I always figured it would be high school math that gave me away. It would be the day my son realized I am not really as smart as I pretend to be. That I am not a know-it-all homeschooler! Yet it happened much earlier than I expected when he asked about seahorses.
First grade science and I was backed into a corner over a question about seahorse reproduction. Seahorses! The only male species to carry the babies and I didn’t know how that worked, exactly. At the time I also didn’t know they anchored themselves with their tales so they do not float away.
Seahorses. Okay. I don’t know, but let’s go find out.
Then we found cute tadpoles in our dirty pool. Again, I ran into the fear of not knowing something when I didn’t know what happened to the tadpoles tail, exactly. Because telling a first grader that it just “looses it” is not scientific enough.
Tadpoles. Okay. I don’t know, but let’s go find out.
We still haven’t made it to high school math and it was pretty obvious I was not a know-it-all homeschooler.
I didn’t know about snail hibernation.
I didn’t know about Egyptian gods.
I didn’t know the state bird of Texas – sorry Texas.
I didn’t know why volcanoes became dormant.
I didn’t know how to make giant pretzels.
We figured it out, together. We hit the library, a lot. We googled, daily. We bought field guides
You might be thinking of all your weaknesses; why you’d never make a great homeschool mom. Or that you’re not a know-it-all … and right there is the real beauty of homeschool!
Learn together. Experiment together. Rejoice in getting a second education. Have fun. Make memories!
Because the truth of it all, I’m not a know-it-all homeschool mom and I hope I am not raising know-it-all homeschool boys. I hope I am teaching them how to admit they do not have to know everything but have a desire to find the answers and continue to learn long past graduation.
Keeping track of your child’s homeschool work for you!
