I don't think I'm cut out for homeschooling...

[Radosny Matka]

Sigh...I just don't know - I don't know if I am cut out for homeschooling. I have been thinking about hs'ing for a while now, but I'm feeling more torn and more confused as time goes on. I couldn't even teach him how to put on his gloves this morning without feeling frustrated. How would I be able to teach him to read if I can't even teach him to put on a glove!?!?!?! :/ I feel really sad and almost feel like I am being pulled in another direction... :(

[Singingmom]

If it's the Lord pulling you in another direction, He'll let you know. In the meantime, your ds is still very young. He will mature so much over the next few years, and it will get easier to teach him things. And there are some great resources available to you for things like teaching reading. You won't be on your own. Don't feel rushed. Take a deep breath and give yourself some time and space. You'll figure it out! :hug

[arymanth]

Just because something is difficult or it challenges your abilities doesn't mean that it isn't what God wants you to do. :-) Your child is not the only one who will be learning over the next 15 years... God wants to teach us to grow and stretch and move out of our comfort zone as adults, too! :)

I was pretty much thrown into homeschooling to sink or swim when my son had problems in public school. Like you, I doubted my ability to teach my son... especially since professional teachers had given up on him. What I found was that it isn' t so much a matter of TEACHING my kids as helping them find the way they learn best and encouraging them to explore and trying to communicate an excitement for learning new things. This is the single greatest lesson you can teach a child.

You mentioned worrying about teaching your son to read. Believe it or not, learning to read is NOT difficult if you allow your child to grow into it at his own pace. No one wants to feel left out or stupid... eventually your son is going to WANT to know what the words in the books and signs say, and when he is developmentally ready, things will start to click. This may not be at the time that everyone else is doing it, it will be at the time HE is ready. Of my 5 kids, each of them learned to read at a different time. My first (the one who went to PS) learned in Kindergarten...but he was READY then. By the time he was in 3rd grade he was reading on a high school level. My second didn't really start reading until second grade. My third son was not ready to learn until he was almost 10 years old... but within 6 months he was reading above his grade level, and now at 11 he is reading the same kinds of books my 16yo reads! :) My 8yo started reading at 5, but I did not push him and he has started reading more and more challenging books ON HIS OWN... because he hears his older brothers getting excited about books like Lord of the Rings or Eragon and he wants to read them, too! My youngest is 6. She does not read yet, though she has been picking out letters and sounds for about a year now. She isn't in a hurry, but honestly, I don't think any "teaching" will be required for her to learn. One day she will just start reading... just like her older brothers did. I used NO reading lessons, no curriculum, no worksheets, no "seat work" of any kind.... we just integrated sounds and letters into everyday conversation, read lots of books to them and they picked it up the same way they learned how to talk.

(oh, and on a related topic... I have read that having kids do a lot of reading at an early age can cause eye problems. None of my kids who learned to read "late" need glasses, but my two "early readers" both do. Just another reason not to push it too early.)

So if you are imagining sitting down with your child and trying to get him to listen to you while you "teach" him things, homeschooling doesn't have to be like that at all. It can be fun, relaxed and exciting... just like everything you have taught him since he was born! :D Oh, and for the glove thing.... I always held my kids' gloves on either side of the wrist and had them put their hand in and try to touch my nose. That helped them push in the right direction to get their fingers in place. I didn't worry about them putting on their own gloves until they decided that they WANTED to... because then they were highly motivated to figure out how to do it themselves. :) If nothing else... buy mittens! LOL

Hope this helps!

Stephanie
Mom to 4 boys and a princess!

[Singingmom]

Great post, Stephanie! When I sat my 5 yr old down and started "doing school" with him, he soon got really bad headaches and needed glasses. A year later when his eyes were finally mature enough to read, he didn't need them anymore. I regret starting him so young. Boys even more so than girls don't need to sit and read and write at such a young age. The Moores (moorefoundation,com) have lots of research on this subject that Sara might like to read. :).

[WildOlive]

Just a thought:
Teachers are not immune to frustration. Personally, *I* would rather be the one to be frustrated, b/c I can deal with my frustration *my* way, which does not include put-downs, or making the child feel inadequate, or embarrasing them in front of 25 other kids. And of course not all teachers behave that way when frustrated, but I sure remember a few from my school days.
My mom is a third grade teacher. I would hate to have someone with an attitude as bad as hers spending 6 hours a day 5 days a week with my child. She has no love for teaching, gossips about her students and their parents, complains about school. She is burned out, and has only been teaching for about 10 years.

[2TMama]

mylittletyke~

Perhaps this is a *good* thing :hug

At least in my experience-- whenever I feel God's led me to do something and then proceed to think of all the reasons I *can't* in my mind.......well, that's when my mind starts drifting from the wonderful truth that "where God guides, He provides" and in my Bible it says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".

Soooooooooooo...........it might be *good* because you're being reminded you *can't* do this homeschooling thing "right" apart from Him!!!! :tu

[Radosny Matka]

Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate your replies, and a lot of what was said has really made me think. I feel like I have a tornado of thoughts running rampade in my head. :/

[mrsramjet]

hi there,
another way of thinking about it is

instead of you 'having to teach'
give him opportunities to learn.

like with GBD.
assign positive intent that they *want* to learn. so when it's right and you've set them up for success they *get it*
:)
(i'm learning all this the hard way.)