homeschooling is for the patient ones… and other homeschooling myths

We have all been in conversations with friends and family where inevitably the subject of schooling comes up. You once again find yourself smack dab in the middle of yet another cliché about homeschooling. If you have ever caught yourself trying to think of what to say here is some encouragement for you. These homeschooling myths need to be dispelled! How many of these have you heard?

Myth #1 Homeschooling is having patience.

If I have heard it once, I have heard it a hundred times… “I do not have the patience to homeschool my children” I’m often left speechless as I silently recall the fights over long division, the crying over writing, and I mean me- me crying. The stomping off to the bedroom, the raised voices- annnd…. I’m still talking about me.
Truth: It’s not about having patience- it’s about having the dedication and the desire to do what’s best for our children.

Myth #2 – You need a college degree or even an education degree to school your children well.

Truth: Oh man, I have both, and I feel like neither have served me well when dealing with my own children. I tell people regularly, that the only thing that having a degree in Education has done for me is taught me how to find resources. The truth is, the only thing you need to teach your children is a desire to see them learn and to be one lesson ahead of them each step of the way.

Myth #3 – You need a dedicated homeschooling space.

Truth- You just need a space. Maybe some baskets or a bookshelf too. We would ALL love to have the perfect homeschooling classroom but the truth is, you can homeschool anywhere. You might have a great classroom, or you might just be doing school at the kitchen table. Heck, someone on my Facebook page said they homeschool at Chick-Fil-A sometimes.

Myth #4 Homeschooling is enjoying being around your kids all the time

Truth- Feel free to pause and roll your eyes. Of course we love our children, and mostly we love being around them. But there is NO ONE I want to be around All. The. Time. I love my man and children fiercely, but I still need some quiet time every now and then.

Myth #5 Homeschooling is expensive

Truth- Yes it is. {wait, that’s not how this works}… but it doesn’t have to be. There are so many affordable options for homeschooling. I know people who literally homeschool with a computer and a library card. It can be done. Like everything in life, you just have to be intentional about what you are doing. Our oldest entered High School this year and whew… let me tell you, our bank accounts felt that monumental move. Between her books, co-op classes, online classes and extracurricular activities we practically had to take out a loan! But here is the thing, I’m not sure we spent any more money than our private/public school counterparts.

Myth #6 Homeschooling is being creative

Truth- No, No, No. Raise your hand if you love to do crafts. Okay, hands down. Now raise your hand if you don’t. -You, right there. You are my people. Maybe you are the crafty type and collecting pinecones to turn into baby owls for your habitat unit is right up your alley. Hey Sister, that’s okay too. But if you start to break out into hives when your curriculum tells you to start gathering toilet paper rolls for your lesson on Europe- Just know, that you can skip it and your kids will still know what the Eiffel tower is.

Myth #7 Homeschoolers are Organized

Truth- There should be a certain degree of organization in your homeschool, you should know where your books and teacher manuals are, you should probably even know what your plans are for the day and have a vision for where you are headed this year. You may want to check out this post if you are struggling in this area, but rest assured, being an organized person is not a requirement. Your house can be a mess and your kids will still be just fine.

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Angela is a lover of God, People and Coffee. She is the wife to Steven her Wanna be Ninja Warrior husband, mother to her four entertaining children and in her free time can be found…wait… free time??

Visit Angela at Schooling With Grace

Hang out with her on Facebook and Pinterest She can’t keep up with anything else.

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