Basic Qualifications to Homeschool

Do you have the basic qualifications to homeschool? See, when the school’s take on the task of teaching other people’s children, there are some qualifications and training necessary. So, it stands to reason that when a parent takes on the responsibility to educate their child, there should be some basic requirements too.

Are you qualified to teach your child?

Well, let me ask you a different question first. Are you qualified to cook a meal for your family?

See, whenever a restaurant serves food to other people they have to meet some standards and health codes that allows them to do so. But, millions of people cook for their families everyday without someone asking if they’re qualified to do so.

There’s no reason to think that cooking belongs only to the experts. If you can read a recipe, you can cook. I’m not sure where this idea came from that education belongs only to the experts.

Basic Qualifications to Homeschool

But, just for fun, let’s take a look at some important qualifications to teach your child at home.

#1 You have a vested interest in the student’s success.
I don’t know anyone who hopes your child grows up to be sitting on your couch, playing video games and eating Doritos all day. No. We want our children to grow up and be productive citizens who play video games and eat Doritos at their own house.

No matter what educational setting your student does school in, you’re the one who advocates for their success. You’re the one sitting over the homework each night. You’re the one who sweats over the grade for the Science Fair project. You’re the one who finds a tutor when the math gets too hard.

Why? Because you have a vested interest in the student’s success. When you take on the responsibility to educate your child, it’s for their best interest. For their success.

#2 You already taught the child to walk and talk.
Now can you can figure out how to make him sit down and be quiet? That’s the real trick. But, seriously you have already been teaching this child since birth. How to hold a spoon, how to dress, how to use the potty.

If you have ever potty trained a child. You are qualified to teach the child to read and write too. If you’ve potty trained more than one child, you know that each child is different. So, it is with reading and writing. Each child is different. And you are qualified to figure that out.

If you’re still working on potty training thing:

How will you figure it out what your child needs to learn next? You just will. That’s how learning works. When you need to know it, you will figure it out. You’ve got a great track record of what your child has learned already.

#3 You know your child better than anyone else does.
You are an expert on this one. You know your child better than anyone else does. Even before this kid could talk, you knew what the different cries meant.

Hungry, tired, bored. You know these things better than anyone else.

You have a unique perspective on how your child will learn too. You can individualize and personalize the education to the child. Children are infinitely curious–just feed their curiosity and they will learn. Honestly, you’ll find that you’re learning (and re-learning) alongside your child, too.

Yet, somehow we doubt ourselves.

Bonus qualification: You worry if you’re doing enough.
When things don’t go smoothly and you encounter problems, you doubt yourself. If you doubt yourself from time to time, then you’re actually doing it right.

I remember when they let me leave the hospital with my newborn baby. I felt this amazing weight of responsibility that I was suddenly in charge of parenting this little person. Certainly there must be an adultier-adult who should be in charge instead of me.  But, there wasn’t anyone else. It was me.

I have felt that weight of responsiblity from time to time along the way. Homeschooling has a way of taking those parenting woes and magnifying them. The hardest part of parenting is doing your best…and not knowing if it’s enough. (It might even become a homeschool panic attack sometimes.)

Just remember there’s no such thing as a perfect parent. You’re going to make some mistakes. Good parents do and that’s okay.

You can do this, too. You have the basic qualifications to homeschool!

Now let’s talk about being “just” a homeschool mom: