It’s October, but Gina and Christyn have a treat — no tricks! — for you: their best ideas on how to quash the worries that all homeschoolers — even veteran homeschoolers! — have about themselves, their kids, and their way of educating.
They tackle all the fears, from wondering if “Am I enough?” to “Will my kid be weird?” with personal anecdotes and lots of humour!
3:25 — Common homeschool fears. We’ve all been there
4:16 — The worries come in three main categories:
1) Worries about me
2) Worries about my kids
3) Worries about their education
6:25 — In the first category, our biggest question is “Am I doing it wrong?”
7:00 — Gina started out homeschooling thinking there must be a “right” way but quickly ended up unschool-y, knowing there’s not just one way to homeschool
7:28 — Christyn’s eclectic style was born from that fear, when she finally asked herself “Why do I think I’m the wrong piece here?”
9:07 — When it comes to the right personality to homeschool or the right organizational methods, there’s no one way. As parents, you are exactly who your kids need
10:25 — Worries of parents with only children: “But this is the only pancake I’ve got!”
11:40 — In the second category, the biggest question is “Will my kid be weird?”
12:20 — Gina and Christyn discuss the Late Middle English definition of “weird” which is “having the power to control destiny”
13:12 — Christyn talks Avengers in the the context of weirdness
14:37 — Flip around that idea of weird and remember that the ability to make choices that suit your personality at any time is a gift that homeschool facilitates
14:55 — Gina talks Henry David Thoreau and The Odyssey: let your kids listen for their own drummer and be the hero of their own life
16:41 — Be sure to also consider the modern definition of weird and determine your child’s comfort level with that definition
18:15 — We want our kids to be comfortable being themselves and listening for that drumbeat inside and following it
18:36 — The other looming worry in the second category: “Will the kids be socialized?” Gina answers “Poppycock” to that fear
19:35 — In the third category, worries about their education: “Did I teach them everything?”
19:43 — Gina answers, “Of course not,” and discusses how she wallows in the fact that responsibility is gradually shifting to her son to be weird and control his own destiny
21:42 — Christyn discusses finding gaps, filling them in, and knowing everything won’t be covered
22:30 — Our job is to teach our kids the value of learning. With that, they do the rest on their own
23:30 — Another question in the third category: “Is my kid going to be ready for the real world?” It’s up to you to help them grow and flourish and practice real-world skills
24:49 — The end goal is creating an environment in which your child becomes a competent adult
25:09 — Homeschool gives us the chance to create a supportive environment where kids grow at their own pace and in their own style