Homeschooling With Confidence
I was sitting at my computer updating Habeebee Homeschooling’s blog, and I was thinking about how very soon I will be registering with my state for my oldest son. While we have been homeschooling since all the children were born, our state (NY) does not officially take documents and request parents to send in their letter of intent until much later.
We are soon near that time! So why was I nervous? I have been teaching since 2003 and homeschooling my children for four years Alhamdulillah, but as I said I was nervous. I have run into many parents who are anxious and nervous about teaching their own children. They question if they can do it successfully. Well, I asked myself, “Why are you nervous?” and “Why do you doubt yourself?” Sometimes we think because all those teachers in the school system with degrees are much more qualified to teach than we are. Perhaps we feel like we aren’t smart enough, and maybe we feel like we were never good in school so we won’t be good at teaching our children.
Whatever the problem may be, we can homeschool, with confidence. We should be confident our love and caring spirit will shine through, and our dedication to our kids is stronger that any stranger’s. Here are some keys to confidence:
How to Homeschool with Confidence
- PMI- Positive mental attitude: Don’t THINK you can, KNOW you can, by the permission of Allah. If your outlook is timid and worried, not positive, then chances are you will approach your homeschooling the same way. When we often tell ourselves we can’t do something, or use those not so reassuring words, we tend to live up to them–in some cases sabotaging ourselves. We are our children’s teachers, no matter if we send them to school or not, our job is to teach our children.
- If you do not know- ASK: Yes, we may run into a bump in the road, but there are homeschooling parents around the world who have started forums where we can ask each other for help. Don’t be embarrassed to ask for help. Thank Allah for our homeschooling groups because we could all use the support, and where you are just may be where another parent has been.
- Homeschooling is for parents too: To get myself familiar with the children’s work for the week, I take my time to read their books and write out the lessons. I also see what other parents have done to teach the lessons and see if it fits my teaching style and my children’s learning style. We have to constantly educate ourselves and make sure that we are going about the lessons the right way. If you do this, you will approach the subjects with much more confidence! My children are young, but in order for me to feel confident about what I am teaching, I prepare in advance and read up on the subject. It’s an advantage to be a stay-at-home mom because it allows me to carefully plan my children’s subjects.
Alhamdulilah we have resources and people to whom we can reach out to get that extra boost when we need it most. The love, dedication, and time we take for our children will go towards their mental well being. Not only are we educating their minds, but we are also nurturing their hearts and souls Alhamdulillah.
Do you have any additional confidence-boosting tips to share with your fellow homeschoolers? Leave in the comments section below!
photo credit: USAG-Humphreys
Category: Homeschooling
