Saturday, January 23, 2016

Three Lessons Learned From a Year Homeschooling Adventure

We homeschooled our daughter for eighth grade. It was something we always wanted to try and because of our particular circumstances at the time we went for it. Even though it went well, our child decided she wanted to have the "All-American" High School experience and so she went back to the public school system. In a short 12 months we learned a lot! Here are three of the many golden nuggets we gleaned from this rich experience:

You DO know what is best for your child
In North American culture we have become so specialized and dependent on trained professional advise, that we have lost our confidence as parents to advocate and go for what we think is best for our children.  I wish I had followed my instincts about homeschooling my children earlier.  My daughters do not fit the standardized cocoon of our public school system.  My oldest daughter has brilliant intelligences that will never be measured with traditional testing systems.

Homeschooled Children Are As Social as Any Other Human Being
I think social skills are learned at home and have lots to do with personality.  I still hear a lot of parents nudging their pre-teens to say thank you and sorry!  When we ask the "What about socialization?" question to homeschooling parents we are just expressing our own anxieties about acceptance and identity.  We all want our kids to be liked and have friends.  While it may be true that schools and sporting leagues offer plenty of opportunities for children to engage different kind of people consistently; homeschooled children have plenty of choice as to where, when, and who they want to spend their time with.  In the year we homeschooled my daughter sought out ways to engage with other kids her age: youth groups, mission trips, Girl Scouts, etc.  She also practiced exercising agency in reaching out to her friends to plan outings to the mall, sleepovers, day trips, and other special activities.  When it comes to socialization, I think personality has as much to do as does the environment.  There are a lot of schooled children who are introverts and prefer to keep to themselves.  There are a lot of homeschooled children who are extroverts who have need for constant interaction.

The Resources Available Are Overwhelming
Try a simple Google search and you will see what I mean.  We finally went with a company we trusted, even though their curriculum was more costly than expected.  I have no qualms or complaints about their products or services.  I wish though that I would have learned about Usborne Books and More before I did.  Even when Usborne Books and More does not offer texts books for homeschooling, we do have many resources that can enrich and complement various of the most popular curriculums used by homeschooling communities.  Many our titles are Internet Linked for students to explore beyond the text.  Here is a list of books that can complement your homeschooling curriculum:
Look up these titles































If you are considering homeschooling as an option, I hope this perspective might add to your research before you decide what is best for your child.  And if you are a homeschooling family, I would love to hear what you have to respond to these lessons. Also, I invite you to consider adding some Usborne Books and More titles to your library!