Homeschooling A Review

This is a pivotal book in our education journey. 

Ginny melds knowledge and stories so well. This book is a sigh of relief for homeschool parents and an inspiration to be the teacher your child needs.

I started reading this book at the beginning of August. My oldest was entering kindergarten and though we had homeschooled through the preschool years, kindergarten is entering the “real” school years. I called a cousin who has homeschooled for several years in search for advice. She said just what my anxious momma heart needed. My cousin had also just started reading this book and recommended it to me, little did she know she had been an answer to prayers.

Like I said, Ginny's book is a deep centering breath. I feel homeschooling is a monumental responsibility. But she gracefully outlines how living is learning, how it's best done at home, and how you are the best teacher for your child. 

Takeaways

• Children are already natural learners. You get to be their guide. Learn along side them. But if cultivated, their desire to learn will only grow. And as they learn to use their own resources they will quickly learn far more than you could ever teach them.

• Of all the jobs a homeschooling parent takes on, entertainment is not one of them. Ginny talks about how boredom is good for a child to experience and overcome. I remember when we started decreasing the use of TV in our home. I wondered how I would survive. But my children quickly adapted and found new interests that they enjoy. Children are resilient and creative. Ginny says that creating space for a child to overcome boredom is actually a good thing for them. So I'm now actively trying to find ways to create more free time for my kiddos.

• Ginny encourages parents to learn along side their children. I'm a young mom my arms are often full of babies and my time is spent caring for them. I've never been so busy in my life and I've always been busy. But Ginny's encouragement and the stories she told to show how learning and cultivating your own interests help your children do the same has inspired me to start chasing my own interests again. I'm not being selfish. I'm modeling the learning process. This may have been my push I needed to take a break from learning about bugs (it's a little boy thing)... and maybe let myself learn a little more about cooking. 

• Ginny's final point is that you are the best teacher for your child. No one understands them like you. No one loves them like you. And no one is willing to put more effort into their happiness and success than you are. You are enough. Let us all tell ourselves that over and over and over again. You are enough to make your homeschool journey everything it needs to be. If you don't believe it, give Ginny's book a read and she will give you all the confidence you need from her own place of understanding.