7 Secrets to Homeschooling Like a Pro
The 7 secrets that I'm going to introduce to you in this post are for the beginner homeschooling parents in my audience. Those of you who've been around homeschooling for awhile will probably already know these pro secrets.
Let's dive right in.
Secret #1: You Don't Have to Replicate the Classroom
Classroom learning is not necessarily the best way to learn. It may work in the classroom, where one teacher is responsible for 15 to 30 (or more) children at a time, but here’s a secret:
You don't have to "do school" that way.
You don't have to "do school" at all.
If your child learns math best while bouncing on a trampoline or standing on his head, that’s okay! If your child prefers to learn creative writing at the kitchen table, history in the back yard and literature in bed, that’s okay.
You can take nature journals out into nature. You can learn animal science at the zoo. You can learn history while on vacation at historical monuments.
Your children can learn home economics by being taught to cook, clean, use the laundry machines and go grocery shopping.
They can learn auto mechanics, wood shop, or any number of practical skills from you or your relatives and friends.
You can have a discussion between each page of the book that takes longer than actually reading the book. You can stop 50 times or more to look something up on the internet that the book doesn’t explain well enough.
If you have a pair of robins nesting on your back deck, you can pause your regular science reading for a real-life study of birds.
You can stay up late sometimes to look at the stars and the phases of the moon.
And yes, your children can learn just about any subject at all by watching documentaries on TV and online.
Think outside the textbook! Learn by observing, doing, modeling others, and not just by reading, doing worksheets, and taking tests.
Secret #2: You Won’t Have a Problem With Socialization
In the post COVID-19 era, people don’t seem to worry nearly as much about socialization. But before social distancing was a thing, everyone thought that homeschooled children were isolated and had no friends. People, I'm here to tell you that this is crazy.
My children have way, way, way more of a social life than I did when I was in school.
When I was in school, all I ever heard was “we’re here to learn, not to socialize” and “quit talking to your neighbor”. We couldn’t visit during class. We weren’t supposed to waste time talking in the halls. If we chatted too much at lunch we didn’t have time to eat, and if we got too loud in the lunchroom they would make us finish the meal in silence. The only time we could socialize was at recess, which was always too short.
We are at home for the academic part of the day, but in reality, most of our time is spent running from one activity to another. We have park day with our homeschool support group, dance classes, karate classes, gymnastics lessons, church, conservation kids club, and time at the public library. We have memberships to museums, the swimming pool and the zoo, and we have regular everyday interactions with people of all ages when we run our normal errands.
Homeschoolers actually have more opportunities for social or extracurricular activities because we are not tied to the school calendar. We don’t have evening homework so we have a lot more time to play and be social with others.
Furthermore, the idea that socialization means spending all day with same-age peers is nonsense. In what part of your life will you spend the majority of your time with only people of your same age once you leave school? Will you only work with 24 year old people until you turn 25, and then move up to the 25 year old room at work? When you turn 35, will you graduate from elementary work to middle work or junior-high work with the other 35 year-olds? It’s unrealistic. Homeschooled children have the opportunity to spend time with people of all ages. This is a more practical preparation for real adult life, where people are not separated by age.
Secret #3: You Aren’t Tied to One Curriculum or Method
Unless you're doing virtual public school at home, you don’t have to do a certain curriculum or method.
You don’t have to stick with a book, worksheet, package or method that isn’t working for you.
If you get started on a curriculum and it just isn’t working for your family, you can box it up and sell it or gift it to another family.
As a homeschooler, flexibility is one of your new superpowers.
When you're using a book, you don’t have to finish it by a certain time, read the chapters in order, or finish it at all.
You can pause where you are in a curriculum, learn from another resource for awhile, and then pick back up where you left off.
You can start your homeschooling using one method, switch to another method the next year, and then end up making your own hybrid method by year three.
You don’t even have to use a curriculum at all. The public library, the internet, documentaries, and real world experiences are enough. Yes, really.
The best part of homeschooling is that you can do whatever works best for your children.
Secret #4: You Can Follow a Routine, Not a Schedule
Another advantage to homeschooling is that you decide not just what you'll do, but when you'll do it.
You don’t have to be a slave to the clock, changing subjects abruptly just because a bell rang.
If your personality and your family culture thrives on start and end times and lessons that last a specified amount of time, then by all means, create a schedule and follow it.
My family? Not so much.
I suffer from migraines, and I never know when I am going to have one of those days when I can't get out of bed until afternoon rather than my normal 7:00 a.m.
We also have certain extra-curricular activities scheduled for different times on different days.
There is no way we are going to follow the same schedule each day, and it’s unrealistic to create and try to stick to a different schedule for each day of the week.
The solution is a routine.
You can decide which subjects you want to cover and in what order.
Then you start when you can, go as long as you can, and stop when you need to.
Even if you're in a state that requires record keeping, you can follow a routine instead of a schedule.
Just write down what you do and for how long, keeping an eye on the requirements and adjusting as needed.
Secret #5: The Public Library is Your New Best Friend
The public library is the reason that we keep up our learning enthusiasm while also keeping our costs down.
When my children were little, we went to the library almost every week (and sometimes more than once per week). We checked out picture books for fun, books to practice reading fluency, books about whatever subject we are studying, movies, documentaries, books on CD and music CDs.
Before the pandemic our library’s children’s section also had two large screen computers with subscriptions to all the learning apps you could imagine. Now many of the library's apps are available to patrons at home. We just have to sign in using our library card number.
I design my own curriculum for everything except teaching reading. I do this by researching what is usually taught at what grade level or general age; taking into consideration what my children will need to know as adults (keeping current age appropriateness in mind) and what my children are interested in.
After I decide what we are going to focus on, I check out whatever we need at the library. Sometimes I reserve books online and just stop in to pick up our order. Sometimes I go in with a list and find the books myself, while also uncovering gems that I may not have known about. Sometimes I go in with just a general idea of what I’m looking for and explore to my heart’s content.
I’ve discovered that I can buy inexpensive textbooks from other homeschoolers or thrift stores but they're often boring! It’s much more enjoyable to look at the table of contents to see what is covered in the book and then check out real books from the library. Then I can pass the textbook on to someone else who might use it.
Our library also offers a fantastic service called Book Box. You can sign up every member of the family based on reading level and interest. Every three to six weeks, whichever we choose, our wonderful librarian picks anywhere from three to ten books for each of us. This is a great way to expand our horizons and the kids love finding out what new treasures await them each time.
Our library has both in person and virtual programs for people of all ages. Over the years we have enjoyed story time, craft time, live demonstrations (like science shows and cosplay), different kinds of live music, movie nights, and game days.
You should also check to see what non-book items you can check out from your public library. Ours offers fishing equipment and baking pans, and I don’t know what else. You might be truly amazed at what you can get from your library.
Secret #6: You Are a Facilitator More Than a Teacher
Over the years I’ve heard people say that they didn’t think they were smart enough to teach their own children.
Believe it or not, you don’t have to know all the answers to everything to teach your children. You just have to know how to find the answers.
The truth is, showing your children how to learn and how to find their own answers is a much better preparation for real life than just telling them what they need to know.
One of the things I enjoy most is when one of my children asks me about something that I’m unfamiliar with. I'll say, “That’s a good question. Let’s find out.”
We spend time together searching through books, finding a documentary, or if we’re really short on time, asking “Google” or “Alexa” online.
The act of searching for the answers together really helps us all to remember the information.
Teaching your children how to find out what they want to know will help them be more independent learners. This will be invaluable later in life in college or in their careers.
Secret #7: Home School Legal Defense Association
Home School Legal Defense Association, or HSLDA, is a group that you never want to need, but can be your secret weapon if you do.
Their mission is to make homeschooling possible. They defend homeschool freedom, advocate for legal rights, and offer support and academic resources.
As a member family, we know that if state government workers or local public school officials try to interfere with our legal right to homeschool, we have a team of professionals that are just a phone call away.
Our particular state has more liberal homeschooling laws than others, and our particular city is very homeschool friendly, but not everyone has a similar situation.
Homeschooling is legal in all fifty states, but homeschool families often still face discrimination and harassment.
I recommend every homeschooling family check out HSLDA to see if it’s right for your family. Our family has been a member since before our children were actually school age. We’ve never needed them for legal reasons, but we have used our membership to get a significant discount on a remedial reading program for one of my children.
Their website is also a goldmine of information for the new homeschooler. Check them out at hslda.org. (This is NOT an affiliate link. I will not benefit if you click or join.)
Conclusion
These are the top 7 secrets to homeschooling like a pro. I know for some of you, this is basic information, but I know it's helpful to those just starting out or just thinking about homeschooling.
Let us know in the comments if there are any other secrets you think should be included!
