I knew homeschooling would come with certain challenges, and that didn’t shock me at all. However, some of the things I thought would be fairly simple or straight forward have been stressful and difficult. Here’s a list of three things that surprised me with homeschooling so you can be better prepared!
# 1
One of my biggest issues is not comparing myself to the public school system. I’m constantly trying to keep up with “grades” which if you have homeschooled for awhile you know that a lot of curriculum does not even offer grade levels. Rather they go by A, B, C and recommend you go according to your child’s ability and don’t focus on age/grade level.
I also feel guilt for not always offering every subject/extra curricular that they might receive in a traditional school setting. I try to remind myself that the special things they get to do because there at home is more rich and important than anything a school could offer.
There is something to be said for not allowing your children to fall to far behind their peers, but sometimes a child is just not developmentally able to learn something in their “proper” grade level. Waiting a few months or a year can make teaching said subject much easier on both the parent as well as the student. This is totally ok and I always encourage other homeschoolers not to stress the grade. I just don’t always take my own advice.
# 2
My second most difficult thing with homeschooling is choosing a curriculum! I love curriculum! I have switched up many times in my four years of homeschooling. When it comes time to purchase the next level up I spend hours researching, doing flip throughs and looking up reviews. I love that there are so many options, but for someone like me it also adds an element of stress.
Curriculum choice fatigue is definitely a thing, and I have most certainly experienced it. I’m glad in the last two years I have found several that I love and do not see us switching up any time soon. Unless my next homeschoolers will be drastically different learners I do not foresee us ever stopping some of our families favorites!
Although switching curriculum can be stressful if you have one that is not working for you, or not working for your student I highly recommend a change. Make sure to give a new curriculum a chance, but if its just not working make the change. Even if its the middle of the school year.
# 3
The last one that has been a real struggle for me is letting go of my house/other commitments. Homeschooling takes up a fair chunk of my day, all though not nearly as long as public school it still does not leave a lot of time for everything else. My house shows that I am a homeschooling mom. Its not super clean, there’s a never ending revolving basket of unfolded laundry, and there’s dust bunnies under all the beds.
My mornings are my homeschooling time, I don’t easily do any homeschooling after lunch. This is my cleaning time, and some of you might think how can you be behind if you have all afternoon and evening? Well to start I’m a mom of five, so laundry in and of itself is a full time job. I also love cooking (hence the recipes here on my blog) and I make almost everything from scratch, I have recently even started milling my own flour and making my own butter. You could say I’m a little crazy!
On top of all this trying to get out of the house occasionally and maintain friendships can also be a challenge. I’m lucky that a lot of my friends are also homeschooling moms and understand how hard this can be. Its also beneficial when we do get together our children can socialize and that’s always a bonus! I have just had to learn to drop my standards a little. I try my best not to sweat the small things. My house is not always perfectly in order, but my children are happy, educated and fed delicious nourishing meals. That’s enough….. right?
I love homeschooling
Even with the stress that homeschooling can cause I would never trade it! Homeschooling has been the best decision for our family. It has made it possible to educate my super rambunctious boys without labels, like ADHD, or to difficult to teach. It made it possible for them to spend the afternoons with their dad at work. It opened up the door for us to travel and spend extended amounts of time with family. If you are considering homeschooling I hope this helped prepare you for some of the stress that comes along with it. But also know it will be so rewarding and a huge blessing!
If you enjoyed this article and would like to see more homeschool content leave a comment below. Also sign up for our news letter coming in the future!
Omgoodness! I can relate to all three. But, I wouldn’t give up homeschooling either!
It really is so rewarding even in the hard seasons!
Loved homeschooling – it was definitely worth it despite the stressors.
Can really relate to curriculum choice fatigue – it’s great when you find the bits that you love and work best with your family even if that does mean different things for differet learners.
Yea its nice having so many options but definitely can make it hard.
I really liked this post. Although the three son’s we raised are all grown with children of their own, we do help raise 2 of our granddaughters. The younger of the two (6) dislikes school and rebels it in her behavior. We have offered her parents the option of allowing me to homeschool her, but they both feel she would lack the socialization she needs. Ughh! The lie most believe when they have no idea about homeschooling. My husband and I pray daily that they will see how beneficial this would be for our sweet granddaughter. Thank you for this post!
Yes unfortunately lack of socialization is a lie that’s often told about homeschooling. Its such a wonderful thing when grandparent’s can be involved in the homeschooling process. I hope they change their minds.