Being a Teacher does NOT help me be a Better Homeschool Mom!

Bentley once saw a show on t.v. where a girl was homeschooled and she introduced her mom by saying "this is my mom...and my math teacher, my history teacher, my art teacher, my english teacher" etc. etc.  Bentley finds it funny because it is so true.  When you home school you are all those things.  Many friends tell me "well you can homeschool because you are a teacher."  Yes I do have formal training to teach through the eighth grade, but in actuality all of my experience lies in the field of Early Childhood a far cry from our oldest who is in fifth grade.  My training as a teacher is rarely helpful when it comes to homeschooling, except for the fact that people don't question my qualifications to teach my children at home.  Homeschooling goes against much of the formal training and mindset that I have.

As a teacher, you respect each other's fields and training.  I don't have an art degree so I don't teach art.  I can sing but am a far cry from a music teacher.  When it comes to math past the elementary years lets face it I stink.  I would NEVER teach middle school math (after I wrote this sentence I realized I do...every day).  As a homeschool mom I often feel grossly unqualified for my position.  I am confident that there are numerous homeschool moms that do a way better job than me and don't have a degree in anything remotely close to education.  The one thing that we all have in common is a deep desire to be there to watch and guide our children as they learn and we more often than not are learning right alongside of them.

Bentley Age 11

Yesterday I decided that it was time to step out of the box and teach...yes teach...art.  Not just do something crafty but actually put pencil to paper and draw something.  We have talked about, especially in the areas of art and music, signing out kids up for local classes and clubs but we later decided that this year we are not adding anything to our plates.  It challenges me to do something out of my comfort zone.  This was our first attempt at art and we all loved it. 



Payton Age 9

I found a wonderful blog from an Art Teacher on Pinterest who shares fun tips and tutorials and she showed how to draw pumpkins. The kids loved taking time to add in their own personal touches to complete their scenes.  They said at school this project would have taken weeks at only fifteen minutes of art per week.  We spent well over an hour in one sitting.  I also found a great show on Friday afternoons on our local PBS station where he teaches kids to draw.  I will set the DVR and give that a try next week.

Mommy Age to old to remember (seriously)
 

Mommy even joined in the fun.  It was quite relaxing, visiting while we worked and talking about ideas for our pictures.  The kids even figured out that by curving their lines a bit more at the top it made the stems look like they were more sunk down into the pumpkins.

 

One little person unfortunately had to miss out after being sent to the "principles office." I know it sometimes appears like all peace and tranquility around here but truly it is not. None of us are perfect, especially mom, and we all need the occasional time-out.

 

Another Area that has been truly hindered by my teaching background is my ability to let go and learn in unconventional ways.  Payton, nine needs to move lots and more often than not I get my teacher voice on and tell him to sit down and be quiet.  Today during math he was spinning around while figuring multiplication problems in his head and then would run back to his paper and quickly write down his answer before he forgot.  Instinct is that he is bothering others but if you look around he is the only one in the room besides me, who yes is distracted but should be able to handle a bit of action with five children in the home.  My years of education say that a classroom and learning look a certain way.  If I wanted it to look like that then my children should still be in the public school.

 

We are learning at home so that I can be there for those "aha moments" (sometimes they see mommy having those right along with them and they love it).  We are learning at home so that everyone can learn in their own way at their own pace.  We are learning at home so that we have more time to get to know Jesus and his teachings.  We are learning at home so that we can do things a different way.  This teacher mama has to step back and see that learning is happening everyday even though it doesn't always look like learning.  God may have not given me all of the talents that I think that I need to help my children be well rounded learners but He does give me the tools to help my children learn.  I will continue to pray for God to guide me and show me ways to teach and open my eyes to new ways of learning.