The One Thing You Need to Be a Successful Homeschooler

I have a lot of respect for public school teachers.  They do an amazing job in often less than ideal circumstances and many times end up being the best role model that some children have.  The Public School system is not a good fit for every child or every family and for many reasons (that I am not going to lost here) the homeschool movement is growing and will continue to grow.  There are a few fears about homeschooling that hold people back and I wanted to talk about those today along with the one thing that you do need to be a successful homeschooler.

I am not educated enough to homeschool.  How much or little education you have doesn't really make a difference.  I have known people who homeschool that didn't even graduate from high school. I have also known people who have Master's Degrees and everything in between.  I personally am convinced that the hardest thing to teach in a homeschool is reading.  Once your child is reading everything else is a piece of cake ;)

I don't have enough money to homeschool.  I have actually had people say to me that if they were independently wealthy then they would homeschool.  Fortunately for me, you don't have to be wealthy.  Cost of homeschooling varies greatly. It is possible to homeschool for free or you can spend thousands of dollars.  We set aside a certain amount of money every month for "educational supplies" which can mean everything from text books to crayons to field trips.  There was a time several years ago though when there was no money to set aside for anything ( we had lots of medical bills that year, a busted hot water heater, flooded downstairs, and multiple other things that broke) but God worked it all out and we did just fine homeschooling that year.

I don' have the patience to homeschool.  I am by nature not a patient person.  I love children though and have learned a lot of patience through them.  I don't think you need any more patience to homeschool than you do to parent.  Homeschooling is like an extension of parenting.  When you loose your patience you take a deep breathe, apologize, and either take a break or move on.

I work so I can't homeschool.  I know many, many families who successfully homeschool and work as well. It may be more challenging but it can be done.

So if you don't need education, money, patience, or a lot of time, what do you need?  It sounds so simple but it really is true.  The biggest thing that you need to be a successful homeschooler is a desire to be a successful homeschooler.  If you think that homeschooling is the best choice for your child and you want to homeschool them then you will do everything you can to do the best you can to make it happen.  That desire to provide them a great education will ensure that they will get the best education.

That does not mean it will always be easy!  I am afraid like most things in life that are worthwhile that it will not be easy.  You will get tired, you will get overwhelmed at times, you will second guess yourself, you will get impatient.  Your child will not always be a willing, happy worker.  But, it will be worth it.

Happy Homeschooling!