Do you feel unqualified to teach in your homeschool?
I was having a homeschool dinner party yesterday with a group of parents actively interested in homeschooling. The point of the meal was to have an open forum and answer questions about homeschooling, encourage one another, and ultimately share a vision for homeschooling that will transform an entire family. One of the biggest challenges I help parents overcome is helping parents gain confidence and feel qualified to homeschool. This dinner party was another picture of how important it is to help parents establish real confidence and qualifications to homeschool. These parents included an engineer, a chef, an esthetician, a flight attendant, a stay-at-home mom, and an educator to name a few. All very intelligent and competent people, who I know personally. But here is what was so fascinating: each of them felt unqualified to teach or that they didn't have any skills they could teach. And yet each of them could name skillsets and strengths in others that they would be amazing at teaching. What does this show? We as parents have a propensity to question our abilities and doubt ourselves more than anyone else. Now just imagine taking that lack of confidence into your child's education and trying to lead from that perspective. How do you think it is going to go? Here is the thing. We all need help. Whether it is in gaining real, tangible skills as home educators to provide a high-quality education to our children, or having accountability and guidance to ensure you are setting clear, achievable goals, or both. I realize that many of you in this community are struggling with some combination of imposter syndrome and genuine deficits in areas where you need to grow. Just like all the parents at dinner last night. I'd like to extend an offer to you, just like I did with these families: Take a step to better qualify yourself and increase your confidence. Commit to giving your children the best education possible, not just good enough. And ensure that you are absolutely on track to long-term success.