The Best Homeschool Resource? The Teacher.
Nearly none of us has unlimited funds for educating our kids, and all of us want our kids to achieve their very best. So, how to get the most bang for our buck when it comes to home education?
The answer is simpler—and harder—than you might think.
The greatest homeschool resource is the teacher. Think about it. Every great story about anyone who accomplished something great never started out with, “Well, I had this really great math book.” Instead it was, “I had this really great math teacher who cared about me and made time to help me see I could be good at math and a whole lot more.”
So, how do parents become great homeschool teachers, and does it require an actual teaching degree? No—you don’t need a degree. In fact, teacher training primarily involves learning how to communicate to a group of 20-30 students, classroom management, how to balance grading workload for the school year, and a lot of other behind-the-scenes work that has nothing to do with the actual content they teach. Those of us who were trained to teach professionally and decided to homeschool actually had to unlearn our training because homeschooling is so uniquely different. So, scratch “teaching degree” off your to do list.
That said, there is still a lot for parent teachers to learn.
Homeschooling is hard. Yes, it is rewarding and successful and doable, but in the beginning especially it is really hard. There is so much to figure out all at once. Most new homeschoolers rush to buy curriculum, as if it were the last life raft on a sinking ship, but are discouraged to discover when the box arrives that there is no teacher inside.
Please understand, I am a strong supporter of great curriculum—great resources can make a subject inspiring and engage our kids in creative ways. But, it cannot do that on its own; it needs a parent-teacher to bring it to life and create space for learning and growth.
In hosting homeschool greats on my podcast—like Susan Wise Bauer, Julie Bogart, Steve Demme, Cathy Duffy, Dr. Kathy Koch, Mike Smith, and more—all have agreed that investing in the parent-teacher is the wisest choice a homeschool family can make. So, here are a few principles to make that practical.
1) Make a Plan
Parents become great teachers when they have a game plan. Plan to set aside one day before the school year starts to map out a few measurable goals for each child, each month, and yourself; then, plan to set aside one day at the end of the school year to take notes on your reflections for the following year before you break for summer. Plan to look over the next school week the evening before that week starts to make sure you have assignments and resources ready to go. Plan to read one homeschool book every year that informs your teaching practices (and try to start with super practical books, such as Homeschool Like an Expert—be wary of manuals that read like philosophical phone books and can be unnecessarily overwhelming). Or, if you don’t have time to read a book, check out our short video series and in less time than it takes to watch a super hero movie you will know more about homeschooling than most parents figure out on their own in the first five years. And, after ordering your curriculum for the year, plan not to look back until the year is done; it is more important to invest time into making a better teacher than in finding a better book. If there are learning challenges along the way, remind yourself that you know and love your child better than anyone—with determination, you will be able to locate resources and make a plan to meet those challenges.
2) Find Experienced Mentors
No one is excellent at anything the first time they do it, and when it comes to our children’s education we don’t want to spend years floundering to get our footing. Rather than reinvent homeschooling, invest time getting to know experienced homeschool mentors—people who were homeschooled themselves or have homeschooled their children into a successful life transition (or, sometimes both!). Shadow their daily routine, ask questions, get advice, and ask for help. The value of the perspective of someone who has been in the teaching trenches and emerged victorious is immeasurable. If you want a group of comrades to do homeschool life together as newbies, go for it; but, please don’t confuse that with experienced mentors. And, if you don’t know where to find a mentor, visit us for help—we combined the experience and advice of over 100 homeschool mentors into our resource, Homeschool Like an Expert.
3) Take Breaks
Taking breaks to have fun with our kids (as well as breaks for meaningful solo time to reflect) helps us remember why we kept our kids home in the first place. Don’t underestimate the power of play—for yourself and your kids. Schedule a sitter to come to the house for a three hour window each week, or kid swap with a friend so you can each give the other a break for an afternoon. Ask your spouse to take the kids out for a weekend afternoon so you can have the quiet house to yourself. Play hooky with your kids and skip school to do something amazing—like see hot air balloons take off, or build snow forts, or go to a concert. Model for them that learning about ourselves and our world is sometimes just as important as learning academics.
4) Give Yourself a Hand
Last I checked, no one was giving out “Homeschool Teacher of the Year” awards—so, give one to yourself. Keep a file of funny things your kids said, or moments that felt like a win, and read them to yourself often—especially on the days that go sideways. I used to have a labeled “Rainy Day File” for this very reason. Look for ways to celebrate growth, to speak life over yourself and your work with your children, and to keep the big picture in perspective. Eventually, your child will learn to read, love reading, discover his passion, and someday hopefully write you a letter thanking you for making it all possible.
Investing in the teacher is the most important move any parent can make, no matter how they end up schooling their child. What would you pay to make sure your child had the best teacher possible this year? $100? $1000? $10,000? Some do. But, the good news is it doesn’t have to cost all that. Let us help you become the best parent teacher you can by teaching you the fundamentals of homeschooling. We believe you know and love your child better than anyone—you can do this.