While perusing the Fall 2018 edition of Homeschool Idaho magazine, we came across an interesting and valuable article by Raquelle Sheen about the ten mistakes new homeschoolers can easily make. (You may recognize some of them yourself.) You might even disagree with some of them; either way I’m sure you’ll find value in the article. With that in mind, we’ve condensed the gist of each of them hoping you’ll follow the link to the article itself and read each point in its entirety. The following are simply my takes on what the author is saying; please follow the link and read it in her own words!

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1 Viewing Academics as Primary

Right off, this doesn’t sound like too bad a mistake, does it? However, it is Ms. Sheen’s contention that building character is actually the prime goal of homeschooling parents. Your choice: Do you want to spring on an unexpecting world yet another evil genius, or a kind, considerate, enlightened one?

2 Having Unrealistic Expectations

With all of the best intentions, most of us at one time or another choose perfection as our goal, even though we should seldom expect it. This can be troublesome in  homeschooling. There is nothing wrong with aspiring to perfection mind you, but expecting it? Be kind to yourself by being content when you’ve done the best you can do.

3 Creating a School-Home Setting

This is an easy one to get tripped on I think. There are many good reasons why you don’t want to mimic a school classroom in your  home. The author makes the point that many of the characteristics of a traditional classroom you might find attractive are actually in place for crowd control purposes and really have no place in your home.

4 Doing Every Assignment and Test in the Books

Ms. Sheen says to resist this temptation if you have it. Instead, look at them as options. No one in black suits and dark glasses is going to knock on your door if you skip some!

5 Not Trusting Your Judgment

After all is said and done, YOU are the expert on your children and you can feel confident in guiding them the way you already know works. The experts are experts for a reason, but they don’t  have the slightest edge over you when it comes to your kids and how best to teach them!

6 Copying Everyone Else

This one is closely related to #5 above. You will glean much of value from the approaches of others but you will probably also come up with your own appropriate and clever solutions to problems that might well be worth copying by others! Don’t mind it if someone else seems to be doing something that works super for them – you know your own situation best and maybe it will or maybe it won’t. It’s up to you.

7 Assuming that Co-ops and Online Schools are Better

These resources are tempting and certainly have value, but the author very succinctly asks: “Why let someone else disciple your children when you could do it yourself?”

8 Not Reading Books

There is an abundance of literature on home schooling available and it would be a bad mistake to assume that because you’ve read one you’ve read them all. There is probably something to be gleaned from every author’s experience and you never know where the epiphany awaits you. Keep reading!

9 Looking Back

The author here delves into the psychological, emotional, and spiritual hazards of second guessing your choices and indulging in the “If only I had . . .” moments that we all succumb to from time to time. Give yourself some emotional support and resist the temptation!

10 Too Much Peer Time

This one addresses the old myth of “socialization” head on. Kids have fun with and learn from their peers but they need more than that – they need to be with people of all ages, especially family members.  Read this one to reaffirm that you’re on the right track!

Among these ten mistakes above it’s likely you may find one or two that are pertinent to your situation so I’m sure you’ll benefit from the author’s take on each. Remember, I have just summarized each one; you really should check this article out – it’s well worth it!

Just click HERE

PS – We can think of another mistake some people make. Number 11: You should have used Alpha-Phonics to teach reading. Next time try it – it’s the most efficient, effective and economical method to teach reading you’ll ever see. Tens of thousands have learned to read with it!

Check it out here:

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Here’s a neat take on Homeschool Mistakes: