I've been homeschooling for a quite a few years now. My oldest son is soon to be 16 and we've always homeschooled. I often get asked by people newer to homeschooling than me "What curriculum should I use? What do you use? What if my kids are bored by me? What if I'm a really bad teacher? and on the questions go. Here are a few of my thoughts on this subject. I hope they help someone.

Homeschooling is like cooking. Everybody has the potential to develop their own style and flavors and yet still maintain good nutrition.

Homeschooling is also like wearing shoes. Are you the running type or the walker? Maybe a rock climber or a bowler? What about a dancer or maybe you just wear slippers all the time?

There are so many choices out there...any one of them might be the perfect fit for your family. It does help to ask questions and try on other people's shoes, so to speak, but you'll have to step out in your own shoes when the time comes. Don't be afraid to take those first few steps. Just realize that you will probably make mistakes, you will probably change curriculums and styles numerous times before you find a good fit. That's ok. I've used textbooks, gimmicky programs, workbooks, unit studies and living books. I've found that what works best for me is a little touch of all of those put together into "Deborah style". I've looked at the what-your-child-should-know books but I don't live by them...I just allow myself to be gently guided...perhaps inspired by them. That's all.

There are some things that I don't want to spend any time on. I just say no. There are other things that I think are vitally important for me to instill in my children and I haven't seen them listed in the important-things-to-know books. I'm going to teach them anyway. Some things that someone else might feel are important may be left out of our homeschool altogether because our time here on earth is limited and we only have so many hours in a day .

Guess what! God made me a unique individual and I believe that He wants me to share who I am with my children. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?

Let me say this another way. Do you love to write? Do you love horses? What about health and nutrition? Weight lifting? Mountain biking? Cooking? Sewing? Swimming? Baseball? Carpentry? Whatever you love, you can use as a tool , as a path of learning, straight into your child's heart. When a child sees a parent's passion for a subject they sometimes become passionate about the same subject. At minimum, they respect your passion and develop some of their own.

I love birds. And guess what! So do my children. I'll bet they know more about the local birds than the average child. Not because I make them sit down and learn about them, but because I run to the window when I see one. Because I love to take walks and listen to their calls. Because I enjoy reading about them. It's infectious! Just think how much more colorful the world would be if every family took the time to develop who they are and stopped trying so hard to be like everyone else. I also suspect there would be fewer burnouts, fewer casualties.

My advice to new homeschoolers is this: Ask some questions, think about what your deepest reasons for homeshooling are and set some priorities, learn about the different styles of homeschooling (keeping in mind that your favorite style of learning may not be your childs favorite), go to a book fair or convention and look around, go to this website and read, read, read, especially this article called Homeschool ABC.. And then, just pick something and try it. If you don't like it or it flops, well, just learn from your mistakes and try something else. Eventually you'll be good at knowing which things just won't work for your family. As your children grow your families needs will change and you will probably have to keep on adapting. It's a good thing! It means there is life in your family! Like buying new shoes for growing feet and different kinds of shoes for different events: rock climbing takes a different shoe than basketball. As you begin to get comfortable in your new homeschool shoes let your passion be your guide. Maybe it's ok to put away the books and look at birds today. Maybe it's ok to stay up late and watch the stars together. Live and learn together! It's a wonderful adventure.