How long did it take you to feel like you've got it down?

[RainandRedemption]

I'm nervous about not really having a support system when I start homeschooling next year. My mom is relatively supportive and wants it to work for us. My dh is on board and wants to HS our kids. But I don't have any friends who are or have HSed. No one to tell me to hang in there and keep going when I doubt my abilities, which is unavoidable. I am the queen of self doubt.

How long did it take before you felt totally comfortable in your ability to HS your kids? Or do you just continue to deal with the questioning when it comes up?

[4littlenorskes]

Almost a year... and sometimes I still have doubts but that's just normal.

You've got a great support system here!

Have you checked for any groups in your area?

[RainandRedemption]

Yes, there are tons of homeschoolers in our area. Seriously TONS. But there are two big HS groups so I think the small groups either fizzle out or simply stay really small and unknown. We met up with the more open minded seeming group a couple weeks ago, and while the meetup was fun, the people seemed nice enough, no one talked to me. I am so super ridiculously shy. I instigated a conversation with one mom when we first got there but she didn't seem to want to make a new friend, and I'm awkward and weird to talk to, so ...
I know if I apply myself I guess I could become a part of this group, or the other big one. But I'd much rather find a small group that will jsut welcome me in, accept me despite my obvious weirdnesses, and want to be an encouraging circle to me and people like me. I know I want to be that to other people.

Ramble. Thank you I do feel accepted here, and supported

[morethancjsmom]

6 mos in and still figuring it all out...sorry not helpful but thought i would share. My major support is here on ds. We cyber charter so most of the hs groups in our area aren't a good fit. I am a very relaxed mom, i guess so not a good fit with the rest of the home schoolers here. On a resent local hs outing day at a state park where the rangers were teaching kids a SMART angler program when it was lunch we sat at a picnic table with one other student from our cyber and both families felt out of place. With our kids at lunchables and fruit snacks all around us moms were slicing organic fruit for their kids and drinking out of sustainable metal water bottles that contain the filter so they could fill them with the tab water. Nothing processes on additives, no refined sugars that kind of stuff. Not saying there us anything wrong with it at all. Just really crunchy and we were the heathens!

[iris0110]

I think it took me 6months to really feel confident. I've been at it several years now and I feel good about what I am doing. I have doubts from time to time but I am confident enough to build my own curriculum and do my own thing. I do not do homeschooling groups even though there are many in my area so I can't help you there. I am socially awkward to a fault and on top of that I don't drive. My big support tends to come from dh, MIL (she is a teacher but loves that I homeschool), a handful of friends who were homeschooled as kids, my closest friend who is a teacher but somehow manages to still be one of my biggest supporters and of course everyone here on this forum. I probably couldn't do it with out all of the support here.

[Kristi26]

We are cyber schooling for the remainder of this year and then going to straight HSing next school year. It took about 6 months for me to adjust to having school with all three bigger kids while juggling YDS as well. Now I suspect it'll take me another 6 months to adjust to the newest changes.

ETA: To be clear, I still struggle with HSing daily. I worry that I'm not teaching them enough or that I'm causing more confusion than clarity...lots of things. But we are adjusted to the idea of doing this. I truly feel like this is the best for my babies!

[HeatherlovesCDs]

Well....I was hoping to see some longer time frames. We are finishing up our first year in about a month. I am confident that we can HS, but still very nervous about the older grades, especially science experiments and bigger crafty type things. I'm also nervous about fitting it all in as I have more and more children in school, particularly until the youngest is over 4. (The youngest isn't born yet. ) HS'ing is definitely out of my comfort zone and tough with a lot of littles. I don't feel confident in my ability to pull it off yet. However, that said, K has been a success. He is reading and has learned a lot. We are a little behind in math, but that is my fault. Plus, even though he's behind in the book, he actually knows the info already, just not formally.

[syfitz]

Geez, I have been homeschooling for 9+ years and still have my moments of self doubt. I think it's normal. I'm committed to it though, so when I need to, I seek out guidance. I'm shy too, so my guidance mostly comes from blogs or going to see speakers at homeschool conferences. I do have a great homeschool group, but it is very big and most of the other moms fall into my aquaintances category rather than friends. I have found that for the most part, homeschool moms LOVE to talk about their homeschool experiences, so it takes little to engage someone when I do have a question that my friends haven't been able to help me with.

[momof2littles]

I am starting kinder with my daughter in the fall. I am a certified teacher and teachign a classroom full of kids, I would doubt myself! After a successful year, you start to think...hey I can do this! And then year after year, you're like I am good at this! I know with teachign in a classroom, every day, every week, every month, every year gets easier. It's helpful to reflect and figure out what you did right and wrong, what you would change or keep the same. Reflection only makes one better, in all areas of life!!

I'm only assuming that this will apply to homeschooling!

[LindsayNErik]

Well,here are a few things to remind yourself of.
1) Your child is 5. The basics are the most important (for us,that is Bible/Character training first),get the 3 R's in,and let the rest be fun stuff.
2) Take it one day at a time. Each day with HS'ing will be different,be ready to be flexible. This is one of the most wonderful things about it,you can slow down or speed up based on his/her particular needs.
3) Be patient,be patient,be patient.
4) Enjoy this time. As we know,the days are long,but the years are short. This is a wonderful time to invent in the heart of your child. You are going to do great.

FWIW,I am in an area where there aren't other HS'ers. I don't have any close friends that are doing it. I don't have a cheering section. I do it because it is absolutely,positively WORTH it!

Philippians 4:13-I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.