Seton Magazine Catholic Homeschool Articles, Advice & Resources
Summary
Jennifer Elia has five reasons why homeschooling our children not only makes us special but also teaches us how to accomplish seemingly impossible feats!When I meet someone for the first time, they are often surprised that we homeschool our children.
There are the usual questions—Is that legal? What about quantum physics? Aren’t your children lonely? (You know the questions!) Then, there is often the statement, “I don’t know how you do it. I could never homeschool. You must have super powers!”
As any homeschool mom with tell you, we are not superheroes. We are just ordinary moms providing an exceptional educational experience for our children. However, homeschool moms are super and have some outstanding capabilities.
In celebration of all a homeschool mom does, here are five reasons she really is super!
Excellent Juggling Ability
Being a mom is hard work. God didn’t give us three arms (although it would have been helpful), but He did give moms an amazing ability to multitask. No mom has mastered this gift as well as those who homeschool their children.
Juggling ten kids in seven grades with eight learning styles and four different temperaments is mere child’s play in the hands of an experienced homeschool mom. She can juggle not only mountains of books, but stacks of tests and piles of lesson plans as well.
While juggling the kids, the schooling, and their busy schedule with one hand, a homeschool mom uses the other to keep the house tidy, cook a healthy dinner, and fold the mountains of laundry—oh the garden, well that’s why she has two feet! No end to the fascinating and superhuman juggling these moms can do.
Always Learning and Growing
Being a homeschool mom is as much about learning as teaching. Not only do we learn something new everyday from teaching our children their core subjects, we learn about our children and the world around us.
As a homeschool mom, I often say that I am a student of my own school. Every child is different and unique. Whether it is teaching the times table or working through 3rd Grade history, the same lesson is never really the same. Learning how to best reach every child for every lesson is a growth experience.
Homeschooling not only teaches mom some facts she may not have known, it enriches her in the most unexpected ways. Whenever someone remarks that she doesn’t have the patience for homeschooling, it’s only because she hasn’t tried. Patience, like all virtues, is practiced. We need to grow in virtues in order to possess them. Homeschooling is a super way to grow virtues!
MacGyver Has Nothing on Their Resourcefulness
Homeschool moms are a resourceful bunch. They know how to accomplish 30 hours worth of work in only ten. They can teach Preschool letter recognition, 4th Grade spelling, and 7th Grade science all at the same time. Their schools stay on task, and they know exactly what still needs to be done despite moonlighting as a toddler wrangler and baby nurse in their spare time.
Give a homeschool mom a budget and she will produce sevenfold its worth in supplies. She is held together by copious amounts of coffee or tea, hushed Hail Marys, and her trusty planner. When all else fails, a homeschool mom can save the day with just a stapler, eraser, a handful of pennies, and a roll of tape. (The pennies make great manipulatives and also help pay for the next field trip, as every homeschool mom knows.)
The One Mom Homeschool Band
She’s the superintendent, principal, athletic director, department chair, school nurse, and chief bottle washer. The homeschool mom is super because she can replace an entire school system with her two capable hands and a whole lot of determination. Need lessons planned? She’s on it. Looking to take a field trip? She’s got it covered. Having a discipline problem? She’ll have it under control.
From physically building the school “house” to organizing supplies, planning activities, and taking roll call, a homeschool mom can wear hats stacked as high as the Empire State Building, then leap over them in a single bound.
Yes, homeschool moms can get overwhelmed, but that happens, they are super enough to form their own “union” and gain support from veteran homeschoolers. (Did I mention homeschool moms are resourceful?)
She Has X-Ray Vision
A homeschool mom knows her children’s strengths, weakness, and learning capacity like the back of her hand. She can see through her children’s completed workbooks and know exactly where they need a little more practice, without opening the cover. Homeschool moms know which subjects are being completed by each child and how hard they are working, despite being in twelve different locations in the house.
She knows who is getting distracted and who needs to take a bathroom break by accessing her laser powered eyes in the back of her head. Placement tests don’t scare her, because she can already see the hidden ability of her child. A homeschool mom can look at her child’s eyes and know if he actually understands something or is just taking a guess. The inner processes of the brain are not beyond her gaze…she knows when the wheels are turning but need a little prodding, and when the wheels have decided to take an imaginary trip to Dreamland.
Homeschool moms are ordinary people, it’s true. We work hard and get tired. We get overwhelmed and relish our quiet times, few as they may be. However, homeschooling our children not only makes us special, it also teaches us lessons of how to use our most special, God-given abilities to accomplish seemingly impossible feats!
We may not wear capes, but we are heroines indeed!
What Super Powers Keep Your Homeschool Going?
We asked you on Facebook what your homeschool super powers are and this is what you had to say!
Based on your comments and likes, the top three superpowers that keep homeschool moms going are:
#3 Super Sense of Humor
“The other day was especially challenging. Grumpy faces all around (including mine). My oldest said she thought everyone just woke up on the wrong side of the bed that day. But we trudged along. Later on during spelling, I called out the word “paddle,” and said “I row a boat with a paddle.” My 11 year old thought I said “cattle,” so I pretended to row a boat with a drowning cow. And we laughed and laughed…” -Kerri Ann
#2 Super Endurance Fueled by Inordinate Amounts of Caffeine
“Coffee; Meaning my capacity to drink it all day. Oh, and prayer. Lots and lots of prayer.” -Carmen S.
“We are powered by cinnamon rolls, tea, and Crayola!” -Stefanie E.
“Caffeine and weirdness, my friend, with prayer tying it all together.” -Jennifer R.
#1 Supernatural Grace – Your Reliance on Prayer, Mass, and Adoration
“We have been trying to get to adoration once a week. Spending time with Jesus gives us the Grace we need for the rest of the week.” -Pauline A.
“Oh, God’s grace for sure! There are good days when we accomplish everything and there are those days when we need to remind ourselves to be more graceful to our mistakes and imperfections. Our homeschooling journey isn’t just about teaching the child but it’s also about learning together. Grace, not perfection.” -Mae Anne
Special Recognition for the Virtue of Fortitude
“Determination. Homeschooling my kids has always been a challenge, especially those with special needs. However, when my husband was killed 2.5 years ago, homeschooling felt impossible. Determined to give my kids the best education I could, I kept going. I got help from other homeschoolers, who thanks to Seton lesson plans, were able to take over schooling my kids immediately after the accident.
Even now, the same determination lead us to simplify our lives, sell possessions, downsize our lifestyle and more all so we can keep homeschooling as long as we can, surviving on a small pension from my husband’s employer. While it would be much easier to put my kids in school, I do my best to continue at home.” -Bonnie Lass
About Jennifer Elia
