Last week, I talked to you about building confidence during my weekly Facebook Live event. For your information, these events happen every Sunday at 3pm EST on Homeschool Ways, the Facebook page of the blog.
Building confidence is a slow process, like the walk of a turtle.
Building confidence takes a bit of time and effort, depending on how much confidence you begin with. Then, you have to keep checking your level of confidence as the months go by and your confidence wears off in the trenches of homeschooling.
We have all been there. After we start the year with confidence, the kids balk at some of your plans and ideas and curriculum choices. Then, we start questioning ourselves. Slowly, every conflict in the school room contributes to the erosion of our confidence.
Confidence Formula
In this video, I propose a formula for confidence:
- Knowledge is power. Read as much as you can: blogs, books, magazines, online forums. Listen to podcasts as you fix a meal or take a walk. Talk to other homeschool moms about what has worked and what has not worked for them. Learn as much as you can from others. This will build your data bank and give you ideas for when you get stuck.
- Don’t compare yourself to others. Every homeschool family is different. As you expose yourself to what others are doing, keep your own family in mind. You may admire somebody’s children for playing the harp so beautifully, but you started piano with them five years ago and you are not going to change instruments now. That’s an extreme example, but you get my point. Just filter everything you see through your own lens.
- Listen to your children’s actions. Sure, listen to their words, too, but actions speak louder than words. If you children act miserable every time you pull a certain curriculum out, spend some time talking with them about what the problem really is. Is it too hard, too easy, too boring? Are they just lazy? Have they developed a habit of complaining and moaning about math (or fill in the blank)? Make adjustments as necessary.
As always, I welcome your questions and comments. If there is a particular topic you would like me to cover in these Facebook Live events, email me at blog@homeschoolways.com or drop me a comment right here on the website.
