So you took the Homeschool Style Quiz and you found out you have a Traditional Homeschooling approach. Or maybe you just want to learn more about this homeschool style. Traditional homeschooling essentially means “playing school”. It means taking a traditional school setting and trying to mimic it in your homeschool.
You know you’re a traditional homeschooler if:
- You have little desks for each of your children (and maybe even a teacher’s desk for you!)
- You love workbooks
- You love schedules and have a little planner for both you and the children
- You have a regular homeschool day that you try to never sway from
- You write down “recess” (I do that by the way)
- You pack your kids little lunches in the fridge so that they are getting the full experience
- You want your kids to be completely on track with their school aged friends
- You focus on curriculum that aligns with what the schools are teaching (at least in ability and concept)
- You love tests and evaluations to track your progress
- You have a little filing cabinet you fill with examples of your students work and maybe an attendance list
- You are drawn to curriculum that has a teachers planner and very well laid out lessons
- You love to teach TO your kids
Now after reading that list, some of it may be a bit of an exaggeration to you, but you may be sensing that this is not the most effective homeschool style, and for many people that is the case. But it is a common approach, especially for new homeschoolers. Why? Because it is the way I was homeschooled, it is the way you grew up in the school system (or homeschool) and it is how you were taught or modelled learning, so naturally you are going to continue in the same pattern.
Traditional homeschooling has it’s pros and cons, but it can (and often does) breed burnout, discouragement, and a feeling of failure. Because home life is different than school, it is messy, it is busy! You have multiple grades you are working with at the same time! You have good days and a lot of bad ones, and you have such high expectations that when it doesn’t work you feel like an utter failure. It is important to remember that there are so many other ways we can approach homeschooling now that may work better for you if you are willing to learn about them.
I was 100% a traditional homeschooling mom when I started. I fought to stay on that way, but the reality was I was burning out, my kids were hating school, and I was very unhappy and discouraged. So I broke away from what was natural to me, I explored new methods and brought new curriculum into our homeschool and I have never found so much joy and contentment as I have now!
That being said, some kids just thrive in that environment. I have one of those myself. I personally loved learning in that environment. Some children are drawn to workbooks, to bookwork and tests and paper and writing. For those children, this might very well be an effective method of homeschooling.
Take a look at some of the other styles or take the quiz for yourself here! And make sure to pin this on your homeschool board for later!
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Is your homeschool style traditional or do you want it to be? Why? What appeals to you the most in this style? Comment below!
Make sure you go back and take the homeschool style quiz if you haven’t already, and take the time to read about each of the homeschool styles. The more we can become aware of the focus of each style, the more we will find what resonates the most with us, and sometimes that is fluid and changing!
