Flexibility in Homeschooling: A great power with great responsibility

Many parents are attracted by the great level of flexibility homeschooling offers.

You get to choose when to homeschool, how often, and how long. How about curriculum, you get decide what curriculum to use and which subjects to teach and which not to teach. Wondering where to homeschool? You could teach a lesson in your homeschooling room or in the car or at the park.

You make the choice. It is all up to you!

And this is one of the greatest powers of homeschooling.

However, with such great powers, comes great responsibility.

Here are 3 key things to keep in mind:

1) You feel anxious

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Some parents see this great level of flexibility as a big reason for anxiety. There are too many choices to make and each choice can negatively impact their child.

They wonder, “how do I know which choice is better?”, “What if my child falls behind?”, or “What if she does not reach her maximum potential?”.

It is simply too overwhelming!

Anxiety is a natural feeling and our desire to choose what is best for our children is completely understandable. Acknowledging our feelings and seeking for help can remove our doubts and make us more comfortable with our choices.

Empower yourself with education and learn from others. You do not have to bear the responsibility alone and you should not!

So join homeschooling groups or create one, use curriculums made by professionals, hire tutors for some subjects and take self-development courses to alleviate that anxiety.

Also, accepting that we will make mistakes, and knowing without these mistakes we will never grow and develop. Even teachers in classrooms make mistakes. That is why teachers reflect on their teaching, and seek feedback from students, colleagues and parents to improve.

So, if your anxious about homeschooling, put your reliance on God, have the right intentions and ask for His aid. God is always there to help those who seeks aid and grants them Tawfeeq (success).

2) You think you are the only one making decisions

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Some parents feel they are the only ones responsible for making the decisions of their homeschool. However, this is an illusion that could have very negative repercussions long-term.

Know that the goal homeschooling is to provide a supportive environment for your child to learn and flourish. It is also about creating a strong relationship between you and your child, filled with trust, respect and support.

Therefore, it takes both the parents and the child to create the rewarding learning experience. It could sometimes mean, that your child prefers to go to a public or private school rather being homeschooled.

So remember, it is never just you making the decisions, it is you and your child.

3) You have bigger responsibility

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Being a parent and caregiver is big responsibility and deciding to take charge of your child’s education adds to that responsibility.

Some parents choose homeschooling but they take it so lightly. They do not put in the necessary effort to properly educate their children.

This makes their children fall behind and sometimes completely miss important skills that affect them well into adulthood.

So, when making the choices of how long to homeschool your child, what curriculum to use and what skills to teach, continuously reflect if you are truly putting the necessary effort to help your child reach their potential.

If at any time you feel you feel your child is disadvantaged by being homeschooled, reassess the situation. Seek support to improve the situation or temporarily seek other schooling methods.

To sum up:

The great level of flexibility in homeschooling attracts many parents to consider it for their children.

However, some parents might feel overwhelmed with the many choices, which is understandable. With reliance on God, then the empowerment with knowledge and seeking support homeschooling can be a stress-free journey.

Additionally, some parents might feel that they are the only ones responsible of making all homeschooling decisions. However, they need to remember that these decisions should be made between them and their child.

And finally, some parents might be on the other extreme where they take these homeschooling decisions lightly. In this case, they need to reflect and reassess the situation to pick what is ultimately beneficial for their child’s education.

Want to know more know more about homeschooling?

Check out our ebook on the Top 10 things you need to know about Islamic Homeschooling.