Homeschooling: Is it Only for the Academically Gifted?

Though some people may disagree with me, I do not think you have to be academically brilliant or even above-average to homeschool. Contrary to what those in the education industry might proclaim, you don't need a teaching degree to teach. If you love your children and are willing to make the sacrifices of time and effort to teach them, I don't think you need to worry too much.

For one thing, homeschooling has advanced so much in the last ten or fifteen years. There is so much curricula, help, and support out there. If you are weak in a subject, there's plenty of resources available. For instance, Algebra was not my forte. I struggled through Algebra I and when I got to Algebra II, trying to work from a textbook and understand it was just too much.

I wasn't learning it, I wasn't grasping the concepts, and my parents didn't remember enough to be able to tutor me in it nor did they have hours on end to spend in one-on-one teaching time. So, they purchased a video curriculum for me and that solved the problem! In addition to a myriad of courses available by video, there are also internet courses, private tutors, or homeschool co-op classes. No parent should feel intimidated by any subject with all the help that's available today!

Second of all, you can learn along with your children. I firmly believe that education shouldn't stop at the end of high school or college; education should be a lifelong pursuit. I love learning new things and am excited to homeschool in order to study and learn new things right along with my children! I think that next to the a love for the Lord, one of the greatest gifts my parents passed on to me was a love for learning.

Thirdly, you don't have to be an expert in a field for your children to excel in it. My parents were so good at giving us a strong foundation in the academic basics and then allowing us, as we got older, to pursue things we were especially interested in and gifted in. And they didn't just allow it, they strongly encouraged us in these endeavors.