by Heidi Khalil ….. November 21, 2022
IT IS NOT EASY! Do not buy into any visions of grandeur from anyone who makes homeschooling seem like it is smooth sailing or glamorous. It’s in my top 3, of the hardest things that I have ever done in my life. The early years were brutal for me. I am more of an artist, free-spirit type of person. I had to learn how to be still. I had to learn that when you are teaching your children to read, you can’t take very many days off. The setbacks are too costly. Although I had some mentoring, the grind, day in and day out, when everyday life didn’t stop, was humongous. For instance, a schoolteacher has: a lunch lady, janitor, P.E. Teacher, art teacher, music teacher, teacher’s assistants, and planning periods (when you can have quiet time). A Home School Mom does not have these luxuries. In most cases, she has minimal help, at best. So, my crockpot and instant pots became my trusted “lunch ladies”…. Gertrude and Matilda, by name. Private music lessons, and P.E. with other local homeschoolers was a bonus. Art through you tube worked well. And, endless unique experiences, and the opportunity to stretch one’s imagination gave the children a much broader view of what they could be or do.
We (home school moms) also have a “one room schoolhouse”. This means that you may be teaching a 10th grader and have a new baby, like I did … with several grades and ages in between. So, why do it?…… Because it is the most beautiful and natural thing in the world. You can tailor make your child’s education to suit them, and you can have loads of meaningful memories with them. I also spent a lot of one-on-one time with the Lord, crying out to Him for strength and help, in this beautiful thing of teaching my children. It grew my children and myself.
I did run into countless challenges though. However, prayer was my key. The Lord came through over and over. My oldest daughter told me that she wanted to be a math teacher when she was in middle school. Then, the fear set in. Higher math is a challenge for me. After praying through it, and getting counsel, I was able to provide a math curriculum that came with a live tutor, who had a PHD in mathematics! We had access to him via phone, whenever we didn’t understand something. This did not come at any additional costs! I also bought the curriculum used. You just never know until you try. This was quite a long time ago…before everything was on you tube.
A student without inspiration is a very sad student. So, I had to learn how to inspire each child, by following their lead. I know this may sound strange to some, but I had to learn which things inspired each of my children. When I learned about what they liked, I found out through trial and error, that it is so much easier and worthwhile to bring their education through these portals. This was when I learned that traditional education misses the mark in so many ways. When a child is actually interested in what they are learning, they learn eagerly, and retain the information so much better.
Mighty Hand Publishing 