Learning is a lifelong adventure. Whether it’s formal or casual lessons, learning is what our brains are made for from birth to death. I’d love to say that my main motivation for choosing homeschooling was to experience the educational life with my boys, but that’s not really where I was back then.
First, a little background on my journey to home education and then on to the lessons that you can learn from too! My initial reason for choosing to take on the responsibility of educating my younger two boys was mainly made from the unpleasant experience my oldest son had in the institutional environment of education. That “free” education system that I sent my son to was not an environment he could thrive in. The elementary years were so grim that it came to the point that he wasn’t learning much anyway. I decided that he couldn’t learn any less with me at home than he was learning in school, so I homeschooled him for 6th grade.
It was more of a break from that environment that was causing behavioural issues and a hatred for learning. He went back to public school for 7th grade and eventually “graduated” from high school. Unfortunately, that diploma doesn’t really indicate any quality of education — just that he partially attended 4 years of high school. He didn’t have a good understanding of writing, spelling, advanced math concepts, or great skills in any academic or social area.
For some, learning doesn’t come easy. Our brains work in different ways and as I later identified with my oldest, the way he learns isn’t aligned with the way mass education is taught. After high school, and some maturity, he has acquired much more knowledge and has developed numerous skills that he can use for work and for any part of his life. And I still encourage him to always be learning!
For my two younger boys, my husband and I made the decision to give them the home environment to learn in where they could have an education customized to their learning style. Now, after 10 years of formally teaching my boys, I have discovered many, many more reasons for homeschooling. Learning as a family is far superior to any institutional education.
In addition, I’ve learned much more than I ever would have about myself, my children, a wide array of other subjects through this amazing educational life I get to live with my children, husband, and other families.
The Homeschooling Lessons that Gave me Life Skills
As it is with most homeschoolers, I have realized many new and important reasons to homeschool. But I have also learned many life lessons from my homeschooling experience that have greatly shaped the mother and woman that I am now.
1. It’s not all about me.
I think I took way too long to learn this one. My walk with God, and my parenting role both put me in a mindset of working in the best interests of others (which was a big motivation to homeschool), yet I had a period of time where the day-to-day of planning and implementing was more about how I wanted to teach. Fortunately, I have appropriately shifted my perspective to FIRST consider how each of my boys learn effectively, while also taking my teaching preferences into account.
2. Honour the personality of others.
Being with my children pretty much all day, every day of their childhood is a joy in many ways. The strong bonds that can be developed through constant time together is one of the beautiful benefits homeschooling parents brag about! Having our children around us all day means that we have the privilege of parenting in every area of their life. We really get to know every facet of their personality too. There are not many social settings they are in where I’m not present, or close enough with the adult that is present, and can observe or hear about their personality in various situations. As children mature, personality changes and while there is correction needed from time to time, it is much better to encourage the positive instead of highlight the negative.
3.Planning is a virtue. We are an eclectic homeschooling family.
We’ve experienced many of the educational methods and various types of curricula, including courses I’ve designed myself. With this homeschooling style, planning and recording are quite important. While my blanket philosophy is to always be learning, there is an element of planning that should be included in the learning experiences I’m guiding my children with, especially as they get to the ages of 12 and up.
Many of our experiences in life can teach us meaningful lessons that can used for personal growth and I’m glad to say that I expect to have many more life lessons from taking on the rewarding responsibility of educating and parenting my children. Home education is definitely the right fit for my boys, but it is also the avenue that has molded me into the woman I am now and will be in the future.
Through every adversity and victory I’ve matured into a better mom, teacher, and person. The lessons I’ve learned as a homeschooling mom are the best life skills that I can pass on to my children as well.
Pursuing her calling to help parents enjoy the responsibility of educating their children, Steph works with select clients in the home education industry and helps entrepreneurs in various industries to start and grow their business from home. Her and her family are perfectly placed in the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada. She loves being a homebody and building up her permaculture property. Learn more about Steph at: www.CreatingWorkandPlay.com.
