Homeschooling IS Easy!

by Li Galo (aka Mom)

I don't very much care for the articles that pretend homeschooling is hard. It's really not. However, and let's be honest here, some people shouldn't homeschool. There, I've said it. I know a lot of homeschoolers do not want to hear that but a fact is a fact is a fact. Not everyone is cut out to homeschool and, therefore, not everyone should be homeschooling their kid.

I love it and there are rarely days I'm challenged. I run homeschooling groups. I find those parents are also rarely challenged. Once in a blue moon, you find the over-the-top, stressed mom who just can't get every single thing done on her list for every single day and that is why she is the exception - not the norm - in thinking homesschooling is hard.

Let's examine how easy it is:

Curriculum Styles

• Buy it: Maybe you'd like someone to do all the planning. Then buy a prepackaged curriculum. Ta-da! 
• Make it: Some moms/dads like creating their own curriculum. This involves research and a couple of weeks of your life a year. That works, too.
• Wing it: Buy used textbooks and workbooks at garage sales that covers an area of each subject for that school year. Anything you don't find in books, you can learn online. Go!
• None: This one is really for the unschoolers. Let the child dictate what they want to learn and go with the flow. They want to study mechanics? Get a book on it. Watch a video on it. Build something! You get the idea.

The library - a great resource of free learning material
(L. Galo)

Homeschool Locations

• Home: Most people like this option and it's a very natural place to learn. Some people take it too far and try to make an actual classroom in one of their rooms. That's kind of the opposite of homeschooling, in my opinion. Most people I know teach their kids on the sofa or at the dining room table. The whole point of homeschooling is so the kids aren't in a classroom!
• The Road: Many parents have road trips for own work or for their kids activities that take them on the road (for baseball, modeling, etc). So, the majority of schoolwork is done in the car with workbooks, audio books, etc. 
• The World: This is for the professional traveler (such as ourselves). In this case, you can visit the actual Coliseum instead of reading about it, see the Eiffel Tower instead of looking a picture of it, climb to the top of Bunker Hill and view the area where our forefathers fought for our freedoms.
• Combination: Some families like to combine home, road, and the world as homeschool locations. This can include local spots like coffee houses and the library.

With the cutting of recess time in public schools,
I am so glad we have the freedom to enjoy the
the outdoors through homeschooling.
A playground in Texas
(L. Galo)

Homeschool Teachers

• Tutor/teacher that one hires - a professional who travels with you or comes to your home. You can hire these lovely people for specific subjects or for the whole kit and caboodle. I have hired science and art tutors to come to our home to teach in those specific areas.
• Mom/Dad: The traditional choice is for a parent or both parents to teach their children. This wasn't always the traditional choice but it is now. 
• YouTube/Videos: Did you know you don't need to know anything for your kid to learn? I personally know people who are dyslexic or have little education themselves who teach their kids through videos recorded by professors, either found online or at the library. It's a very effective way to teach for those who lack the education-level needed or who have challenges with reading.
• Supplemental Classes: Though not widely available in all parts of the United States, in some regions with large homeschool populations, churches and private schools offer classes ala cart to homeschoolers. My girls studied Spanish, Texas history, creative writing, photography, acting and geography through supplemental classes when we weren't traveling as much as we usually do. These classes were taught by professionals in those fields. 

Do we like homeschooling?
Thumbs up!
Crossing the Adriatic Sea by ship
(L. Galo)

Now, just remember, even though there's a lot of information to consider, it doesn't make homeschooling hard. It just means you have more options. We love homeschooling because it's fun! I wouldn't have it any other way.

- Li Galo

(My husband passed away recently and we will not be blogging regularly for that reason. But we do plan to continue the blog in the future.)