Do You Love Homeschooling?

In sixth grade, I had a teacher who, in all my years of education, I still remember.  Mrs. Cottrell.  She was a great teacher.  And she loved teaching!  You could tell.  She always had new projects, posters, games and creative ways of presenting a lesson that communicated very clearly her love for teaching.  Her sunny disposition and enthusiasm for education came through loud and clear.  She was having fun.  Or at least, that’s what she led us to believe!  It was in her class, in sixth grade, that I first decided I wanted to be a teacher.

Until high school, that is.  In high school, I had a series of teachers who clearly hated their jobs.  They were always grumpy, always disappointed in whatever the students did, had no personality or charisma in the way they presented their subject matter, and just looked like people who would rather be anywhere else than where they were.  It was in high school, I started questioning whether teaching was such a great idea after all. 

Which teacher are you most like?  Does it matter?

I recently overheard a couple of homeschooled teens talking about how they most certainly did not plan on homeschooling their children.  That wasn’t the first time I had heard such comments from the youth in our homeschool group.  While I am certainly aware that those comments don’t necessarily mean much in terms of what they will actually do when God gives them a child to raise in this culture, it does give me pause and wonder what it is about homeschooling they think is so terrible that they wouldn’t want to repeat.  And then it makes we wonder what message we homeschool moms are sending, not only to our own kids, but the kids of those around us, about what it’s like to homeschool.

If we approached our school day the way we desire our children to approach their school day (with good attitudes, 110% effort, fully engaged, a desire to learn, and hearts that reflect doing everything with diligence to the glory of God), would our “school” look any different than it currently does?  Could our lack of effort in the planning, teaching, organizing, and presentation of the Homeschool Mom be one of the hindrances in passing the homeschooling torch to the next generation?  Do your kids see a mom that enjoys, or even remotely likes, to be homeschooling?  These are thought provoking questions, the answers to which could have generational consequences.

You are a walking billboard to your children advertising the homeschooling way of life.  The way you talk about it to them, to others, the enthusiasm, or lack thereof, you have for it, the time and energy you spend on it, all these things communicate a message to those watching you.  If mom hates homeschooling and is stressed out all the time, why on earth would they want to do it? 

Even if you don’t feel the excitement and love for homeschooling that you wish you did, you are on stage everyday that you sit down with your children.  The message you send at that moment matters.  It matters a lot.  Figure out what you need to do to make homeschooling more enjoyable for you, and do it.  Maybe it’s new curriculum, maybe it’s dabbling in a new “approach” for a year, maybe it’s adopting a new schedule (4 days/week, 45 weeks/year), and using that 5^th day for more field trips, or art, or projects.  Maybe it’s joining a support group and being part of some co-ops, maybe it’s implementing a new organization plan, maybe it’s designating a “school” area in the house and decorating it, maybe it’s getting a prayer/accountability partner (or two) and check in with each other regularly, praying for each other’s school year on a daily basis.  Talk to other homeschool moms and get some fresh ideas about how to jump start your love for teaching your children.

So as you sit down to do math with your kids today, realize there is more at stake than getting through that math lesson.  You are advertising something to them today.  What message is your billboard communicating?