't regret it, and I don't really think it was time wasted, but I wish I had slowed down and enjoyed the process more. She soaked up info like a sponge and I should have spent more time enjoying that instead of rushing through and getting more "done," dumping in even more info that she wasn't going to remember long-term. I am MUCH more relaxed with my youngest, who has a similar learning style to my oldest.

 

I agree with others about this being a process, and very similar to parenting in that once you think you've got it figured out, they've gone and grown up and you've worked yourself out of a job!

[woolybear]

I wish I had started with more structure, more "school". We were unschoolers for the first couple of years. Though my kids were young and I still don't think they needed much academics, I think it would've been better if we had started younger with a "school time" so they would not still think this is optional. :glare:

 

I wish I had discovered Charlotte Mason earlier and incorporated more of that into our lives.

 

I wish I had done some of those fun preschool/K type things like the one from Wee Folk Art.

[ClassicMom]

This will be my second time around homeschooling as I'm pulling my 2nd grader out of school and have two that have graduated. I wish that I would have made more time for fun! I was way too serious and we never got to all the extra activities that I always "meant" to get to. I intend to do the field trips, nature hikes, co-ops and those fun activities that make school an adventure and not just "school at home".

 

My son has a love of learning that the school is intent on squelching but I intend on extending and nurturing. One thing that we did that I really enjoyed was a lot of reading aloud and I intend to continue that tradition. Devotions and Bible studies were also a core part of our day and it has shown in the development of my girls' character. I wouldn't change a bit of that.

 

Keeping to a schedule is important as long as it's not written in stone. If an interest is sparked, it is good to follow with that intent while the child is determined. I do wish that I would have followed down some of the rabbit trails that my girls has sparked interest in during the years instead of sticking strictly to the schedule. Now, if my son shows an interest in a topic, I will run to the bookstore or library for a book on the subject and see what I can find on the Internet for him. When he is out of school, we will take some mini-trips to follow-up on the subject.

 

One thing that I did that I wish I hadn't done was change curriculum too often. I knew that I liked MFW but I kept looking for "greener grasses" and tried putting together my own. I think we ended up with gaps along the way. Some moms are really good at putting together a plan with various curriculum from different companies and doing a very good job at it. But other times, when mixing and matching over the years, you get a discombobulated mess. I think we ended up doing well over-all but it took a lot of work that last two years. Not something that I'd like to do over.

 

After eighteen years in the trenches, my advice is to have fun and love on your children. However, plan in advance and know where you are going :)

[southcarolinamom]

I wish I had started using the "literature approach" style of learning earlier.

Too many years of BJUP curriculum was squelching the love of learning in my kids' history, lit and science. They are both much, much happier and learning more since switching to different curriculums. i.e. Sonlight, Apologia, etc.

 

My daughter has had trouble with math for quite a few years. I would have switched her to Teaching Textbooks sooner, had it been available. She shed many tears of frustration with Saxon and BJUP math before I made the switch.

 

I would have held off on teaching cursive another year or two. After all those years of practicing cursive, now that they are in high school, my children's style of writing is back to printing! Go figure :lol: