Do You Trust Yourself to Teach Your Child?
Well, you clicked on this blog post. Were you curious? Do you have doubts on teaching your child? If so, why?
Who has the best intentions for your child? You do.
Who is willing to sacrifice the most for your child? You are.
Do you admit you don’t know it all? I hope so! (None of us do.)
Guess what? School teachers don’t know it all either. (And many of my teacher friends are willing to admit that about themselves or a colleague.)
If you don’t trust yourself, WHO are you trusting?
Do you know—REALLY KNOW—the person (or, people)?
That’s WONDERFUL if you truly do! Most often, that is not really the case. Parents trust that when they send their children to school that:
—the teacher is “qualified”
—the teacher has the best intentions
—the teacher wants the children to learn
—the teacher will do all they can to help the child succeed
—the curriculum standards and assignments are a good fit to prepare the children for life after school
Parents trust these things to be true because of the trust they have in the education SYSTEM—that teachers have been properly vetted and continue to be under supervision with high expectations.
HOWEVER….
Is that what you are witnessing? Perhaps it is in your small corner of the world. Lucky you! Will that be the case the next year when your child gets another teacher or set of teachers? when your child attends a new school? all the years up until graduation?
Do you agree with what is taught, how it is taught, and the goals your child has accomplished so far?
I’m honestly asking you to dig through your experiences and evaluate. From what I see in countless children that I have tutored over the years is that parents seem to trust strangers (basically) and the system that employs them more than they trust themselves.
“But I did NOT get a good education. I don’t want to do a poor job with my own child.”
That’s a valid concern. I know we all can’t be “nerds” in every subject.
Where did YOU get your “not so great” education? Likely, it was public school (at least for most of us). So now you intend to send your children there as well?
But, get this:
—You know the areas in which you struggle
—You are committed to doing better with your child
—Endless resources abound (tutors, online courses, curriculum with video instruction)
Feel empowered. You can do something about it.
When you are overseeing your child’s education, you KNOW what your child is taught. You don’t have to wait days for an email reply, call a school, worry about assignments left in a locker, etc. You can make connections to the real world—real science, real history. Honestly, you’ll learn things you never knew you never knew!
Many parents who choose to homeschool gather advice from homeschool authors, podcasters, Youtubers, etc. I’ve found it helpful to meet with other homeschool families locally to hear their stories and swap advice and resources.
Some parents choose to enroll their child in a tutorial that may meet 1-3 times a week (in person). It helps to add some accountability and time to fellowship and make friends. Other parents choose to meet in co-ops where their families gather and share some teaching responsibilities. These two groups are similar, but with one MAIN difference: “tutorial” usually implies the child is dropped off. I would encourage any parent to do their research there, as the same things apply with public school when you send your child there (safety, curriculum, peers).
When you open up the lines of communication with homeschoolers you will find many parents went through a paradigm shift on their journey to homeschooling. You might even hear some say that “they never thought they would ever homeschool.” You’ll find those concerns you have about not trusting yourself to teach your child are more common than you think. You’ll find parents who conquered those fears and came out on the other side. You’ll likely even meet some homeschool graduates along the way.
You know your child.
You know their passions, their strengths, and their weaknesses.
You know you are preparing your child for life in the real world.
Instead of switching teachers year after year within a system, you will be there for the growth and connections made in their learning and the real world.
Give it some thought.
Most people do not change overnight.
However, if you’ve made it this far, perhaps you’ve been considering it and you needed that final push. Just remember, that many successful individuals throughout history did not have a traditional k-12 public school education. Look beyond and do your research there.
You can grab my FREE Survival Kit for the New Homeschool Family here!
Remember, YOU are your child’s most influential teacher.