Feeling Inadequate?

Feeling Inadequate? I used to feel that way, and sometimes I still do.

I just got through reading a friend's post on Hawai'ian Dreaming. Apparently she and I both compare ourselves to others, and not in a good way. We both tend to see what other people are doing in homeschooling, and wish we had or could do what other homeschoolers are doing. I used to feel that way a lot, but I find myself in recent months feeling that way less and less often.

This past spring, when I decided to unschool, I felt completely vulnerable. I knew that I wanted to unschool my girls, but the obnoxious logical side of me just kept nagging that it might not work. What if they fell behind? What if they didn't learn a certain skill that the other kids are learning at that age or skill level? Or worse...what if they weren't ahead in every subject making the other kids look like doofuses? Yes. I harbor secret feelings of wanting educationally superior children. *wink*

So how are we different now?

We aren't worried about weekly spelling tests. They write on their own and we work out the spelling of the words they want to write, if they haven't already figured it out on their own which usually happens first.

We aren't worried about memorizing the multiplication tables...at least not yet. They are learning how the numbers work in real life, when they are used, and how they can benefit them. I think that memorizing and knowing are two different things and shouldn't be confused.

We aren't worried about reading the classics. They read what is interesting to them and that keeps the pages turning. Sometimes a classic is interesting, and sometimes I wonder who actually decided that a piece of garbage could be remotely considered a classic.

We aren't worried about diagraming sentences. I'm letting them learn the natural flow of words from their favorite authors as they digest book after book. The same goes with punctuation.

Now that we've been unschooling for a few months, I can see that it is working. I still hear certain catch phrases from other homeschool mothers and read certain accomplishments on various homeschool blogs that make me wonder, but I can see the spark of learning in my childrens' eyes and know that they are enjoying learning now.

I'm over second guessing and comparing our homeschool experience to others. It's much better to love life and enjoy.