My Child Struggles with a Subject,Where do I get Help?

If there are problems that you experience in a certain subject, that you feel that you are out of your depth, there are many tutors, for various subject,s that make themselves available to homeschoolers. You could contact one to help you over a rough patch until you feel confident enough to carry on.

When you home school, you are not alone - there are many of us in the same boat. You just need to reach out and make contact with the many networks that are set up around you.

Most curriculum providers also provide a telephone or email support when you sign up with them.

Come to think of it, nothing really changes whether your child is homeschooled or in a mainstream school - if they struggle with a subject, you need to seek extra help.

I was not good at Maths, How do I Teach it?

This question was one of mine in the beginning and one my father was concerned about. He had sat with me, evening after evening, trying to get me through school. The truth of the matter is, there are not many teachers really qualified to teach mathematics and those that are, maybe in private schools, perhaps are not able to teach it very effectively. I bumped into my mathematics teacher in the gym the other day and she said something profound to me “the reason so many children are struggling with mathematics lies with the teacher and her insecurity to teach the subject”.

We were told a wonderful story of a homeschooling mom who’s son finished his Matric at 15, loved mathematics, went on to study at UNISA and finally to WITS University. He had to have special interviews with professors at each institution as he was so young compared to the other applicants. They willingly accepted him on his ability, maturity and passion for mathematics. He finished with the highest honor in mathematics and went on to lecture the subject. His mother only had Standard 8, lower grade mathematics.

I do depend a lot on my teacher’s manual, but we draw pictures, we cut oranges up for fractions and mathematics is taking on a new dimension for my children. My oldest daughter who was in the school system for 5 years has said to me on numerous occasions “Mommy, it is so nice to have it properly explained to me, my teacher would just read the question to me again and tell me to go sit down and do it”. Her problem was not that she could not read, but that she did not understand what was being asked of her!

So, you homeschool your children, how do they socialize?

This must be the burning question that every homeschooling family answers over and over again and it is asked with a very real concern.

First of all, in my opinion, children do not learn their social skills at school – socializing with one age group only. They learn how to be socially acceptable from their parents, watching your every move. Children learn how to talk to the Post Office lady by watching you, how to treat their friends, by watching you socialize with yours, how to empathize with someone healing a broken heart, by watching you mend a splintered finger with a band aid and love.

Our behavior around our children is vital, homeschooling or not, as to how our children turn out as adults. Teaching God’s love for all people but speaking down about another race group is sending them mixed messages and changing how they look at others - forever.

I find that in the homeschool environment my children get genuine praise when it is due and strict guidance when they need to be put back on the right path. This builds in them confidence to face situations that they will face later on.

An account I heard from one of the homeschool moms, when asked "How do your children make friends?", her answer was “I get asked this over and over again, but now I just say – my children make friends just like yours, they walk up to a nice little child they see in the park and say ‘hello, my name is .....’ and off they go. I don’t see what makes it different now that we homeschool?”

I must say that you do need to give them the opportunity to make friends and to have them over to play, as play is also a very important part of their development. I find that we actually have more play dates now than when they were at “school”. This is because we don’t spend tedious hours in the afternoons doing homework as all our schoolwork gets done mostly by lunch time. This will change the older they get, as more hours will be needed to put into their studies, but by this time play dates will be changing too. I find that we have children over at our house more than they get invited to play out, but this too is okay with me as I know where they are and what they are getting up to.