Everyone who homeschools hopes this homeschool lifestyle will benefit their kids, by enabling their success and motivation, building strong family connections, and creating amazing memories, but what do you do when you've been homeschooling for a while and it doesn't feel like it's bearing out in all those amazing things?
As we officially gear up for the upcoming homeschool year, you might be noticing a few challenges, or recognize uncomfortable (or confusing) patterns that seem to be repeating themselves, and you don't want to bring them into your next homeschool year.
So how can you get homeschool help to reimagine your homeschool?
If you know you've been overwhelmed, stressed, or challenged by something (or someone), how can you get homeschool help to reimagine your homeschool?
Of course, you don't have to address these challenges. You might be good to play groundhog day this upcoming year because you have the full freedom to do whatever you want. Your homeschool life might not feel like freedom, but you can keep on keeping on even if it doesn't feel good.
But if you are curious about how you might want to reimagine your homeschool, you will want to listen to this episode.
Before we begin, what challenges might you experience in your homeschool? (Oh, I can think of a few). And I think you just did as I asked you.
However, before I share what challenges I'm familiar with, whether in my own homeschool life or in other homeschool families' lives, consider grabbing your journal and writing your challenges down!
So what first comes to mind when you think "hmmm, reimagine my homeschool", what do I want to reimagine?
- You're not sure you're doing this homeschool thing good enough.
- You know you're not showing up as you'd like in your family: you're angry, stressed, worried, or overwhelmed more than you want.
- You know you don't know how to relate or understand each of your kids.
- You're feeling lonely and disconnected.
- You're struggling alone.
- You've been struggling for too long.
- You've wondered if it really is the year to send the kids back to school.
- You want to know how to let go of unrealistic expectations because you know you have them, but you don't know where to start!
- You want to lean into your kiddo's curiosities and lean into child-led learning too, but letting go of schooled ideas is so hard (and there aren't any great examples for you to model after in your local area anyway).
Or if you're a new homeschooler and you wonder how you could imagine your homeschool...
- You wonder if you were trained as a teacher, this homeschool thing would be easier.
- You're not sure which homeschool method or curriculum is the right one for you and your kids.
- You know you should probably learn a few things about homeschooling, child development, and learning, but you feel overwhelmed by the research!
- You want someone to guide you in deciding on a homeschool routine, a morning routine, how to use a daytimer, create a portfolio, how to set up a homeschool space, how to decide on curriculum/resources/extracurriculars, or how to transition into the high school years.
- You want to know how to deal with toddlers, teenagers, more than one kiddo, just one kiddo.
- You feel like a fish out of water: homeschool is new to you and you need a guide outside of Facebook threads and social media! One that feels personal, and not a one-size-fits-all answer.
No matter what stage of homeschooling, you might be wondering if...
- You don't know how to motivate your kids or prevent them from getting bored.
- You want to bounce off your questions and concerns with someone who has been there done that and knows how to deeply listen and reflect.
- You want to hear from an authentic homeschool mom who has found a way to overcome those struggles but doesn't think there is a formula to you figuring out your path.
- You know which social media spaces you can get impersonal advice or feedback, but getting a real-life person involved in your homeschool life feels like the next right step.
- You want to know for sure that the way you're doing it is good enough.
- You want to feel connected in an authentic, supportive homeschool community.
- You know you'd be more confident if you had someone encouraging you.
Or addressing challenges like knowing for sure which homeschool philosophy you should choose...
- Being uncertain about what it means to be a teacher and a mom?
- Asking the question do I have to teach?
- Why can't I get my kids to sit still while we do lessons?
- And wondering how much homeschool activity is enough?
- Do I have to do all the subjects all the time?
You're not sure the best approach to use in your homeschool...
- Could I just unschool instead?
- What are all these homeschool philosophies?
- And do I have to stick with one?
- How do you manage more than one grade and more than one child?
- What if you don't know how to teach math because you don't understand all the math?
- What if I don't even want to do science?
- Will my eight-year-old get into college one day?
- What is this deschooling thing? And how do I DO it?
Sometimes you're unclear about the basics, like setting up a routine and a homeschool room.
- What should my day look?
- I'm exhausted and I've barely begun. How am I going to do this over the long term?
- Do I need a homeschool room or can we just sit in the family room?
- How do I organize all the things we're doing?
- How do I deal with kid conflict?
- And complaining?
- What about boredom?
- How do I motivate my kiddo?
As a new homeschooler, you may have a few questions about curriculum. You have no idea where to even start.
- Where do I buy curriculum?
- And what should I buy?
- I don't have a lot of money. Can I find ways NOT to buy curriculum?
- How do I make sure they get all the stuff they need for education?
- What is an education anyway?
- What is the long-term intention behind that education?
I have often heard: "Can I be honest? This lifestyle doesn't always feel like it's working for me because I am not always showing up as the best mom to my kids..."
- Some days I don't like being with my kids, help!
- Other days, I wonder why I chose this lifestyle. (But deep down I know it's the best choice, but I don't know how to do it well).
- Some days just plain suck: is this normal? (yes! Of course, you're normal, and your feelings are normal, if I'm the first person to tell you that then I'm sorry that the homeschool community hasn't clearly conveyed our homeschool realities, every day ain't great, but you're being called to a growth journey (all of us humans are), we just get to experience that growth journey via our homeschool life journey).
- How do I capture the joys and freedoms of this homeschool lifestyle?
So, why would you want homeschool help to reimagine your homeschool life? Oh, a couple reasons.
I don't know about you, but I've loved my homeschool life. (Most days).
It's been a remarkable opportunity for my family (& me) to live into a clearer vision for our lives, and enable a more individualized education, so each of our kids can have a stronger sense of themselves.
Now that I'm about to bring our third daughter across the country to begin her college program (to join her two older sisters), I can see how absolutely remarkable this homeschool experience has been for so many reasons. But our homeschool story wasn't a straight arrow to all that, as you can imagine.
For plenty of homeschool years, I tried to make a private school at home (exhausting!)
- I didn't always have a plan to address my big emotions, like frustration, overwhelm, stress, and doubt. (I didn't even feel permission to feel them, and I certainly didn't feel like I had the time to deal with them. It would turn out, that I didn't have the time NOT to deal with them.)
- And I didn't have any sense of HOW I could raise up unique kids in our homeschool (leaning into learning their way, in four different ways, and getting out of all our ways, because I was so "wed" to my version of what homeschool needed to look like).
- Also, I fumbled through far too much curriculum, planners, routines, and other people's homeschool methods (waste of $$...ps I'm having a resource sale this Wednesday if you're a local).
- And I didn't know how to deal with my busy toddler (was I disadvantaging him?).
- What about the cute, but active preschooler (she seemed like she was doing alright, super smart and bubbly, but should she be learning from a preschool program, cause I didn't have time to create an official one...ps she's the one heading to college now! and she's still super smart and bubbly).
- Or how do I deal with so much kid conflict?
- Or what do I do when my kids are bored?
Though I really wanted the whole homeschool thing to be charmed (hence the website name). I was really looking for perfection, and perfection wasn't in the cards. Growth was in the cards, but not perfection.
I've learned a whole lotta things over my two decades of this mothering life.
- You can create a plan to address your big emotions (which helps you address and engage your kids' big emotions too).
- You don't have to homeschool in uncertainty and doubt; you can choose a path and stick to it because it works for you and your kids.
- You can create a meaningful education for your homeschool kids that doesn't exhaust you.
- And you can develop a vision for your homeschool family and not just put it on a piece of paper, but practice it day by day.
Of course, the more time you practice, the more you'll see what I've seen.
This homeschool thing really does work. And if you want to do it, you can do it! So if you want homeschool help to reimagine your homeschool, you can do that too!
If these things resonate with you, you might want to consider The Reimagine Your Homeschool Group Coaching Program!
In this group coaching program, you'll discover:
The confidence to homeschool with clarity and purpose.
The how-to create a realistic and individualized homeschool plan.
Unveiling a vision for your homeschool family and practicing it every day.
You don't have to homeschool in doubt and uncertainty. You can create a meaningful, customized education for your kids, and I'll guide you every step of the way!
Join the Reimagine Your Homeschool to:
Gain clarity and confidence in your homeschooling choices.
Develop a vision, values, and intentions for your homeschooling.
Embrace your unique homeschooling style and approach.
Discover a supportive community of like-minded homeschool mamas.
Experience transformation and growth in your homeschool journey.
So, if you want homeschool help to reimagine your homeschool, join me!
You can access homeschool help to reimagine your homeschool. And if you WANT to do it with fewer roadblocks and more satisfaction, you CAN.
ps If you have questions, just hit reply and ask away...
I offer a group coaching program (or a self-directed course) to help you address the things that aren't working as you'd like in your homeschool.
In the Reimagine your Homeschool group coaching program, we will do this over our 8 weeks together:
1. We'll know why we're doing what we're doing, we can wake up every morning and know it has a purpose, and we can weather our homeschool challenges more fluidly.
2. We'll create a plan (& a practice) to address our moments of frustration or overwhelm, we don't dread the hard homeschool moments.
3. We'll have more clarity on what we believe an education is anyway, what the purpose of our home education intentions are, then we won't flounder when someone shares a new curriculum, routine, method, or criticizes our "way".
4. We'll explore unhelpful mindsets from our own education and explore the unhelpful mindsets of our culture's approach to education, so we can release our unrealistic expectations, focus on the kids in front of us, and enable a more child-led education.
Also, know that I'm keeping these groups super small so participants get a customized group coaching experience: because if I've learned anything from homeschooling my four kids, customization is key.
5. We will clarify our plans around morning routines, daily routines, homeschool planners, and curriculum choices, so we don't need to be drawn into yet another idea about homeschooling options. We can just do our thing and live our lives on purpose.
6. We can create a plan to address the challenges of our large-family homeschool experience, our small-family homeschool experience, engage toddlers and teenagers, and address our kids' big emotions, sibling rivalry, complaining, conflict, and boredom., so we feel we can do this homeschool thing for the long term.
7. We can create a plan with actionable steps to address the challenges of this homeschool life, like dealing with our big emotions, our kids' big emotions, doubt, overwhelm, and anger, we will feel like we're mothering our kids more beautifully.
8. By the end of 8 weeks, you'll be infused with the knowledge that perfection is found in the imperfection, and you'll be a whole lot more confident and unafraid at declaring your homeschool (& life) choices.
Can you & I create perfection in your homeschool?
Nope.
But we can capture a whole lot more of the charms and freedoms of this homeschool lifestyle.
We can work toward releasing you from uncertainties, overwhelm, stress, perfectionism, and dissatisfaction so you can enjoy your homeschool life more (& know that it is benefiting your homeschool kids too).
So final thoughts...
This group coaching program is designed to help you homeschool the way YOU want to homeschool.
It is undergirded with the intention to make you feel confident that you're doing the right thing for your family.
It's designed to bring you confidence & clarity and bring your homeschool plans more customization.
If you're a homeschool mom who would like to be supported, encouraged, & challenged to advocate for your homeschool family, join me!
We both know there is no perfect homeschool. And we both know that homeschooling has many challenges. However, we both know you didn't sign up for the challenges; you signed up for the charms.
If this podcast episode resonates with you, join me!
Are you ready to get started to get homeschool help to reimagine your homeschool life?
People also ask:
Teresa Wiedrick
I help overwhelmed homeschool mamas shed what's not working in their homeschool & life, so they can show up authentically, purposefully, and confidently in their homeschool & life.
Call to Adventure by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3470-call-to-adventure
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Reimagine your Homeschool: Podcast Season #6 
No comments:
Post a Comment