A lot of mothers i talk to are really skeptical when i tell them that i homeschool my children. I always get the same line ‘my kids won’t listen to me’ or ‘my kids won’t sit and learn’. They try one time to teach them something and automatically assume that they cannot teach their children. I want to clear this up: you CAN teach your children. What kids negatively react to is when things are sudden, like the first time, and you haven’t prepared them or told them about this new thing you are trying to do.
After a month of not doing formal sit-down homeschooling because my Father In Law was visiting, yesterday i decided to get back to the routine. It went ok with my 4 1/2 yr old Sumayyah, but 2 1/2 year old Ibrahim started acting like when we started homeschooling in the beginning of the year (when he was 22 months): he sat for 5 minutes and did the first cut and paste and color worksheet, then started making trouble, left the table and played with toys. I’m sure this is what every mother goes through the first time she tries to teach her child and why many think homeschooling is not do-able. But after two months or so (he turned 2 in december), Ibrahim got used to it and got to a point where he could sit through the entire lesson, do all the craft worksheets, and do it neatly and happily. He became a pro at it too i was so amazed. No he’s not gifted, but homeschooling had become a part of his daily routine and he had learned to love it after getting over his initial frustration and the new-ness of it all.
No, you don’t need a degree or any special training. All you need is a plan, goals, materials, and to set a time during the day for the lessons. You also need to discuss it with the kids to prepare them mentally for it, atleast tell them the night before and keep reminding them throughout the morning. You need to be patient and realize that it’s not going to work from the first day or the first week and not let that discourage you. And make sure you hype it up as a ‘fun’ time.
With that, here are some useful links about getting started with homeschooling:
This link dispels some myths:
