I started off homeschooling life loving the job of teacher, keen to play that game, and very soon the gloss wore off - it was a LOT of work. Totally unnecessary work. But the realisation that my approach was actually the cause of all that work really hit me hard. It undermined my confidence as a homeschooler for a while. I had to accept that teaching was not the job for me, and besides, the kids didn't want me to be their teacher.
This was a great article and I plan on sharing it with my husband and homeschool co-op friends. However the irony is not lost on me that, are you not encouraging your readers to be dependent learners on you through the guide where you “walk us through it”?
Thank you for sharing this. There were so many times I felt that too--that moment when you realize all the effort to ‘teach well’ is actually making it harder… humbling. And yes, most of the time, our kids don’t want us to be their teacher. They want to be able to figure things out for themselves with our encouragement.
Thanks so much for your reply — I’m glad you liked the article. I completely agree with your point: the last thing any of us want is more dependence. My hope with the guide is to give parents simple tools and a clear framework that make it easier to raise self-directed learners. That way you (and your kids) end up with more freedom, not less —win for everyone.
I started off homeschooling life loving the job of teacher, keen to play that game, and very soon the gloss wore off - it was a LOT of work. Totally unnecessary work. But the realisation that my approach was actually the cause of all that work really hit me hard. It undermined my confidence as a homeschooler for a while. I had to accept that teaching was not the job for me, and besides, the kids didn't want me to be their teacher.
This was a great article and I plan on sharing it with my husband and homeschool co-op friends. However the irony is not lost on me that, are you not encouraging your readers to be dependent learners on you through the guide where you “walk us through it”?
Thank you for sharing this. There were so many times I felt that too--that moment when you realize all the effort to ‘teach well’ is actually making it harder… humbling. And yes, most of the time, our kids don’t want us to be their teacher. They want to be able to figure things out for themselves with our encouragement.
Thanks so much for your reply — I’m glad you liked the article. I completely agree with your point: the last thing any of us want is more dependence. My hope with the guide is to give parents simple tools and a clear framework that make it easier to raise self-directed learners. That way you (and your kids) end up with more freedom, not less —win for everyone.