Are you prepared to be flexible, willing to try different approaches, constantly evaluate the educational process, not only of the children, but your own too? Are you open to seeking out advice and help? There is no need to home school in a vacuum. The amount of information you can access and use is staggering.
Do you have confidence in yourself and the children? Can you let them go at their own pace, gently prodding them with positive strokes? You need to develop strategies for building and maintaining confidence and support, both for them and yourself. Rigid timetables, deadlines and grading systems seldom work well with
the ebb and flow of a busy family life, and are generally tailored not to the needs of individuals, but to external demands. Do you need them?
Can you give yourself some time to be yourself, not parent, teacher, or slave to the house-hold chores? Will you be able to satisfy your own interests and needs? Are you aware of the real risk of ‘burn-out’ and how to avoid it? Parents who continually sacrifice themselves to their children’s needs offer a poor example of adult life.
Are you prepared to spend a long time home educating, perhaps even ten years or more - or as long as you need to? What about careers, finances, babies, etc? You may reach a point where you don’t want to anymore, but your children do!
Can you cope with being different; with opposition from your family, community; or from the authorities? We all need the approval of our peers, and unless you are able to secure a supportive network of friends who applaud your efforts, life may be an uphill battle of wavering confidence in your decision to home educate.
Most importantly - do you have a sense of humour? Educating your children at home is a wonderful adventure, a time to treasure, but, like parenting, you need a sense of humour to survive it!
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