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    • Homeschooling 101: What to Teach and When to Teach It
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5 things I needed to hear as a new homeschooling mom

June 24, 2021 //  by Jamie C. Martin//  8 Comments

5 things I needed to hear as a new homeschooling mom ~
Written by Jamie C. Martin of Simple Homeschool

My brand new course, Homeschooling with Purpose, just opened – I’d LOVE to see you there. Scroll to the bottom of this post (or click here) for more details!

“Okay, guys,” I said optimistically. “The letter P is for pig – let’s draw that now together. See Mommy’s P here on the paper? It goes straight down and around. And look? I can make that big curve into the pig’s snout, to remind us that P is the first sound in pig. Why don’t you try it?”

“No!” Child A shouted, sliding off their chair onto the floor and under the table. “I don’t want to write a P; I don’t want to draw a pig!”

Prefer to listen instead?

I cast a distressed glance at my teacher’s guide, but it said nothing about what to do in case of tantrums on the floor. Should I make this into a discipline moment, and kill Child A’s love of learning? Or should I call it the end of lessons for the day, and “give in” to this poor behavior?

Or should I chase the school bus down the street, force open the doors, and securely place my three kids aboard?!

We hadn’t even made it through kindergarten yet, and I was already failing. I just knew it.

new homeschooling mom

Does this bring to mind any experiences you had as a new homeschooling mom, too? If you’ve been at this for any length of time, I bet it does.

Now that I have 13 years of homeschooling under my belt, there are so many things I wish I could go back and tell myself. And the crazy part?

It turns out that the five things I needed to hear as a new homeschooling mom then are the same ones I need to remind myself of on difficult days now.

That means that no matter how long you’ve been homeschooling, this is for you!

5 Things I Needed to Hear as a New Homeschooling Mom

1. “Yes, you can skip that part of the curriculum.”

It terrified me to think of skipping part of a lesson that had been laid out by “experts.” They knew what they were doing, after all, and I. DID. NOT.

I wish I would have remembered back to my own school days. We never finished a full textbook or workbook in a year, and the teacher always skipped around, making assignments based on her own plans and her students’ needs.

2. “A short lesson counts as a lesson.”

I could have avoided the whole “I don’t want to draw a pig!” moment by ending our lesson before we reached that point. Especially in the early years, even a five minute lesson is a huge accomplishment. You want to leave them wanting more, as opposed to having to beg them to stay.

But no matter what age your kids are, homeschooling differs from other types of education. Unlike in a classroom, relationship has to come first, not academics. From that foundation, you can build something beautiful – one five minute lesson at a time.

new homeschooling mom

3. “There are a million ways to homeschool well, not just one.”

I spent the first few years we homeschooled looking for that magic button, the one that would guarantee that my kids wouldn’t fail, and that I wouldn’t fail my kids. I often felt conflicted and anxious in my search for the ideal homeschool philosophy or ideal curriculum.

It turns out, there isn’t one. The beauty of home education is our ability to tailor it to what each of our unique children need. Never place a higher priority on a philosophy or a curriculum than you do on your child.

4. “Redefine homeschool success.”

I’m not sure I ever would have articulated it, but on some level my idea of success was to prove to the skeptics that homeschooled children could outperform those educated in the system, excelling in a rigorous college prep scope and sequence that would wow neighbors and friends.

Yet raising and teaching children with developmental disabilities changed my definition of success.

new homeschooling mom

This led to my new (and much healthier) definition, one that applies to every child:

Homeschool Success = Helping each child reach their full potential – mind, body, and spirit

5. “You may not see the harvest yet, but the seeds are growing.”

I tilled soil, planted seeds, and watered ground daily, but felt discouraged by a lack of fruit in my children’s progress. I wish I had had a more solid understanding of child development.

Sometimes the most exquisite fruit takes the longest to develop.

new homeschooling mom

It’s not uncommon to wait nearly a decade to begin to gather a crop from new fruit trees. But once they start to produce, they do so forever! I’ve noticed the same over time, and the growth is extra sweet knowing how long we’ve worked and waited for it.

New homeschooling mom (or long-time veteran!), none of your efforts are wasted and none of them are in vain. You are slowly growing something beautiful, and you’re doing so much better than you think!

Your work matters, even when much of it is is unseen. Step back and remind yourself just how far you and your children have come.

There are a million ways to design a successful homeschool, and zero ways to design a perfect one – you’ve got this!

It’s one thing to believe the statements above, and another to live them out daily in a world that often neglects the importance of an inner foundation as it focuses solely on outward outcomes.

That’s why I partnered this spring with Colleen Kessler and Pam Barnhill to bring you a new homeschooling course based on the concepts above, and it launches today:

Homeschooling with Purpose is here!

We combined our 35 years of homeschooling experience to create the course we wish we could have had back when we were getting started, or when we hit a rough patch, or when we were just plain burned-out.

It will help you cast a vision for your homeschool, calm the chaos you deal with, and create a lifestyle of learning, and access is open now!

Homeschooling with Purpose is divided into three parts:

  • The first helps you design the homeschool that your family needs, releasing the shackles of comparison and insecurity,
  • the second part guides you in shaking off the ghost of public school past, capitalizing on the unique benefits that schooling at home has to offer,
  • and Part Three covers all the other logistics that also have to get done, like chores, meals, and more.

You’ve never seen a course like this, and I deeply believe it will leave you feeling more confident and secure in your role as a homeschooling parent.

We would just LOVE to have you there!

What did you need to hear as a new homeschooling mom? We’d love to know!

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

Category: inspiration

About Jamie C. Martin

Jamie is an introverted mom of three, who loves books, tea, and people (not always in that order), and avoids answering the phone when possible. She co-founded SimpleHomeschool.net in 2010 and began IntrovertedMoms.com in 2020.

Jamie is the author of four books, including Give Your Child the World (reached #9 on Amazon's Top 100 Best Sellers list), and her latest release, Introverted Mom (an ECPA bestseller). Her work has been featured by LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow, the Washington Post, Parents, Today Parenting, and Psychology Today.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jen

    June 24, 2021 at 8:34 am

    Number 5 is the one I need to remind myself right now (and forever). Especially because I feel everyone in my family was negatively affected by the last year plus adjusting to a new baby. Just because kids are acting out or seemingly resisting learning the things on my agenda doesn’t mean that I’m failing or not doing what’s right. And when I remember that everyone is calmer and more peaceful.
    Jen’s latest post: Free Nature Books by Alice L. Hopf

    Reply
    • Jamie C. Martin

      June 24, 2021 at 10:53 am

      Just because kids are acting out or seemingly resisting learning the things on my agenda doesn’t mean that I’m failing or not doing what’s right.

      So true, Jen!!

      Reply
  2. Anna

    July 10, 2021 at 12:38 pm

    Thank you for this. As I write this with tears flowing, you have no idea how much healing it is bringing to my heart. I homeschooled our seven daughters and our last one graduated this year. I would look back and only see my shortcomings and how I thought I failed them academically, you know, that ghost of public school past. But now I can release that guilt and see that I love who they have become…all beautiful inside and out, intelligent, funny, talented young women who grew up learning to serve and give of their time, talent, and treasure to the Lord. Many days “school” was put aside to help another family by preparing a hot meal or playing with their kids. They went on mission trips home and abroad, served in VBS and Sunday school. Many days were spent pursuing creative outlets as I provided all kinds of crafting materials, even teaching them to crochet, which they then used to makes gifts for friends and family. Now one is a photographer, another creates beautiful jewelry from precious metals. I could go on, but I think you understand my heart. So again, I say thank you with the most grateful heart. ❤️

    Reply
    • Jamie C. Martin

      July 11, 2021 at 12:01 pm

      I’m so blessed to know these words could help set you free, Anna. It sounds like you have done a beautiful job and that your daughters are incredible young women. Well done, good and faithful servant! xo

      Reply
      • Anna

        July 12, 2021 at 12:16 pm

        Thank you Jamie. ❤️ My oldest daughter is going to start homeschooling her three littles. I sent her this article and several others that you have written. I hope they encourage her as much as you have encouraged me, even though my journey is finished. I also read this to my husband, and his words of affirmation were also a soothing balm to my heart.

        Reply
  3. Jamilyn

    February 2, 2022 at 4:32 pm

    How I wish I had heard these when I first started almost 10 years ago. I think this is a much needed post! Thankfully, I have learned some of these truths over the years and I am much more relaxed with my kindergartener. Reading this is still a good reminder though-I think we can easily loose sight, so frequent reminders are much needed. I especially love #3-I am embracing the short lessons wholeheartedly these days!

    Reply
  4. Terry Yaceykoi

    February 3, 2023 at 5:52 pm

    Hi there,

    I’m a veteran homeschool mom (have followed your blog for years!) and work for a non profit Home School Administration in Alberta, Canada.

    I came across your article here:
    https://simplehomeschool.net/new-homeschooling-mom/
    …and I would love to have your permission to reprint it in The WISDOM Family Magazine.

    We of course will give you full author credit with directions to your blog in a bio. I’d love to send you a copy of the magazine, too!

    Please let me know when you have a moment.

    Thanks so much,
    Terry

    Reply
    • Jamie C. Martin

      February 7, 2023 at 9:03 am

      Sure, Terry, that would be fine. I’d love for you to share!

      Reply

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