Am I Doing Enough in my Homeschool?

No matter how many years of homeschooling we have under our belt we all wonder, am I doing enough in my homeschool?

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We are at that time of year when every mom is second-guessing their school year. They are asking themselves,

“Did my child learn all they need to know? “

“ Are they at grade level”

“Did we do enough?”

These and many other questions are swirling through their minds. No matter how many years we have under our belt we all wonder,

HOW MUCH HOMESCHOOLING IS ENOUGH?

Moms, let me tell you that chances are, it is. But, if you don’t believe me, consider the following three things.

Have they Advanced?

Now, I don’t mean have they advanced a whole grade in every subject. The question is have they advanced. Think back to this time last year, do they know more than what they did then? Have they mastered multiplication when last year they were struggling? Is long division getting easier than it was 6 months ago? Are they reading longer books a little easier? Have they learned life skills like dressing themselves, how to bake a cake, ride a bike, or change a tire? These are the questions you need to ask yourself to truly answer this question.

Have you met the homeschool hour requirements?

Have you worked at homeschooling? Chances are each state has a set number of days or hours that they suggest you “have school” have you met that requirement? When you are homeschooling in Ohio, is 900. We figure up each school day to be around 5 hours (with a lunch break, reading, and life lessons, not all book work) That means we have to get in around 180 days to meet our requirement. Once I’ve met that, we are done. Even IF they haven’t finished the book, and even IF we could still get a few days in before others are done. Why? Because we put in the time. That is enough. Life will go on if you don’t finish that textbook. Believe me!

How are they doing in their homeschool programs?

You are their teacher. You know how well they are doing in school. Deep down you know whether or not what you are doing with them is enough. Stop for a moment and think about your school day. Are they learning? Are they enjoying school? Are they doing better now than they were a month ago? Chances are the answer to these are yes!

Moms, when you ask yourself ” how do I know if my homeschooler is learning enough ?” are you asking this because you are really wondering? Or because you are comparing your homeschool to someone else’s? I remember when my child was in Kindergarten I compared our school work to a friend of mine. Her daughter was way more advanced than mine and they were doing a lot more than we were. It bothered me. I felt like what I was doing wasn’t enough. So, I added more. It was awful. My daughter didn’t need the “fluff”. She needed the basics.

You know what your child needs. This will look different for everyone. Do they NEED Art if they have a passion for music? Do they NEED to do that science experiment if they know the material and aren’t that interested in science? Do they need to read the Frog and Toad books when they’d rather read Batman?

Only YOU can answer those questions because YOUR situation and YOUR homeschool is different than mine. So, when you ask yourself “How much is enough” answer that question for YOU. For YOUR child and YOUR homeschool. Not for mine, or the lady in your homeschool group.

Chances are YOU are enough. YOU are doing enough and YOUR children are learning EXACTLY what they need to know.