What I learned from our first year of homeschool

My news feed has exploded with pictures of children and teens finishing their school year. All those pictures have me thinking about our first school year and the not just the lessons my kids have learned, but the ones I've learned as well.

These are the big lessons I've learned from our first nine months as a homeschool family.

Be flexible.
We've had many situations that required flexibility this year, most of them were little things like postponing a lesson, but I also needed to be flexible with my curriculum choices. We started the year with a math curriculum that just didn't work for us. We gave it a fair chance, modifying it after a couple weeks and scraping the whole thing after a couple more weeks.

Trust your instincts.
You know your kids, you know yourself, and you have the ability to receive revelation for your homeschool. If you've studied your options and felt that a particular choice is best, don't automatically disregard that feeling because some disagrees. When I was planning for this past year, I originally picked a different math curriculum than the one we actually started with. When my husband looked at my original choice at a convention, he wasn't impressed. Instead of trying to convince him, I agreed to look at other options. Does it surprise you to learn that my original choice is what we ended up using and loving this year? My husband was still skeptical, but was willing to trust me and give it a chance.

Find a routine that works for your family.
I read numerous scheduling suggestions before starting the school year, so I had an open mind and experimental attitude. I am so grateful for that suggestion, because while our schedule isn't entirely unique, it is has evolved over the year and I anticipate that it will continue to evolve as we go along. To read more about our schedule, click here.

Learn with your kids.

My four plus their cousin at the beginning and end of the public school year.

When I get interested in a topic, I become more animated about it and in turn my children become more excited about it. Knowing what my kids are learning also helps me to bring it up at applicable moments.

Find a mentor (or two).
I feel a tremendous amount of pressure as a homeschool mom. I feel confident in my ability to guide my children through their education, but I still have a lot to learn. It sets my mind at ease to have knowledgeable people rooting for us and willing to help as needed.

Relax.
If you are trying your best and worried if you're doing enough, then chances are your kids are learning and you're doing just fine. After struggling through the first half of the school year with reading, I reached out to a local teacher friend who assured me that we were on the right track. It turns out I was doing all the right things, we just needed to keep at it. Fast forward several months and both kids are doing great.

Do you homeschool? Are you thinking about it? What would be on your list?