8 Things I Never Dreamed About Homeschooling

“Whoa!  How did I get here?” 

And thank God for the change!  If it hadn’t happened, I truly would have missed out on one of the richest blessings of my life. 

But I can still remember, (because I recorded them here,) some of the things I found most startling about homeschooling.  So let me share…

1.  I never dreamed I could enjoy homeschooling.

I actually tried homeschooling before I ever officially homeschooled, meaning I very begrudgingly dipped my toes into homeschooling for two years, doing preschool and Kindergarten with my second child, but never with any intention of wading out into it too deeply.  I homeschooled then out of necessity, not desire or calling or with any intention of continuing.  

And it was awful.

Fast forward several years and imagine my surprise in finding it didn’t have to be that way!  While homeschooling is hardly all sunshine and roses, (no question: it’s a tough job,) I find such purpose and fulfillment in the relationship I’m building with my children and the opportunity I have to learn with them and instill them with my values.  So much of homeschooling success is dependent upon the approach and attitude of the one directing it.  And, quite frankly, in the beginning my approach was very narrow-minded and my attitude was horrible.  

No wonder I didn’t know there was such a thing as enjoying homeschooling!

2.  I never dreamed I’d hear myself say things like, “Actually, I think tests offer a poor evaluation of a child’s learning and grading systems are largely pointless…”

Honestly?  I thought only freaks talked like that.  Now I’m one of the freaks.

Let’s face it:  A lot of the things we view as a necessary part of education are necessary only because they are what we know from our own public school experience.  Things like sitting at a desk, listening to lectures, taking notes, doing worksheets, reading and answering questions, regular testing.  That’s what education is supposed to be like, right?

Wrong.  That’s what SCHOOL traditionally looks like, not necessarily EDUCATION.  But I didn’t begin to understand that until I started researching alternative homeschooling methods. Ditching the traditional approach has been one of the most wonderfully liberating things I have ever done in my homeschool and has proven to be a tremendous catalyst for learning in our home.

3.  I never dreamed dust would bother me so little.

I used to want a clean house.  Well, actually I still do, but not having it doesn’t bother me nearly so much as it used to.  I’m too busy reading amazing books to my kids and telling them about people like Benjamin Franklin, George Washington Carver, and Brother Andrew.  Plus I’m my kids primary tutor for math and science and whatever else we’re covering that day.  

Interestingly enough, I’ve noticed that the dust doesn’t go anywhere!  No matter what, it’s always in my home.  

My children, however, will not be.

4.  I never dreamed my house would be filled with so much homeschooling stuff!  

5.  I never dreamed I’d learn so much!  And then find myself randomly spouting it to friends and family…

So did you know that when a bird molts a feather on one wing, it loses the exact same feather in the exact same spot on the other wing?  And were you aware that the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre were actually defended in court by none other than patriot and second U.S. President John Adams?

It’s the kind of stuff I pop off with when you least expect it.  And I’m thinking it’s a tendency common to homeschooling moms because on any given day I’m likely to get a text from another HS mom saying something like, “Hey, Tanya, did you know that legend says silk was discovered when a silkworm’s cocoon accidentally fell into a cup of tea?”

Is it nerdy?  Yes.  But it’s kind of fun, too. 😉

6.  I never dreamed I’d be too excited to sleep the night before a homeschool convention.

Seriously.  It’s like Christmas Eve and I’m 6 years old all over again.  The anticipation is simply too much for me!  At a homeschool convention there’s too much to see, too much to learn.  It’s inspiration overload, which is usually just what the doctor ordered for the weary homeschooling mom!

I never want my kids to stop learning, so I should never stop learning either.  I think I should always be in pursuit of new ideas and new products to make my job easier and more effective, plus be reminded why it is I do what I do and be encouraged in the effort.  Homeschooling conventions are a one-stop-shop for all of those things. 

7.  I never dreamed I’d do strange, (and even GROSS,) things for the sake of learning.

It’s amazing the way homeschooling alters your thinking.  One day in self-defense I whacked at a hornet with my flip-flop and was delighted to find I had killed it without squashing it.  We were studying insects, so what did I, the homeschooling mom, do with the dead body?  Why, I scooped it up and took it home for study, of course! 

When you’re a homeschooling mom, you begin to see even the most ordinary and mundane things of life as wonderful opportunities for learning.

8.  I never dreamed being with my children so much would make me want to be with them MORE.

I don’t want to imply that I never long for a quiet, empty house and a little more “me time”, but I really thought homeschooling would make me sick of my children.  And them sick of me! 

Actually, it’s had the opposite effect.  There was some adjustment to be made in the beginning, but in time I found myself enjoying my kids more than I ever had before.  

And homeschooling seems to have effected my children the same way.  They still pester and bicker and tattle sometimes, but they also seem to enjoy one another and appreciate one another’s differences and abilities and talents in ways they never did before.

Homeschooling has held some real surprises for me.  And I’m so glad I have discovered them all!