If you’re homeschooling girls, chances are you’ve considered that you might be raising future homeschool teachers.
Perhaps, if you’re like me, you imagine your grandchildren learning at home, under the careful tutelage of their mom, your daughter. You see them crawling into her lap to listen to one of your favorite stories. You see your daughter sitting at your house, sipping tea, asking for curriculum advice. Maybe you even get a little teary-eyed thinking about it. Maybe, to increase the likelihood of this little scene taking place, you find yourself dropping little hints like, “you’re going to be such a good teacher someday!”
On the other hand, maybe you never do such underhanded things and your kids will never need therapy like mine will.
Well good for you. No need to be smug about it now.
Anyway. Whether you gaze a little too often into the future, or you’ve never given it a second thought, you have to admit that your daughters might one day be homeschool moms themselves.
Our girls can take home economics, sewing, even child development. Why not teach how to homeschool?
Here is a little of what you can share through the ages.
Elementary School: Why do You Homeschool?
When your girls are younger, remind them often why you homeschool. Keep it simple! This is probably something you’re already doing. If you’re not sure, then ask your girls why they think you homeschool. If nothing else, you’ll probably get some cute answers. If they’re not sure, then share with them some of your reasons.
Take advantage of opportunities to share some of the kid-friendly benefits of homeschooling as they come up. Enjoying a field trip or spur-of-the-moment project? Have a late night and start school a little later than usual? Bring school with you to grandma’s house? How many times a week do we find ourselves thinking, “Wow, I never did this in school!” or “Wow, these kids wouldn’t have been able to do this if they had to go to school today!”
We know the benefits go far beyond the fun stuff, but make sure your kids are aware of the fun stuff, too. Above all else, your kids should know that homeschooling is fun!
Middle School: What is Your Approach?
Once your kids are a little older, you can begin to talk to them about the approach or methods you use. My girls love when my husband and I come home from our homeschool convention and bust out all of the new materials we’ve bought. It’s a great opportunity to talk about different approaches and techniques.
It’s not too early to start talking about learning styles and philosophies, too.I never sat down and had a “Homeschooling 101” class with my ninth grader, Coco, but she’s gleaned quite a bit over the last three years.
She knows why we use what math we use and why we use a different math with her little sister. These are things that just come up naturally. She has been involved in the choosing of some aspects of her curriculum for the last couple of years. Coming from private school to homeschool in seventh grade, she has learned firsthand the difference between a textbook approach and a literature-based approach. She sees me giving her sister copywork and dictation instead of weekly spelling tests, and we’ve talked about the difference in that, too.
Of course, we are a very talkative family with a very hyper mom who loves all things homeschool, and things might not come up as naturally or as often for some calm, laid-back types. If that’s the case, then seek those opportunities out to give your middle school girls a little insight into why you use what you use.
And rest assured, my kids have no idea who Charlotte Mason and Susan Wise-Bauer are. What I am talking about is sharing little bits of your philosophy of education here and there. We don’t sit around and have in-depth discussions about it all. (Though I would be secretly thrilled if we did.)
High School and Beyond: How Do You Homeschool?
As your daughter gets ready to graduate, it might be the time for a Homeschooling 101 Class. I have not done this myself, as my oldest is in ninth grade.
However, as I am teaching her to keep a cleaning schedule for a home, shop and prepare meals for a family, sew a button on a shirt, and diaper a baby, I’ll be teaching her the nuts and bolts of homeschooling.
And how will I teach her this? The same way we’ll learn all those other things… by doing it!
Here is a short list of tasks you can help your high schooler work on. Depending on how interested your daughter is, you can either give her a few short lessons or work elbow to elbow all year long as she practically becomes your teacher’s assistant in her senior year. Sorry, there I go fantasizing again.
Creating a lesson plan
Presenting a lesson to a younger sibling
Grading papers
Reading aloud
Choosing a course of study
Designing a unit study
Creating a schedule
Giving a dictation or spelling test
Giving a hands-on math lesson
Helping occupy younger siblings during lessons
Pretty much anything you do as a homeschool mom!
Will you raise your girl to be a future homeschool mom?
Linking to Helpful Homeschool Hints
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Be sure to visit these brilliant women in this 10 days adventure between February 7th-18th! We love these ladies and we know you do too.
10 days of socialization for mom | The Homeschool Chick
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10 days of large families | Chocolate on My Cranium
10 days of special needs | Special Needs Homeschooling
10 days of struggling learners | Homeschooling the Chaotic Family
10 days of homeschooling girls | Homegrown Mom
10 days of homeschool enrichment | Confessions of a Homeschooler
10 days of building a spiritual legacy | Mommy Missions
10 days of frugal homeschooling |The Happy Housewife
10 days of Charlotte Mason | Our Journey Westward
10 days of unschooling | Homeschooling Belle
10 days of organization | Confessions of an Organized Homeschool Mom
10 days of getting started | Blog, She Wrote
10 days of homeschooling boys | The Tie That Binds Us
10 days of homeschooling Montessori | Fruit in Season
10 days of preschool | Delightful Learning
Jennifer @ Milk & Honey Mommy says
Homegrown Mom,
I just wanted to let you know how much I am enjoying reading your posts for the HOTM 10 Days. I have not been able to keep up w/each day, but that only increases the excitement of finding time in the evening to get comfortable and read through to catch up. I am looking forward to reading the remaining six days.
Christine- Fruit in Season says
I’ve begun thinking about it recently, wondering about my daughter homeschooling, and wondering if my sons will want their wives to homeschool. It’s an important subject and one that shouldn’t wait till they’re grown!
Angie @ Many Little Blessings says
I have to admit — I never even considered this. Isn’t that funny that it just never dawned on me that my kids could one day homeschool their own children. Kind of mind blowing now that I’m thinking of it.
AprilS says
I have a feeling with homeschooling being more and more embraced by families, we’ll see an entire generation who grows up with a different perspective on educating their children. As much as you talk about teaching your children to homeschool, I think just being in a homeschool environment is going to leave them open to this as a solution for their children.
Teaching a child how to homeschool is really smart as it touches on a variety of skills. You are teaching them how to plan a large “project” and how to instruct a person. Both are very valuable skills and I’m certain there are even more to be gained from this.
Really smart, helps your kids to see things from your perspective and how to respond when people start asking about homeschooling. 🙂
EM says
Great article. Something I hadn’t even thought of. My girls are so young, I haven’t looked that far. I’m still excited about having potty trained children! It will be something I pay attention to now. Thanks.