In this podcast, the speakers discuss the common homeschooling question of whether parents are doing enough. They explore the pressure to compare oneself to others, share personal anecdotes, and offer strategies to alleviate stress. They also discuss the importance of focusing on what children truly need and share funny anecdotes and reflections on homeschooling. The podcast concludes with book recommendations and an invitation for listeners to connect through books.
Setting clear goals helps to shrink overwhelming questions about doing enough and allows you to focus on what truly matters in homeschooling.
By understanding the heart of education and breaking down its components, you can better address your child's specific needs and determine if you are doing enough in each subject.
Deep dives
The Importance of Setting Clear Goals
When homeschooling, it is crucial to set clear goals for what you want your children to know, do, and love. By identifying these specific goals, you can determine if you are doing enough in each area. For example, if your goal is to help your kids love Shakespeare, you may realize that reading one play and exposing them to live performances are enough to achieve that goal. Setting clear goals helps to shrink overwhelming questions about doing enough and allows you to focus on what truly matters.
Understanding the Heart of Education
Education consists of three main components: knowledge, skill, and virtue. It is important to consider what your child needs to know, do, and love in each subject. By breaking down these components, you can determine if you are doing enough in each area. For instance, if your concern is teaching your child to write an essay, you may identify that they need to learn about composition, practice structuring their thoughts, and develop a love or virtue for the writing process. By understanding the heart of education, you can better address your child's specific needs.
Embracing the Journey of Faith and Trust
Homeschooling requires faith and trust in the process. It is impossible to control every outcome or guarantee specific results for your children's education. Instead of fixating on whether you are doing enough, focus on your role as a guide and facilitator. Understand that your job is to provide the necessary resources, environment, and support for your children's learning. The miraculous part, the actual transformation and growth, is beyond your control and is where faith comes in. Trust that the seeds you plant will flourish in their own time and that you are doing enough by being present and engaged in your homeschooling journey.
Avoiding Comparison and Cultivating Confidence
One major source of stress and feeling inadequate is comparing yourself and your homeschool to others. Social media and external pressures can make you believe that you are not doing enough. However, it is crucial to remember that every homeschool is unique, and what works for one family may not work for another. Instead of striving for perfection, focus on your own homeschool's strengths and your children's individual needs. Embrace your role as the expert on your own homeschool and trust the love, care, and effort you put into your children's education.
There is one question that plagues us, that we all ask, and that we ask all the time: Am I doing enough?
When we constantly ask ourselves if we’re doing enough in our homeschool, it makes it difficult to stay present and engaged and actually enjoy it. Whether you’re relatively new to homeschooling or a seasoned veteran, we all wonder.
Today, I'm sharing the last of my sessions from The GHC Conferences 2023.
This one is all about taking the overwhelm out of that question and practical advice for putting your worry to rest.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Why “Am I doing enough?” is an incomplete question
Why we have to remember that our kids are not recipes