When you think about homeschooling your children, are there any subjects that scare you? For me that was high school math and science. I did not feel qualified to teach those levels as my public school teaching experience only went up through 4th grade and I wasn't the strongest student in those subject areas when I was in high school. There may be other subjects you are concerned about. Everyone is different. Some people are more scared of Kindergarten than high school Algebra!
Perhaps you feel unqualified to teach at all. Some parents feel this is true if they do not have a teaching degree. Or perhaps they didn't finish college. I am here to allay your fears. Homeschool is not rocket science. You already know the students very well. You have already taught them things too. Who taught your children to tie their shoes? To brush their teeth? To hold utensils properly? You have been teaching your children for years. All you are doing is adding a few subjects.
Trust that the curriculum you choose will come with instructions. You can read ahead and look ahead at the lessons to come before you do them with your child. Will you make mistakes? Undoubtedly! All you need to do is be one day ahead of them. Each night you can look over the next day's lessons. You will get your confidence and not feel that you need to continue that forever. Also, don't forget that you can ask for help. There have been lessons that I handed over to my husband because I knew he would do a much better job. When I was pregnant with our third daughter, a friend and I got our kids together to teach science. Sharing that burden was such a help to me at that time. And of course, there are always outside classes they can take and tutoring you could pay for. We've done both of those things as well.
So I am here to tell you that if you can read, write, and generally figure life out, you can teach your children. The curriculum will help you. The curriculum companies, for the most part, are very responsive and helpful. There are also Facebook groups for just about every curriculum out there where users can help each other. Guaranteed your question has probably already been asked. We have libraries, the internet for goodness sake, and friends. You can do this!
Now, one other thing to consider is your state's homeschooling laws. Some states do require the parent to have a high school diploma, although some have arrangements that can be made if they do not. That is one thing that needs to be considered, as it's important to follow your state homeschooling laws. You can check your state's requirements here to be sure you are qualified as far as the laws go.
The last important thing to remember is to have some humility. Yes, you are the adult. Yes, you are in charge. But it's important to have an attitude of "let's figure this out together" instead of "let me impart my wisdom on you." Your kids will appreciate that you can help them look up the answer if you don't know it, and you will be teaching them a life skill!
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