5 Questions to Ask Before You Homeschool

Before you homeschool you should ask yourself a few questions. These questions can help you get through your first year of homeschooling like a pro! 

I remember the day I first decided I definitely wanted to give homeschooling a shot. I just KNEW we would have so much fun homeschooling. I had everything ready. I checked out every book I could on homeschooling, and what I couldn’t find at the library I bought. Homeschool catalogs and magazines were being delivered to my home on a regular basis.
I was going to do this homeschool thing! And, I was going to rock it! I felt like an expert going into my first day. Only to be met with tears. And frustrations. And hard days with NO support.

Yea, I didn’t rock homeschooling my first year 🙂 But, that’s okay. What I wish I would have done though is have SOMEONE who sat alongside me and asked me a few important questions. I think that would have made my first few years easier, and that is what I want to do with you today.  You can get a printable with additional questions and information here.

 

Why do I want to homeschool?

Knowing WHY you want to homeschool is huge because you will be asked this over and over again. We began homeschooling simply because I felt LED to do it. I also knew my daughter had some quirks that would make public school difficult the older she got. I continue homeschooling because we have fallen in LOVE with it( read more about our why, here).

What is your why? Know it. Embrace it. And feel confident about it.

What do I expect from homeschooling?

I expected days full of laughter, and crafts, and learning. I get this some days, other days I get tears, and frustration, and walls 😉 but, I am still homeschooling, because of my why.

If you expect homeschooling to “fix” your child (read more about that here), or have other unrealistic expectations you are going to be highly disappointed.  This does not mean that homeschooling is NOT for you, but you have to realize that homeschooling is not a fix all answer, it is work. Hard work. And it is not always easy.

So, what should you expect from homeschooling?

You should expect laughter, and fun, and learning. But, you should also expect tears, and frustrations and walls. Expect the good and the bad and you may come out of your first year better than I did 🙂

Do I have support?

When I first began homeschooling I knew one other homeschooler. Through her, I met two others. I drove them nuts my first year, but without them, I would have NEVER made it. Now, I have a homeschool group (I started it, you can find out how to start one too here), and I LOVE mentoring new homeschoolers. I know how important support is to homeschool success.

Do you have someone else you know who homeschools? Homeschool moms need homeschool mom friends. If you don’t know anyone else who homeschools I encourage you to check out this post to help you find a good support system.

What does your family think of homeschooling? Your spouse? My parents were livid when I decided to homeschool, now my mom is my biggest fan, but the first few years were REALLY hard. Are you prepared for that if your family is against homeschooling? If your family is pro-homeschooling good for you! Be thankful for it 🙂

How long do I want to do this?

To succeed at this homeschooling thing I truly believe you have to be committed.  I do not recommend starting out homeschooling preparing to just “try it out”. If you do that you will throw in the towel the first rough day. It takes at least a year or two to get into a good homeschool routine. Be committed to truly giving homeschooling a shot, but be okay with life throwing you curve balls.

I started homeschooling with the hope we would finish it through, but evaluate our methods at the end of every year. We have always standardized tested our kids so if something ever happened and they HAD to go to public school we wouldn’t be challenged about where they were academically.However, we also feel we are in it for the long haul. Unless an act of God occurred, we plan on homeschooling through high school.

How long do you plan on homeschooling? A year to let them catch up? Through elementary school? Or high school? Your plans may change but have an idea in mind.

Am I prepared for a challenge?

Are you prepared for bad homeschool days? Are you prepared for things to not be easy every day? It is SO important to know and understand that homeschooling WILL be challenging. You may look at other homeschool families and THINK they have it all together, but they don’t . Believe me! They just don’t share their challenging days on FB.

Prepare for rough days. Prepare for failure. Prepare for a challenge. BE ready to MEET that challenge head on. In doing so, you will be much better equipped to begin homeschooling.

I would love it if you printed these questions out and filled them out like you were actually talking to ME or a close friend. I truly believe it will helo you be better prepared for homeschooling, and may help you work out questions you have that you have not voiced.

If you need support or someone to help you work through questions regarding homeschooling I’d love to have you join my blogs FB group. You will find TONS of support and encouragement from me and other homeschool moms JUST LIKE YOU!

What questions do you wish you would have asked before beginning homeschooling?

PS: Be sure to check out my book Homeschooling 101 for EVERYTHING you need to know about homeschooling!