When I began my journey into homeschooling, I felt inadequate in several ways.  Taking on the task to teach your children and be available from morning until night can be a challenge, and it will bring forth doubts and fears. When we began our journey in 2009, I was so excited to finally be able to focus on my daughters completely.  Before then I was pursuing my degree in education only to realize that I didn't want to be the teacher I learned about during my pursuit.

Although I was excited about my new found passion, I still found myself struggling with doubt.  I questioned my intentions more than my abilities.  This slowly began to affect me and subsequently our home school.  In 2012,  I got a nudge to give classroom teaching a try.  This decision had many layers, but for the purpose of this post I will focus on the home school doubt.  I needed to go teach because it was the only way I could get out of my head and truly see His purpose (not my own) in our decision to learn at home. What I learned through my experience are the tips I am sharing with you today.

Four Tips for Breaking Through Doubt in Your Homeschool

• Be honest about your doubt. Don't pretend to be perfect or try to hide it, but instead confess it. You can share this in many ways such as writing your doubts in a journal, talking to a trusted friend, or reaching out to a home school blogger. Honestly, I did all of these things. I wrote out all the things that were causing me to fret. I spoke to a few of my friends, but I also reached out to another homeschool blogger. I felt most comfortable talking to someone who was homeschooling, and at the time most homeschoolers I knew were a part of my virtual world.

• Search for the root of your doubt. Doubt and fear always have a root cause. My doubt was two-fold, I forgot my true reasons for homeschooling. I began to question if I chose to home school because of fear in becoming a teacher in a school. I also started to question the way I homeschooled. I wondered if I was home schooling “right”. I didn’t have any accountability partners or regular meet ups with friends to talk about homeschooling.

• Flesh out the lies. Teaching in the school system helped me to see something that I knew, but had a hard time accepting— I really didn't want to teach large groups of children at the same time nor did I want to follow the rules placed upon teachers. Secondly, although I didn't have human accountability partners, the Most High has always been my partner since we embarked on our homeschooling journey. I parent our daughters from the mindset that they are God’s first so with that I trust Him to guide me and protect them.

• Move forward in truth. Once I experienced teaching out of the home, I had freedom from the lies I once believed. I didn’t question myself about my motive and wonder if I only homeschooled because of not being good enough to teach in a school system. The freedom replaced the which keeps this particular lie from being used against me. One truth I’ve learned to hold on to which keeps me from falling into doubt is I won't be able to teach and give my daughters everything before they graduate and leave our home, and I accept that. Learning is a continuum. It happens as long as our minds are open, and Lord willing they will learn just as much as I have and more in their adult lives.

If you are struggling with doubt, I am here to tell you doubt shouldn't hold your home school hostage.  You have been given an awesome opportunity to teach your children. There is purpose in your choice and willingness to be your child’s academic teacher. You can start fresh today and make the most out of the time you have with your children.

How do you work through doubt?