Posted in Beginning the homeschool journey

Our homeschool, unofficially dubbed the Marshall Academy of Excellence, has a total enrollment of one.  Our daughter is just finishing kindergarten and loves it tremendously.

My teaching experience, prior to embarking on our homeschool journey, was limited to college freshman composition courses.  If there was one thing I didn't enjoy about teaching, it was lesson planning.  It was a struggle determining how to the cover the materials in order to best reach a widely divergent group of students. 

So, when exploring options for homeschooling, I was attracted to programs that provided instructor's guides.  Why not?  It took away the perceived drudgery I had for planning.  Eventually, I chose Sonlight Curriculum.  It was a great choice, but also a learning experience.

What I didn't realize was that planning for one student, who's skills and abilities you know so well, was actually quite fun!  Choosing options, books, and programs that suit the interests of your own child is a huge undertaking.  But it can really broaden your own understanding of your teaching skills, your learning style, and your strengths and weaknesses. 

Eventually, I came to realize that a neatly planned curriculum didn't fit my daughter or her learning style.  We could never read "just one chapter" of a book, or just a few pages about something.  Some days were art days, no matter what was on the schedule.  Science always needed the experiment that went along with it that day, no matter what the schedule said.  Plus, we often went through the materials much more quickly than they had been planned. 

So I learned about enhancing what I had.  I learned to use a spine, as it is often called, to guide our studies, while moving through more materials but staying on topic a bit longer. 

We don't "unschool," but we don't have a set schedule for each day.  If we cover the three basic subjects (Bible, Math, and Language Arts), then we decide how to spend our time.  Maybe today is the day we have time to build that model of the Eiffel Tower.  Or rather, we could read those folktales we brought home from the library that fit our topic.  Whatever works, as long as we cover the materials I've decided need to get covered for that topic.

It works for us. Scheduling is a personal decision when homeschooling and sometimes it takes trial and error (and self-forgiveness) until it fits your family.  But when it fits, you will know. 

The best advice I can give someone starting out is to do your homework!  Collect catalogs of homeschooling materials.  Research on the Internet for curriculum and courses.  Explore homeschooling blogs and list groups (like Yahoo Groups) who are using materials you are interested in, or who promote educating the age group you are teaching. 

Some of my best ideas (both pro and con) have come from reading list e-mails and learning what other people are using.  Eventually, you'll start to see patterns in how people describe what they are doing and how it works with their children and what you want to see in your homeschool. 

No two homeschools are alike, however, even if they use the same materials.  And that's a great thing, because it means that each child is receiving an education tailored for their needs, interests, and abilities. 

And that, really, is a primary point of homeschooling.