It's not hard...but it takes effort

Today I finally started back up with school after an extended time off for our move. I felt like I was finally getting to the point in our old town where most people knew that we were homeschooling. With the move, we have a whole new small community asking us when our older daughter, Eva, will be starting school. She is five and extremely bright and ready to learn, but she would not be able to start Kindergarten in the school district until next year. We are currently in her 4th quarter of Kindergarten with Seton Home Study.

My sister-in-law works at the bank in town and was recently asked by her co-workers when Eva will be starting school. She told them that I was homeschooling the girls, and their reaction was (after they picked up their jaws from the floor, I guess) "how can she manage to homeschool?" SIL stated that I stayed home...which does make homeschooling much easier than trying to combine it with a career.

I think that I've finally come up with a way that might explain homeschooling to people when they express surprise and incredulity:

It's not hard...but it takes effort!

Actually, that is a pretty good philosophy for most of the things I do in my life. But in terms of homeschooling, it's really not hard...I managed to graduate from high school and college, and I even taught undergrads during my short stint in graduate school. I don't have a teaching certificate, but I am sure that I would be able to get one if I so desired. Both my parents are public school teachers...I'm very familiar with the educational system. Teaching is not hard either. Yes, it is work. Yes, it requires effort...but it's not hard.

I can teach my girls the alphabet, phonics, basic math, science, history, about our faith, how to read, how to write, how to speak, how to type...none of it is hard, because I already know how to do all those things. Homeschooling may become more challenging as the girls get older, but I am sure that I will be able to learn something in order to teach, or find someone who already knows the subject to help. All of that will take effort. Just like planning what to go over with Eva and what projects to work on with Charlotte (mainly to keep her happy and busy during school time) takes effort...I have to take the time, sit down and figure it all out.

I just wish everyone who gives me that surprised look and asks me how I can manage to homeschool understood that it's not hard....it just takes effort.