Giving up homeschool
Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: FAQ; Parenting on 18 Aug 2009.
Your wife has her hands full with two children under 6 years, and now she’s pregnant with the third child. You think to yourself: perhaps homeschool isn’t such a good idea after all. You don’t think she can cope; you’re not even sure if you can cope either. Now you’re thinking about calling the whole thing off and send the kids to a school or a learning center….
[DT: The scenario is real. After sharing his honest feelings on our HOMEFRONTIER forum, a father receives testimony after testimony from moms who think homeschool is too good to give up on. They were so encouraging I decided to edit excerpts from among the several to share. Here's the first.]
CONGRATULATIONS on your wife’s pregnancy. With 2 boys and one more on the way, I can understand your skepticism – they can be quite a handful! Though my homeschooling journey hasn’t been that far along, I was compelled to reply when I read your post: “Thinking of giving up homeschooling…?”
For me homeschooling has never been a concept or method, but a lifestyle. It isn’t ‘school-at-home’ but an opportunity to involve myself with my children (d-10 and s-5 years) and facilitate their learning in every avenue of their lives. It is me growing with my kids and learning with them, and from them.
I work from home and I too don’t have a domestic helper. It seemed hard at first trying to fit everything in a ‘set schedule’ but finally I gave up trying. We can never fit life into a set schedule. While my daughter has a slightly more defined ‘learning path‘, my son’s learning revolves more around his life and my own. So when I’m working, he tries to read some of my stuff, or plays in the same room where I’m ironing. I play games together with him, and in the evenings we take walks in the park. The fact is, children learn all the time and it doesn’t necessarily happen at the kitchen table when ‘school is in session’.
With a new baby in the home, there’s plenty of learning opportunities i.e. from the feeding pattern of a baby, your children learn about time; if your baby is breastfed, they could learn about nutrition and how breast milk promotes health; and if baby is bottle-fed, they learn measurements (how much powder to how much water in baby’s bottle). There are also learning opportunities in bathing the baby and her nap times in which you would have unconsciously incorporated science, math, personal hygiene, daily life-skills, and more.
This is just a tiny example of what you can do in your homeschooling life, and the possibilities are endless. The internet is also an infinite resource for research into all the things you can do as you homeschool through this period of your life. I do hope you and your wife can see homeschooling in a different light and reconsider. Your children will thank you for it.
All the best,
Sweeyen
6 Comments so far...
Luke Holzmann Says:
18 August 2009 at 9:54 pm.
That in encouraging! And school doesn’t have to be a major time-sink either. We usually got done with all our work by ten or noon anyway in the earlier years. Then we ran off to play while my mom did other things.
~Luke
Azlea Says:
19 August 2009 at 1:19 pm.
ahahahaha. what a coincidence. I have 2 kids below 6 and am currently pregnant with my 3rd AND wondering the same thing… should I give up homeschool?? Esp since I haven’t gathered enough guts to break the news to my MIL who use to be a Guru Besar, hence very pro-schooling!!! Don’t think I’ll give up so easily tho… heck, I don’t think my husband will let me off easy considering all the books I’ve bought about homeschooling and all the time we’ve invested talking about it!!! Let’s just hope we have the stength to see it through.
CharlieKoh Says:
20 August 2009 at 8:28 pm.
I am sure that many feel the same when times get tough. As for us with four children, there were times that giving up seems the easiest way out, but we know that is not the best for the children. We want to see our children enriched by God, by learning as a family. Learning is not only about gaining knowledge, but is about growing in our character in Christ. To fulfill that, there is no better place like home. For those finding it tough, slow down the pace, refocus, and move on. Find help where possible and give your family a chance to grow together.
DAVID BC TAN Says:
21 August 2009 at 12:39 am.
Azlea: we all go thru periods like this now and then. But when both husband and wife are committed and willing to see it thru, nothing can stop you – not even a Guru Besar MIL! All the best, and may your tribe increase!
YK Lim Says:
21 August 2009 at 1:09 am.
Thanks Sweeyen for sharing your homeschool journey. I’ve just begun the journey. There are ups and downs : you know, life’s usual rigmarole. I can imagine what it’s like when you have your household chores and work commitments and having to homeschool two or more kids. For me, homeschooling only one kid, there are times when I feel guilty about not putting in enough effort. But having done it for the past 8 months, I’ve been enjoying the flexibility. One has to plan, of course, like how much to cover daily with the weekly and yearly objective in sight. Then again, I’m not too rigid with the time frame. Sometimes I slow down; sometimes I speed up. And there are times when we digress into other learning areas. One thing I learn is : Never be too exam-oriented in your approach to learning. It’ll take the fun out of learning or homeschooling. Might as well my kid goes back to SEKOLAH MENENGAH KILANG PUCHONG. Must HABIS the SUKATAN PELAJARAN – no matter what !
Freda Lau Says:
21 August 2009 at 4:34 pm.
I like this!
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