Before beginning their homeschooing journey, many homeschool parents worry about homeschooling for several reasons. They weren't good in school, didn't go to college, are not trained as a teacher, or can't currently help with homework. There are many more reasons beyond these. Still, these are several reasons I have seen in observing various homeschool groups of parents starting.
Luckily most states don't require parents to have a degree or a diploma to teach their children. (for a more in-depth look at the rules or regulations necessary for your state, please visit www.hslda.org or your state's education website). At a minimum, a few states require parents to have a supervisory teacher or a reviewer or operate under a co-op or umbrella school.
I'm not here to get into the legalities of each state; I want to look at a parent's heart and what I feel qualifies a person to homeschool their children.
A homeschooling parent's most significant need is the need to homeschool and the desire to homeschool. Your child may need it due to medical reasons, developmental reasons, academic difficulties, or various other needs. To be effective fully, your desire for what you feel is best for your child, in this case, homeschooling, also needs to be there besides the obvious need. I have often shared that we needed to be together as a family as my husband travels for work. Our need has developed into a genuine desire for me, as I have loved our time together and now wouldn't change or send them to public school unless our needs changed.
I also feel that one shouldn't homeschool if they are not committed to helping their kiddo based on their needs. Suppose you lack the motivation to keep going steadily or don't feel like you can put forth the effort required to meet your state's requirements. This does not mean you must follow a rigid curriculum and make your homeschool look like everyone else's. You must commit to your child to help them obtain the skills they will need to operate as an adult human. The biggest disqualifier is not teaching your child and preparing them for the world we live in academically and morally/spiritually etc. We do a disservice to our children when we ignore or hinder their growth and potential by not investing entirely in their education.
If you are asking yourself what you're doing wrong, if you're doing enough, or how to help navigage a difficulty your child is having, then yes, you are qualified to teach your child. Qualifications to homeschool do not need to go beyond making sure your child achieves their best and following your state's guidelines and regulations. If you have family members or well-meaning friends questioning your abilities, don't listen to them. You have taught your child how to crawl, walk, talk, eat, potty friend them, and all other skills up to school age. You can also teach them academic skills as well. Does this mean you will be able to help them with Astrophysics? Probably not (unless you were an astrophysicist in a previous life or career). You can navigate high school biology and calculus if needed. There is a greater homeschooling community willing to help and beautifully made curriculums to assist you.
If you still have some questions discuss finding if homeschooling is right for you in a blog post HERE.
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