There are many truths about homeschooling, these truths may or may not apply to every homeschool, but they sure are true here at our house!
I am a Real Homeschool Mama.
Tried. Tested. & True.
So, I thought it would be beneficial to post some truths about homeschooling from my perspective.
1. Nothing ever goes as planned. Nothing.
2. Boxed curriculum does not work for everyone or every child. It just doesn’t.
3. Sick days happen. And they always happen when you least expect them (see #1).
4. There will be tears. The kids. Yours. Dad’s. No one is exempt.
5. Doors will be slammed. Tempers will flare. (see #4, those will show up again too).
6. Pencils will always be broken when needed. (see #1)
7. Pens will have no ink. (I just bought new pens! See #1)
8. Paper will be all used up. (where did all the paper go?! See #1)
9. Books will be misplaced. (yep, see #1…again).
10. Food will get on school work. Even though they have been told a thousand times to not eat at the school table or to not do school at the dining room table (and if this is the same area for you, then you have my sympathies, I have sooooo been there).
11. Papers will get wet, school work will be ruined. (see #10).
12. Beautiful Spring and Fall days means no school work whatsoever will get done. Find something else to do mama, it will be a lost cause. Like trying to herd elephants at a car wash.
13. There will so many breaks during the day you will wonder if these children will ever retain any information.
14. Librarians will know you by your first name. Due to the frequency of visits or due to late fines, one way or the other they will know you.
15. Store employees will give you strange looks for having all of your children at their place of employ during “school hours”.
16. Household chores get lost in the shuffle. Laundry piles grow exponentially, dishes multiply rapidly, the dust bunnies threaten to take over the house. All because the one kid that didn’t understand yesterday does today and school is going sooooo well that you hate to stop for fear of losing “the moment”.
17. Every child is different. They learn at different paces, and all have different styles. And sometimes it takes years to learn their style.
18. Bookshelves are essential to survival. Books will be everywhere. Reading books, school books, teaching books . . . books, books, books.
19. Home Economics is a Real Class. It counts for Real School. Make the child(ren) learn to wash dishes, do laundry, cook and bake for the family (unless you want #16 to continue…).
20. Sleep is essential for functionality. Especially sleep for the teacher. If the teacher is lacking sleep the teacher is usually lacking good judgment as well. Sleep well mama!
21. Unplanned Days Off are Encouraged. When school is not going as planned (see #1) and it seems like a royally bad day (see #4 & #5) take advantage of the homeschool life (especially on days like #12).
22. Pajama Days will happen. Just roll with it mama. No one will die because you failed to get dressed.
23. Craft supplies will take over your extra storage. Homeschooled children use a lot of glue, tape, staples, paper, etc . . .
24. Strange comments will fly from your mouth at the most absurd times…
- “Let your sister out of the dog kennel, right now!”
- “Do NOT stick that in your nose!”
- “No, we are not using the dog in our science experiment.”
- “Are you sure you are alright? You were in the bathroom for a reeeeally long time.”
- “Yes, writing is important. You want to get a job at some point in your life, right?”
- “No, telling jokes is not a good paying job, do your math.
- “Yes, you can count mowing the grass as PE today.”
25. Grace. You must accept it and you must give it. There are a plethora of things that can (and will) go wrong during your homeschool day.
This is just a short list of Truths this Real Homeschool Mama wanted to share.
This homeschool thing is not for the weak at heart! It takes copious amounts of prayer, patience (I’m still working on that), and grace.
There are incredible perks though, but I will share those next time.
In His Grace.
Callie
Can So Relate! #1 says it all. I find the Beauty of accepting this can lead to some very creative lessons and some very surprising conversations that fill you with joy as you discover your child has been listening, they have thought about this!
Amen and Amen!!!
I double, triple, quadruple…agree! with all of these!
loved your list. SO true. 🙂
oh my goodness yes! and it took me a long time to realize that number 21 was okay!
LOL – Karen you have a houseful for sure! Thanks for visiting and reading the post, I appreciate it!
I read #16 and thought, “Oh, no, wait a minute now! That is NOT a truth!” Then I got to #19 and sighed with relief. 🙂 One of the blessings I have found with home schooling is that I have the time and opportunity to teach my children wonderful skills that come with making/maintaining a home: laundry, cleaning (not just surface, either), food prep, baby/kid care, etc. This is a vital part of our day and I am thrilled to see what the kids are able to do. Chores have their own special time in our schedule/routine so they don’t get lost in the shuffle. With a household our size (14 in all), we would be buried in laundry and dirty dishes if we didn’t set that time aside and treat it with respect!
The bathroom one…oh, yes. We have had to take drastic measures with certain offspring as they tend to treat the bathroom as their private retreat (thinking it will help them avoid school, lol).
Right?! Me too… Thanks for stopping by!
My favorite was the paper. We filled the cart at Walmart with 10 cent notebooks every year. Could we find them come Labor Day (yearly start of school)? Nope