The Secret To Homeschooling :: Less Is More

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the secret to homeschoolingMy career in teaching and education ended on Sept. 4, 2014 when my daughter was born. Fast-forward five and a half years later and I found myself in the same position as many of you – about to enter the unknown and daunting world of homeschooling. On March 16, 2020, I laid out our first-grade lesson plans (our school and teachers are amazing) and a rough idea of how to keep my preschooler occupied. Did I mention I had already been up for a few hours working from home as a writer/editor and had many more hours of work ahead of me? Well, let me tell you the secret to homeschooling – less is more!

Everyone woke up to different lives that day, and we all tried to make the best of it.

Like all of the memes out there, I was prepared to be Mary Poppins, complete with fun ideas, a list a mile long of virtual experiences, a colorful clip-up chart just like school, and a mostly positive attitude. The first day went well, and actually the first week, though exhausting, was a success. And then reality set in.

homeschooling
Photo Credit :: Andrea Limke

Sometime during week two, I had a breakdown. I was overwhelmed by working full-time from home (my husband is “essential” and left for his job every day) and trying to be the same high quality, involved, and creative teacher my kids were lucky enough to have at school. I worked in education for over 10 years – I should be able to do this! But then at about the same time, I realized that I, in fact, couldn’t do this, I also realized that I didn’t have to.

During week four of learning from home, I took a different approach.

I made a list of the tasks my first grader absolutely had to accomplish that day (specific things from his teacher) and grabbed a few skill-appropriate activities for my 5-year-old. After breakfast, we got to work and typically finished these things in an hour, and even within that hour, we had to take quick breaks to run around the house, race up the street, or have a “field trip” to the laundry room to change loads as a “class.” After that, I did something that felt very unnatural as a former classroom teacher… I let them do whatever they wanted to.

homeschooling
Photo Credit :: Andrea Limke

No, I did not let them draw with sidewalk chalk on my living room walls or eat an unlimited about of M&Ms (I wish I could say the same for myself…), but I did let them do whatever they felt like doing. And you know what? They shocked me with what they did with this newfound freedom. I was expecting endless TV, Kindle time, and fights – and while there was definitely plenty of this – I would say that about 75% of the time was spent just playing, creating, and collaborating.

They transformed our playroom into a “Doggie Store,” complete with a check-out lane, cash register, dog food, leashes, and puppies available for adoption. My daughter (admittedly after watching an episode of Caillou), decided she wanted to plant a garden, so she spent hours making little vegetable and fruit signs, writing the names, and then digging in some dirt in our backyard. My son drew countless obstacle courses in chalk on our driveway and creatively come up with Dude Perfect-esque challenges we can do as a family. They made messes, argued but then worked together, cried when they felt sad or frustrated, and have managed to teach themselves more in one week than I could’ve taught them in months.

homeschooling
Photo Credit :: Andrea Limke

I am not an expert in homeschooling and I made PLENTY of mistakes those past 4,583 (I mean 5) weeks. My kids still bug me when I’m working, pop into my Zoom calls, and fight with each other. But, since I’ve changed my outlook on this learning from home thing, we are all more relaxed. They are reading, writing, doing math, exercising, learning manners (thanks again, Caillou), but also learning how to be bored, patient, organized, how to compromise, cooperate, and much more. I continue to work at letting go of the guilt that I am not sitting down, teaching them five subjects a day, five days a week. Moms are experts at piling on the guilt, but I urge you to let that go. And at the same time, let your kids go. Every family and child is different and some may thrive with a more structured schedule, and that is totally fine. For us, and I’d expect for many other families, learning has become a natural part of playing, interacting, and simply living through this global pandemic.

homeschooling
Photo Credit :: Andrea Limke

What will your kids learn during these weeks at home? What will you learn? My daughter may finally remember how to write the letter “K,” but I hope she also learns that opportunities for education are everywhere and that Mommy was a wonderful teacher who tried her best.


Andrea Limke is a lifelong resident of the Cincinnati area and currently lives in Northern Kentucky with her family. After working in education for 10 years, she chose to spend more time at home and then pursue a career in writing. Andrea has written for Cincinnati Mom Collective, Cincinnati Parent Magazine, published a children’s book, and currently writes and edits full time for Only In Your State. She enjoys sharing through words, spending time outdoors, reading, and looking forward to the next adventure, big or small.

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